A Comparative Study Of English Loanword Translation In Japanese And Chinese: A Translational And Cultural Perspective

This thesis is an attempt to make a comparative study of English loanwords in Japanese and Chinese from a translational and cultural perspective, with a view to illustrate the Author's view concerning the major difference in adopting different loanword translation strategies due to the relative social status of source culture and target culture as well as its underlying causes.By linking the German functionalism with domestication and foreignization developed by Lawrence Venuti, the thesis argues that the adoption of these two strategies or approaches are closely related with the Skopos in the target language and the status of target culture. In case studies, this Author conducts an analysis of the historical origin of English loanwords in Japanese and Chinese and of the choice of different translation strategies through reviewing the relationships between translation strategies and the cultural status, finally arriving at the conclusion that the adoption of loanword translation strategies is decided by the status of target culture and its domestic appeal.