Abstract

Chinese Folk Customs-related vocabulary (CFC-vocabulary) is an very important carrier of the folk customs culture of our nation. For that reason, research on the Chinese-English translation of CFC-vocabulary is helpful to the transmission of such culture. In spite of its great significance, previous studies on this topic are far from being enough. As a result, through the theoretical analysis of the data selected from the CFC-vocabulary, the current study aims at exploring translation of the CFC-vocabulary under the conduct of the relevance theory. In other words, the translator should first deduce the communicative intentions of the source language, then infer the cognitive environment of the target readers, and finally selects suitable strategies to transform the source expressions into the target language. Therefore, the translated version can be in line with the cognitive context of the target readers, precisely delivering both the semantic meaning and cultural flavors of the source expressions.

Keywords:  CFC-vocabulary  C-E translation  Relevance Theory

摘要

汉语中的民俗文化词语是我国民俗文化传承的重要载体，因而对民俗文化词语的英译研究将有助于我国民俗文化的传播。虽然我国民俗文化词语的英译研究具有重大的意义，但对于这方面的探讨却不多。鉴于此，通过对中国民俗文化词语进行分析，以关联理论为指导，探究中国民俗文化词汇的英译策略，即译者先推断原词所传递的交际意图，然后推断译入语读者的认知语境，最后选择恰当的翻译策略进行转换以顺应目的语读者的认知语境，从而忠实地传达原词的语义和文化内涵。
关键词: 中国民俗文化词语；汉英翻译；关联理论模式

Chapter One Introduction
1.1 The Purpose of the Study
    The word “folk” is often translated as “people in general” and “custom” as “an accepted and long established tool of doing things or behaving in a community or society”. CFC-vocabulary is regarded as a unusual form in Chinese vocabulary system, which has some typical characteristics in both meaning and style.
As is known to us all, Chinese folk customs play an important role in enhancing the harmony and development of our nation and making the culture of the world more colorful. Its energetic vitality and long-lasting influence lie in its universal spread, comprehension, and recognition. Translation, as a bridge between nations and cultures, plays an important role in cross-cultural communication. For that reason, it is worth conducting a systematic study on the CFC vocabulary.