翻译本质的关联理论诠释.pdf

申请文学硕士学位论文 申请文学硕士学位论文 Interpreting the Nature of Translation Based on Relevance Theory 培 养 单 位 培 养 单 位 外 国 语 学 院 学 科 专 业 学 科 专 业 外国语言学及应用语言学 研研 究究 生 生 黄 琼 指 导 老 师 指 导 老 师 王达金 教授 2005 年 05 月 分类号 密 级 UDC 学校代码 10497 学学 位位 论论 文文 题 目 翻译本质的关联理论诠释 英 文 Interpreting the Nature of Translation 题 目 Based on Relevance Theory 研究生姓名 黄 琼黄 琼 姓 名 王达金王达金 职称 教授 教授 单位名称 外国语学院 外国语学院 邮编 430070 430070 申请学位级别硕士硕士学科专业名称 外国语言学及应用语言学 外国语言学及应用语言学 论文提交日期 2005 05 论文答辩日期 2005 05 学位授予单位 武汉理工大学武汉理工大学 学位授予日期 答辩委员会主席 评阅人 2005 年 5 月 指导教师 Thesis Applying for Master Degree of WUT I 中文摘要 中文摘要 翻译是一种跨文化的交际方式 关联理论这一指导交际的认知语用学理论对翻 译极富解释力 在关联理论的框架内 翻译是一个对原语进行阐释的动态明示 推 理过程 孟建钢 2000 25 首先 译者要正确理解原语作者的意图 就要在接受 原语信息的过程中通过语境来寻找信息的关联 即做出语境假设 寻找关联的过程 是一个认知与推理的过程 之后 译者结合原交际意图和目标读者的期望 再根据 关联性原则决定阐释什么和如何阐释 关联理论的翻译观对翻译问题的解释是动态 的 辨证的 它抓住翻译的本质 对翻译实践有着积极的指导意义 本文拟从 Gutt 对翻译的定义入手 就关联理论对翻译本质的诠释做一番探讨 指出翻译是涉及大脑机制的动态推理过程 其中关联性起着关键作用 译者对原语 的理解和翻译过程中对语码的选择所依据的原则是关联 在关联理论框架下 翻译 是对原语的动态的阐释性使用 翻译原则应是相对的和多重的 翻译策略的选择应 是灵活的 主要取决于原语作者的交际意图和读者的期望 全文共分五个部分 第一章介绍了关联理论的几个重要观点 包括交际的明示 推理本质 交际意 图和信息意图 语境 关联性和关联原则 第二章从两方面论述了将关联理论应用于研究翻译本质的可行性 一方面 指 出关联理论为翻译研究提供了一个统一的理论框架 即依靠语境 通过推理 寻找 关联 另一方面 通过与传统翻译概念的对比 指出了关联理论框架下翻译的本质 第三章从两个角度详细阐述了运用关联理论研究翻译本质 第一个角度 关联 理论将翻译看成是一个涉及大脑机制的两个明示 推理过程 译者首先介入推理过 程 然后介入明示过程 第二个角度 关联理论认为翻译是对语言的阐释性使用 译文与原文相似只是一个程度问题 间接翻译占据了阐释性用法的绝大部分 直接 翻译只是其一头的顶端 Gutt 2000 172 第四章深入讨论了由关联理论框架下翻译本质研究而衍生出的对五个翻译实践 问题的解决方案即 关于可译和不可译 关于翻译对等 关于异化和归化 关于译 者主体性及关于完全翻译的争论 从而指出关联理论框架下翻译原则是相对的和多 重的 翻译策略是灵活的 其选择主要依据原作者的交际意图和目标读者的期望 第五章总结全文 指出了本研究的意义及局限 关键词 关联理论 翻译本质 明示 推理 阐释性使用 翻译实践 Thesis Applying for Master Degree of WUT II Abstract Translation is a kind of cross cultural communication RT being a cognitive pragmatic theory guiding communication has most powerful explanatory power as regards translation Under the framework of RT translation can be defined as a dynamic process and act of ostensive inferential verbal intralingual or interlingual interpretation of language Meng Jiangang 2000 25 First translator has to search for relevance of information i e making contextual assumptions through context during the course of receiving the source language information in order to comprehend the source language author s communicative intentions correctly The process of searching for relevance is one of cognition and inference And then combining the communicative intentions and the target reader s expectation translator has to decide what to interpret and how to interpret based on the principle of relevance Under the framework of RT the explanation to translation is dynamic and dialectical It can seize the nature of translation and has positive significance in guiding translation practice This thesis is a tentative study of the nature of translation based on the RT from the perspective of the definition proposed by Gutt It presents clearly that translation is a dynamic inferential process involving the human brain mechanism in which relevance plays a vital role Relevance is the principle on which translator based to interpret the source language text and to choose codes during translating Under the framework of RT translation is the dynamic and interpretive use of source language Thus translation principle should be relative and multiple and translation strategy should be flexible which depend mainly on the source language author s communicative intentions and the target reader s expectations The whole thesis consists of five chapters Chapter One introduces some crucial notions of RT including ostensive inferential nature of communication informative intention and communicative intention context relevance and principle of relevance Chapter Two discusses the feasibility of applying RT to studying the nature of translation from two aspects first it points out that RT provides translation an unified theoretic framework that is depending on context to search for relevance through inference secondly it points out the nature of translation under the framework of RT by comparing it with traditional notions of translation Chapter Three focuses