On Foreignization and Domestication in Translationfrom the Perspective of Crosscultural（硕士论文）.doc

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1、On Foreignization and Domestication in Translation-from the Perspective of Cross-cultural摘要 最近二十多年来，翻译研究逐渐转向文化间的比较。一般而言，翻译中文化的转换有两种基本策略：以目的语文化为归宿的归化和以源语文化为归宿的异化。归化是指尽量将译语文化纳入译文读者的知识范围，将作者引向读者；异化是指在翻译中保留原文语言文化的特异之处，将读者引向作者。由于源语文化和译语文化的巨大差异，译者在翻译过程中必然会面临两难选择，因而一篇译作也必然会出现归化或异化的倾向。可以说，归化和异化的课题是翻译研究的核心课题

2、之一。为了更好地解决这一问题，各国语言学家、翻译工作者提出了各种各样的翻译方法手段，归化与异化就是其中最具代表性的一对。本文着重探讨跨文化翻译当中的这两种翻译策略，并阐明它们之间的关系以及在翻译工作中的应用。第一部分主要论述了语言、翻译与文化之间的关系。在第二部分中，作者简要介绍了两种翻译策略的倡导者、理论基础以及中外历史上关于如何运用这两种翻译策略的争论等。第三部分主要分析制约这两种翻译策略的因素，如翻译目的、文本类型、作者意图以及读者的接受能力等。第四部分重点探讨归化和异化这两种翻译策略之间的辨证关系。指出何时应该采用归化的策略，何时应该采用异化的策略以及何时这两种策略并用，使之相互补充。

3、通过以上分析，作者得出结论，这两种翻译策略，都有其各自的特点和实用价值，过于强调其中的一种都是片面的，不科学的。我们不仅应该研究这两种策略的特点，还应分析它们在什么情况下，为了什么目的，适用于什么样的文本类型等。我们不能把翻译策略看成是绝对的，辩证地研究这两种翻译策略才有利于翻译研究的繁荣。关键词:翻译 文化 归化 异化AbstractOne of the most striking features in contemporary translation studies is theorientation towards cultural transfer rather than lingu

4、istic transfer.Generally speaking,there are two principal strategies to deal with culture involved in translation,namely,TL(target language)culture-oriented domestication and SL(source language)culture-oriented foreignization.Because of the differences between the SL culture andthe TL culture,a tran

5、slator is bound to face a choice.So it is inevitable to have theinclination of domestication or foreignization for a translation.It is safe to say that thetwo translation strategies have always dominated the central place of translation studies.In this paper,a tentative study on foreignization and d

6、omestication will be madefrom historical arguments,the advantages and limitations of them will be analyzed,thefactors that are likely to influence a translators selection of translation strategies will beinduced.In Chapter One,a brief account about language,translation and culture is given.Language

7、is a component of culture and plays a very important role in culture.Language and culture rely on each other.Without language,culture would be impossible.On the other hand,language is influenced and shaped by culture;it reflects culture.From the perspective of intercultural communication,a translati

8、on is in fact a culturalproduct of the original work filtered by the translator.In Chapter Two,the paper mainly introduces these two translation strategies,theiradvocates,theoretical basis,the debates on them and their functions in culturecommunication.Chapter Three analyzes the factors conditioning

9、 the use of these two strategies.Several factors affect the choice of these two strategies such as the purpose oftranslation,translator intention,text type and reader acceptance.Chapter Four mainly discusses the dialectical relationship between domesticationand foreignization.There are occasions on

10、which demestication or foreignization shouldbe employed,and there are also occasions on which these two strategies should becombined.In the last part,it is concluded that the two strategies have their respective featuresand applicable values.Overemphasis of one strategy from a static and absolutevie

11、wpoint is one-sided and unscientific.It is suggested that dialectical views on the twotranslation strategies should be adopted in the translation process.Key words:translation culture domestication foreignizationContents iContentsIntroduction.1Chapter One Language,Culture and Translation.51.1 Defini

12、tion of Culture.51.2 Relationship between Translation,Language and Culture.61.2.1 Language and Culture.61.2.2 Translation and Culture.71.3 Translatability and Untranslatability of Culture.8Chapter Two An Introduction to Domestication andForeignization.112.1 Definition of Domestication and Its Theore

13、tical Basis.112.2.Definition of Foreignization and Its Theoretical Basis.122.3 Debates on Domestication and Foreignization in History.132.3.1 Debates on Domestication and Foreignization in the West.132.3.2 Debates on Domestication and Foreignization in China.162.4 Function of Domestication and Forei

14、gnization.172.4.1.Domestication in Cultural Communication.182.4.2.Foreignization in Cultural Communication.19Chapter Three Factors Conditioning the Choice ofStrategies.253.1 Purpose of Translation.253.2 Translator Intention.273.3 Text Type.293.4 Reader Acceptance.313.5 Constraints of Domestication a

15、nd Foreignization.353.5.1 Stylistic Constraints.353.5.2 Cultural Constraints.363.5.3 Historical Constraints.37On Foreignization and Domestication in Translation-from the Perspective of Cross-culturalCommunicationiiChapter Four Relationship between Domestication andForeignization.394.1 Different View

16、s on the Relationship between Domestication and Foreignization 394.2 Occasions on Which Foreignization Should Be Employed.404.3 Occasions on Which Domestication Should Be Employed.514.4 The Combination of Domestication and Foreignization.54Conclusion.57Acknowledgements.59Bibliography.61Notes.65Intro

