The authof, in this paPef, analyZes the signficance of the interpreter’s lmowledge baseand the need for efficids information acquisition from various information channelsavailable during different interpreting tasks.Wth China’s entry into the WTO and its further communication and exchange with therest of the world in the fields of culfore, science, and politics, there is a grOwing needfor qualified interpreters who can help the communication betWeen China and the othercountries. Being a qualified interpreter does not mean to train a lingUistic expert withenough illterpreting skills, rather it requires an interpreter to build up a good knowledgebase and master good infOrmation acquisition skills so that he can gain enough finformation from his knowledge base and information channels to fulfill his interpretingtasks successfullyThis paPer is divided into three chaPters covering three pwts: knowledge base,’.information channels, and information acquisition, excluding an introduction and aconclusion.In the introduction, the author explains the purpose of this paper. The author points out,that Anowledge base plays an essential role in professional interpreting, as it is what the 1interpreter dePends on dtring his interpreting tasks. However, the author also points out 1that infOrmation acquisition, which is called Anowledge acquisition in the past, isanother pillar for an interpreter’s good performance during the task. To conduct anefficient stlldy of information acquisition, the author needs to discuss the informationcharmels, from which the interpreter can gain information before the research oninformation acquisition. As for information acquisition, the author divides the wholeinterpreting process into three periods and discusses possible information channelsJduring each period. l1- l. llIn Chapter One, the author took a brief review of the historical background of l.. 1interpreting as a profession and the two trends of interpreting-theories, which have 1completely different understandings of the training focus and the judging standards for linterpreters’ work. Then the author introduces Daniel Gile’s model on the role of 1Anowledge in professional interpreting and follows his idea that interpreting consists of ltWo phases: comprehension and reformulation, in both of which Anowledge plays an I., limportant role. After that, the author introduced the schema theory about knowledge Ibase and makes a detailed classification of knowledge base, which includes tWo 1Icategories: lingUistic knowledge and extralinguistic knowledge, and several 1subcategories in each group. Finally, the author discusses the complementarity betWeen 1the tWo categories and makes a sununary of the whole chaPter. 11lIn ChaPter TWo, the author focuses on the definition and classification of information Ichannels, which the interpreter can employ fOr information acquisition during lIIl, / lIlinterpreting tasks. But before that, the author first explores the possible informationsources and discusses them in three categories: human, paPer, and electronic sources.Then the author bases the discussion of information channels on the three categories ofinformation sources and also lists the information channels as three categories as theinformation sources. Finally, the author exaxnines the source variables in makinginformation channel decisions. The author exaxnines the five source variables proposedby Daniel Gile for translation work and also makes his own three vedables forinformation chaxmel choicest time, accessibility, and usefuiness.In ChaPter Three, the author diicusses infOrmation acquisition and examines the tWokinds of information acquisition for professional interpreters: assigIUnent-orientedinformation acquisition and long-term bowledge acquisition. Then the author focuseson the assignmot-oriened information acquisition and divides the whole process int