A Study On The Impact Of Non-verbal Information On The Performance Of Simultaneous Interpreters

This paper studies the impact of non-verbal information on English to Chinese simultaneous interpreting. Extra-linguistic information refers to information other than the language itself, such as light, temperature, and the expression and body movement of the speaker. Literature review directs the focus of this paper at facial expressions, gestures and body movements in non-verbal information.Based on Daniel Gile’s Effort Model and theories on non-verbal information, this paper analyzed the impact of non-verbal information on the performance of simultaneous interpreters.The experiment contains three materials, in which non-verbal information increases gradually. The subjects are eight postgraduates majoring in interpretation. They interpreted the materials in two different settings:they can or can not see the speaker and the venue. This study aims to answer:a. does non-verbal information have an impact on the performance of simultaneous interpreters; and b. if it does, does the performance change with the amount of non-verbal information provided?The results reveal that non-verbal information doesn’t affect the performance of the subjects in either accuracy or coherence. It is an environment factor that informs the interpreter of the situation outside the booth and hence a psychological comfort.