The Effect Of Sight Translation Exercise On Simultaneous Interpreting Training

Sight translation (ST) exercise has long been an important part of simultaneous interpreting (SI) training. Most SI training programs worldwide, if not all of them, include an ST exercise section, which usually takes up a considerable proportion of time of the program. However, unlike other exercises in interpreting training, such as note-taking and shadowing, which have received extensive attention in the academic world, ST remains somehow ignored by researchers on interpreting studies. Being interested in ST exercise, the author conducts an empirical research to find out in what way the exercise can help SI trainees with their SI performance and also the limitations of the exercise.The author first turns to Gile's Effort Models to find out similarities and differences between SI and ST. Comparison and contrast show that ST and SI share quite a lot in the production component and thus ST exercise should be most likely to make contribution in this aspect. Linguistic theories on language production in normal communication and also theories on production in SI are then discussed to further establish the effect of ST exercise on improving SI trainees' performance by enhancing their proficiency at production. To test results drawn from her theoretical analysis, the author conducts an experiment, in which a training program is carried out and tests are given. Subjects taking part in the experiment are tested twice on SI, number recall and phrase interpreting, before and after the ST training program, and the results are compared and analyzed with SPSS. Analysis of the data shows that ST exercise helps the trainees a lot in their C-E SI but very little in their E-C SI. The result just partly supports conclusions based on theoretical analysis. The improved C-E SI performance of the subjects seems to be largely attributed to their enhanced proficiency at production after the training and that their E-C SI performance remains basically the same seems due to their inadequate listening comprehension to English, with which ST exercise can basically do nothing to help. However, the author thinks there are still possibilities that ST exercise can help SI beginner with their E-C interpreting, since the result does not go against ST exercise's effect on enhancing the trainees' proficiency at production and the listening comprehension of trainees in formal SI training programs should be better. For a more definite answer, the author believes further research is needed.