A PRAGMATIC STUDY ON APPLYING COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH IN CONSECUTIVE INTERPRETING COURSES Hui-Wen Chen Assistant Professor, Department of Translation and Interpretation Studies Chang Jung Christian University

INTRODUCTION Insufficient English listening and speaking abilities Teaching objective –Enhance their basic English listening comprehension –The transference skills from English (foreign language) to Chinese (mother language).

RESEARCH QUESTIONS Instructor’s reflection and pragmatic study To investigate –Teaching concept based on constructivism –Teaching approach based on communicative teaching To explore advantages and disadvantages of the instructor’s teaching method To provide suggestions for teachers

SUBJECTS Participants: 133 Translation and Interpretation Studies major sophomores Including 15 repeaters, 2 minors, 2 transfer students, and 2 returning students who went abroad for 1-year exchange program Numbers for each class: 42, 35, 27, and 29 Pre-took a two-semester required course Basic Chinese-English Translation in the 1 st year

COURSE One-semester course Required course Once a week, two periods Consisting of 15 weeks, 30 periods Textbook: World English 2: Real People, Real Places, Real Language (Johannsen & Chase, 2010), National Geographic

CLASS ACTIVITIES Summary exercises Consecutive interpretation Closed platform on website

EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE Use of “Encouraging Stamps” (ES) and “Encouraging Cards” (EC) Observation of teaching assistant Instructor’s remarks Others

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Instructor’s Observation and Reflection Note Students’ Evaluation on the Course

Teaching Strategy Course Design Class Manage ment Method of Evaluation Self- evaluation STUDENTS’ EVALUATION OF THE COURSE

CONCLUSION AND LIMITATION ECs provided direct and immediate feedback to students ESs facilitated students to: –Correct their mistakes –Learn how to interpret more precisely and ideally –The technique of gist summary

CONCLUSION AND LIMITATION (cont.) Role of the TA –Guided and consulted for the students –Applied collaborative learning approach –Supervised learning progress optimally In a communicative teaching approach: –Students were the main speakers in class –Instructor was merely a beholder and facilitator Gist summary at the beginning 10 minutes –Facilitated students to come to class on time –Enhanced their class attendance rate –Improved students’ skills in extracting gist and paraphrasing

CONCLUSION AND LIMITATION (cont.) The majority of students confirmed the communicative teaching approach used in the course Although the course lasted only one semester, the subjects observed in this study encompassed the whole range of sophomores of the year The results may be used as reference for design of course activities and method of evaluation