Translating culture-specific items from the perspective of relevance theory: the example of the house on Mango street

Abstract

The aim of the research is to analyse the Mandarin Chinese translation of culture-specific items in the novel The House on Mango Street using Relevance Theory as the basis of analysis. Specifically speaking, this report attempts to adapt Relevance Theory to guide the analysis of the following main questions: 1) What are the translation shifts in relation to the culture-specific items in the Chinese version of The House on Mango Street?; 2) How did the translator deal with the translation of these words? 3) What are the possible reasons for the shifts as well as strategies and methods used by the translator? The analysis is mainly based on Relevance Theory and the latter’s core concepts of the inferential nature of any communication and the principle of relevance. The translator’s strategies and methods are investigated and his possible considerations in choosing specific approaches are identified. This research tries to illustrate whether Relevance Theory in translation is able to explain how the translator chooses the translation strategies based on a consideration of cultural differences. From the analysis of the examples, it is concluded that, in general, the translator shows considerable respect for the original text. He keeps close to the original text to keep the important foreign cultural characteristics and adds footnotes for further explanations that he considers necessary. At the same time, he is flexible in his choice of specific translation methods, taking into account the various contexts of communication. The research concludes that as long as the methods used by the translator result in optimal relevance for the target audience, the translation will be valuable in making a contribution to translation practice. Moreover, because of the inferential nature of Relevance Theory, if the target readers’ cognitive context is carefully assessed, there is reasonable justification for the translator to introduce shifts which are identified when the translation is compared with the original text