A Study Of Metaphor Interpreting In Chinese-english Consecutive Interpretation From Relevance Theory

The cognitive theory of metaphor holds that the basic characteristic of human thinking is metaphorical,and all languages are metaphorical.However,due to the differences in the history,social and cultural background,cognitive style and way of thinking of different nationalities,the linguistic expression of metaphors reflecting people’s way of thinking is not the same in different social and cultural backgrounds.The understanding and translation of metaphors has became one of the difficulties in cross-cultural communication.As a main platform of national diplomacy,the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been closely watched by all communities at home and abroad.The regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is held frequently,rich in content,rigorous in connotation and rich in language.Metaphors are widely used in speakers’ speeches because of their vivid nature.Therefore,a correct and rapid understanding of the metaphors in the statement and the selection of the right expression are key to determining whether the translator can accurately communicate the speaker’s intentions.According to relevance theory,interpreting behavior is the process of seeking optimal relevance under ostensive-inferential communication and cognitive environment.Therefore,based on relevance theory,this thesis analyzes the interpreting method of Chinese metaphor in Chinese-English communication from the three aspects of ostensive-inferential communication,cognitive environment and optimal relevance.This thesis selects the alternate interpreting of Chinese and English as the reference object at the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2020,and studies and analyzes the interpretation of metaphors in the alternate interpretation of Chinese and English,with a view to finding feasible and effective methods to interpret Chinese metaphors.By combining relevance theory with concrete examples,the thesis finds that:(1)Under ostensive-inferential communication,when interpreting metaphors,interpreters adopt methods of preserving the original intention and contextual assumptions,and establishing similar information processing efforts between the speaker and the recipient.(2)Under cognitive environment,there are six basic interpreting methods:retaining the source image without explanation,transforming the source image,retaining and explanation the source image,removing the source image and keeping the metaphorical meaning,omitting the source image,transforming metaphor into simile.(3)Under the principle of optimal relevance,when the interpreters interprets metaphors,he or she will adopt methods such as adjusting the expectation of relevance,activating the cognitive environment,and expressing the communicative diagram.Under the guidance of the relevance theory,this thesis studies the interpreting methods of metaphors in Chinese-English alternative interpreting,and through the application of these methods,interpreters can guarantee and improve the interpreting quality and effectively avoid the emergence of crises.