Approaches To Translation Related To Cultural Default-A Perspective Of The Information Theory

Cultural default is a commonly seen but often ignored cultural phenomenon in communication. It is the absence of the relevant cultural knowledge shared by the writer and his intended readers. In translation, cultural default of the original texts often turns out to be a tough nut due to the difference of cultures. Based on probes into the various aspects of the influence imposed by cultural default in translation as well as many problems bred by cultural default in translation practice,the present thesis presents some satisfactory approaches from the perspective of the information theory to deal with the problems in translation resulting from the cultural default. First of all, the author of the thesis states the necessity of the research by revealing the inextricable connection among language, culture and translation. In view of the close relationship between language and culture, translation is inevitably an inter-cultural activity, rather than a simple process of inter-lingual transference.Moreover, translation is a process of communication which focuses on the transmission of information. The next three chapters,therefore, are devoted to a discussion on the information theory and the translation related to cultural default. The author claims that the redundancy theory can help us resolve cultural translation problems better, and thus enhance cultural communication. The author first probes into the translation problems arising from the cultural default, and then proceeds to introduce the method of the redundancy balance of the information theory to deal with those translation problems. And then an analysis of the actual application of the redundancy balance in translation related to cultural default is presented with regard to different approaches by various specific examples. At the same time, the author points out that any method to deal with translation related to cultural default is only a compensation to translation related to cultural default.A conclusion is drawn in the last chapter that the translating methods applied to the cultural default are indispensable and complementary to each other with the method of"adjusting redundancy and keeping redundancy"as the primary and the other method as the secondary. How to remove the communication barrier because ofcultural default and to preserve the maximum default elements in TL culture by translation activity are the final aims of the discussion of the thesis as well.