A Study On The Transmission Of Cultural Images From The Perspective Of Frame Semantics

Frame semantics, as a semantic theory comprehensively considering thefactors of contexts, prototypes, perceptions and personal experiences, provides anintegrated explanation to the semantic mapping, and displays considerablyexplanatory power and practical value in translation study. This thesis conducts acase study on the transmission of cultural images in Nine Songs of Chu Ci fromthe perspective of frame semantics, aiming to present some contributions offrame theory to the translation of Chinese classic literature. The focus of thisstudy is on searching for effective transmissive strategies in translating culturalimages. Four English translation versions of Nine Songs by Xu Yuan-chong,Yang Xian-yi&Gladys Yang, Arthur Waley and David Hawkes are analyzed inthis research.The research is implemented through both quantitative and qualitativeapproaches. Quantitative method is applied to data collection and frequenciescalculation.192cultural images are identified and divided into five categories.The frequencies of strategy adoption of each translator in the transmission of cultural images are counted for the qualitative analysis. A comparative methodis applied in the analysis and discussion to identify the similarities or differencesof the four translators in the adoption of strategies, and to inspect theeffectiveness of the strategies adopted in transmitting cultural images.The analysis and discussion are around two processes in translation: theprocess of decoding the meaning of the source image and of re-encoding theacquired information into the target image. During the process of image decoding,the interpretation or understanding of a translator toward particular image iscrucial to the image reconstruction, which is supported by the languageproficiency, cultural background and etc. It is discovered that languageproficiency or cultural background of a translator can be factors affecting theinterpretation and frame reconstruction, but cannot be the absolute determinants.The interpretation of the translator sometimes is individually different.The transmissive strategies are the main focus in the discussion around theprocess of image re-encoding. And six translation strategies—transliteration,literal translation, annotation, omission, substitution, and interpretation arecovered in the analysis. When dealing with the situation in which certain culturalimages have no equivalence in target language, the strategies of transliteration or literal translation may lose its effectiveness in application; interpretation andannotation allow the translator to effectively maintain the cultural traits of sourceimage by explaining the activated frame in his/her brain inside or outside thetarget text; substitution and omission are also applicable to respond to the questof this situation, but the translator has to take a risk of potential cultural loss. Thesubjectivity and risk-taking of applying substitution and omission in transmissionmake these strategies comparatively unstable and weaker in translation practice.In order to compensate for their weakness, we develop these two transmissivestrategies substitution and omission in the light of the conception of changingperspectives or focus in frame semantics, and propose the creative transmissivestrategies including frame borrowing, frame shifting, scene elements omissionand creating a new frame.