聲音語調對聽眾注意力及中文同步口譯之影響

Abstract

口譯員的語調（intonation）是同步口譯過程中傳達講者信息的重要非語言交際。過去相關研究大多著重於口譯員的語調如何影響聽眾對於其口譯品質的評價，並未探討語調在此過程中所扮演的角色以及其如何影響聽眾注意力。本研究指在了解語調是否可作為崔斯曼在減弱理論(1960)中所提出的的一種情境提示(contextual cue)提升聽眾注意力及語調如何影響口譯教學及實務工作。本研究第一部分為一個雙耳聽覺測試，共有132名受試者參與，實驗目的旨在了解語調變化(基本頻率範圍)是否可以提升中文聽眾之注意力。第二部分則是針對29名專業口譯員進行線上問卷調查，了解口譯員對於語調的重視程度、單調的講者是否會對其口譯表現造成影響及面對此類型講者所採取的口譯策略。 研究結果指出變化較為豐富的語調可以顯著提升中文聽眾之注意力，尤其是增加其對於敘述句（statement sentences）的理解及大部分口譯員都同意聲音語調是一個重要的非語言交際，能夠協助其有效溝通。本研究透過證實聲音語調對於中文同步口譯之重要性為口譯教學及實務工作帶來新的觀點：口譯教學工作者在篩選練習材料可以將講者的聲音語調納入考量、提升學生對於聲音語調的意識，並將聲音語調作為一種口譯策略。

During the simultaneous interpreting (SI) process, interpreters are often not visible to the audience and intonation is the most salient non-verbal element for interpreters to convey the speaker’s message. Despite intonation’s crucial role, existing research on intonation in the interpreting field have mostly focused on how intonation affects the audience’s perception of the interpreter’s ability. There is very little investigation about the role of intonation in speech communication and its effect on listeners’ attention. The objectives of this research are to (1) uncover factors underlying intonation in SI and study whether intonation can serve as a contextual cue in Treisman’s attenuation theory (1960) and increase listeners’ attention; (2) investigate how intonation may benefit future interpreting training and practice. This paper includes a quantitative study (Part 1) and a qualitative study (Part 2). Part 1 is a dichotic test participated by 132 subjects from National Taiwan University to explore whether a lively intonation (wider F0 range) can enhance listening attention in Mandarin Chinese. Part 2 is a questionnaire investigating 29 professional interpreters’ subjective evaluation of intonation’s role in interpreting, the effects of monotony on their performance, and the strategies they adopt in order to overcome the challenges. The findings of this research prove that intonation can significantly enhance listeners’ attention in Mandarin Chinese, especially for statement sentences. Results also reveal that the majority of interpreters acknowledge intonation’s significance as a non-verbal cue and believe it is crucial for effective delivery. This research offers insights into the practice and training of interpreting, establishing why and how intonation plays a decisive role in Mandarin Chinese SI. Interpreting trainers should factor in intonation when selecting material for classroom instruction in order to raise intonation awareness and explore the possibility of using intonation as a strategy while performing Mandarin Chinese SI.