A Study On The Reconstruction Of Cultural Images In The English Translation Of The Analects From The Perspective Of Cognitive Pragmatics

Among China’s cultural elements,cultural image serves as a type of special cultural symbol.Cultural image not only has a unique,unambiguous and externally visible form,but also contains rich and vivid symbolic meaning that transcends its form.Due to the ethnic and cultural characteristics of cultural images and differences between Chinese and western readers in their perception of such images,cultural information will inevitably be lost during the translation process,resulting in perceptual(cognitive)deviation on part of the readers.Therefore,reconstructing the deep meaning of cultural images is a problem that deserves considerable attention from the translator.Cognitive pragmatics can solve problems regarding the cognitive aspect of verbal communication,and boasts a strong explanatory power in translation theory and practice.The bridging of cognitive pragmatic theory and translation studies can provide new research ideas for the English translation of ancient classics.The English translation of The Analects,a Confucian classic,has attracted widespread attention from both domestic and foreign scholars.However,at present there are relatively few literature that use cultural images as research objects with cognitive pragmatics theory as the theoretical framework.Faced with this state of affairs,this thesis explores the issues encountered in reconstruction of cultural images in Chinese-English translation by analyzing examples selected from the English versions of The Analects.Relevance theory and adaptation theory from cognitive pragmatics will serve as the theoretical basis.The specific research questions are as follows:1.Is there any feasibility in the application of cognitive pragmatics on the study of the reconstruction of cultural images in their English translation?2.In what specific way does pragmatic relevance theory realize the reconstruction of cultural images in the process of their English translation?3.In what specific way does pragmatic adaptation theory realize the reconstruction of cultural images in the process of their English translation?Based on the three research questions mentioned above,this thesis conducted a comparative study of the reconstruction of cultural images in different English versions of The Analects under using the theoretical description,text analysis and the method of induction under the framework of pragmatic relevance and pragmatic adaptation,two basic theories in cognitive pragmatics.The study found that cognitive pragmatics theory provides a deeper theoretical support for translation practice.It was concluded that the translation philosophy supported by cognitive pragmatics is a form of dynamic equivalence that favors balance andharmony.This translation philosophy requires the translator on one hand to use optimal relevance as a criterion and focus on the equivalence of contextual effects,engaging in a continuous and dynamic process of adapting to the cognitive context of the target readers when making linguistic choices.On the other hand,the translator also needs to employ various pragmatic compensation strategies to compensate for the loss in the transmission of cultural images in order to achieve pragmatic equivalence between the original text and the translated text in a both faithful and natural manner.The translation philosophy of cognitive pragmatics fully embodies the subjectivity and creativity of the translator and allows full realization of the harmonious nature of a translation.Therefore,the translation of the cultural image is practical and operable.In summary,this thesis discusses the feasibility of cognitive pragmatics in the study of reconstruction of cultural images in translation.It also hopes to offer some constructive suggestions for translation study and practice and provide a new direction for further study.