Using Relevance Theory in Translating Faulkner''s The Sound and The Fury: The Case of Quentin Compson

• Main Authors: Yu-hua Kao, 郜宥驊
• Other Authors: Yi-ping Wu
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/83276080256074947254

碩士 === 國立高雄第一科技大學 === 口筆譯研究所 === 100 === Abstract This research aims at probing into the effectiveness of adaptation strategy in the translation of stream of consciousness style. Our research focuses on Quentin’s section in Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury. The principles of Relevance theory are used to analyze the advantages and weaknesses of Li Deng-hsin’s direct translation and our adaptation. After the analysis, we will answer the three research questions: (1) How does Li Deng-hsin render the characteristics of stream-of-consciousness style in Quentin’s section? (2) What approaches and strategies can be used to adapt Quentin’s section? (3) What may be the loss and gain in adaptation? By analyzing Li’s translation of Quentin’s section, it is found that Li’s translation preserves the features of stream of consciousness, such as the use of italics and punctuation, but he translates the content literally without any clarification and modification, which makes his rendering incomprehensible for the readers in Taiwan to grasp what is in Quentin’s mind. Gutt (1991) in his book Translation and Relevance: Cognition and Context suggests that a translation should contain a relevant connection with the target readers. The key factor of a successful translation lies on whether it reaches adequate contextual effect in order to reduce the TT reader’s processing effort. From this point of view, Li’s translation seems to fail to reach these points. As Julie Sanders (2006) defines, adaptation is a strategy related to transformations and adjustments by omission, addition and rewriting. To help the TT readers better understand what is in Quentin’s mind before he commits suicide, we have tried to transform the stream-of-consciousness narrative into a more readable one by means of adaptation. The problem of our adaptation is that it may risk losing the unique stylistic features of stream of consciousness. Whereas translation has long been a means of reading foreign novels for most people in Taiwan, readability and comprehensibility of the texts are necessary. It is shown in our retranslation that adaptation can be an alternative of rendering Quentin’s section in that it helps produce better contextual effect and reduce reader’s processing effort.