A Study On C-E Translation Of Online Buzzwords From The Perspective Of Relevance Theory

Online language is a language emerging from the development of the Internet and it is different from traditional language forms. It is a special variation of language and has its own characteristics. Can the newly emerged online language stand the test of time and be accepted by netizens, it will become online buzzword. Online buzzwords have been originated from latest social news and striking social phenomena that soon become popular online, and they are seen to be the briefest summary of the latest trend of society. C-E translation of online buzzwords cannot only introduce Chinese cyber culture to the western readers, but also offer them a comprehensive exposure to the contemporary China. Therefore, C-E translation of online buzzwords is playing an indispensable role in studies of translation. For this purpose, the author intends to analyze the translation of online buzzword from the perspective of Relevance Theory.The dissertation consists of six chapters. Chapter One introduces the significance and the purpose of the study, as well as the overall structure of the dissertation. Chapter Two serves as the literature review. In this part, the author first presents a survey of studies on online buzzwords, and then gives a brief review of Relevance Theory. Chapter Three presents the application of Relevance Theory to translation. In this part, the author has a systematic study on relevance-theoretical translation. Chapter Four is the nucleus of the dissertation. In this chapter, the author first analyzes what are online buzzwords, the definition, characteristics and classification included; then, the process of online buzzword translation is elaborated from the perspective of Relevance Theory. In Chapter Five, five strategies and methods for Chinese online buzzword translation are suggested by the author, namely, 1) literal translation; 2) transliteration; 3) substitution; 4) free translation and 5) back translation. In the last chapter, the author summaries the major findings and limitations of the study, and comes up with some valuable suggestions for further studies.Through the case study of Chinese online buzzwords translation from the perspective of Relevance Theory, this dissertation aims at demonstrating that Relevance Theory can be adopted as a theoretical foundation for online buzzword translation on the one hand; and exploring the translation strategies and methods for Chinese online buzzwords on the other. In addition, western readers will gain a further insight into China from appropriate translation of Chinese online buzzwords. What is more, the purpose of promoting cross-cultural communication can be achieved.