A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THEORIES OF MEANING AND TRANSLATION IN COMMUNICATION

Abstract

‘Meaning’ is a concept that is not easily given to definition. Some scholars conceive meaning as the message that is intended, expressed or signified. Frege for instance says meaning depends on the sense in which a word, a term or concept is used. The modern scholastic search for the criteria of sentential meaningfulness has been a trend in the 20th century. From the various theories of meaning which have been postulated by scholars, it can be deduced that words in a language are meaningful only if there is such thing as using them correctly. For a translator to have a grasp of the meaning of words in a text while translating, there is the need to consider what model theory to use that would adequately convey the intended message, with little or no remnants. This essay employed conceptual analysis to logically examine some relevant meaning and translation theories, that could be useful to determine their strengths and weaknesses in cross-cultural translation. The concern to analyse those senses of meaning which are relevant to understanding language, communication and translation arises out of the barrier seemingly created by the idea of conceptual scheme or framework, which make meanings unique and peculiar to each distinct culture. An all-inclusive pragmatic approach to translation across culture is, therefore, suggested. This would enable the translator to choose theories that is best suitable to current text being translated, without restrictions.