In the light of frame semantics, a linguistic sign is understood in terms of frame, which is a structured background of knowledge and experiences. Meanings are thus relativized to frames. With a holistic consideration of interrelated elements such as prototype, context, schema and semantic memory, this meaning theory provides a promising starting point for an integrative theory of translation. Adopting a frame semantic approach, the thesis looks into the mechanism of the translator’s decision-making on meaning transfer in fictional translation. It proposes that a translator’s decisions are generally controlled by the “Proper Scene Principle”, which requires that the translator should ensure that the target reader can generally gain access through the target text (TT) to proper scenes to construct a coherent text world comparable to the one underlying the source text (ST). The principle consists of two maxims, i.e. the Maxim of Relevance and the Maxim of Coherence, of which the former is concerned with the relationship between a ST scene and a TT scene, and the latter, the integrity of the network of scenes evoked by the TT. To test the validity of the Proper Scene Principle, a detailed model of text comprehension is delineated, which specifies the progressive path of comprehension from individual semantic structures to a holistic text world, taking into account such factors as the framing pattern, framing criteria, highlighted and basic frame features, perspective, scene extension and scene-scene relations. Authentic data taken from Eileen Chang’s conventional translation and self-translation are carefully categorized and discussed within the framework of this model. As evidenced by ample exemplifications, the frame/scene notion and the prototypical approach to the ST-TT relation are of both explanatory strength and problem-solving advantages for fictional translation. The proposed principle is proved to be effective, which may well serve as a diagnostic tool for translation problems, a yardstick for translation quality and a reference point for the translator’s obligation and freedom. As a whole, being a comprehensive investigation that concerns both theory and practice, the thesis attempts to shed some new light on certain basic issues of translation studies and it is of particular relevance to the practice of literary translation. The concepts and methods developed in the thesis might also contribute to the progress of frame semantic theory. / published_or_final_version / Chinese / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / English / Master / Master of Philosophy

No description available.

This thesis aims to examine particular problems that the Indonesian language poses for translators, whether translating from Indonesian to English or English to Indonesian. The notation Indonesian~English translation substitutes the swung dash ~ substitutes for the hyphen -. This notation is used in this thesis to indicate translation either from Indonesian to English or from English to Indonesian. It is a convenient way to make it clear when translation is in both directions. A multifaceted approach to translation will enable translation to be viewed in much the same way as the kinds of demands it places on the translator, who needs constantly to be aware of author~reader, source~target culture, syntax, semantics, semiotics, even geography and even politics. The use of metaphor and illustrations to describe the theoretical processes of translation is justified in the same way that imagery is justified in literature. To go a step further, it is important to see through the artificial distinction often made between interpretation and translation, so that translation acquires flexibility and a deeper ethical structure. A symbolic approach may be used by the translator., involving the perception of modules within text, identified with symbols, that can facilitate the process of translation. With Indonesian, the influx of foreign words occurred in three identifiable stages, Sanskrit, Arabic and Dutch/English. In relation to Indonesian~ English translation, the levels of Javanese and the co-existing presence of the Jakarta dialect may be compared to English vocabulary levels, for example Anglo- Saxon versus Latinate forms. This means an awareness of the existence of layers on the part of the translator. It does not imply a match between the layers in each language, philological layers between English and Indonesian, or strict equivalence between one set of borrowings in English and one in Indonesian. The hypothesis put forward is that there are advantages for the translator in being aware of waves of foreign and regional input that are part of the history of Indonesian as well as English, and that there is potential for creative utilisation of the resources of the two languages. Although a match between the layers in each language or strict equivalence between one set of borrowings in English and one in Indonesianis not implied, it is useful to recognise word origins where this may impact on the appropriate translation. Examination of the corpus presented in this thesis has shown that the history of Indonesian words can readily affect their meaning, while the history of English words may affect the choice of terms/. Nevertheless it has proved difficult to demonstrate any particular effect of the history or layer of meaning on the choice of terminology in translation. It seems that once the Indonesian term has been understood, the translation that will emerge will not particularly be bound by reference to the history of English terminology. The hypothesis then may be reduced to an observation that the derivation of Indonesian terms, like that of English terms, is important in fully understanding the scope of meaning of the terms. The other hypothesis in this thesis is that texts or terms can be viewed as a root system containing various nodes content that the translator can respond to and wrap into the translated version, with the form of the target text possibly differing from that of the source text. The process of translation can be compared to a process of unpackaging various semantic and other elements in a unit to be translated and repackaging them for the target version. The undbundling~rebundling hypothesis is in the end a very practical matter. It aims to enlarge the discretion of the translator to carry over content with judicious changes in form. It is fair to summarise examination of the corpus by concluding that evidence of the need for unbundling~rebundling has not been convincingly presented in this thesis. It is also fair to say that in general the English translation has followed the order of the Indonesian original quite closely, and this means that a process of unbundling~rebundling is often unlikely to be necessary. Nevertheless the validity of the unbundling~rebundling approach remains, and if a text requires this kind of analysis there is ample justification for its use.