on studying the nature of translation with RT from two angles Thesis Applying for Master Degree of WUT III in detail The first angle is a relevance theoretic approach to translating Translation is regard as dual ostensive inferential processes involving human brain mechanism under the framework of RT Translator firstly engages in inferential process and then in ostensive process The second angle is a relevance theoretic approach to translation RT regards translation as the interlingual interpretation of language The resemblance between the source language text and the translated text is a matter of degree Indirect translation covers most of the interpretive use of language and direct translation picks out the limiting case Gutt 2000 172 Chapter Four deeply expounds relevance theoretic solutions derived from studying the nature of translation to the long disputed issues in translation practice from five aspects on translatability and untranslatability on equivalence on foreignizaiton and domenstication on translator s subjectivity on perfect pointing out that under the framework of RT translation principle is relative and multiple and translation strategy is flexible which depend mainly on the source language author s communicative intentions and the target readers expectations Chapter Five concludes the whole thesis and points out the major findings and limitations of the thesis Key words RT the nature of translation ostension inference interpretive use translation practice Thesis Applying for Master Degree of WUT IV 独 创 性 声 明 本人声明 所呈交的论文是我个人在导师指导下进行的研究工作及 取得的研究成果 据我所知 除了文中特别加以标注和致谢的地方外 论文中不包含其他人已经发表或撰写过的研究成果 也不包含为获得武 汉理工大学或其它教育机构的学位或证书而使用过的材料 与我一同工 作的同志对本研究所做的任何贡献均已在论文中作了明确的说明并表 示了谢意 研究生签名 日期 关于论文使用授权的说明 本人完全了解武汉理工大学有关保留 使用学位论文的规定 即 学校有权保留送交论文的复印件 允许论文被查阅和借阅 学校可以公 布论文的全部内容 可以采用影印 缩印或其他复制手段保存论文 保密的论文在解密后应遵守此规定 研究生签名 导师签名 日期 Thesis Applying for Master Degree of WUT V Contents Introduction 1 Chapter One Framework of RT 3 1 1 Ostensive inferential nature of communication 3 1 2 Informative intention and communicative intention 4 1 3 Contextual assumptions Context 5 1 4 Relevance and principle of relevance 6 1 4 1 The notion of relevance 6 1 4 2 The principle of relevance 6 1 5 A brief summary 7 Chapter Two Feasibility of Applying RT to Studying the Nature of Translation 9 2 1 The merits of RT providing a unified theoretic framework 9 2 2 The nature of translation under the framework of RT 10 2 2 1 Traditional notions of translation 10 2 2 2 The nature of translation under the framework of RT 11 2 2 2 1 Translation as a dual ostensive inferential proces 12 2 2 2 2 Translation as an interlingual interpretive use 12 2 3 A brief summary 13 Chapter Three Two Angles to Study the Nature of Translation with RT 15 3 1 A relevance theoretic approach to translating a dual ostensive inferential process15 3 1 1 Three models of translation process before RT 15 3 1 1 1Diller and Kornelius s model 15 3 1 1 2 Nida s model 16 3 1 1 3 Bell s model 17 3 1 1 4 Comments on these models 21 3 1 1 5 A proposed process model under RT 22 3 1 2 Engaging in inference at the first stage interpreting the intention of the original 24 3 1 2 1 Inference and the deductive device 24 3 1 2 2 Semantic representation and propositional form 25 3 1 2 3 The dependence on context 26 3 1 2 4 Interpreting the intention of the original 26 3 1 3 Engaging in ostension at the second stage making the source text author s intentions and the reader s expectations meet 28 Thesis Applying for Master Degree of WUT VI 3 1 3 1 Constraining the translator about what to express 28 3 1 3 2 Constraining the translator about how to express 29 3 1 3 3 Making the source text author s intentions and the reader s expectations meet 30 3 2 A relevance theoretic approach to translation interligual interpretive use 31 3 2 1 Descriptive use and interpretive use 31 3 2 2 Accounting for translation as interligual interpretive use 32 3 2 2 1 Indirect translation as common case of interlingual interpretive use32 3 2 2 2 Direct translation