A Study Of Frame Operations In The Translation Of The Book Of Songs Under Frame Theory

The Book of Songs is regarded as the earliest anthology of ancient poetry in China as well as the first embodiment of Confucianism in Chinese cultural history. By virtue of its great literary value in cross-cultural communication, this anthology has been greatly favored by scholars both home and abroad. Especially in the translation studies of The Book of Songs, researchers usually prefer to analyze translation skills, cultural interpretation and image transfer from perspectives of translation theories, literary value and cultural communication, which in turn has drawn a lot of remarkable research achievements. As an important branch of linguistics, cognitive linguistics has also been widely applied in translation studies, best-known for its frame theory. However, few studies have brought cognitive linguistics and the translation of The Book of Songs together.From the perspective of cognitive linguistics and based on frame theory, this thesis is aimed at examining the application of the theory in the English translation of The Book of Songs (i.e. frame operations), analyzing and comparing the frame operations and translation strategies adopted in the three selected English versions of The Book of Songs (James Legge, Xu Yuanchong, Wang Rongpei & Ren Xiuhua), and further discussing the significance of frame operations and the influence they have exerted on the selection of translation strategies.In this study, the research methods include qualitative analysis, case study and comparative analysis, which to some extent has tested the practicability of frame theory in literary translation and explored the basic rules and characteristics of translators’cognitive behaviors in translation. Besides, this thesis is also designed to guide translators of Chinese classical poetry on how to transcend the equivalence of linguistic forms in the translation process and seek cognitive operations from the conceptual level.The conclusion of this thesis is divided into the following aspects:1) Translation process is not simply the conversion of linguistic forms, but also a process of cognitive operations from a conceptual level. That is to say, translators decode the source language according to the activated frames in their brains, and encode it into target language through frame operations; 2) Frame operation is the most basic mechanism in the translation process, which aims at reducing barriers to understanding caused by cultural differences; 3) Although translators might not be clearly aware of the process of frame operations, an accurate perception of the basic rules and characteristics of cognitive behaviors will help translators adjust their translation behaviors consciously and adopt more effective translation strategies; 4) In the English translation of The Book of Songs, frame operations were mainly embodied by the equivalence of poetic forms, images, cultural elements and allusions. Moreover, translators make different translation selections according to different personal translation preferences, translation purposes and expectations of target readers’ knowledge system in order to have impact on translation effects and reading space.