口译理论的建构:口译的认知操作处理论

口译过程的即时性和源语/目标语发布的一次性是口译区分于笔译的两个区别性特征,口译的认知操作处理过程研究是口译研究的一个重点主题。本文旨在系统梳理该主题口译研究的代表成果,建构口译的认知操作处理论。关于口译程序,以20世纪60年代末到80年代初释意论为代表,在口译研究中已有理论建模;关于口译的多重任务操作过程,以20世纪90年代中期提出的认知负荷模型为代表,已有理论建模;关于口译的复杂认知处理过程,从20世纪70年代实验心理学家到90年代后期的Robin Setton等,均提出了口译的全过程模型;关于口译的双语加工过程,近年已有心理语言学路径的探讨和建模。通过对口译认知操作处理论主要成果的检视,笔者认为,虽然口译研究以实证为主,但不等同于没有理论,需要加强的只是系统理论建构的努力。

The process of interpreting, characterized by the distinctive features of immediacy and singular delivery of the source text and the target text, is a major research object of interpreting studies. This article tries to theorise interpreting as cognitive operations and complex processing through a systematic review of representative models, including the théorie du sens proposed in the period from late 1960s to early 1980s concerning the procedure of interpreting, the Effort Models proposed in mid-1990s concerning multi-tasking in interpreting, the models proposed by experimental psychologists in the 1970s and Robin Setton in late 1990s concerning complex cognitive processing in interpreting, and the models proposed in recent years concerning bilingual processing by psycholinguists. Through this theorisation effort, it is evident that interpreting studies, though typical of empirical studies, has laid a solid foundation for theories, which requires only the final touch of systematic conceptualisation.