1. 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

2. 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).

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. CLASS ACTIVITIES Summary exercises Consecutive interpretation Closed platform on website

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

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

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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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