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Study On Svecjer's Translation Equivalence Pattern

Posted on:2004-06-08Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:J XiFull Text:PDF
GTID:2155360092996701Subject:Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
The concept of translation equivalence has always been an essential issue in translation studies. A good many of linguists or translation theorists have proposed, interpreted, and defined the concept from various perspectives, making it one of the most central and meanwhile controversial parts in the field of translation. The focus of the controversy is mainly upon its implicature and whether it can be achieved in translation. Since the term "equivalence" is also used in mathematics and other sciences as a technical term indicating "a relationship of absolute symmetry", some hold that it is not appropriate to adopt it in the study of translation. This paper holds that translation equivalence is a comprehensive term concerning almost all aspects of translation. It is just owing to the comprehensiveness that equivalence finds its wide application in translation. In addition, translation equivalence is a relative term in that absolute equivalence is out of the question, while the maximum equivalence should be striven for.With the expatiation of translation equivalence both in western countries and in China, Svecjer's translation equivalence pattern will be introduced, which forms the theoretical foundation of this thesis. From the angle of Semiotics, by means of analyzing invariant, he sets up the equivalence pattern, which consists of three levels: syntactic equivalence, semantic equivalence and pragmatic equivalence and stresses the foundation role of pragmatic equivalence. Besides, he strictly differentiates the concepts of "equivalence" and "correspondence".The thesis will try to compare the translation equivalence pattern presented by Svecjer with the translation theories of Catford, Nida, Roller and Komissarov's to look into the similarities and differences between them and the significance and influence of Svecjer's pattern. The author of this thesis reckons that Svecjer's equivalence theory is comparatively mature. Not only in the definition of equivalence terms, in the differentiation degree of equivalence types, but also in the rank order of equivalence levels, he carries on deeper study, whose achievements possess strongeroperability; also the pattern is significant in theory guiding role and practical value with regard to translation practice and evaluation.However, by means of further study on Svecjer's equivalence pattern, the author recognizes four aspects of shortages existing in it. 1. A lack of stylistic level. When we talk about translation, especially literary translation, the issue of style can't be neglected, for which is one of basic tasks of understanding the SL. Neglecting the stylistic sense and value, we can't achieve the equivalence. 2. A lack of cultural level. He classifies semantic level and pragmatic level that involve communicative factors, which pays attention to the situation of the SL, the status and intention of the communicators, the effects of the communication and social cultural factors. It is thus clear that he looks upon translation as the language communicational activities in the sense of cross-culture. But we should know that culture not only run through syntactic, semantic and pragmatic levels, but also other levels such as behavior culture, system culture, social psychology and so on. 3. A lack of associative meaning in semantic equivalence level. Designative meaning is only the meaning suggested by a word when it is used on its own. There are still others whose meaning is given by a word when it is associated with other words, which depends on the context in which the word is used. This is the associative meaning. 4. It seems a bit absolute to adopt "+", "- " to show whether to retain invariant types or not. In translating process, transform of various factors is not the issue of "change" or "unchanged", but the degree of change.This thesis, in the light of the shortages of Svecjer's equivalence pattern, will carry through comparatively meticulous study on style, culture, semantics and translation modes, on the basis of which, his pattern will...
Keywords/Search Tags:equivalence pattern, comparison, cultural equivalence, stylistic equivalence, associative meaning equivalence, transformation modes
PDF Full Text Request
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