On The Translation Of Long And Complex English Sentences From The Perspective Of Theme-rheme Analysis

This thesis aims to explore how to apply Theme-Rheme analysis in the translation of long and complex sentences in The Yellow House,an autobiography written by Sarah M.Broom.The abundance of long and complex sentences is the most prominent characteristic of the source text.A key challenge in translation is to grasp the meanings of those sentences and the writer’s intentions and then convey them in idiomatic Chinese.The concepts of Theme-Rheme structure and thematic progression pattern have been proved helpful in both understanding the source text and structuring the target text in translation practice.This thesis uses examples to demonstrate how to use Theme-Rheme analysis to solve the problems encountered in the translation of long and complex sentences.The examples are categorized according to thematic progression pattern in order to discuss translation strategies and techniques that are suitable for each pattern.The conclusions are as follows.In the case of thematic progression with a constant theme,if the constant theme is used for emphasis,it is recommended that all the recurrences of the theme are retained.If the constant theme exists only as a subject because of formal requirements,the recurrences of the theme can be omitted for more idiomatic translation.A linear pattern in the source text usually presents the inherent logic of the text and needs to be retained.Due to the differences between English and Chinese,the target texts produced by copying the linear pattern of the source texts may be awkward and unidiomatic,and therefore adjustments are allowed and necessary.As for thematic progression with crossed themes and rhemes,the most important things are,first,to figure out the logic and meaning of the text based on the relationship between those themes and rhemes,and then,to convey that logic and meaning in the target text.In this case,the original pattern does not have to be retained if the target text is loyal to the source text,coherent,and idiomatic.The parallel pattern should be retained because this pattern is usually used to convey meaning with particular rhetorical effects.In summary,Theme-Rheme analysis is significant for the translation of long and complex English sentences,and has promising prospects in the translation of nonfiction.