Context Adaptation In Translation

Adaptation to context is a very important subject that attracts much attention from many branches of linguistics. There is no exception in translation study. The study of context adaptation has long been the focus in the eyes of many translators and linguists. Translation can't go on without adaptation to context, because adapting to specific contexts is the common feature of using language in all kinds of branches of linguistics. However, because of the limitation of study in some field, there is still much work that needs to be done in this aspect.In chapter one, the present context study in translation is firstly reviewed, different definitions, classifications of context and different points of view about context are summarized, and three limitations of present context study in translation are listed. The most outstanding one is the lack of any guiding theory, which is related to another limitation條ack of dynamics in the context adaptation in translation. And it is specially pointed out that these classifications are all for general communications and no one is specially made for translation study, as translation is a special kind of communication. According to their research achievements, the author puts forward her own classification of linguistic and non-linguistic context for translation study in details.In chapter two, it is demonstrated that translation is a kind of special communication, which mainly focuses on use of language. So context adaptation in translation can be studied in the field of pragmatics. And the special features of translation process are pointed out so that translation differs from the general communication. Then the author introduces some views in communication theory for translation and the adaptation theory in pragmatics by Jef.Verschuren. As dynamics is the core of the adaptation theory and it is easily misunderstood to be Nida's dynamic equivalence, the two theories are compared and the author states her personal view about their differences. Only after the spirit of dynamics of adaptation is grasped can the adaptation theory be better applied into translation study.In chapter three, the communication theory and mainly adaptation theory by Jef.Verschuren are applied into the context adaptation in translation. Firstly, I describe the application of adaptation theory into non-linguistic context. In this part, the author analyzes the application content in the three parts of non-linguistic context according to her classification of non-linguistic context: social, mental and physical context. Then shedescribes the application of adaptation theory into linguistic context at different levels: at the phrase level, at the sentence level, at the paragraph level, and at the text .level. In adaptation of linguistic context, the translator should pay much attention on keeping cohesion and coherence in translation at different levels. At the end of this chapter, the dynamic adaptation of context in translation is again emphasized. The dynamic adaptation of context is mainly discussed from three phases of translation process to remind the translators of the dynamic features in translation process. Then the psychological process of the translator is also analyzed for the translator is the most important part in translation to carry on the adaptation work. And it is pointed out what kind of position a translator should be in and how he treat the relationship with the text writer and presumed readers. And at last, the author concludes that the adaptation of linguistic and non-linguistic context should be combined instead of being separated.What the author truly did in this dissertation are the reclassification of linguistic and non-linguistic context specially designed for the context adaptation in translation; the application of adaptation theory into the adaptation of linguistic and non-linguistic contexts in details by many examples; and at last the application of dynamics into the adaptation process.