Semiotic Approach To The Translation Of Historical Proper Nouns

Historical proper nouns denote the leading figures, places, events, ancient books and record documents, ideologies, and political systems during certain historical periods. They can conclude historical facts and express multiple complex meanings. It is of great significance to accurately analyze and translate historical proper nouns for spreading excellent biographical literature and revealing historical truths.According to Charles Morris’ semiotic theory, every sign has three components, namely, the sign vehicle, the designatum, and the interpreter. The relationship among the three components forms the three meanings in semiotic, namely, the linguistic meaning, the designative meaning, and the pragmatic meaning.This thesis attempts to use semiotic theory to analyze the meanings of historical proper nouns, and adopt translation strategies according to the most important meanings in historical proper nouns. To translate historical proper nouns with obvious linguistic meanings, the translator should adopt flexible and appropriate strategies to express literariness. For historical proper nouns with obvious designative meanings, the translator should accurately identify their designata and express their most essential information. For historical proper nouns with obvious pragmatic meanings, the translator should pay attention to the author’s political affiliation.By analyzing the examples, it is concluded that by using semiotic theory in translating historical proper nouns, the translator can accurately identify the meanings of historical proper nouns and reproduce their original meanings to the greatest extent.