On The Levels Of Translation

Language system can be divided into levels. They are: phonological (graphical) level, morphemic level, lexical level, phrasal level, syntactic level and textual level. However, since translation deals with parole, instead of langue, and there exist great differences between the language system of the source language (SL) and that of the target language (TL), not all these six levels are and can be involved in translation process. It is often the case that translators usually try to find equivalents at lexical, syntactic, and textual levels.This dissertation makes a study on the three levels, which are frequently involved in translation process, namely, the lexical level, syntactic level and textual level, and on the basis of the study, a model on translation process and the three levels has been presented. And many examples in translation practice have been cited to show how translators select the three levels according to different text types and cultural factors to achieve equivalence between source language text (SLT) and target language text (TLT). The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the mental process of the translator and show that the equivalence between SL and TL in translation, which is a complicated activity, cannot be achieved at just one level. Good translation is a combination and harmony of different levels according to different text types and cultural factors.There are five chapters in this dissertation:Chapter One is a brief introduction to the main purposes and contents of this dissertation;Chapter Two is a detailed study on the three levels of translation: lexical, syntactical and textual levels;Chapter Three is study on the models of translation process presented by Diller/Kornelius and Nida, on the basis of which a model on translation process and the three levels of translation has been presented;Chapter Four analyzes how translators, according to different text types and cultural factors, achieve equivalence between SLT and TLT at the three levels to the greatest extent, by means of examples in translation practice.Chapter Five: A brief conclusion.