An Exploration of Voice Training Activities for Conference Interpreters

• Main Authors: Wei-Yi Chiang, 江威毅
• Other Authors: 張嘉倩
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2018
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/226633

碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 翻譯碩士學位學程 === 106 === Interpreters deliver interpreting service via their voice. A voice in good conditions extends the working life of an interpreter and creates a better listening experience for the audience. Recent studies in the field have also paid attention to the voice training for interpreters yet as per what activities are suitable for training interpreters are less explored. The present study aimed to explore what voice training activities are suitable for training interpreters with a mixed methods design. The instruments consisted of questionnaires and short interviews to gain insight into what activities were considered helpful for interpreters. Prosodic analyses were also conducted to examine the effects of the voice training with the assistance of a speech analysis tool called Praat. The results showed that all activities provided in the training were considered helpful for interpreters in general and for the performance in simultaneous interpreting. Among the activities, the resonating chambers was considered most helpful. The results of the prosodic analyses showed that in story-reading there was a significant increase in the mean percentage of pitch range variation whereas in simultaneous interpreting there was none. The results might be attributed to the time constraint, the arrangement issues of the training, and a lack of diversifying indicators. Overall, the voice training activities were considered helpful for interpreters, especially helpful in building voice awareness and in understanding the communicative effects of their voice. Some pedagogical suggestions were provided for future arrangement of voice training for interpreters at the end of the study.