Acknowledgments

It’s a common sense that you can go further farther with companies. In the completion of the paper writing, I wish to take advantage of this opportunity to express my gratitude to those who supported me in finishing this thesis.

First, I would like to express my genuine appreciation to my supervisor Xia Jie whose considerable guidance, practical suggestion and encouragements contribute to completing this thesis. Thanks to her analyses of the semantic triangle, which gives me a clear model of how to analyze legal terminology by semantic triangle. In completion of thesis, she gives me a lot of advice about how to complete my thesis. Except as an excellent supervisor, she also cares for my life and gives me guidance.

Next, I wish to express my gratitude to my roommates and classmates who always offer useful suggestions and encourage me when I meet difficulties. Especially my roommates, during the completion of this thesis, I always search available information on the internet very later. But my roommates bear it totally. Without their help, it’s impossible for me to finish my thesis.

Last but not least, thanks to the school library’s databases which provide considerable authoritative information.

Contents

Abstract in English I

Abstract in Chinese II

Ⅰ. Introduction 1

Ⅱ. Literature Review 3

2.1 Previous Studies on the Semiotic Theory 3

2.2 Previous Studies on the Translation of Legal Terminology 4

2.3 The Semantic Triangle 5

2.4 Equivalent 6

Ⅲ. Application of the Social Semiotics Approach to the Translation of Legal Terminologies 8

3.1 Translation of Legal Terminologies 8

3.2 Function of Legal Terminology 13

3.2.1 Informative Function 13

3.2.2 Legal Function 14

3.4 Compensation Strategies for the Absence of Exact Equivalents 15

Ⅳ. Conclusion 17

Bibliography 18

Translation of Legal Terminology — A Perspective of Social Semiotics

Abstract：Legal terminology is an essential part of the law. It is a core part of the legal system, which not only reflects the stylistic features of legal texts, but is also treated as a mirror of the classic features of the legal culture. It also determines that legal texts lie in translation of legal terminology. Therefore, translation of legal terminology is of great significance.

Compared with other genres, legal terminology translation has its own unique characteristics. It is a kind of cross domain activity, which spans three fields, that is, Law, Linguistics and Translation. Translators should not only consider the characteristics of the legal system, but also take into account the cultural and social background, customs and so  on. It is impossible to have an accurate translation only by the a simple understanding of the source language and the target language.

This study attempts to analyze the legal terminology from the perspective of social semiotics, and proposes a new approach to translation. Under the guidance of social semiotics, the present study illustrates the conversion to legal terminology across different sign systems, and analyzes the ways to achieve the functional equivalence in the process of translation.