同声传译译员局部认知负荷与信息加工关系研究

Local Cognitive Load and Information Processingin Simultaneous Interpreting

本研究聚焦英汉同声传译过程中译员局部认知负荷与信息加工之间的关系。研究以译员工作记忆中存储的信息量为认知负荷评价指标,通过实证方法考察译员局部认知负荷对译语信息完整度、脱离源语语言外壳程度和同传质量的影响。研究表明:译员局部认知负荷与译语信息完整度、脱离源语语言外壳程度和同传质量之间均呈负相关性;当认知负荷最高值达到4个语块时,译语信息完整度和同传质量出现显著下降,而译语脱离源语语言外壳程度达到最高。这一发现为同传认知过程研究提供了重要实证数据及方法论借鉴,同时也为验证口译实践和工作记忆理论提供了参考数据。

This study carries out an English to Chinese simultaneous interpreting(SI)experiment to examine how local cognitive load affects information completeness,the extent of deverbalization,and the quality of interpretation.Cognitive load is measured by the amount of information held in working memory,and chunk is taken as the unit of information.The results imply that during SI,local cognitive load is negatively correlated with information completeness,the extent of deverbalization,and the quality of interpretation.When the highest cognitive load reaches four chunks,a significant drop in information completeness and interpretation quality will be observed while the extent of deverbalization approaches the highest.These findings are expected to provide empirical evidence for investigating the cognitive process of SI,and for testing relevant practical interpreting theories as well as working memory theories.