Transferring Metafunctions Between English And Chinese

This dissertation aims to provide a functional approach to translation studies. It mainly focuses on the techniques of transferring the metafunctions between English and Chinese. The theoretical bases of this study are Systemic Functional Linguistics(SFL), the concept of faithfulness in China, and the concepts of equivalence in western translation theories.Systemic Functional Linguistics regards language as one of social semiotic systems. In terms of SFL, the functions of language may be categorized into three metafunctions: the ideational function, the interpersonal function and the textual function. According to functional grammar, meaning can be thoroughly decoded by functional analysis and this provides an ideal method for understanding the source language as well as for comparison between the original and the target. The former is a prerequisite for a good translation and the latter is the guarantee for an objective assessment of the translation.'Faithfulness' and 'Equivalence' both have profound connotations in the plurality of translation theories. The variety of the explanations for these two concepts often leads to confusion, and a consistent strategy to achieve them has not been fixed yet. Based on these two concepts in a broad sense, this dissertation puts forward a functional concept for equivalence, which is also the aim for a translator to pursue: a metafunctional equivalence between the source and the target language. It is the highest goal for translation, because the metafunctions cover all aspects of language in terms of meaning. If the metafunctions of one language are fully transferred to another, the translation is deemed to be perfect.The ideal aim, however, does not necessarily mean that any good translation must be a perfect three-dimensional equivalence of the source language. As a matter of fact, it is hardly possible to transfer the metafunctions simultaneously to the target language in translation practice, for any difference between the two languages may results in variations in terms of the metafunctions. Translation is necessary because the languages involved are different, which is bound to lead to the metafunctional variations between the two languages. This means, in a strict sense, the impossibility for a three-dimensional equivalence.