A Study On Fractal Relation In Translation From The Perspective Of Philosophy Of Mind

Drawing upon the philosophy of mind,the thesis attempts to explore the fractal relation between source text(hereinafter referred to as ST)and target text(hereinafter referred to as TT).Based on the interpretation of the translator’s mental mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of retranslation practice,the thesis is intended to probe into the specific factors that function to influence the translator’s mental construal and verbal representation during the fractal translation process,and finally reveal the essence and laws of the fractal translation relation(hereinafter referred to as FT relation).The thesis aims to shed some light on the study of the translation process,translation criticism and cognitive translation,especially in relation to the translator behavior criticism.Language is the representation of mental processes in the philosophy of mind.Accordingly,a study on translation relations should be centered on the mental process of the translator.It is claimed that different subjects may adopt diversified linguistic forms to represent even the same “event” in practical language use,and these differences primarily result from the subject’s mental states when making mental construal of the related objects.In line with fractal theory,this thesis is intended to elucidate the FT relation by justifying the event structural similarity between ST and TT via abductive reasoning and proposing a translation fractal set.In the fractal translation process,the generation of TT is governed by the event structural similarity but also influenced by the translator’s mental activities.In light of the FT relation,the thesis is intended to propose “the mental fractal ST-TT model” to visualize the fractal translation process from the aspect of event structural similarity and intentionality.Within the framework of the mental model,the thesis principally analyzes selected narrative ancient poems to elucidate how intentionality influences or constrains the translator’s mental and verbal choices in the process,through which the mentality of the translator is restored and the regularity of the translation process is elaborated.The results indicate that the FT relation is far from a one-to-one correspondence,but a one-to-many mapping relation.The translation process is not a mechanical code-switch process.Instead,it is a complicated mental process,during which the cognitive subjects’ intentionality is mutually transmitted,interpreted and represented under the constriction of event structural similarity.Throughout the fractal translation process,the translator’s intentionality plays a crucial role in ensuring the scope of event content,distinguishing the primary and secondary elements,determining the implicitness and the explicitness in the events,as well as arranging the order of event elements.Specifically,in the fractal translation process,personal intentionality serves to guide the translator to extract,select and filter the content of the “event” through the primary processing of intentional content within the“aboutness” scope;meanwhile,the intentional attitude functions to generate various mental judgments,evaluations and orientations towards the “event” content through deeper mental processing and ultimately influences the final appearance of the TT.