On Translating Drama: A Cognitive Account

This paper is a tentative study of applying the relevance-theoretic approach to translating drama based on the special nature of drama. In drama translation, full equivalence is unattainable due to the linguistic and cultural difference between the source language and the target language. From the perspective of relevance theory, translational success is relative to the degree of convergence between the relevant factors. In order to match the source text (ST) communicator's intention with the target text (TT) audience's expectation to the greatest possible extent, a drama translator should endeavor to revive characters and retain performing effects of the ST in a flexible way.