Abstract

In recent years, metaphor has become a heated topic both at home and abroad. The theory on metaphor has become relatively complete, while due attention must be paid to metaphor translation. The traditional translation theory just regards metaphor as a rhetorical phenomenon. While, since most metaphors come from daily life, they can reflect many features of a nation, including history, traditional customs and psychology. Thus, proper translation of metaphor is of great importance in cross-cultural communication. 

In 1986, Sperber and Wilson proposed a theory of relevance, which provided a new way to study metaphor and assumed that the essence of metaphor is cognition. The clarification of Relevance Theory on metaphor not only develops the formal studies, but also points out that metaphor is more importantly a way of thinking than only a language phenomenon. 

It seems that translation is a cross-cultural communication involved with two languages and the conveyance of meaning across two cultures. Relevance Theory, which points out that translation is a double-round communication, where the translator plays the double role of both reader and communicator. Clearly in each stage, optimal relevance from the original text to the target text becomes the translation goal.

Metaphors in the case study all come from Hong Lou Meng, a classic Chinese novel. After the detailed analysis of the translation’s treatments of those metaphors, the quality of them is commented, their inadequacy is pointed out and some translation suggestions are offered. This thesis comes to the preliminary conclusion that this method is valid no matter which strategy is used, as long as the optimal relevance is achieved.

Key words: metaphor; Hong Lou Meng; translation strategy; Relevance Theory

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1Introduction.1 

2 An Introduction to Metaphor2

2.1 The Concept of Metaphor..2

2.2 The Functions of Metaphor .3

2.3Theories of Metaphor4

2.4 Translation of Metaphor 6

3 The Relevance Theory .7

3.1 The Definition of the Relevance Theory ..7

3.2TheBasicConceptsoftheRelevanceTheory ..8

3.2.1 The Ostensive-inferential Communication 8

3.2.2 The Context and Contextual Effects...9 

3.2.3 The Principles of Relevance 9 

3.3 The Relevance-based Translation ... 11

4 Translation of Metaphor in Hong Lou Meng from the Perspective of the Relevance Theory12

 4.1 The Relevance-based Account of Metaphor Translation12

  4.1.1 The Process of Metaphor Translation ..12

4.1.2 Metaphor translation from the perspective of cognition 13

 4.2 Features of Metaphor in Hong Lou Meng14

 4.3 Metaphor and Its Translation Strategies in Hong Lou Meng15

  4.3.1 From Metaphor to Metaphor.. .15

  4.3.2 From Metaphor to Simile ...18

  4.3.3 From Metaphor to None-metaphor...20

5Conclusion .21

References.23