A Report On The Interpreting For A Visit To Guangdong Museum

Interpreting, as an important form of translation, plays an irreplaceable role in cultural exchange. One of the most convenient and comprehensive ways to learn about the culture of a nation or a region is to pay a visit to the local museum. However, it is always a challenge for any interpreter, without taking notes, to interpret the narrations given by the guide, as quickly and efficiently as possible.This report is based on the liaison interpreting practice of a visit to Guangdong Museum. The author was invited to accompany two international students to visit Guangdong Museum, and offer interpreting service for both of them. Owing to the limited time, the pre-task preparation can only cover basic information about the Museum, and some vocabulary concerning museum, especially culture-related ones.Because of the characteristics of interpreting itself and the fact that the interpreter will have no chance to take notes, it is impossible to interpret all the information given by the guide within the short time. And the author predicts that there will be two difficulties in this interpreting task. One is that he has limited time to do his interpretation, which may lead to some mistakes. The other is that the interpreting of terminology is a tough part for him. If there is no alternatives for him, the interpreter will give up some of the original information that is less important.During the real interpreting process, the biggest challenge the interpreter encountered was how to think of the best equivalence of the original information within such a short time. Having no options, he had to paraphrase some of the introduction given by the guide, especially when it came to the Chaoshan Woodcarving. Even so, the interpreter made every effort to convey the core meaning of the narration by the guide in the most natural way.The author will analyze several interpreting tactics adopted by the interpreter under the guidance of the Interpretive Theory. They are amplification, omission and paraphrase. Besides, the author will introduce some difficulties he encountered duringthe process as well as gains and losses with selected examples. Therefore, experience can be drawn from the interpreting practice and the author hopes to reach the final conclusions to serve as a reference for other interpreters.