Interpreters' note layout and coherence building in consecutive interpreting: A rhetorical structure theory approach

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Linguistics
• Translation Studies
• Discourse Analysis

Background:

• Consecutive interpreting (CI) relies heavily on note-taking for memory and coherence.
• The spatial organization of interpreter notes is an under-researched area of coherence externalization.
• Understanding note-taking strategies can reveal cognitive processes during interpreting.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how professional interpreters externalize coherence-building during CI through note spatial organization.
• To analyze the correspondence between note layout and the rhetorical structure of source texts.
• To identify specific layout strategies used to signal discourse relations.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of handwritten notes from twelve English-Chinese professional interpreters performing a long CI task.
• Application of Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST) to examine note layout and rhetorical structure.
• Focus on information grouping into blocks and spatial arrangement to signal discourse unit relations.

Main Results:

• Interpreters mapped elementary discourse units (EDUs) to blocks, merging them to align with higher-level rhetorical spans.
• Layout cues like indentation and shifts were systematically used, with indentation linked to subordinate relations.
• Non-local or implicit coherence relations were supplemented with linguistic and symbolic markers.

Conclusions:

• Note layout serves as a visible trace of discourse-level processing in CI.
• Interpreters exhibit convergent strategies in using layout for coherence building, irrespective of training background.
• Specific note layout practices can be integrated into interpreter training to enhance coherence management.