From this sentence above, a picture can be drawn vividly and an episodic memory model can be set up in mind. Visualization memory strategy applies to a description of situations, environments or geographic positions.
2.2.2 Meaning Encoded Strategy
Meaning encoded strategy is a key step to enhance short-term memory. The more meaningful the source language information is, the easier it is to be memorized. Memory span varies according to how meaningful the material is. The more meaningful the material is, the larger memory span is. Interpreting Cognitive Load Model (Gile, 1997) can offer a fair explanation that this strategy can not only relieve the memory load burden, but also give interpreter time to manage other message processing which guarantee interpreting to be normally operated.
2.2.3 Chunking Process Strategy
Chunking process strategy refers to message process activities which unite small units to bigger units. Cognitive psychology believes that to unite message using chunking process strategy is an effective method to overcome the limitations of short-term memory. In interpreting, chunking is based on meaning unit, organizing information logically into larger information unit, and thus reduce memory burden, decrease cognitive notations and enlarge memory span. For example as bellow:
There are significant improvement of economic prospects, like the increase in GDP growth hit 6.2% in 2006, the increase in foreign exchange reserves over 25 billion USD in 2007, the reduction in government consumption, the stable exchange and interest rates and the consolidation in the banking system.来~自^751论+文.网www.751com.cn/
From the material above, it can be summarized as “two increase, one reduction and two stable”. Thus, the relationship of many information items is simplified which enlarges short-term memory span.
3 Research Methodology
3.1 Description of Subjects
The respondents were English majors from Nanjing University of Science and Technology who had interpreting course. 62 participants were female students and 21 were male, among which 79 were seniors and 4 were juniors. All the participants attended interpreting course for two semesters.
3.2 Research Instrument - Questionnaire
This questionnaire is designed to acquire a general understanding of how much English majors know about interpreting, the common difficulties occurring in daily interpreting, opinions about memory training, the differences between English to Chinese and Chinese to English interpreting, and whether memory strategies work.