The Relevance-theoretic Approach To Translation: Some Observations

Relevance Translation Theory, advanced by Ernst-August Gutt (1991), offers a unified theoretical framework for translation studies, which sheds light on a wide range of translation phenomena in theory and practice as well, and probes into the complex nature of plenty of issues involved in translation. According to the relevance-theoretic approach, translation can be defined as a dynamic process, an act of ostensive-inferential interlingual verbal interpretation in secondary communication situations. The domain of the translation study within this framework is the mental faculties or mechanism of people as communicators. This paper is a tentative discussion of the application of relevance theory (RT) to translation studies. Following Sperber and Wilson's (1986) relevance theory of communication and drawing upon the achievements made in the studies of such concerned topics as Gutt's (1991/1998), the author proposes solving some particular issues in translation theory and practice. It is assumed that the ultimate aim for translation is the pursuit of interpretive resemblance in relevant respects and the means for achieving interpretive resemblance do not have to be invariable. In the process of translation, the translator does play a great part. The translator conveys both explicatures and implicatures to the extent that he judges relevant to the audience. The extent and the areas of resemblance vary according to the translation task at hand. In this process the cognitive environment of the translator plays a decisive role --- the translator, as the audience of the original on the one hand and the communicator of the translation on the other hand, will interpret the intention of the original and choose the final translation all within his cognitive environment. However, what translation work involves is far more than that. The identification of optimal relevance in practical translation requires a rather complex process of inferring, estimating, weighing and decision-making. Translation, as a special instance of human communication, operates by certain natural laws and principles of communication assumed to be built into our human make-up. The principle of relevance no doubt provides some guidance for the translator. The analysis of a series of English-Chinese and Chinese-English translations leads to the conclusion that various methods may be justified in their own right if we take into consideration the differences in the type of texts, the intention of the author, the readership, the purpose of translation, and some other text-external features. In a word, it is the translator's accurate assessment of the target readership's cognitive and cultural environments, the differences between the source and the target language and his understanding of the translation task that more often than not decide specific translation strategies and means for achieving optimal relevance. The ultimate evaluation for a translation is whether or not it achieves with the target audience what the translator intended it to achieve. Relevance Translation Theory, though still at its initial stage, could be accepted as a relatively sound overall theoretical account of translation and may help to formulate a general theory of translation. It is hoped that the notions provided in this paper can help to better understand the nature of translation and some of the problems it typically involves and will enable translators to increase the likelihood of success in their practical work.