as special case of interlingual interpretive use 33 3 2 2 3 Difference between direct translation and indirect translation 34 3 3 A brief summary 35 Chapter Four Relevance Theoretic Solutions in Translation Practice 37 4 1 On translatability and untranslatability 38 4 1 1Two levels of untranslatability 38 4 1 2 Relevance theoretic solutions 39 4 1 2 1 On linguistic level 39 4 1 2 2 On socio cultural level 41 4 2 On equivalence and resemblance 42 4 2 1 On equivalence 42 4 2 2 On resemblance 42 4 3 On foreignization and domestication 45 4 3 1 On foreignization 45 4 3 2 On domestication 47 4 4 On translator s subjectivity 48 4 5 On imperfect 51 4 6 A brief summary 53 Chapter Five Conclusion 54 5 1 Summary of the present study 54 5 2 Major findings and limitations 54 Bibliography 57 Acknowledgements 59 Thesis Applying for Master Degree of WUT 1 Introduction Since 20th century there has been great development in translation studies Such great development is probably due to the following three facts 1 the development of modern linguistics 2 the development of interdisciplinary study 3 much frequent international communication Modern translation studies compared with traditional translation studies depend more on the achievements of linguistics and other disciplines It is clear that traditional translation theory and modern translation theory differ greatly in methodology W Wilss 2001 11 Translation theorists used to study translation by describing the translation products on the basis of analyzing their syntactic and semantic dimensions The English scholar Roger T Bell has described it this way Our present situation however is one in which translation theory has for the most part concentrated on the product to the exclusion of the process and has adopted a normative attitude to it by making inferences back to it through the description and evaluation of the product Bell 2001 13 Nowadays translation theorists have gradually shifted their focus on translation studies to observation and explanation of translation process from pragmatic and cognitive perspectives There is no doubt that translation studies concentrating on translation process will have to draw on the resources of modern linguistics including some branches of it like psycholinguistics and cognitive linguistics which examine the process in the mind of the translator As Bell 2001 13 puts it If we accept that we have a responsibility to attempt to describe and explain the process and that the process itself is essentially mental rather than physical we are committed to undertaking the investigation within the discipline of psychology and more specifically within the framework of psychological studies of perception information processing and memory cognitive science In addition the achievements made in the studies of such pragmatic topics as conventional meaning linguistic politeness and dexis have been used in translation studies But what translation theorists seem to be most interested in is still the question that what is going on in the translator s head when he is translating So when RT was proposed by Sperber and Wilson in their book Relevance Communication and Cognition in 1986 it was quickly introduced into the study of translation by Wilson s student E A Gutt in his doctoral dissertation Translation and Relevance Cognition and Context in 1991 RT is mainly concerned with communication and cognition It was even regarded as the Thesis Applying for Master Degree of WUT 2 essentials of cognitive pragmatics He Ziran moreover a coding decoding process is subservient to an inferential process Sperber the latter is to explain how the conversational meaning is achieved Sperber and Wilson argue that the conversational meaning of an utterance is determined by the interaction of its linguistic meaning with specific contextual assumptions the pragmatic inferential process by nature is to bridge the gap between the semantic representation of sentences and the thoughts actually conveyed by utterances and this is achieved