The Correlation Between Note Features and Consecutive Interpreting Quality for English Majors

Note-taking skill is a necessary component in interpreter training programs, and previous research has yielded findings such as note-taking training methods or features of interpreter trainees' notes. However, little research has been done to investigate the changes in note features and correlations between note features and interpreting quality concerning Chinese students' C-E (Chinese-English) and E-C (English- Chinese) interpreting. Using the framework of Daniel Gile's Effort Model and Interpretive Theory of Translation, this paper examined how 45 English Majors' notes develop within one semester (seventeen weeks) and the relationship between note features (quantity, form, and language choice of notes) and consecutive interpreting quality. The participants of this study were all beginner interpreting trainees, and the note-taking training was introduced in Week 6. The study employed note manuscripts, interpreting tests, and semi-structured interviews to track the features and changes in students' notes. Correlation analyses and T-tests showed that (a) after the note-taking training, the number of notes increased from Week 8 to Week 17, and it was positively correlated with interpreting quality (fidelity and delivery) for both C-E and E-C interpreting; (b) as for forms of notes, participants primarily employ single Chinese words and the percentages of abbreviations and symbols rose prominently from Week 8 to Week 17 for C-E interpreting. Besides, correlation analyses show that interpreting quality improves with fewer single Chinese words and more abbreviations and symbols. For E-C interpreting, notes were mainly in English, especially single English words and abbreviations. The percentages of single Chinese words and abbreviations ascended whereas those of single English words and symbols decreased. Furthermore, results show that the more abbreviations and symbols, the better target-text fidelity, and fewer abbreviations, the better the targettext delivery; (c) concerning language choice, notes were mainly in source language for both C-E and E-C interpreting and the percentage of target language notes went up significantly for C-E interpreting. Consequently, the percentage of target language notes was positively correlated with interpreting quality. Interviews indicate that most participants do not pay much attention to language selection in the first stage, and if the source text a familiar topic with little difficult vocabulary, he or she records the t