Interpreting activity is considered a high-anxiety activity due to its immediacy, multitasking, complexity of cognitive processing, and uncertainty of cognitive processing. Research has shown that interpreting anxiety...Interpreting activity is considered a high-anxiety activity due to its immediacy, multitasking, complexity of cognitive processing, and uncertainty of cognitive processing. Research has shown that interpreting anxiety, as the biggest emotional obstacle in the interpreting process, is the main emotional factor that leads to individual differences in interpreting. Students often claim to have fear or anxiety behaviors in interpreting exams, interpreting competitions, and interpreting classes. However, the research on interpreting teaching attaches importance to the cultivation of language knowledge, cultural knowledge, and interpreting skills, and does not pay enough attention to emotional factors such as motivation and anxiety in interpreting learning, which makes it difficult for the cultivated interpreters to meet the requirements of professional practice. In recent years, virtual reality technology (VR) has been gradually applied in the field of foreign language and interpreting teaching for creating a real, interactive and experiential language learning environment. Situated Learning Theory stresses that the fundamental mechanism for learning to take place is for individuals to participate in the real context in which knowledge is generated, and to realize the construction of knowledge through the interaction with the community of practice and the environment. Virtual reality technology can satisfy the needs of language learners for real contexts by providing learners with immersive, imaginative and interactive scenario simulations, and has a certain positive effect on alleviating learning anxiety. Therefore, relying on the virtual simulation course “United Nations Kubuqi International Desert Ecological Science and Technology Innovation International Volunteer Language Service Practical Training System”, this paper adopts a combination of quantitative and qualitative analyses to investigate the interpretation anxiety level of the interpreter trainees and the factors affecting them in the VR situation to help them discover effective responses to interpreter anxiety.展开更多
文摘Interpreting activity is considered a high-anxiety activity due to its immediacy, multitasking, complexity of cognitive processing, and uncertainty of cognitive processing. Research has shown that interpreting anxiety, as the biggest emotional obstacle in the interpreting process, is the main emotional factor that leads to individual differences in interpreting. Students often claim to have fear or anxiety behaviors in interpreting exams, interpreting competitions, and interpreting classes. However, the research on interpreting teaching attaches importance to the cultivation of language knowledge, cultural knowledge, and interpreting skills, and does not pay enough attention to emotional factors such as motivation and anxiety in interpreting learning, which makes it difficult for the cultivated interpreters to meet the requirements of professional practice. In recent years, virtual reality technology (VR) has been gradually applied in the field of foreign language and interpreting teaching for creating a real, interactive and experiential language learning environment. Situated Learning Theory stresses that the fundamental mechanism for learning to take place is for individuals to participate in the real context in which knowledge is generated, and to realize the construction of knowledge through the interaction with the community of practice and the environment. Virtual reality technology can satisfy the needs of language learners for real contexts by providing learners with immersive, imaginative and interactive scenario simulations, and has a certain positive effect on alleviating learning anxiety. Therefore, relying on the virtual simulation course “United Nations Kubuqi International Desert Ecological Science and Technology Innovation International Volunteer Language Service Practical Training System”, this paper adopts a combination of quantitative and qualitative analyses to investigate the interpretation anxiety level of the interpreter trainees and the factors affecting them in the VR situation to help them discover effective responses to interpreter anxiety.
