| The main argument presented in this dissertation centers around the notion of rhetorical translation. It is defined as translation through rhetorical analysis of the source (ST) and the target text (TT) such as analyzing rhetorical functions embedded in the texts (e.g., how a certain argument is made persuasive in the ST, whether background information needs to be added in the TT) and examining the contextual facts (e.g., the author, the target audience, the social environment of the texts). Theoretically, this notion enriches the representation of translation and may help resolve the longstanding conflict between literal and liberal approaches to translation. Pedagogically, an explication of the processes of rhetorical translation can better inform practitioners of translator training.; The notion of rhetorical translation emerged as a key concept from my study that aimed to reexamine and reconceptualize the translation process. Data collection took place in Beijing, PRC, between February and April 2003. Multiple research strategies were used to gather concurrent think-aloud protocols, retrospective reports, a written record of observable behaviors of translation, and a textual metamorphosis (a record of textual changes from the English original into the Chinese translation). These data provided different kinds of evidence to bear on the processes of English-to-Chinese translation. More specifically, the study described how 10 Chinese translators (5 experts and 5 students) translated an expository text from English to Chinese, identified similarities and differences between the expert and the student group in their approaches to translation, and delineated essential qualities that might constitute the construct of translation expertise.; The study found that all the translators---both experts and students---went through 25 types of cognitive moves that occurred at a crossroads of any of the four progressive yet recursive stages (planning, comprehending, transferring, and monitoring) and any of the three aspects of text (linguistic, conceptual, and rhetorical). Comparison of the expert and the student group highlighted the following characteristics of translation expertise, which I call attributes of rhetorical translation. Translation expertise entails being able to (a) expend more cognitive energy on planning and comprehension of the ST before transferring the ST into the TT, (b) engage in the process of translating in a more controlled and deductive manner, (c) define and address global problems before dealing with local problems, and (d) play the conscious and active role of a mediator between language and culture of the ST and the TT. |
