Addition And Deletion In Translating Cousin Phillis From The Perspective Of The Redundant Information Theory

According to Eugene A. Nida, the redundant information refers to "the information beyond the least essential information for expression". As regards translation, it can be interpreted in two different yet related ways:one is that redundant information is the implicit meaning of a word; the other is that it refers to the information that has been repeated or does not carry much meaning. The translator often makes use of the skills of addition and deletion in translation according to his first or second interpretation of the redundant information.The novel Cousin Phillis is a story mainly about the country life in the Victorian era. It is characterized by the use of long sophisticated sentences for elaborate descriptions of features, scenes and conversations. This kind of style also means a lot of redundant information for its translator. So it is a problem for the translator how to deal with the redundant information by the application of addition and deletion without much betrayal with the text’s original style.Drawing on samples taken from my translation of Cousin Phillis, this thesis explores how to tackle the redundant information caused by the gap between English and Chinese cultures and idiomatic expressions in the light of the redundant information theory.