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Translatological Dictionary Studies: A Text Linguistics Perspective

Posted on:2009-12-22Degree:DoctorType:Dissertation
Country:ChinaCandidate:M FanFull Text:PDF
GTID:1115360245494142Subject:English Language and Literature
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
The present study is concerned with the study of translatological dictionaries from the perspective of text linguistics by comprehensively and systematically discussing the close relationship between translatological dictionary studies and text linguistics so as to promote translatological dictionary studies and further promote the development of translation studies. The study aims to demonstrate the textual and extratextual constraints on the research and compilation of translatological dictionaries by discussing how the seven criteria of textuality can be integrated into translatological dictionary studies. The study aims to discuss the following three questions: (1) understanding of translatological dictionaries and the research methodologies; (2) theoretical basis, features, significance and functions of the translatological dictionary as text; and (3) integration of the seven criteria of textuality into translatological dictionary studies. This dissertation is an interdisciplinary study, embracing research in translation studies, linguistics studies, and dictionary studies. The methodologies used include a case study, data collection, text analysis, sampling, modeling, and comparisons.Regarding the understanding of the translatological dictionary and its research methodologies, the author points out that the translatological dictionary is a special type of (technical) dictionary that treats the special terms or topics in translation studies, and in which the selected terms or topics are arranged in stated order and explained according to a fixed format. For the sake of study, the author points out that the translatological dictionary in this dissertation refers to the encyclopedia of translation studies that provide systematic, comprehensive and profound theoretical interpretation of the entries, and the languages used in headings and interpretations of the entries are usually consistent. The chapter also emphasizes that the translatological dictionary studies as a discipline with independent nature should be considered, and how, as an interdisciplinary subject, the study of translatological dictionaries from disparate disciplines can open new research directions and invite interest of various academic minds. The development of translatological dictionary studies can promote the development of Translation Studies, and vice versa. In order to be more convincing, three authoritative and representative encyclopedias—-An Encyclopedia of Translation: Chinese-English·English-Chinese, Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies and An International Encyclopedia of Translation Studies are selected as a case study.Regarding the theoretical basis, features, significance and functions of the translatological dictionary as text, the author puts forward the theory of "The Translatological Dictionary as Text" based on the critical analysis of William Frawley's theory of "The Dictionary as Text", and points out that text linguistics among various disciplines is most appropriate to interpret translatological dictionary studies, thus laying a solid foundation for integrating text linguistics studies into translatological lexicography. Text linguistics can provide a more open, dynamic and systematic investigation of macroscopic and microscopic translatological dictionary studies, as it emphasizes communicative function and various dynamic factors in certain context and is the one with open, hybrid and dynamic feature; In addition, it must meet the seven criteria of textuality—cohesion, coherence, intentionality, acceptability, informativity, situationality and intertextuality (de Beaugrande and Dressier 1981:3). For example, with reference to the theory of text linguistics, the translatological dictionary can be considered as a dialogic process as well as a text with its own characteristics. Text linguistics can also act as a platform, on which insights from other disciplines can be drawn in, thus providing a much richer framework for translatological dictionary studies. Within the framework of the translatological dictionary as text, all materials related with translatological dictionary studies are included, therefore many marginalized and neglected translatological dictionary materials are highlighted, and the discoursal power of the translatological dictionary is relocated. Regarding the relations between the seven criteria of textuality and translatological dictionary studies, the following six aspects are discussed respectively: intentionality and translatological dictionary studies, acceptability and translatological dictionary studies, informativity and translatological dictionary studies, cohesion and coherence and translatological dictionary studies, intertextuality and translatological dictionary studies, and situationality and translatological dictionary studies.By analyzing intentionality and translatological dictionary studies, the author points out that so far as translatological dictionaries are concerned, the concept is mainly reflected in the compilers' attitudes towards the research and compilation of translatological dictionaries. The translatological dictionary research and compilation must be seen as a purposeful and communicative activity. In other words, translatological dictionaries cannot be considered only as reference tools for consultation, but also as a mode of communicative interaction between the participants, namely, editors, translatological dictionary texts, users, and the context of research and compilation, In the process of translatological dictionary production, the compilers consciously or unconsciously manipulate the process of translatological dictionary research and compilation so as to conform to the needs of the cultural background and market at that time, and correspondingly adjust their own intentions according to uses. The reason is to be found in the fact that the production of translatological dictionaries is not carried out in a vacuum, but in a certain social context. Only through consideration of the users, markets, contributors and patrons, can the translatological dictionaries be produced with sound theory and feasible practice.By analyzing acceptability and translatological dictionary studies, the author points out that as to translatological dictionaries, acceptability is mainly reflected in the attitudes of the users when they use translatological dictionaries. Attitudes are closely related with the intentions, text types, social and cultural background and the degree of the expectations of users. Hence, in order to realize the acceptability the compilers of translatological dictionaries should rationally make use of the Cooperative Principle and the Sociocognitive Approach, and make a typological classification from the user's perspective during the process of the translatological dictionary research and compilation. As different users are different in understanding the acceptability of translatological dictionaries, even if for the same user, due to his/her different cognitive environment and actual use, the requirement of translatological dictionaries is also different. In such a case, not all translatological dictionaries are suitable to all users. In