The Application Of Meaning Theory Of Semiotics In Literary Translation

Swiss linguist Saussure thought language is a sign system to express thoughts. American philosopher Peirce divided signs into icon, index and symbol according to the relation between sign and its object. Morris developed Peirce's theory and proposed threefold division of a sign as a sign vehicle , a represent of a sign, and an interpretant. The relation between them results in the meaning of sign, which is also threefold: linguistic meaning, referential meaning and pragmatic meaning. The meaning of a sign is the totality of the three meanings. Nida applied the meaning theory of semiotics to the translation of Bible and thought the threefold meanings of a sign are important to the understanding of a text and the express of style.This paper discusses literary translation on the basis of Peircean division of a sign and Morris's threefold meanings of a sign. Signs, object and interpretant may refer to each other. Different languages designate different signs systems. Translating means translating meaning. Meaning and function are the two indispensable aspects of a translated version, function shows the whole effect of a text, and the whole effect can only be realized by meaning. Thus translation criteria is correspondence in meaning and similarity in function which is the same as the core of traditional criteria "faithfulness". The process of translating is that of decoding and encoding. What is conveyed in translation are referential meaning, linguistic meaning and pragmatic meaning of the linguistic signs. Non-verbal signs such as register, style, intentionality and so on also carry meanings and they must be reproduced or preserved in translations.This paper consists of three chapters. Chapter one illustrates the development of semiotics and meaning theory. Chapter two discusses the relation between meaning theory of semiotics and translation. Translation is an interlingual communication, an intercultural communication as wellas a semiotic transformation. The translator carries out the work of decoding and encoding in the complicated network of signs. When decoding, he has to understand the source text properly, take cultural factors of source language into consideration, then transplant linguistic meaning, referential meaning and pragmatic meaning into the target language and try to minimize the loss of information, thus realize the goal of correspondence in meaning and similarity in function. Chapter three will apply meaning theory into translating practice. It focuses on the systematic analysis of meaning theory from the three dimensions—linguistic meaning, referential meaning and pragmatic meaning. To apply meaning theory of semiotics to translation could help us grasp the function and meaning of the source language macroscopically, understand and reproduce them microcosmically. Thus it is helpful to improve translating skills.