Realizing Author-Translator-Reader Optimal Relevance Under Relevance Theory

The thesis is a research report based on an English-Chinese translation,the source text of which comes from an excerpt consisting of Chapter Three and Eight of The Frayed Atlantic Edge,a narrative writing by English historian David Gange about a sea journey by kayak along the Atlantic coastline of Britain.Translation is a dynamic process that involves interactions between the author,the translator,and the reader;at the same time,it is a cross-cultural form of communication that conforms to the ostensive-inferential process outlined in relevance theory;and therefore,it follows the principle of relevance.Based on the above two points,the present writer abstracts a triangle model that represents the relationship of author-translator-reader optimal relevance,which explains the integral translation process followed in the research.In the model,optimal relevance serves as the goal of the translation,guides the translator to make proper choices in translation,and provides a basis for assessing the translated text.In accordance with the model,the present writer first gives full consideration to and identifies the ostensive stimuli the author provides in the source text;second sets the style of the translated text at the semantic,syntactic,and discourse level,choosing appropriate translation strategies to communicate the author’s thoughts in idiomatic Chinese expressions;and last analyzes the responses to a questionnaire in an attempt to assess the degree of author-reader optimal relevance,which also helps to find out any deficiencies in the realization of author-translator and translator-reader optimal relevance.The findings from the research suggest that the model provides a valid guide to the translation process,and that applying guidance provided by optimal relevance during the author-translator and translator-reader phases can help to improve the optimal relevance at the author-reader level.