The Subjectivity Of The Translator From The Perspective Of Relevance Theory

The translator is one of the main participants in translation. However, studying the titles granted to the translator, such as"the servant who serves two masters","translation machine","a dancer with fetters"etc., we find that the translator is not given due importance. The main reason is that traditional translation studies focus on the comparison between the original text and the translated text, ignoring the role of the translator. With the arrival of the Cultural Turn, more attention is paid to cultural issues in translation activities, including the subjects of the activities. The translator -- one of the subjects, finally backs to the center of the stage.Relevance theory has opened a new window to translation studies. It believes that verbal communication is an ostensive-inferential process, in which the speaker provides ostension and the listener infers. Relevance theory values cognitive subjects in communication. The paper argues that the translator, who is one of the cognitive subjects and acts as both the speaker and the listener, plays a critical part in translation -- a kind of communication. Guided by relevance theory, the author explores the role of the translator in optimizing relevance and manipulating cognitive environment by providing examples of different texts, and thus draws the conclusion that the subjectivity of the translator deserves its due prominence in translation studies.