A Socio-semiotic Approach To Functional Equivalence In Popular Science Translation

As a combination of literature and science, one distinctive feature of popular science writings is to disseminate and popularize scientific knowledge and technology in plain, vivid and clear language. Thus, popular science translation can borrow the methods of technical translation and literary translation in order to ensure the accuracy of science and the popularity and interest. However, scholars are finding mistranslation to be a major problem. In the past few years, although researches have been conducted on the popular science translation at home and abroad, most studies focus almost solely on the accuracy, the translation principles and methods, being far from theoretical and systematic. Due to the urgent need to make up the deficiency, this thesis attempts to study popular science translation from socio-semiotic approach in order to improve the theory and practice of popular science translation.This thesis attempts to discuss the practical application value of socio-semiotic approach to translation in popular science translation. The author believes that popular science translation is an inter-lingual approximation process both from a micro-linguistic structure to a macro-linguistic structure and from a static form to a dynamic form. This study focuses mainly on:1) whether it is feasible to investigate popular science translation from socio-semiotic approach; 2) how functional equivalence can be produced in popular science translation from the socio-semiotic approach; 3) what principles and methods can be concluded to enhance readers' understanding and the accuracy.According to the translation criterion of "correspondence in meaning and similarity in function" from socio-semiotics, the author discusses the transference of meaning and function in aspects of designative, linguistic and pragmatic meaning respectively through a comparative study of the examples employed from some prestigious popular science books and magazines. In terms of designative meaning, the translator should find the target language sign which has the same concept as that in the source language sign in order to achieve the informative function. For linguistic meaning, the translator can reproduce the natural equivalence of the source language message owing to the remarkable differences between Chinese and English. And this study investigates the reproduction of pragmatic meaning in aspects of contextual, collocative and cultural meaning.Finally, this thesis arrives at the following conclusions:1) It is feasible to apply socio-semiotic approach to study popular science translation from the perspective of the translation purpose and the target readers.2) Designative meaning and linguistic meaning refer to the micro-linguistic level while pragmatic meaning involves the macro-linguistic level. Popular science translation can be considered as an inter-lingual approximation process based on the adjustment of these two levels and should take the language sign, the concept and the sign users into consideration in order to reduce message loss through transmitting the three meanings as much as possible, being corresponding in meaning and similar in function so as to achieve functional equivalence.3) The translation principles of popular science can be summarized as follows:focusing on the target readers, striving for accuracy, providing natural target text and reducing understanding barriers. Under these principles, rewriting, explanatory translation and annotated translation can be applied as effective methods to enhance accuracy and readability.