Translatability vs untranslatability : a relevance-theoretic view

incl. ref.

Having rejected the assumption that there is a necessary link between language and communication, relevance theory holds that languages are indispensable not for communication, but for information processing, and information processing is their essential function. And the distinction between the descriptive and interpretive use of language settles the disputes upon translatability and untranslatability. From the relevance-theoretic point of view, translation falls naturally under the interpretive use of language: translation is intended to restate in one language what someone else said or wrote in another language. It means that different utterances can be used to express the same meaning, while the same meaning can be expressed in different ways. Interpretive use entails translatability. As to how closely the language of the target text resembles that of the source text, the answer is that it is a matter of degree. However, in any case, the target language used should fulfill the requirements of the principle of relevance: it is relevant enough for it to be worth the reader's effort to read and it is the highest level of relevance that the translator is capable of achieving given the means and goals.