关联理论与翻译的本质——对翻译缺省问题的关联论解释

Relevance theory and the nature of translation

关联理论和翻译有着很好的兼容性,前者能够从本体论意义上解释后者这一复杂的语码转换现象。在语码转换过程中,关联性起着关键的作用,决定着译文信息和形式等相关因素的取舍。从另一角度来看,和任何信息处理一样,缺省是翻译过程中不可避免的,它一方面归因于人类认知处理方面的局限性,另一方面归因于语言文化本身的特异性,而且更重要的是,归因于交际的最佳关联性。当资源条件许可时,译文应尽力向原文趋同。鉴于翻译行为动态的认知关联特征,关联理论对翻译现象有着迄今为止最强的解释力。

Relevance theory and translation are compatible with each other,and the former can explain such a complex decoding/encoding phenomenon as the latter in an ontological sense.In the process of decoding/encoding,relevance plays a vital role,determining the selection of relevant factors such as information and form.The other way round,as in any means of information processing,default is inevitable intranslation due to the limited processing power of the human brain on the one hand,and cultural idiosyncrasies on the other,and more importantly,due to the optimal relevance in communication.If resources permit,a translation should converge to the original as much as possible.Owing to the dynamic features of translation in terms of cognition and relevance,relevance theory has the most powerful explanatory power up to now as regards translation.