Interpersonal Meaning Representation In Translation

Language is interpreted in Systemic Functional Linguistics as a social semiotic system, which is categorized into phonological, lexico-grammatical and semantic systems. Realizations of the semantic system include the ideational function, the interpersonal function and the textual function, which serve as the three metafunctions of language. Interpersonal function is concerned with the interactive relationship between the speaker and the listener, and reveals the speaker’s social identity and position, motivation, attitude, and deduction, etc. Interpersonal meaning is mainly realized by the mood system, the modality system and the appraisal system. Differences as well as similarities can be found in the rendering of interpersonal meanings in English and Chinese, which brings about difficulties in the reproduction of interpersonal meanings in C-E translation.Dialogues and evaluative descriptions of main characters’ behaviors and psychology contribute greatly to the reflection, establishment and maintenance of the complicated interpersonal relationship among them and the development of fictional plots. Therefore, in the translation of a fiction, it is of vital importance for the translator to accurately reproduce the interpersonal meanings expressed in the original text in order to realize the successful intercultural communication between the author and the target readership.The SFL perspective on translation studies in terms of interpersonal meanings sheds new light on fiction translation. Based on the interpersonal function theory within the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics, this thesis attempts to take Mo Yan’s novelette Honggaoliang and its English version as examples to explore the representation of interpersonal meanings in terms of the mood system, the modality system and the appraisal system so as to bring into light the methods of the realization of interpersonal meanings and degree of equivalence between the original text and the target text in terms of interpersonal meanings.The major findings of the thesis are as follows: interpersonal meanings conveyed by the mood system in the source text are realized by adding or changing subjects, retaining or shifting the forms of address and preserving or altering the original mood types; those expressed by the original modality system are reproduced by choosing modal operators and modal adjuncts with similar values, same polarity and category and making adjustments to the original modal operators and modal adjuncts according to the conventions of the target language; the representation of interpersonal meanings implied in the original appraisal system is achieved by selecting the appreciative terms that conform to the original ones in terms of polarity, subcategory and the intensity of appraisal meanings. Generally speaking, most of the interpersonal meanings expressed in Honggaoliang have been adequately and accurately reproduced in Red Sorghum except for a few discrepancies in certain sentences.It is hoped that this thesis can contribute to the studies on translation of Mo Yan’s works and have some implications for translation criticism, translation practice as well as discourse analysis.