Abstract
This study, examines the function of the memory mechanism in consecutive interpretation by
advanced Chinese students learning Japanese as a second language with advanced proficiency,
more specifically on the effect of the nature of retained information on the performance of
interpretation. The independent variable was whether the interpolated task was performed or
not, and the size of working memory capacity. Experiment 1 was on Chinese-to-Japanese, and
experiment 2 was on Japanese-to-Chinese consecutive interpretation. The results indicated that
the retention of phonological information has a higher cognitive load than semantic
information, and the influence of the quality of retained information on the performance
depends on the efficiency of processing of the target language and working memory capacity.
