Assimilation And Alienation: An Examination From The Perspective Of Communication Process

The "assimilation" versus "alienation" debate has been more or less a fierce one in translation circle, which is evident from the wealth of publications and related theories on this hot issue. These theories seem to share nothing in common, or even contradict each other, thus to some extent putting the study of translation strategy at a disadvantage. The present thesis, by seeking the common ground amongst the various theories about translation strategies both at home and abroad, aims to understand these theories and the both translation strategies from the perspective of communication process.By exploring the interdisciplinary relationship between Communication and translation studies, the thesis holds that translation process is actually a special kind of communication process, involving the same factors as communication process does, i.e. 1. who says, 2. say what, 3. in what channel, 4. to whom, 5. why, 6. where, and 7.with what effects. Through analyzing the respective stresses of the various theories, the writer puts forward the common ground among them, which lies in the fact that their standpoints are all within the scope of the factors involved in translation process. Based on this common ground, the writer then proposes giving integrated consideration to the necessary factors to avoid overemphases, and viewing assimilation and alienation dialectically. Also suggested is to approach the discipline of translation studies within the theoretical framework of Communication.