On Chinese-English Translation From The Perspective Of Theme-Rheme Theory In Systematic Functional Grammar

This paper explains in detail Theme-Rheme Theory and Thematic Progression in Systematic Functional Grammar developed by M. A. K. Halliday and discusses their implications on Chinese-English translation as important tools to analyze texts, construct texts and organize information. In this paper, it is believed that an analysis to Theme-Rheme structure helps us to sense delicate semantic differences and closely understand the train of thought of the author so as to enhance the accuracy of the translation, and it helps us to better understand the distributions, positions and functions of information so as to ensure clearer logic between sentences, more reasonable cohesion in the texts while adhering to the expression habit of the target language and fulfill the equivalence between source language and target language. This paper employs Theme-Rheme Theory and Thematic Progression to study sentences and texts and discusses their implications on and strategies of Chinese-English translation. The conclusion of this paper is that proper employment of Theme-Rheme Theory and Thematic Progression can promote better understanding of the texts as well as more reasonable cohesion in the texts and fulfill equivalence between source language and target language.