A Metaphorical Approach To The Improvement Of P-note Technique

Over the past decades, Chinese translation theorists have begun to focus their attention on the enhancement of the quality of interpretation. Note taking is a very important technique for interpretation. Chinese scholars have hitherto made research into this issue from such perspectives as linguistics and cognitive psychology. However, compared with the western theories, the academic study of note taking techniques in China still has much room left for further development. The note taking techniques for interpretation between the Chinese and English languages are rather individualized, but most of them share similar features, and some scholars nominate it "P-note" (Penetrating-note) technique. It is highly efficient and extensively popular. However, it is not omnipotent. It has certain weakness and needs improvement.The dissertation attempts to demonstrate that, since Pitman Shorthand is a good supplement to P-note technique from the perspective of Conceptual Metaphor Theory, the author puts forward a set of methods based on a series of tests to introduce Pitman Shorthand symbols into P-note system, aiming to improve P-note for the learners of Consecutive Interpretation.After a brief introduction to the Interpretation theories, to P-note, and to Pitman Shorthand, the author applies a metaphorical approach to discuss the theoretical practicability of improving P-note with Pitman Shorthand symbols. One of the most important modern Metaphor theories is Conceptual Metaphor Theory. According to it, the human mental power of making Metaphor at the conceptual level is an essential implement for people to cognize the world and develop their languages. In the author's opinion, it is this human power that creates the systems of both P-note technique and Pitman Shorthand. The difference between the two systems originates from the separate focuses of that power during its creation. For P-note, the power focuses on the detection of similarity between concepts, between concepts and metaphorical expressions, and between concepts and symbols. Whereas, for Pitman Shorthand, the focus is on the creation of similarity at the conceptual level and its products of the Metaphor models of "Concept is Language" and "Language isSymbol." Due to the focus on the detection of similarity, P-note system obtains the advantages of conciseness and high efficiency, but that focus also leads to the intrinsic weakness of P-note: the number of its efficient symbols is somewhat small when compared with the human conceptual system. However, the focus on the creation of similarity decides that Pitman Shorthand system can represent every concept and English word with concise symbols. Thereupon, Pitman Shorthand symbols may make up for the weakness of P-note system. It is a good supplement to P-note.In the following Chapter, the author proposes a set of methods to introduce Pitman Shorthand symbols into P-note system based on a series of tests. She recommends that the learners of Consecutive Interpretation may use P-note to record the logical structure of a speech. And they may use Pitman Shorthand symbols to record the necessary nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and complex phrases. Additionally, they may mix a P-note symbol and a Pitman Shorthand symbol together and thus create a more efficient symbol. The analyses of the tests in this chapter also prove that the introduction of Pitman Shorthand symbols into P-note may assist the learners of Consecutive Interpretation in enhancing their interpretation presence.Afterwards, the dissertation explains the significance of its subject. At the theoretical level, the study of the subject is a novel supplementation to the academic study of note taking techniques. At the pragmatic level, the study proposes effective methods to improve P-note and assist the learners of Consecutive Interpretation in enhancing their interpretation capacity. Although the learners are able to do their interpretation with P-note alone, after they apply certain Pitman Shorthand symbols to P-note system, they are capable of greatly enhancing their Consecutive Interpretation presence. The tests in the dissertation have demonstrated this point eloquently.There remain flaws and weakness in this dissertation. Nevertheless, from the perspective of Conceptual Metaphor Theory, the combination of the two techniques is highly efficient in promoting P-note and the quality of Consecutive Interpretation.