ABSTRACT:With the development and changes of communicative-exchange activities in human beings, languages also undergo constant change and development. In the evolution of languages, words usually get new meanings. Since China’s reform and open-up to the outside world initiated in 1980s, China has entered into a new stage of high-speed development, and the development and changes in our society have taken place in many aspects, and there is no exception with languages. Modern Chinese Dictionary (6th edition) was published in 2012 which covers more than 3,000 new words concerning politics, economy, education, life, network, etc. These new words not only enrich the Chinese vocabulary, strengthen people’s communication and exchanges, but also reflect the progress of the era and social development.

As we all know, the emergence of new words have injected vitality into people’s communicative-exchange activities. At the same time, new problems occur in Chinese-English translation. The differences of Chinese thinking, cultural background and translation methods and skills all impact on the translation of Chinese new words. In order to solve these new problems, from the perspective of relevance theory, this paper mainly focuses on probing whether Chinese new words can be fully translated  under the framework of relevance theory, and whether the relevance theory plays a substantial role in new words translation. Furthermore, this paper will confirm the feasibility of modern Chinese new words in English translation under the framework of relevance through probing and analyzing its two basic principles—cognitive principle and communicative principle.

Keywords: Modern Chinese Dictionary (6th edition); Chinese new words;  relevance theory; cognitive principle; communicative principle

TABLE OF CONTENTS

摘要

ABSTRACT

1 INTRODUCTION-1

1.1 Research Background-1

1.2 Thesis Framework-1

1.3 Literature Review-2

1.3.1 Overseas researches-2

1.3.2 Domestic researches-4

2 RELEVANCE THEORY-5

2.1The Main Advocation of Relevance Theory-5

2.2 Cognitive Principle and Communicative Principle of Relevance Theory-7

3 PROBLEMS EXISTING IN NEW WORDS TRANSLATION-8

3.1 The Definition of New Words-8

3.2 Problems Existing in New Words Translation-9

3.2.1 Chinese thinking affects the translation of Chinese new words-9

3.2.2 Differences in cultural background affect the translation of Chinese new words-10

4 THE TRANSLATION OF CHINESE NEW WORDS UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF RELEVANCE THEORY-12

4.1 The Basic Principles of New Words Translation-12

4.2 Translation Methods and Skills of Chinese New Words under the Guidance of Relevance Theory-13

4.2.1 The relationship between literal translation and relevance theory-13

4.2.2 The relationship between free translation and relevance theory-18

4.2.3 The relationship between transliteration and relevance theory-21

4.2.4 The relationship between omitted translation/zero translation and relevance theory-23

5 CONCLUSION-25

REFERENCES-26

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS-28