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Foreignization And Domestication Strategies In Two English Versions Of Journey To The West: A Contrastive Study

Posted on:2007-07-07Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:Z Q WangFull Text:PDF
GTID:2155360185950835Subject:Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
Domesticating translation and foreignizing translation are two terms brought up by American scholar Lawrence Venuti to describe two different translation strategies. The former refers to the translation in which a transparent, fluent style is adopted in order to minimize the strangeness of the foreign text for target language readers, while the latter refers to the type of translation in which a target text deliberately breaks target conventions by retaining something of the foreignness of the original. Nowadays, the discussion over domestication and foreignization becomes heated in China, and many scholars express their opinions on translation strategy, some even predicting the trend. This paper discusses the origin, theory and features of domestication and foreignization translation.Journey to the West, which is one of the Four Great Chinese Classical novels, occupies a very important position in Chinese Literature. Therefore, its translation always draws noticeable attentions and attractions. At present, two translated versions are quite popular with readers, with each having their own distinctive features and advantages. From the perspective of translation strategy, Arthur Waley adopts domestication translation, while W.J.F. Jenner follows foreignization translation. By citing detailed and adequate examples, the paper discusses how to deal with culture-loaded words by adopting foreignization translation. The paper argues that foreignization can convey more information, preserve foreign cultures and bring out culture equality, while domestication can make the translated version more readable.In the conclusion part, the paper argues that the current English version of Journey to the West can still be optimized and improved from the perspective of foreignization translation by giving some real and detailed examples. The authorconcludes that foreigniazation is likely to be the trend when translating novels full of culture connotations, such as Journey to the West.
Keywords/Search Tags:domestication, foreignization, translation of Journey to the West, culture, contrastive
PDF Full Text Request
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