Translation: A Communicative Approach

The author of this paper holds that various kinds of translation are essentially acts of communication. Thus, a communication-oriented approach is proposed to solve translation problems and is thought to be more effective in meeting various communicative needs in modern society characterized by increasing exchange and co-operation between nations and cultures in various fields.Starting with an in-depth but concise introduction on the nature, contexts and model of communication, the author tries to relate the phenomenon of communicating with the pervasive human activities of translation. The proposed model of communication is based upon several established communication models and reveals some very important aspects, if not all, of the communicating process: it is a dynamic (not static) process, it is a transaction involving several players (the number of players is not fixed), and it is an inter-personal symbolic process requiring a shared code of abstractions (including verbal code as a language).The author also proposes a translation model of her own, which shows that translation process also involves several players with the translator in the central place acting as the key player. The process includes not only the source text, the translator, and the target text, but also those players coming from the background scene like the initiator, commissioner, the producers, users and receptors of the source text and target text. Thus, certain basic rules or principles of communication studies will be helpful tools in understanding the interrelationship between those players and their specific roles in the whole translating process.A communication-oriented approach to translation is advocated in this paper. Important ideas in this paper such as "translating as translational interaction", "translating as interpersonal interaction" and "translating as intercultural action" are developed on the premise that all translating activities are considered to be acts of intercultural communication. The author also delves into implications of cultural factors in thedecision-making process of translating, admitting the importance of cultural factors, but arguing that cultural factors should not become a primary concern of translators in fulfilling their job.The paper mainly deals with the major factors and players involved in the translating process, moving translation from a static linguistic phenomenon to being considered as an act of intercultural communication, with the translator's role as communicator being particularly emphasized. Using simplified models to illustrate complex phenomenon is a distinctive feature of the present paper. And readers may find strong natural links between those proposed models. Concepts such as communication, translation, and intercultural communication become more visualized as a result of this modeling way of presentation.