Translator's Pilgrimage

Cognitive linguistics is a study that attempts to answer two major issues: How are human thought and concept represented in the mind? What take place in the mind during the processes of conception and production of language? In a sense, Cognitive linguistics is both the product of and approach to investigations into human language and human mind. It has shed brilliant light on many questions arising from human communication, owing to its emphasis on experiential philosophy. It can provide an empirical ground that leads to more objective descriptions and explanations of communication phenomena. As a specific type of communication, translation practice and translation studies can definitely benefit from cognitive linguistics. This is precisely the goal of our study: to model the processes of translating in the light of cognitive linguistics.This thesis consists of five parts.The first part briefly introduces to cognitive linguistics and the status quo of the application of this approach to translation studies both at home and abroad. The purpose and the blue print of our study are also introduced.The first chapter paves the theological ground for our study. It discusses the cognitive factors generally involved in language use. There are four major aspects: (1) the organization and functions of the information processing system;(2) the organization and features of the internal lexicon;(3) the features and functions of context;and (4) the possible approaches to meaning in translating.Chapter 2 is the central part of our study. It first reviews Nida's and Bell's models of translating, which are most representative in terms of cognitive linguistics. Then, based on the cognitive patterns of language processing, it elaborates the process of translating. The process of translating is subdivided into two steps: (1) comprehension - both micro- and macro-scopic operations involved in this course are defined;(2) expression - the interactions between the factors such as memory, text, and context during this process are illustrated. The interactions orient towards both formal and functional equivalences.Chapter 3 first introduces Think-aloud Protocol (TAP), which is a useful cognitive model for the investigation into translators' behavior, especially, the mentalcharacteristics and the translation strategies employed during the process of translating. This part, then, applies TAP to two case studies: one is Ma Hongjun's pursuit for an equivalent of yubi (milky arms), and the other is the record of this author with translating a poem. The purpose of both cases is to show how the cognitive linguistic model we have proposed functions in specific activities of translation.And the last part, the conclusion, rounds off this research with the findings, limitations, as well as possible directions for further studies. There are two findings or contributions: (1) the objective description of the process of translating can clarify the paradox of equivalence in translation - equivalence is impossible to achieve macroscopically while possible microscopically;(2) our cognitive linguistic model can be conducive not only to translation strategies employed in a specific translation activity, but also to translation criticism and translator training.