Perceptions On The Effect Of Directionality On Sight Interpreting Quality

This research aims to find out interpreting learners’ perceptions on the effect of directionality on sight interpreting quality.The author takes two research approaches to conduct the study,an online questionnaire survey and a semi-structured retrospective interview.The research tries to figure out the evaluation criteria of sight interpreting quality,the relationship between directionality and the quality of sight interpreting,possible differences in sight interpreting quality between the two sight interpreting directions(interpreting from non-native language into native language V.S.interpreting from native language into non-native language),and the reasons.In addition,the author investigates the current situation of sight interpreting practice in the interpretation market,sight interpreting courses in schools,and sight interpreting training for interpreting learners.A total of 264 questionnaires are returned,among which 249 are valid.All the participants have all taken sight interpreting lessons or have practiced sight interpreting before.As for the major findings,firstly,the author develops the assessment criteria for sight interpreting quality based on the interpretation assessment criteria of Bao Gang,Yang Chengshu,and Jieun Lee.Secondly,most interpretation learners believe that the quality of English-Chinese sight interpreting is higher.Thirdly,for English-Chinese sight interpreting,“Interference from the source language,“Stamina”,and “Task difficulty and interpreters’ mental stress” are the most difficult criteria.While,for Chinese-English sight interpreting,“Idiomatic expression and register”,“Grammar and use of words”,and “Fluency” are the most difficult ones.The three criteria with the largest gaps between English-Chinese and Chinese-English sight interpreting are “Idiomatic expression and register”,“Ability to grasp key information in source-language text during advance reading or sight interpretation” and “Grammar and use of words”.Finally,most students encounter both English-Chinese and Chinese-English sight interpreting tests during the entrance exams or job interviews,most universities offer two-way sight interpretation courses,and most students practice English-Chinese sight interpretation and Chinese-English sight interpretation about the same amount.