A Comparative Study On Two English Versions Of The Analects In The Perspective Of Construal Theory

As one of the representatives of classical Confucian works in ancient China,the English translation of The Analects has been favored by many scholars and translators both at home and abroad.However,the academic circles mainly focus on traditional translatology,rhetoric,cultural perspective,translation techniques and the comparison of key words in English translation of the work.Few studies have explored the essence and reproduction of meaning interpretation in the English translation of The Analects from the perspective of cognitive semantics.Based on the theory of cognitive grammar(Langacker 1987/1991/2008),this study chooses four dimensions of construal(specificity,background and scope,perspective and prominence)to explore the cognitive basis of the translation differences and translation processing strategies in the two English versions of The Analects.It is universally known that translation is the re-coding and re-creation of the original text by the translator,as well as the reproduction and transmission of meaning.And meaning is cognitively equal to the activated by conceptual contents and the way they are organized.Cognitive linguistics emphasizes that meaning is conceptualization.It holds that the convey of meaning is the very basic motivation for the speaker to choose different linguistic forms,that is the difference of linguistic forms reflects the different mechanisms by which meaning is construed.Due to the differences in scope and background knowledge,translators may have some tendency to portray a thing or scene in a fine-grained or less detailed way.When conceiving the events or scenes described from different perspectives,the prominence of different translators may also vary in the choice of subject in events or scene,the result of which leads to different translations in the same source language text,thus explaining why different linguistic representations of the same event or scene content occur.At the same time,due to the differences in the manner of meaning construal,translators will have different linguistic structures or choices for the meaning delivery.In this regard,influenced by different understanding mechanisms,translators adopt different translation strategies(such as word addition,reduction,shift of culture frame et al.)to reproduce meaning and ensure its equivalent effects.This study fully demonstrates the cognitive and communicative nature of meaning in translation activities,witnessing the explanatory power and feasibility of cognitive semantics theory in classic culture translation,and also showing the fact that principles and methods of cognitive linguistics can be used to supplement for traditional translation theory.Therefore,the research on one hand can enrich cognitive translation studies and bridge the gaps of traditional translation in dealing solely with such factors as meaning,culture and rhetoric;on the other hand,different interpretations of meaning and their rendering strategies will help to supplement and deepen the further study of the transmission of The Analects,enabling the target language readers to better understand original Chinese classic culture in a comprehensive and profound way.