On Implicit Information Translation In Bian Cheng From The Perspective Of Relevance Theory

This thesis explores the translation of implicit information in Bian Cheng, great novel by Shen Congwen, from the perspective of Relevance Theory.Sperber and Wilson developed their theoretic framework by the name of relevance theory in their book Relevance: Communication and Cognition. Relevance theory is powerful in accounting for translation. Gutt applies relevance theory into translation studies and regards translation as a kind of communication, an ostensive-inferential cognitive process. The communication will be successful if the reader can choose from his cognitive environments the appropriate, writer-intended assumptions. The success of communication depends on two conditions: manifestness and relevance. The goal of human communication is not the maximal relevance, but the optimal relevance, that is, an expectation on the part of the hearer and his attempt at interpretation will yield adequate contextual effects at minimal processing effort. A translation is successful when it achieves optimal relevance on target readers.Optimal relevance is the goal of translation as well as the standard for translation studies. The translator's task is to match the communicator's intention of the source text with the audience's expectation of the target text. The translator is charged with two tasks in the translating process: on the one hand, he should grasp what is expressed by the author, on the other hand, he needs to convey the information to target readers.Bian Cheng is an excellent novel in modern Chinese literature. It spread its popularity since its birth both at home and abroad for its deep context and vivid descriptions about Chinese culture. The implicit information contained in the novel makes its translation a painstaking work for the translators. In view of relevance, the translation of implicit information should be treated in certain cognitive environments. The translator should inferentially combine the author-intended information with target readers'expectation so as to achieve optimal relevance and ensure the success of communication. With the guiding principles of relevance theory, the writer of this thesis conducts a comparative study on the translation of the implicit information in Bian Cheng. This would help break the circle of the existing translation theories and bring new motivity to translation studies.