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Unpacking Information‑Chain Mechanisms in SOLAS Provisions Based on Thematic‑Progression Analysis

Author(s)

Siyu Chen, Ruinan Zhao*

Affiliation(s)

School of Foreign Languages, Guangzhou Maritime University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China *Corresponding Author

Abstract

To reveal how legal information is connected in the English provisions of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and to provide a basis for maritime legal translation in China, this study examines the English provisions of SOLAS Chapters V, XI-1, and XI-2. Drawing on the Theme–Rheme theory of systemic functional linguistics, it analyzes their thematic-progression patterns and information-chain features. The findings indicate that CONSTANT, OTHER, and LINEAR are the principal modes through which SOLAS provisions organize information. Chapter V shows more prominent topic shifts, whereas Chapters XI-1 and XI-2 more often sustain the same regulated object or develop information introduced in preceding units. Based on these findings, the study translates thematic-progression analysis into an information-chain approach to maritime legal translation. The approach focuses on identifying the scope of a provision, the legal actor, the relation between successive units, and the legally decisive information that must remain explicit in translation. The study explains the information organization of SOLAS provisions from a source-text perspective and provides a structured reference for maritime legal texts.

Keywords

SOLAS Convention; Maritime Legal Discourse; Thematic Progression; Maritime Legal Translation

References

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