A Relevance-Theoretic Approach Toward Wordplay Translation In Dubbed TV Sitcoms

This thesis adopts a Relevance-theoretic approach towards wordplay translation, based on the case study of a popular American sitcom Growing Pains.Within Relevance-theoretic framework, wordplay translation is viewed as an ostensive-inferential communication, which involves three participants, i.e. the original author, the target audience and the translator. As the intermediary communicator, the translator undertakes the task to make the original author's intention identified by the target audience, so as to fulfill the ultimate goal of successful communication. Consequently, the key factors that greatly impact the translation are the intention of the original author and the cognitive environment of the target audience. Therefore, the translator should take into account both of these two factors, and adopt proper translation methods to make the translation optimal relevant to the target audience, in the process of achieving communicative success.Following the footsteps of Gutt, the notable scholar who has made great contributions in applying Relevance Theory to translation studies, the writer distinguishes two different communication situations concerning wordplay translation, namely primary communication situations and secondary communication situations; and then applies direct translation approach and indirect translation to these two different communication situations respectively.Apart from discussing wordplay translation in pure linguistic sphere, the thesis also takes into account the non-linguistic elements that greatly impact the wordplay translation, namely, the requirement of synchrony in dubbing translation. The writer holds that the requirement of synchrony is in consistent with the principle of relevance, and hence should be attached with due importance. As far as the thesis is concerned, there are two main types of synchrony that should be carefully observed, namely, the phonetic synchrony and content synchrony.In conclusion, guided by Relevance-theoretic account of translation theory, wordplay translation should aim at optimal relevance so as to make the original author's intention identified by the target audience, and hence reach the ultimate goal of successful communication. Consequently, the translator should weigh up every element that the text of wordplay concerns, both linguistic ones and non-linguistic ones, and to decide what are the most relevant aspects, which should be preserved. As Gutt points out that successful communication is the ultimate goal of translation, which implies that a higher degree of relevance outweighs a higher degree of resemblance; in other words, the form and content integration of the original wordplay is subject to destruction, adaptation or even deletion, in the process of achieving communicative success.