On E-C Translation For Nuclear Power Industry: A Relevance Theory Perspective

Translation of English for nuclear power industry is a relatively narrow sphere intranslation of English for specific purposes, which has not attracted sufficient attentionat home and abroad and only few experts have devoted themselves to it. Ourinvestigation reveals that actual operators and professional translators lack systematicand scientific translation theoretical guidance, resulting in frequent mistranslation andinappropriate translation. It is bound to affect the security of actual operation andinternational technical exchange in the nuclear power industry. Thus, how toaccurately translate the operation manuals and other relevant documents and provideaccurate information for the operation personnel has become the research focus oftranslation of English for nuclear power industry.Relevance theory, proposed by D. Sperber&D. Wilson in1986, is considered tobe one of the most influential cognitive theories in pragmatics. It contends that humancommunication is an ostensive-inferential communication process. In1991,Ernst-August Gutt, Wilson’s student, offers the first relevance-based theoreticalaccount of translation in his book Translation and Relevance: Cognition and Context.He claimed that translation is an inter-lingual interpretive use, and furthermoreestablished the relevance theoretical framework in translation. In terms of relevancetheory, the success of a translation lies in how the translator deduces the possibleassumptions which the author intends to convey from a set of assumptions in hiscognitive environment, and how the translator further modifies the original author’sintentions to meet his potential readers’ expectations. The optimal relevance is theultimate goal for translators and also the principle to observe in translation practice.Relevance theory can provide a powerful theoretical guidance for the research ofTENPI. Thus, the paper tentatively applies relevance theory to translation of Englishfor nuclear power industry and via sample analysis discusses problems in translatingprocess and further provides constructive translation methods. The methods providedare considered to be beneficial to the personnel in this industry and professionaltranslators. It is hoped that this thesis will be helpful in improving the translation inthis industry and promoting international technical exchange and communication.