A Study On C-E Translation Of The Appellation From Perspective Of Relevance Theory

The present study has made a detailed analysis on the application of the translation of the appellations from the perspective of Relevance Theory by comparing two English version of A Dream of Red Mansions.Relevance Theory is created by Dan Sperber and Deirdre Wilson based on Principle of Conversation, cognitive science and praxeology. Relevance theory explains the verbal communication as an ostensive inferential process. And the centre of the relevance theory is the effect of the relevance; it is influenced by two aspects: processing effort and contextual effect.Translation, as a special form of communication, exists between two different languages, and it is also an inferential process. On the view of relevance theory, the process of translation is a course of pursuing the understanding and annotation of the utterance according to the maximal relevance. Thereby, the version will be similar to the original text in the broadest sense so that the intention of the author will be expressed exactly by the translator.Appellations, as a very important sociolinguistic phenomenon, possess rich and deep culture specifics and language features. As a dazzling pearl in the treasury house of cultures found in China, A Dream of Red Mansions built more than one hundred figures both great and small with complex relationship incisively and vividly. This paper focuses on verifying the importance of the relevance theory in the process of translation, and attempts to express the author's intent of appellations factually and exactly by the translator based on the principle of maximal relevance in order to be fusion of culture. Meanwhile, the translator should help the target readers to get the best contextual effects by minimal processing effort.