On The Limitations Of Translatability

As is accepted by many people, translation involves two different languages and cultures and a good translation is supposed to be able to transmit all the information contained in the original. But in fact, due to the particularities of each language and culture, some information is inevitably lost during the translation process, resulting in the limitations of translatability. There has long been a debate on translatability and untranslatability in translation studies both at home and abroad.This thesis reviews the history of the controversy in China and overseas, lists some important ideas and groups them as follows: the first holds that translation is impossible; the second believes that all translation is possible and denies the existence of untranslatability. A third holds that there is always a channel for message transferring from one language to another in theory. Specifically, because of the identity of the signified in epistemics, the Principle of Isomorph in semantic systems, the same thinking patterns, the regularity of grammar diversity and the equivalence of semantic systems, and the cultural infiltration, any two languages can be intertranslated in principle; however, the relativity of isomorphs and the elusiveness of language make translatability a relative concept. There exist various obstructions, during interlingual transference, accordingly translation can only be done to some extent. This viewpoint is more widely accepted. In this thesis, the first two opinions are considered neither scientific nor persuasive enough, while the third is well-founded and sound.This thesis mainly adopts the library research method, collects, analyzes and systemizes the documents and materials on translatability, the limitations of translatability and untranslatability. It is expected that through explaining the theoretical basis of translatability and its limitations, analyzing of the possible obstructions resulting in such limitations and probing into some untranslatable phenomena, the thesis attempts to expound the untranslatable factors, including linguistic and cultural, and seek some feasible methods, such as transliteration, free translation, loss and compensation, pragmatic translation, etc., for translators who are confronted with such problems.