The Development of Strategic Competence in C-E Consecutive Interpreting among MTI Students:

A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Interpreting competence is an important theme in interpreting theory and interpreting education. Strategic competence is the fundamental element in interpreting competence. Previous researches on interpreting strategic competence mainly focused on its conceptualization and students' acquisition or utilization of strategies, but the competence development trajectory for trainee interpreters remain unexplored. Against this backdrop, the thesis presented aims to explore the developmental features of trainee interpreters' strategic competence in Chinese-English consecutive interpreting, with an emphasis on their development trajectory and influential factors.

Based on a longitudinal study, three research questions were addressed: (1) What are the parameters defining strategic competence in Chinese-English consecutive interpreting? (2)How dose trainee interpreters' strategic competence develop in Chinese-English consecutive interpreting? (3) What factors influence the development of trainee interpreters' strategic competence? 

To address the first research question, the author initially extracted interpreting strategy parameters from a variety of sources including interpreting textbooks, research papers, and interpreting evaluation documents. Subsequently, an initial strategic competence framework was constructed and validated through expert judgment and observation of students' corpora. The findings suggest that the framework of strategic competence in Chinese-English consecutive interpreting encompasses 13 types of interpreting strategies including transcoding, rank shift, omission, simplification, generalization, addition, substitution, approximation, order change, reformulation, repetition, repair and compensation, and 26 sub-strategies or coping tactics. 

To address the second research question, a longitudinal study of one school year was conducted with the methods of interpreting testing, stimulated recall interviews, and learning journals. The participants were 55 MTI students specialized in interpreting from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies in China. The findings revealed that the developmental trajectory exhibited non-linear patterns and intricate dynamic fluctuations, characterized by alternating peaks and troughs, as well as periods of progress and regression. The number of strategies employed by trainee interpreters varied throughout the training program with varying growth rates, while the types of strategies remained consistent. The critical period for the development of C-E interpreting strategic competence was observed to be between the third and seventh month. 

In response to the third research question, the author incorporated semi-structured interviews in addition to the data collection procedure mentioned in addressing question 2. A total of approximately 340,000 words of text materials were collected, including interview audio transcriptions and learning journals. The data underwent content analysis and grounded theory methodology. The findings suggested that the development of trainee interpreters's strategic competence was influenced by eight major factors. The external factors included the learning environment, courses, and instructors, while internal factors comprised students' learning background, personal experience, non-intellectual attributes, interpreting-related competences, and learning methods. 

The present research holds both theoretical and practical significance. The theoretical significance lies in the discovery of developmental features pertaining to students' strategic competence and the proposal of the developmental curve hypothesis. In terms of pedagogical implications, these findings may prove practically valuable for interpreting training, learning, and assessment.