Preface

Equivalence as the final pursuit of translation has always been the kernel of translation studies. Former studies of equivalence，however，have been mostly confined to surface phenomena，such as formal equivalence, functional equivalence and equivalent effect，which are mainly interpretations of relations between ST and TT in translating process from perspective of principle. Such studies remain at the level of abstract theoretical prescription and empirical interpretation，without promotion or expansion in theory，to say nothing of developing auxiliary theoretical concepts or borrowing relevant theories from adjacent disciplines for further systematic study. Considerable controversy and consequent slump in equivalence studies have been only too natural. Borrowing the latest developed cognitive linguistic theory of conceptual integration to explore the realizing process of equivalence from cognitive context can reveal the essence of translation to some extent，which is of theoretical and practical significance. Similar studies have been rarely found both athome and abroad. This study holds that one of the important features of translation is integration----the integration of the ST and the TL in terms of content and under the restriction of culture，co-text，aesthetics and cognitive thinking mode，etc. Based on the above view，and by means of appealing to reconstruction of the ST content，intention and aesthetic features in the TL cognitive context，this study aims to reveal how conceptual integration functions as an important mechanism in realizing cognitive contextual equivalence. Therefore，one important task of this research is to provide a methodological perspective and operating rationale for the purpose of analyzing the process of fulfilling cognitive contextualequivalence.

Efforts have been made to construct a theoretical framework to describe，analyze and interpret the translating process，in which conceptual integration theory serves as its basis and contextual parameters theory as a reference. Typical cases in E-C and C-E translations are analyzed procedurally from the micro，meso and macro dimensions concerning levels of sentence，paragraph and text，with the emphasis on its descriptiveness. All these aim to deduce empirical rules to be used in future translation practice.

The research shows that conceptual integration is an important cognitive mechanism in realizing cognitive contextual equivalence. Conceptual integration in translation can be divided into two types：coincidental and deviant. Coincidental conceptual integration is in fact the re-lexicalization，such as verbalization，re-lexicalization of motion words，and re-lexicalization of the redundancy. Re-lexicalization is realized via metaphorical mappings，metonymical mappings，projection，and sememes extraction，etc. Through re-lexicalization，the translator aims to integrate the prototypical features of the source word with those of the target word so as to make the version more concise and succinct. With such aims，some redundant concepts of the ST are integrated in the cognitive context，so the number or form of concept is changed in the TT；however，the general communicative meaning or information is kept through recipients' cognitive contextual reconstruction or empirical knowledge reasoning. Deviant conceptual integration is in fact the reconstruction of image，information or meaning in the TT，aiming at its readability and aesthetic effect. Even though the image，information and surface meanings are deviant from those of the ST through reconstruction，the cognitive imagination of the TT in recipient is basically the same with that of the ST because the reconstruction is based on the translator's cognitive embodiment and restricted by the relevant contextualparameters.

The present research also reveals various interfering factors that are involved in the process of conceptual integration and amplifies the ways in which contextual parameters influence mental spaces and get involved in blending space. The research finds that in the process of conceptual integration，contextual parameters get involved via co-textual parameters or cognitive contextual parameters；what is more，with the development of the text the co-textual parameters can be converted to cognitive contextual parameters，so contextual parameters can go into the mental spaces at any time. Through comparative analyses，the research finds and deduces more than ten local empirical rules of translation which are believed to be valuable inguiding future translation practice.

The main contribution of this research is that the framework analysis based on cognition and context expands the study of equivalence from a new dimension，in which equivalence is not regarded as a principle but a descriptive concept；that is，studies of equivalence should not focus on equivalence of linguistic form or surface meaning but to explore and describe such essential feature as how to realize meaning equivalence in cognitive context. Data analysis proves the properness and effectiveness of the analytic framework. Via logical deduction，the realization of cognitive contextual equivalence is clearly demonstrated，which provides a cognitive perspective and study method for the study of equivalence. Moreover，the analytic framework combines CIT and CPT，and is comprehensive and open for translation study. This framework is significant for the extension of translation studies，as well as the development of CIT and CPT. Besides，the research emphasizes the descriptiveness，operability and verifiability of the analyzing process，so it is of some theoretical and practical significance for the extensive translation studies. Last but not least，the study also provides abundant materials for translation teaching and sheds light on those inexperienced translators.