addition, the nature of Translation Studies determines the polysemy and fuzziness of its terminologies, while the Sociocognitive Approach emphasizes the polysemic, dynamic and social features of terminology with the cognitive science and prototype as basis and the pragmatic and communicative functions as direction, thus providing a rational explanation for the application of the Sociocognitive Approach to the study of translation terminology in translatological dictionaries.By analyzing informativity and translatological dictionary studies, this author points out that informativity in this dissertation refers to the nature of information carried in the text. Regarding translatological dictionary studies, the informativity mainly concerns the contents of translatological dictionaries, which are mainly designed for those that are interested in translation studies and other relevant areas. In order to meet the needs of users, translatological dictionaries need provide the categories, concepts and terminologies in translation studies and other relevant areas as well as realize the following four criteria: authority, accuracy, adequacy and systematicness. In terms of the entry interpretation, systematicness is most distinguishable in differentiating translatological dictionaries from bilingual dictionaries. Specifically speaking, only by accurate understanding of the whole entry interpretation, can we completely understand the whole meaning of this entry. In addition, the entries in translatological dictionaries are usually treated as the organic part of translatological dictionary systems rather than as isolated identities.By analyzing cohesion and coherence and translatological dictionary studies, this author points out that as to translatological dictionaries, cohesion is mainly reflected in the consistency in the form of translatological dictionaries. The consistent arrangement of the entries can help users easily and quickly find the information of translation they need. In addition, cross-references, further reading and selected bibliography should also be consistent in formal arrangement so as to conform to the psychological phenomena of users. The coherence of translatological dictionaries is mainly reflected in the coherent interpretation of entries. Specifically speaking, not only should the microtext of entry interpretations be consistent, but the intertext of entry interpretations should also be consistent. In certain sense, the coherence of entry interpretation of translatological dictionaries should also be understood as the result of the users' cognitive and psychological processes.By analyzing intertextuality and translatological dictionary studies, this author points out that the intertextuality of translatological dictionaries is mainly reflected in the process of selection and interpretation of entries, the inheritance and creation of translatological dictionaries, and the use of cross-references, suggestions for readings and selected bibliography. The translatological dictionary texts cross-refer to other texts and thus form a potential open network. During the process of the research and compilation of translatological dictionaries, the compilers should pay attention to the relevance of the materials selected and interpreted with reference to the compilation guideline, and to the inheritance and creation of translatological dictionaries. On the one hand, the inheritance of previous translatological dictionaries reflects the respect of current compilers towards the traditional translation culture and on the other, the creation of new translatological dictionaries is also the motivation and foundation of the development of translatological dictionary studies. Moreover, the cross-references, suggestions for further readings and selected bibliography are important intertextual markers of translatological dictionaries as well as the important symbols in distinguishing translatological dictionaries from bilingual dictionaries. Comparatively speaking, cross-references are important in establishing the coherence of microtext, while suggestions for further readings and selected bibliography are important in establishing the coherence of intertext between translatological dictionaries and other relevant disciplines.By analyzing situationality and translatological dictionary.studies, the author points out that the situationality of translatological dictionaries is mainly reflected in the interaction between context and translatological dictionary research and compilation. Translatological dictionaries are the products of cultural development and social context. As the reference books that systematically collect the terms or topics in translation studies the translatological dictionaries can collectively reflect the interaction between translation activities and subject culture. Translatological dictionaries are therefore considered as the result of the interaction between the translation knowledge presented in the dictionary text, the user's knowledge possessed and the extra-textual context. Translatological dictionaries can project the development of translation studies as well as witness the influence of the social and cultural development upon the development of translation studies. From this, it can be seen that context deeply influences the process and production of translatological dictionaries. Therefore, we should put translatological dictionary studies in the broad cultural context, and emphasize the dynamic process of translatological dictionary studies so as to meet the needs of different users in different periods.On the whole, based on the understanding of the translatological dictionary as text, by linking the seven criteria of textuality and translatological dictionary studies, this study shows how to maximally present authoritative, systematic and typical translation knowledge in translatological dictionaries so as to meet the needs of users in the field of translation and other relevant areas. The findings derived from the present study contribute both theoretically and practically to the fields of translatological dictionary studies and translation studies. In both the theoretical and practical dimensions, this study demonstrates the concept, textuality and methodologies of translatological dictionary studies and addresses some fundamental issues in the process of translatological dictionary research and compilation. In these ways, this study can contribute to raising the awareness of research relating to translatological dictionaries on the part of scholars in translation, dictionary and related fields, and thus aid in raising the quality and efficient use of future translatological dictionaries and promoting the all-round development of translation studies. However, due to certain issues concerning the development of technology, the complexity of context and the nature of translatological dictionary studies, this study suffers from some limitations in conceptual, methodological and other aspects. Therefore, suggestions for future studies are proposed. It is suggested that the wide use of computer-aided tools and corpus studies and the approach of Context Toolkit and Proactive Translation Studies will inevitably promote the development of translatological dictionary studies.
Keywords/Search Tags:characteristics of translatological dictionaries, text linguistics, the seven criteria of textuality, the translatological dictionary as text, translation studies
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