On The Explanatory Power Of Relevance Translation Theory In Drama Translation

D. Sperber and Wilson, D. coauthored the book Relevance: Communication andCognition, and they put forward “relevance theory” in this book. August Gutt publishedTranslation and Relevance: Cognition and Context, in which he first associated relevancetheory with translation, and presented “relevance translation theory”. The core point inrelevance theory is the principle of relevance. Relevance theory assumes that “optimalrelevance” is the most important thing in verbal communication.“Relevance translationtheory” assumes that translation is the process of inference, and the research on translationshould focus on human brain mechanism not the text. Translation focuses on thecommunicative ability of translators. Communicative ability refers to the ability choosing thebest translation from many translated texts by using the principle of relevance. Meanwhile,Gutt assumes that relevance translation theory is an explanation of the phenomenon oftranslation, not a method. There are two points in relevance translation theory; one isostensive-inference, the other is direct translation and indirect translation.This paper is to study the explanatory power and instructive significance of relevancetranslation theory in drama translation with the Chinese-English version of sunrise as anexample. Some researches on drama translation mainly focus on the words or sentences. Thispaper will discuss the explanatory power of relevance translation theory in drama translationfrom the whole text. The author thinks drama has three basic characteristics from otherliterary genres; they are intense dramatic conflicts, high centralization of characters, eventsand scenes, and shaping artistic images by language. So the author will analyze theexplanatory power of relevance translation theory in drama translation from three aspects:dramatic conflicts, plots arrangement and drama language. As we know, the key of dramaticart lies in language, and the expression of language determines creative effects of dramas. Sothe author emphatically analyzes the explanatory power of relevance translation theory inlanguage expression, and affirms the strong explanatory power of relevance translation theoryin drama translation again. Meanwhile the author puts forward three standards in translatingdrama language; they are “distinct personality”,“dynamic state” and “comprehensiveness”.The paper consists of five parts. Chapter one is introduction, introducing domesticresearch and the significance of the thesis; chapter two is about relevance theory andrelevance translation theory, and this chapter is the theoretical basis of the thesis; chapter threewill present the basic characteristics of drama; chapter four is about relevance translationtheory in translation of drama, referring to the explanatory power of relevance translationtheory in dramatic conflicts, plots arrangement and drama language, of the three aspects,drama language is the key point of the research; in conclusion, the author makes a brief summary. Chapter three and chapter four are the cores of this thesis.