On The Translation Of Allusions In Heroes Of The Marshes Based On Relevance Theory:A Comparative Study Of Two English Versions

The core issue of relevance theory is communication and cognition,emphasizing the role of cognitive context in deriving communicative intention.It is believed that the success of communication mainly depends on whether the communicators select the correct contextual assumptions during the inferential process.According to relevance theory,the process of translation is a dual ostensive-inferential process.A correct understanding of the cognitive environment of the original author and the target readers is the key to a successful translation.This theory has guiding significance for translation theory and practice.Allusions are a bright pearl in the palace of literature and an indispensable part of a nation’s cultural heritage.However,allusion translation has always been regarded as one of the difficult problems in literary translation.Heroes of the Marshes,as the first novel with vernacular chapter style in Chinese history,boasts rich allusions and high artistic achievements.This thesis takes allusions in Heroes of the Marshes as the research object,and under the guidance of relevance theory,selects the two English versions of Shapiro and Dent-Young for a comparative analysis.It explores the translation methods of allusions,analyzes their translation process,and compares their contextual effects.Through the classification of allusions and an analysis of allusions translation in Heroes of the Marshes,this thesis concludes as follows:Firstly,the translation of allusions in Heroes of the Marshes involves 11 translation methods.In terms of translation methods,the Shapiro’s version prefers literal translation,free translation and transliteration,while the Dent-Young’s version prefers literal translation and free translation.According to relevance theory,their different choices of translation methods reflect the different intentions of their versions,namely,the Shapiro’s version pays more attention to conveying informative intention,while the Dent-Young’s version pays more attention to conveying communicative intention.Secondly,the translation of allusions should not be limited to any translation method.In order to achieve successful translation,the translator should fully understand the original text,accurately convey the contextual effects of the original text,at the same time,take into account the cognitive environment and acceptability of the target readers,and flexibly choose appropriate translation methods to achieve ideal translation effects.The translator’s obtaining of the optimal relevance of the original allusion is the prerequisite for target readers’ correct interpretation of the original allusion.Thirdly,although translation methods are not directly related to the transmission of optimal relevance,in order to achieve optimal relevance and achieve more contextual effects,more attention should be paid to annotation,amplification,and explanation to enrich the contextual assumptions of the target readers.Fourthly,Shapiro’s version and Dent-Young’s version have their respective advantages.As for Shapiro’s version,his translation retains more cultural images.As for Dent-Young’s version,his translation is more conducive to inference of the communicative intention.This thesis has expanded the research of relevance theory and is expected to offer some reference for the translation of allusions in Chinese literary works.