符號學家洛德曼(Lotman,1977a;1990)所提出的「語義圈」(semiosphere)以及「型塑系統」(modeling system)等概念中，翻譯皆扮演不可或缺的角色。對洛德曼而言，翻譯使得兩兩不對稱的系統結構得以相互理解(mutual comprehension across asymmetrical systems)。因此，洛德曼視翻譯為思考的基礎機制，也是創造性思維之根基。
本文之研究目的即在於探討翻譯於語義圈中之作用，以了解翻譯作為一種符號運作機制如何促成符號系統之間的互動。本文由符號學之觀點出發，提出語義圈內之「結構重組翻譯」與「爆炸性翻譯」兩種機制，試圖剖析翻譯的無限語義生成作用(ad infinitum semiosis)。

Translation has been an indispensable element in Ju M. Lotman’s (1977a; 1990) discussion both on modeling systems and on semiosphere. Yet, just as the semantic precision of the notion semiosphere ‘is often blurred’ (Chang, 2003:6) in Lotman’s discussion, translation, has also been used to refer to a series of different functions within the semiosphere or the modeling system. For Lotman, translation is not merely the act of thinking, but more importantly, the mechanism that enables creative thinking due to the asymmetrical semiotic structure between texts. Crucial as translation is in Lotman’s work, there seems to be relatively little discussion on how and in what ways that translation functions in or among semiotic systems, which thus becomes the aim of the present project to explore into how translation generates ad infinitum semiosis from two types of translation mechanism in the semiosphere: ‘translation
as restructuring’ and ‘translation as explosion’.