Foreignization And Domestication In The Two Translations Of Hong Lou Meng--From The Functionalist Perspective

As one action of human being's, translation has its particular purpose. This leads to the functionalist theory proposed by some German scholars, in which the Skopos rule determines the translation strategies employed in a specific translation in order to produce a functionally adequate target text and fully carry out the purpose of a translation. Within the framework of the theory, equivalence, an aged yardstick of a translation, is replaced by adequacy. Guided mainly by this new assessment criterion, the translator can turn to foreignization or domestication, which are two translation strategies closely related with the cultural elements involved. The present study will apply the Skoposthorie to the cultural translation of Hong Lou Meng within three culture systems: social culture system, linguistic culture system and ideational culture system to analyze how the Skopostheorie exerts an influence upon the translator's choice of the strategies and further influences the effect the translation. Under the guidance of different Skopoi, the translators of the two translated versions have produced different target texts as a result of different strategies. The author puts forward the idea that though foreignization and domestication contradict each other and have their own emphases, they are justified on condition that they can fully carry out the Skopos of the translation, like the two English versions of Hong Lou Meng. In this thesis, the first chapter gives an introduction to the literary translation to which the present study is closely related. The second chapter goes to the two specific translation strategies, foreignization and domestication, to see their connection with literal translation and free translation. Next chapter makes a study on the functionalist theory and the focus is on the Skopostheorie. In the fourth chapter, the thesis probes into the translation strategies in the two English versions of Hong Lou Meng and conducts a detailed analysis of three cultural aspects. Then follows the fifth chapter to draw a conclusion.