Using Relevance Theory To Translate Economic Text

The rapid advances in international communication give rise to a huge demand in ESP(English for specific purposes)translation,especially the translation of economic papers.Though economic papers are characterized by their distinct stylistic features,there's no widely accepted translation theory guiding the translation of this type of text so far.In 1986,French scholar Sperber and English scholar Wilson proposed the relevance theory,featuring an “ostensive-inferential model” — trying to achieve optimal relevance.Relevance theory works well in the translation of economic papers.The selected text for analysis in this study is Property Rights and Invention,one economic paper from Handbook of The Economics of Innovation.The thesis proceeds in three directions: First,the author makes a brief introduction to relevance theory;Second,the author surveys the translation of economic papers and clarifies the challenges;Finally,the author discusses the relationship between the translation of economic papers and relevance theory using the translation of Property Rights and Invention as an example on both macro and micro levels.The thesis seeks to provide guidance on the practical translation of economic papers.