PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF TEACHING SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATION

Abstract

Psychological aspects of teaching simultaneous translation (ST) are investigated taking into account the features of that type of speech activity. The specific character of translation operations used in teaching ST is analyzed on the basis of all-psychological and specific translation activities arrangements. Special attention is paid to the need of developing simultaneous hearing and speaking skills. Basic approaches for patterning exercises and their application in academic ST classes are determined. For practical application of the exercises the minimum challenges in respect of the statement and optimum conditions registration for working off skills of audition, training random access memory, ability to probabilistic forecasting and distribution of attention are revealed. Special exercises are allocated as a training stage in adjusting students to work in the mode of simultaneous interpretation. Practical exercises in the mode of simultaneous interpretation are considered on the basis of stage-by-stage allocation depending on the increasing complexity and fixing the material by the principle of bringing the fulfilled skills to the level of background automatic performance. Recommendations for automating the practical skills are developed at each stage. As an independent problem the content of the material, offered for exercises on simultaneous interpretation at various stages of performance, is considered. Special exercises, for example, exercises in difficult audition,
for working off the specific speech skills necessary in the work of professional simultaneous interpreters are analyzed. Self-study training in simultaneous interpretation including additional presentation components allowing to vary material difficulty levels and allowing multiple employment of training material with involvement in translation process of the whole group of students are considered.