| Interpreting requires that a variety of tasks be completed spontaneously and instantly.It is complex and uncertain in its cognitive processing,which results in the high anxiety of the interpreters,especially for the student interpreters.Some specific physiologic,psychological and behavioral patterns are reflected in the interpreting classes,exams,contests and practices of the student interpreters.It has been revealed in the previous studies that anxiety leads to the disparity in the performance of the student interpreters,and exerts strong negative influence on the interpreting outcome,making it the biggest emotional obstacle in interpreting.However,the current studies on interpreting anxiety are far from sufficient,not only in the scale,but in the research methods.In terms of research methods,qualitative methods such as theoretical summary or experience overview are most frequently used,but few studies are based on the integration of qualitative and quantitative methods;The perspectives are not multi-faceted.Anxiety in interpreting is observed and studied in its own field,without the involvement of relevant elements such as working memory,strategies,motivation in int erpretation.There is no comprehensive and systematic research on the cognitive causes and effects of interpreting anxiety.On the other hand,current studies do not include wider range o f subjects.Interpretation learners of different level are not given due attention.Few studies are made on the different features,causes and effects of anxiety for different interpretation learners.In addition,studies in interpreting anxiety are not well integrated into other related disciplines.Theoretical foundations and achievements in related subjects are not taken as references.The anxiety coping mode is not studied in a comprehensive,systematic and efficient fashion.In order to get a comprehensive understanding of the cognitive causes and effects of interpreting anxiety,so as to effectively reduce interpreting anxiety,the study aims to explore the following questions:1)How can interpreting cognitive anxiety be measured? How to design and validate the scale?2)How is the current situation of the anxiety of student interpreters? What is the relationship between interpreting anxiety and performance of the student interpreters?3)How could anxiety of the student interpreters be understood from its cognitive causes and effects? What is the correlation between interpreting anxiety and cognitive factors such as interpreting working memory,interpreting strategies and interpreting motivation.4)How can an interpreting coping mode be constructed to reduce the anxiety of the student interpreters? How to test and validate the mode?The study lays its foundation on such related theories as Psychological Linguistics,Cognitive Linguistics,Applied Linguistics,including interpretation information processing theory,interpretation co gnitive resource allocation theory,cognitive capability development theory,meta-cognition theory,theoretic mode theory,etc.,with special references from the achievements in general anxiety and foreign language study anxiety.The study first develops and validates cognitive processing anxiety scale for consecutive interpretation,then use s the scale to investigate the current situation of the student interpreters,analyzing the cognitive causes of anxiety and its effects on interpreting.A multidimensio nal coping mode of interpreting anxiety is then developed and validated.Empirical and Humanistic research methods are applied in the study,respectively observation,survey,experiments,and literature review,documentation,theoretical analysis,etc.The study draws the following conclusions:First,cognitive processing anxiety scale for consecutive interpreting is developed on the foundation of relevant theories and analysis of the features o f consecutive interpreting.Factor analysis is used to measure the reliability and validit y of the scale.Further validation is made on the inner consistency,constructing reliability,remeasuring validity and predicting validity of the scale.The study indicates that the scale is efficient and stable,and is u seful in understanding and coping with anxiety of the student interpreters.Another important conclusion is about the three constructing factors of the scale,namely,listening anxiety,memorizing anxiety and interpreting anxiety.Information pro cessing anxiety is not recognized as an independent anxiety factor,which proves that there is no independent phase o f information processing,or deverbalization.Thus the conclusion supports the 2-phase cognitive processing theory of interpreting,including two phases only: source language input and target language production.Second,based on the cognitive processing anxiety scale for consecutive interpreting developed,the study investigates the current situation of student interpreters,as well as the effects of interpreting anxiety on the students ’ performance.The results of the investigations suggest that the average levels of student interpreters’ anxiety is quite high.Students of different level in different context may exhibit different features.Besides,students’ interpreting anxiety is significantly related to interpreting performance at the medium negative level.With the increase of study time and interpreting ability,anxiety decreases dramatically,resulting in the evident improvement in interpreting performance.Third,the study investigates and analyzes the correlation between interpreting anxiety and working memory,strategies and motivation of interpreting,and discovers that there is a medium negative correlation between in terpreting anxiety and the above factors.Some factors such as note-taking ability,coordinating abilit y between brain memory and note-taking ability,some cognitive strategies,meta-cognitive strategies,inner motivation are significant in influencing the interpreting anxiety.Investigation also proves the medium negative correlation between interpreting anxiety and interpreting performance.Moreover,the interplay of other factors,including study time,study level,interpreting context,also has a direct or indirect influence on anxiety level of the students.The mode of cognitive causes and effects of interpreting anxiety is developed on the basis of the above results.Fourth,the coping mode of interpreting anxiety is thus derived from the above conclusions.The mode consists of four dimensions:(1)meta-cognitive intervention,including meta-cognitive knowledge,meta-cognitive experience and meta-cognitive monitor;(2)project-based cognitive capability enhancement,targeted especially at the improvement of capabilities in working memory and strategy use;(3)comprehensive capability cultivation,practising mainly on the motivation,bi-lingual capacity,and adapting ability of the students;and(4)cognitive behavioral therapy,involving cognitive reappraisal,cognitive skill training before the task,cognitive execution control and cognitive behavior practice during the task,cognitive reappraisal and adjustment practice after the task.As demonstrated in the experiment study,the multidimensional interpreting anxiety coping mode is proved effective,capable of reducing anxiety evidently,thus improving the overall interpreting performance.The study is of great significance to the teaching,learning,practice,and study on interpreting.It may promote the understanding of cognitive processing mechanism of interpreting as well as the further development of theory construction in interpreting.Besides,the study contributes to the recognition of causes and effects of interpreting anxiety,hence improving the efficiency in interpreting teaching and practice.The development and application of the scale makes possible the measuring and understanding of students’ anxiety state,the effective coping o f interpreting anxiety,and the achievement of better outcome in interpreting teaching and practice.Moreover,the study enriches the empirical data,expands the scale,and provides a reference for the flexible use and improvement of research methods in the study of interpreting anxietyTo sum up,the study draws references from related theoretical foundations,integrates the use of empirical and humanistic research methods,completes the development,validation and application of cognitive processing scale for consecutive interpreting,surveys on the anxiety state of student interpreters.Besides,the study investigates and analyzes the correlation between interpreting anxiety and working memory,strategies and motivation of interpreting,constru cts the cognitive causes and effects of interpreting anxiety.On the basis of the above discoveries,the study thus develops and validates the multidimensional interpreting anxiety coping mode,and is expected to be of practical and theoretical significance to develo pment of interpreting discipline. |
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