English Translation Of Chinese Numbers: From The Perspective Of Sociosemiotics

"When human thought developed to a certain extent, numbers came on the scene to meet the need of the social activities with the help of signs" (quoted in 杨晓军 et al, 1999). China has a long history and heavy cultural sediments accumulated over the years. Chinese people have their own understanding of numbers and creatively elaborate their unique views with numbers. Thus Chinese numbers are extensive and profound in meaning. The thesis makes an attempt to study the translation of Chinese numbers into English from the perspective of sociosemiotics.According to semiotics, language is a special sign system and linguistic signs contain three kinds of meaning: designative, linguistic and pragmatic meanings. Besides, language has different functions. Peter Newmark, an English translation theorist, classified language function into six types: informative, expressive, vocative, aesthetic, phatic and metalingual functions. As a sub-system of linguistic sign system, Chinese numbers also contain three kinds of meaning and conduct different language functions.Designative meaning is built on the relation of signs to their referents. The designative meaning of numbers conveys precise quantities, proportions or sequences of events. It is characterized by its accuracy and authenticity and mainly informative in function. In translation, it is important to reproduce in the target texts the accurateness and informative function of numbers in the source texts. In fact, all the human languages have the general character of having numbers with the same designative meaning. Accordingly, Chinese numbers can always find the English correspondence in designative meaning, which makes it easy to reproduce in English the designative meaning and the informative function of Chinese numbers.However, linguistic meaning is more complex, for it is built on the relation of signs to each other within the same system. It contains three levels of meaning:phonological, lexical and syntactic levels, while the linguistic meaning of Chinese numbers contains two levels: lexical and syntactic levels. On the lexical level, it is reflected in the texts with homophonic pun and graphic form; on the syntactic level in the texts with antithesis, contrast and climax. The linguistic meaning of Chinese numbers conveys some humorous and visualizing effects, paralleled structures or emphases, thus the informative, expressive and aesthetic functions are very important. Linguistic meaning relates to the language system itself, and Chinese and English are quite different in their language systems.. In reality, Chinese numbers can hardly find in English the correspondent ones in linguistic meaning. In translation, it is impossible to reproduce in English the equivalent meaning and function of Chinese numbers. As a result, we have to use all the possible methods and techniques of compensation to minimize the loss of meaning and function by abiding by the criterion of "correspondence in meaning and similarity in function" in the process of translation.Pragmatic meaning, built on the relation of signs to their interpreters, is also complex. The pragmatic meaning of Chinese numbers includes three types: associative, affective and social meanings, and conducts different functions such as informative, expressive, aesthetic, vocative and phatic functions. Influenced by culture, the pragmatic meaning of numbers is often non-corresponding, partially corresponding or occasionally corresponding between Chinese and English. Besides, Chinese numbers sometimes convey pragmatic, designative and linguistic meanings at the same time, which makes the translation even more complicated and difficult. When the pragmatic meaning is the main meaning embodied in Chinese numbers, the employment of every possible method and technique of compensation is necessary to maximize the reproduction in English the pragmatic meaning of Chinese numbers.All in all, Chinese numbers contain complex meanings and convey different functions. Because of the intrinsic natures of any sign system as well as any text typ...