Redundancy Adjustment In C-E Translation Viewed From Information Theory

Since the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, more and more foreign tourists have chosen to visit China. Meanwhile, an excellent English version of the Chinese tour guides’ speeches is needed for foreign tourists to fully understand and appreciate the tourist attraction. Hence, the translation of Chinese tour guides’ speeches becomes particularly important. However, at present, studies on C-E translation of tour guides’ speeches are not sufficient. Thus, the writer considers it is necessary to study on the topic. In 1948, Shannon, CE, the American mathematician, came up with the information theory. After that, he developed the theory and presented notions such as communication load, channel capacity and redundancy, making it possible to combine information theory with translation. Nida, E. A firstly apply information theory to translation studies. He believes that:translation is also a kind of information transmission; notions such as communication load, channel capacity, redundancy can also be applied to translation; information theory can be used to solve problems in translation.This thesis studies redundancy adjustment used in the translation of four articles from the Tour Guides’Speeches on Fujian’s Tourist Attractions from the perspective of information theory. It aims to provide some advice for tour guides’speeches translation and enlarge the application of redundancy adjustment in specific text translation. It studies redundancy adjustment strategies used to translate texts with Chinese cultural connotations and texts with Chinese rhetoric devices. To be specific, texts with Chinese cultural connotations include words and expressions with culture connotation, historical dynasties and reign titles, historical events and figures as well as names of ancient scenic spots. Texts with Chinese rhetoric devices include expressions utilizing rhetoric devices such as exaggerate, antithesis and parallelism. In the thesis, the writer uses specific examples in translating the four articles from Tour Guides’Speeches on Fujian Tourist Attractions to explain the application of redundancy adjustment tactic in translation. Finally, it draws a conclusion that translation methods like amplification, omission and adaptation can be adopted to do redundancy adjustment. As a result, communication load of the translation’s information can match foreign tourists’channel capacities and they can precisely understand the original text.