Effects Of Directionality On Pauses In Consecutive Interpreting

Interpreting fluency is a key criterion for evaluating the quality of interpreting.Disfluencies,including pauses,self-repairs and repetitions,are critical indicators of interpreting fluency.Pauses significantly affect the fluency of consecutive interpreting and hinder the audience’s comprehension and the effective transmission of source language information.While there has been extensive research on disfluencies in speech and interpreting,there have been relatively few empirical studies on pauses in consecutive interpreting,and even fewer studies on the effect of directionality on pauses.This study selected 20 second-year graduate students majoring in English interpreting as research subjects,with a focus on pauses among interpreter trainees in consecutive interpreting.Combining retrospective interviews,the study explored the influence of directionality on pauses in Chinese-English and English-Chinese consecutive interpreting.The aim of this study was to answer three research questions:What are the characteristics of pauses among interpreter trainees in Chinese-English two-way consecutive interpreting,specifically in terms of their types,duration,syntactic distribution,and causes of pauses?Does directionality have an impact on pauses among interpreter trainees in consecutive interpreting?How can trainees avoid producing pauses in their interpreting?The study’s results demonstrated that in Chinese-English interpreting,the frequency of pauses among interpreter trainees was notably higher than in English-Chinese interpreting.Silent pauses occurred far more frequently than filled pauses.Regardless of whether they were filled or unfilled pauses,their frequency in Chinese-English consecutive interpreting was considerably higher compared to English-Chinese consecutive interpreting.In terms of pause duration,the average duration in Chinese-English consecutive interpreting was also greater than in English-Chinese consecutive interpreting.Regarding syntactic distribution,differences existed between the two interpreting directions.In Chinese-English interpreting,pauses were primarily located between predicate verbs and objects,while in English-Chinese interpreting,pauses mainly occurred at the beginning of sentences.Concerning the causes of pauses,formulation difficulties were the primary reason for pauses in Chinese-English interpreting,while logical understanding issues were the main cause of pauses in English-Chinese consecutive interpreting.In paired t-tests,the p-values were less than 0.05,signifying a significant correlation between directionality and pause occurrences in interpreting.Interpreter trainees can enhance their interpreting fluency by improving their note-taking skills,engaging in retelling practice,increasing training in comprehending long sentences,and participating in public speaking.Additionally,they can boost their interpreting fluency through strengthened self-monitoring and the utilization of appropriate interpreting strategies.