Integration of form and content for communication through translation: With reference to pronouns in Chinese discourse

The relationship between form, content, & communication in translation by way of implicit & explicit presentation of information is discussed. It is argued that form & content should not be conceived of as two vying elements, one surviving in translating at the expense of the other, but as two components integrated to facilitate communication. Form, as the structured linguistic means to secure actual communication, is thus held accountable for translation. As the decision on explicit or implicit presentation is based on the assumption of the extent of shared knowledge & on the purpose of imparting the new information to the reader, as well as facilitated & constrained by the grammatical apparatus of the language used, the functional complexity of translation in a communicative context comes down to one primary issue: the matching between what has been left out, or taken in, in the existing source text & what ought to be left out, or taken in, for cultural, textual, &/or linguistic considerations in an emerging target text. This point is illustrated by the use of pronouns in Chinese discourse for translation purposes. 35 References. Adapted from the source document