Translation of Hedges in Scientific Documentaries: A Case Study of Jurassic C.S.I.

• Main Authors: Huang, Chia-Hsun, 黃嘉洵
• Other Authors: Lai, Ping-Yen
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2018
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/8z959a

碩士 === 國立彰化師範大學 === 翻譯研究所 === 106 === Hedges are a kind of expression of fuzzy language and exist widely in verbal communication. The present study classifies hedges into four types and eight subtypes based on Prince et al’s classification in 1982 and discusses the pragmatic functions of hedges in popular science based on Cooperative Principle (Grice, 1975) and Politeness Principle (Leech, 1983). The results showed that hedges have similar distribution pattern among both modalities in the source text and the target text, and hedges appeared twice more frequent in voice-over than in commentary which adaptors were abundantly applied in voice-over than three other types of hedges to help speakers to better express their ideas and connect with the audience. Whereas plausibility shields were applied in commentary to help narrators to be more objective and neutral. Concerning their pragmatic functions based on principles of communication, hedges in voice-over mainly helped speakers to achieve Agreement Maxim, while hedges in commentary achieved Quality Maxim. Concerning translation strategies, most hedges were faithfully rendered to their Chinese counterparts by applying literal translation, followed by omission, amplification, and replacement. Based of cultural influence and anticipated audience expectations, translators often omitted hedges that express tentativeness or uncertainty and added boosters in voice-over, while in commentary most plausibility shields that express neutrality or objectivity were retained to fit its register. It was observed that the overall degree of certainty in Chinese translation has increased since translators eliminated more plausibility shields in omission, and added more boosters in amplification, this tendency fit in with the Confucianism in Chinese society in which words should convey their point, and a tone of certainty helps to convey authority and credibility. Besides, translators also used idioms and reiterative locutions to conform the speaking habits of Chinese. Though the source text has a higher variety in the usage of hedges, voice actors manipulated intonation in a variety of ways to express the speaker's attitude. This study found out the most frequently used hedges in both modalities and languages, also the most preferable translation strategies for these hedges. Those discoveries provided a better understanding of voice-over and commentary, also helped translators to facilitate their task when dealing with hedges in the scientific documentary. Key Words: Hedges; Scientific documentary; Jurassic C.S.I.