This thesis aims to examine particular problems that the Indonesian language poses for translators, whether translating from Indonesian to English or English to Indonesian. The notation Indonesian~English translation substitutes the swung dash ~ substitutes for the hyphen -. This notation is used in this thesis to indicate translation either from Indonesian to English or from English to Indonesian. It is a convenient way to make it clear when translation is in both directions. A multifaceted approach to translation will enable translation to be viewed in much the same way as the kinds of demands it places on the translator, who needs constantly to be aware of author~reader, source~target culture, syntax, semantics, semiotics, even geography and even politics. The use of metaphor and illustrations to describe the theoretical processes of translation is justified in the same way that imagery is justified in literature. To go a step further, it is important to see through the artificial distinction often made between interpretation and translation, so that translation acquires flexibility and a deeper ethical structure. A symbolic approach may be used by the translator., involving the perception of modules within text, identified with symbols, that can facilitate the process of translation. With Indonesian, the influx of foreign words occurred in three identifiable stages, Sanskrit, Arabic and Dutch/English. In relation to Indonesian~ English translation, the levels of Javanese and the co-existing presence of the Jakarta dialect may be compared to English vocabulary levels, for example Anglo- Saxon versus Latinate forms. This means an awareness of the existence of layers on the part of the translator. It does not imply a match between the layers in each language, philological layers between English and Indonesian, or strict equivalence between one set of borrowings in English and one in Indonesian. The hypothesis put forward is that there are advantages for the translator in being aware of waves of foreign and regional input that are part of the history of Indonesian as well as English, and that there is potential for creative utilisation of the resources of the two languages. Although a match between the layers in each language or strict equivalence between one set of borrowings in English and one in Indonesianis not implied, it is useful to recognise word origins where this may impact on the appropriate translation. Examination of the corpus presented in this thesis has shown that the history of Indonesian words can readily affect their meaning, while the history of English words may affect the choice of terms/. Nevertheless it has proved difficult to demonstrate any particular effect of the history or layer of meaning on the choice of terminology in translation. It seems that once the Indonesian term has been understood, the translation that will emerge will not particularly be bound by reference to the history of English terminology. The hypothesis then may be reduced to an observation that the derivation of Indonesian terms, like that of English terms, is important in fully understanding the scope of meaning of the terms. The other hypothesis in this thesis is that texts or terms can be viewed as a root system containing various nodes content that the translator can respond to and wrap into the translated version, with the form of the target text possibly differing from that of the source text. The process of translation can be compared to a process of unpackaging various semantic and other elements in a unit to be translated and repackaging them for the target version. The undbundling~rebundling hypothesis is in the end a very practical matter. It aims to enlarge the discretion of the translator to carry over content with judicious changes in form. It is fair to summarise examination of the corpus by concluding that evidence of the need for unbundling~rebundling has not been convincingly presented in this thesis. It is also fair to say that in general the English translation has followed the order of the Indonesian original quite closely, and this means that a process of unbundling~rebundling is often unlikely to be necessary. Nevertheless the validity of the unbundling~rebundling approach remains, and if a text requires this kind of analysis there is ample justification for its use.

