E-C Translation Of Proverb In Context: The Perspective Of Speech Act Theory

Proverbs are the crystallization of experience and wisdom of people all over the world. As they bear the culture and psychology of a nation, they inevitably play an important role in the worldwide communication activities. In this sense, much research has been carried out about proverbs and their translation, the majority of which is from the perspectives of culture and their own characteristics.Originated from linguistics, pragmatics studies the actual use of language, the relationship between language and context which is fundamental to language understanding, and the ability of language users to correspond the utterances with the context in which they would be appropriate. Speech Act Theory is an essential theory in pragmatics. It studies language from the perspective of the relationship between speeches and acts. The realization of a speech act is closely related to context. A different context may require the speaker to express himself in a different way.Due to the high frequency of proverbs in daily communication and the importance of proverb translation in cross-cultural activities, the author manages to study proverb translation from the perspective of pragmatics, or from the perspective of Speech Act Theory, to be specific. In view of the difference between our mastery of Chinese and English, we may run across more difficulties and trouble while translating English proverbs into Chinese. Hence, this thesis studies proverb translation from English to Chinese in specific situational contexts from the perspective of Speech Act Theory.Starting with a review on the definition and features of proverbs, and a view of Speech Act Theory and proverb translation, the thesis analyzes several pairs of sample proverbs to reveal how context and speech acts of proverbs affect translation. By relating Speech Act Theory and contextual factors to proverbs, a general framework of proverb translation from the perspective of Speech Act Theory is proposed and an exemplification is carried out in the following part.The research can offer practical and theoretical guidance and a feasible methodology for proverb translation in specific situational contexts.On the basis of the categorization of illocutionary acts of Speech Act Theory, the thesis categorizes proverbs into three groups with reference to their basic and conventional meanings expressed and discusses them in detail. The author proposes some characteristics of these kinds of proverbs and accordingly exemplifies some proverbs as their representatives. With the aid of functional equivalence, the thesis applies the three acts of speech, namely locutionary act, illocutionary act and perlocutionary act, to the process of proverb translation.The thesis analyzes the process of translation from the angle of pragmatics and emphasizes the importance of situational contexts in translation. The translation of proverbs is not only affected by cultural factors, but many other different factors.Through research and discussion, this thesis finds that Speech Act Theory is explanatory when applied to proverb translation, especially to the three types of proverbs with representative acts, directive acts and expressive acts. As long as proverbs convey different illocutionary acts in different context, Speech Act Theory contributes to their translation. Speech Act Theory helps translators understand the real purposes of. speakers, realize the implied emotion of speakers, see through the psychological state of speakers, and then come up with a proper translation.The originality of the thesis lies in three points. First, it studies proverb translation from the perspective of Speech Act Theory. It is not only a new approach to proverb translation, but also a verification and enhancement of the application of Speech Act Theory to translation. It provides new insights to the traditional translation perspectives. Second, on the basis of Searle's categorization of illocutionary acts, the thesis classifies proverbs into three groups. This classification makes a contribution to the research of proverb translation. Last but not least, the author proposes a framework to translate proverbs in specific situational contexts. It involves most of the factors in translation and makes it clear how Speech Act Theory affects the proverb translation process and how a proper translated version comes out.