Rethinking Cultural Terminology Translation Jakobson'S Triadic Division Of Translation Revisited

Jakobson's article "On linguistic aspects of translation" proposes a tripartite division of translation as intralingual, interlingual, and intersemiotic, which offers a panorama of a semiotic approach to translation, especially to what is translation in a multileveled sense. Subsequent scholars develop the two implicit ideas in his article, named by the author as "translation as sign transformation" and "translation as sign interpretation." While further widening the scope and enriching the perspective of Jakobson's typology, current literature remains purely theoretical in essence. As a particular research area, cultural terminology translation could serve as the axis linking theory and practice, which becomes the primary concern for this paper. Grounded on a review of Jakobson's division and related literature in translation semiotics, this study proposes a multileveled understanding of cultural terminology translation based on some concrete cases. Cultural terminology translation is regarded as "sign transformation" and "sign interpretation." As sign transformation, it concerns the transformation of conceptual, linguistic, and cultural signs, while as sign interpretation, it goes from intralingual to interlingual to intersemiotic interpretation. This research concludes that cultural terminology translation is a complex sign activity calling for further investigations.