本論文從互文性視角研究《狼圖騰》和《塵埃落定》的英譯，通過建立文本內部的話語與文本外部的話語之間的互文聯繫，分析源文內部的話語與源語系統中相關話語的互文性，及英譯內部的話語與目標語系統中相關話語的互文性，進而闡釋源文的文本意義和英譯的文本意義。 全文共分四章。第一章為緒論，介紹本文的選題背景、研究範圍與研究問題、研究方法、文獻綜述、理論框架和章節佈局。第二章是對《狼圖騰》及其英譯Wolf Totem作文本分析。本章通過分析在源文和英譯中圍繞蒙古族草原生態觀而展開對話的四類話語，建立每一類話語在源語系統和目標語系統中的互文聯繫，發現《狼圖騰》的文本意義是強調借蒙古文化的元素使中國變強大的話語，而其英譯Wolf Totem則重在彰顯內蒙古的蒙古文化，弱化了中國崛起的話語。第三章是對《塵埃落定》及其英譯Red Poppies作文本分析。本章通過分析在源文和英譯中圍繞嘉絨族群身份認同而展開對話的五類話語，建立每一類話語在源語系統和目標語系統中的互文聯繫，進而發現《塵埃落定》的文本意義是借追尋族群身份來彰顯嘉絨藏族的主體性。其英譯Red Poppies文本產生的意義則不在於尋找嘉絨族群身份，而是更突出了這一文本與英語世界裡西藏觀的既有話語的互動。第四章為結語部分，總結本論文的研究成果，對本論文運用的理論和方法進行批判性反思，最後是對後續研究的方向作出展望。 This thesis provides an analysis from an intertextual perspective of English translations of Lang Tuteng and Chen Ai Luo Ding, two Chinese novels set in China’s ethnic minority regions published since the 1990s. It is argued that these Chinese novels derive their meaning from a dialogue with various discourses circulating around them, and that English translations of these novels derive their meaning from a dialogue with various discourses circulating around the translations and their source texts. This thesis is organized into four chapters. Chapter One details the research background, delineates the scope of study, sets out the research questions, specifies methodology and theoretical framework for analysis, and provides a review of the literature. Chapter Two provides a detailed analysis from an intertextual perspective of Lang Tuteng and its English translation Wolf Totem. Four discourses concerning the characters’ attitudes towards the Mongolian ecology are identified in Lang Tuteng. A comparative analysis of the source and target texts shows that, whereas the source text privileges the discourse of ‘strengthening China through learning from the Mongolian culture’, the target text puts the emphasis on the Mongolian culture itself, and that the concern with China’s nation building is much less pronounced in the target text than in the source text. Chapter Three provides a detailed analysis of Chen Ai Luo Ding and its English translation Red Poppies. Five discourses concerning the identity of the Jiarong people in relation to China and the Tibetan region are identified in Chen Ai Luo Ding. A comparative analysis of the source and target texts shows that, whereas the source text highlights the issues of identity concerning the Jiarong people, the target text engages effectively in dialogue with existing discourses concerning the Tibetan region in the target language culture. The Chinese novel and its English translation acquire additional layers of meaning when their intertextual relations are teased out and read in their respective cultural contexts. Chapter Four provides a summary of the findings of the thesis, paying special attention to the connections and differences between the two case studies. Both novels are set in ethnic minority regions in mainland China, depict cultures of ethnic minority groups, and discuss the relationship between the ethnic minorities and the majority Han people in mainland China. Lang Tuteng adopts the perspective of the Han Chinese, positions the Mongolian culture as the other, and emphasizes the importance of learning from the other; however, Wolf Totem stresses the marginalization of the Mongolian culture, rather than issuing an appeal for the Han Chinese to enrich their culture and contribute to the rise of the Chinese nation. Chen Ai Luo Ding adopts the perspective of the Jiarong people, positions foreign cultures as the other, and highlights the narrator’s quest for an identity of the Jiarong people. A comparative analysis of the Chinese novel and its English translation shows the ways in which Red Poppies adheres to the discourses in the source text and enters into dialogue with dominant discourses on the Tibetan region in the target language culture. Chapter Four also includes theoretical reflection on the methodology and theoretical framework of this thesis, and suggests possible avenues for future research.

University of Macau / Faculty of Arts and Humanities. / Department of English

No description available.

University of Macau / Faculty of Arts and Humanities. / Department of English

When translating musicals from one culture to another, a translator’s role is to convert the text for its stage representation in a different context. However, during the process from this translated text to it finally being performed on stage, changes are inevitable. Issues surrounding the nature of such changes, the reasons for which they are made, and their resulting effects, have hitherto been little researched. The present study seeks to explore such issues through an examination of the ways in which the development of the translated text is shaped by interactions between the various stakeholders including professional translators, fans and production team members, i.e. the director and actors, as well as the audience themselves. Employing some of the major concepts of Actor Network Theory as the principal theoretical framework, together with a case study approach combining textual analysis and empirical studies, this project focuses on Putonghua translations of Western musicals on the Chinese mainland. More specifically, through investigating three of the most recent and professionally translated and performed Western musicals: I love you, you’re perfect, now change (USA), Spin (Finland), and Mamma Mia! (UK), it intends to show how differing stakeholder perspectives on issues of performability and reception are negotiated to produce a commercially successful translation product.