Article Open Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2022.10.021
A Study on the English Translation of the Willow in Tang Poetry from the Perspective of Relevance Theory
Zhanhai Tan1,*, Jun Kong2, Rong Jiang3
1School of Foreign Languages, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, China.
2College of Foreign Languages, Guizhou University, Guiyang, Guizhou, China.
3School of Foreign Languages, Guangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Laibin, Guangxi, China.
*Corresponding author: Zhanhai Tan
Published: November 24,2022
Abstract
From the perspective of relevance theory, this paper studies and analyzes the image translation and semantic selection in 29 English translation versions of willow in 15 representative Tang poems. Under the framework of relevance theory, translation is divided into two processes, one is the ostensive-inferential process to search for relevance, and the other is to adjust the cognitive environment so that the target reader obtains the contextual effect of the original text reader. In the imagery translation of willow in Tang poetry, the translator is both the receiver and the communicator. In the translation, sufficient clues should be set to help the reader to capture optimal relevance in the target text and the original author's informational intention and communicative intention. The authors classified the willow images into five types. Due to the differences in the cognitive environment between Chinese and English readers, this paper puts forward two translation principles and two suggestions to translate willow images in Tang poetry to realize the mutual manifestness and optimal relevance. The authors hold that relevance theory is helpful in the translation of Tang Poetry.
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How to cite this paper
A Study on the English Translation of the Willow in Tang Poetry from the Perspective of Relevance Theory
How to cite this paper: Zhanhai Tan, Jun Kong, Rong Jiang. (2022). A Study on the English Translation of the Willow in Tang Poetry from the Perspective of Relevance Theory. The Educational Review, USA, 6(10), 658-667.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2022.10.021