under the guidance of the relevance Thesis Applying for Master Degree of WUT 4 principle Example 1 explains the process in which Peter infers Mary s conversational meaning in the following way E g 1 Peter Shall we go to the movies Mary I have to study for the exam Utterance Mary has to study for the exam Context There is going to be a movie Inference Major Premise Studying for exams takes time Going to the movies also takes time People cannot do the both at the same time Minor Premise Mary has to study for the exam Conclusion Mary cannot go to the movies As illustrated in the light of RT the relevance theoretic approach to communication combining both a coding decoding process and an inferential process is in nature an ostensive inferential process Meaning of an utterance is determined by the interaction of its linguistic meaning with the specific contextual assumptions and this is achieved under the guidance of the relevance principle 1 2 Informative intention and communicative intention Sperber and Wilson claimed that a speaker has two intentions in an ostensive act the informative intention and the communicative intention Informative intention is defined as to make manifest or more manifest to an audience a set of assumptions Spberber b An assumption is relevant in a context to the extent that the effort required to process it in this context is small 1995 125 The definition makes it clear that other things being equal the greater the cognitive effects the greater the relevance the smaller the processing effort the greater the relevance E g 3 A What time is it B1 It s four o clock B2 The postman has come In understanding B1 there is no more processing effort needed than that of B2 for B1is linguistically simpler and contextually more manifest than B2 To understand B2 the hearer has to know the implicated context when does the postman come here everyday Thus the relevance between A and B1 is larger than that of A and B2 Therefore relevance in Sperber and Wilson s opinion is a comparative or relative notion It is a continuum between the maximal to the irrelevant However the presumption of optimal relevance proposed by Sperber and Wilson is the goal or aim for both the speaker and listener to strive for in the real ostensive inferential communication The presumption of optimal relevance is defined as a The ostensive stimulus is relevant enough for it to be worth the addressee s effort to process it b The ostensive stimulus is the most relevant one compatible with the communicator s abilities and preferences Sperber 2 Every act of ostensive communication communicates a presumption of its Thesis Applying for Master Degree of WUT 7 own optimal relevance Principle 1 is a cognitive principle while 2 communicative The two general principles do adequately explain how ostension and inference works It follows from the cognitive principle of relevance that human attention and processing resources are allocated to information that seems relevant it follows from the communicative principle of relevance that a speaker by the very act of addressing someone creates an expectation of optimal relevance Wilson 2001 7 In practical and real communication based on the cognitive tendency to the maximization of relevance the communicator and the audience consistent with the communicative principle of relevance will achieve optimal relevance In other words the ostensive stimulus produced by the communicator creates expectations of optimal relevance E g 4 George has a big cat In an ordinary situation the first interpretation of 4 to occur to the hearer will be that George has a big domestic cat As the word cat is ambiguous in some situations 4 may be used to mean 4a 4a George has a tiger a lion a jaguar etc But Sperber and Wilson argue that consistent with the principle of relevance 4a will be relevant enough but will not be the most relevant on account of the increased processing effort involved The contradictory situation proves that if 4a is the intended interpretation the speaker sho