Abstract

Since the reform and opening up, China has opened its gate to the outside world. During these years, the social and economic development has astonished the whole world. As a result, interpreting has gained an increasing popularity in many fields. The thesis is guided by the principle of communicative language testing. And it is based on the study objects of the three mainstream interpreting tests, which are China Aptitude Test for Translators and Interpreters(CATTI), National Examinations for Translators and Interpreters(NAETI), Shanghai Advanced-level Credential Tests for Interpreters(SACTI). With the findings, we can conclude that the three testing modes have both advantages and disadvantages. In terms of the form, compared with CATTI and NAETI, SACTI combines the writing test and the oral test. The standard of evaluating the overall qualifications of interpreters is high, and it costs more time to finish the whole test. In terms of the context, the test contents of CATTI are similar to the authentic situation, but candidates have no time to prepare ahead of time. But, in the real interpreting conference, interpreters usually some related materials. So it fails to examine the general ability of interpreters. This paper presents a suggestive mode which combines the interpreting task with the performance in simulation environment, in order to evaluate the interpreters’ abilities of interpretation, communication and information procession.

 Key words: communicative language testing; interpretation; testing modes

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction-1

2 Literature Review-2

2.1 The Major Characteristics of Communicative Language Testing-2

2.2 The Development of Communicative Language Testing-3

2.3 The Principles of Communicative Language Testing-4

2.3.1 Authenticity-4

2.3.2 Reliability-5

2.3.3 Interactiveness-5

3 A Comparative Study of Interpreting Tests in China-6

   3.1 Brief Introduction of Three Interpreting Certification Tests -6

3.1.1 China Aptitude Test for Translators and Interpreters-6

3.1.2 National Accreditation Examinations for Translators and Interpreters.7

3.1.3 Shanghai Advanced Level Credential Test for Interpreters-.8

3.2 Comparative Study on Consistency-9

3.3 Comparative Study on Usefulness10

4 Proposed Modes for Interpreting Tests-13

    4.1 Testing Form14

    4.2 Testing Content15

    4.3 Performance Evaluation.15

5 Conclusion.-16

References-18