17、duction 1IntroductionTranslation is a complicated activity of cross-cultural communication,serving as amedium for the exchange of intellectual products.As a bridge,the primary function oftranslation is communication.The attitude and the approaches employed by thetranslator have a great influence on

18、the efficiency of communication between the sourcetext author and the target language reader and between the source culture and the targetculture.The history of translation witnesses many heatedly-debated issues,such as whattranslation is,a science or an art or a craft?what approach should be used,s

19、ource textwriter-oriented or target language reader-oriented?what method should be used,literaltranslation or free translation?what criteria should be adhered to,faithfulness,smoothness or elegance or some others?and whether a work is translatable oruntranslatable?All those arguments are reasonable,

20、each of them revealing somecharacteristics of translation,so they are complementary to each other.Over the years,translators have shown increasing interest in the problems arisingfrom cultural differences in translation.Generally speaking,there are two principalstrategies to tackle them in translati

21、on,namely,“domestication”and“foreignization”,which are defined by Lawrence Venuti as follows:“Domestication means bringing theforeign culture closer to the reader in the target culture,making the text recognizableand familiar.Foreignization,on the other hand,means taking the reader over to theforeig

22、n culture,making him or her see the cultural and linguistic difference.”1(Venuti,1995:19-20)The controversy between domestication and foreignization is something frequentlyconcerned in recent translation studies in the West and in China.Relevant discussionscan be found in essays on this topic in tra

23、nslation journals and some collections oftranslation studies in publication.With the development of translation studies,the focusof research has shifted from language transformation to cross-cultural communication.At present,more and more people regard translation as an activity of communicationbetw

24、een different languages and cultures.When target language readers and sourcelanguage readers have different cultural backgrounds,the problem of dealing withcultural elements will emerge saliently.Foreignization issource-language-writer-oriented or source-text-oriented,while domestication istarget-la

25、nguage-reader-oriented or target-text-oriented.As a matter of fact,translation isa means of bridging different cultures,so the target language reader need taste the exoticflavors of other cultures.At the same time,however,the very purpose of translation is toOn Foreignization and Domestication in Tr

26、anslation-from the Perspective of Cross-culturalCommunication2help the target language reader to understand the source text in an attempt to bridge thegap between different cultures.The two strategies of translation are actually mutuallycomplementary to each other,if they are appropriately employed

27、according to specificpurposes of translation.This thesis aims at making a tentative study of the two translation strategies,domestication and foreignization,from the following four aspects:a brief survey ofthem,the historical debates on them,the factors influencing the choice of them and therelation

28、ship between them.The purpose of this thesis is to provide a deeper and fullerunderstanding of domestication and foregnization.With this aim in mind,this thesis isdivided into four chapters:In Chapter One,a brief account of language,translation and culture is given.Language is a component of culture

29、 and plays a very important role in culture.Language and culture rely on each other.Without language,culture would be impossible.On the other hand,language is influenced and shaped by culture;it reflects culture.From the perspective of intercultural communication,a translation is in fact a culturalp

30、roduct of the original work filtered by the translator.A conclusion is drawn thattranslation and culture are closely linked.Translation can both enrich culture and beinfluenced by culture.Likewise,culture has influenced on translation and it may bothpromote and influence or even restrict translation

31、 activities.So language,translation andculture may interact on each other forever.Chapter Two is a brief survey of the history of domestication and foreignization.Itprovides a detailed account of some fundamental issues in the study of domesticationand foreignization,including their definitions,theo

32、retical basis and their functions inculture communication.This chapter also presents that the debates on domestication andforeignization have permeated the history of translation both in the West and in China.Chapter Three focuses on the factors conditioning the choice of the translationstrategies.G

33、enerally speaking,there are many factors at work,among which the mostimportant four are the purpose of translation,writer intention,text type and readeracceptance.Understanding these factors can help a translator to choose an appropriatetranslation strategy.First,a translator should try to avoid bia

34、ses and remain objective.Second,he should consider the above four factors before he decides whether to adaptthe original text or to retain as much as possible the foreign flavor of the original text.Chapter Four mainly discusses the dialectical relationship between domesticationand foreignization.Th

35、ere are occasions on which demestication or foreignization shouldbe employed,and there are also occasions on which these two strategies should beIntroduction 3combined.In the last part,it is concluded that the two strategies have their respective featuresand applicable values.In respect to communica

36、tion,both domestication andforeignization are acceptable to some extent.What really matters is to what extent thetwo strategies should be employed.Overemphasis of one strategy from a static andabsolute viewpoint is one-sided and unscientific.It is suggested that dialectical views onthe two translati

37、on strategies should be adopted in the translation process in accordancewith different purposes of translation,different readerships,intentions of differentwriters,and different source texts.On Foreignization and Domestication in Translation-from the Perspective of Cross-culturalCommunication4Chapte

38、r One Language,Culture and Translation 5Chapter One Language,Culture and Translation1.1 Definition of CultureTranslation，probably as the ultimate purpose of foreign language acquisition,copes with language.Language is correlated with culture.Translation,therefore,has todo with culture.However,the te

39、rm“culture”may bring up more problems than it cansolve.There is really very little agreement on the concept of it.Various definitions havebeen suggested by scholars and experts from different points of view.According toEncyclopedia Britannic,there are about 160 definitions of culture.Whats more,newd

40、efinitions are still being brought up and added up to it.The definitions suggested rangefrom all-encompassing ones such as“it is everything”to narrower ones such as“it isopera,art and ballet.”Some scholars investigate culture from several different fields.Tothem,the scope of culture is different.Gen

41、erally,culture has been interpreted in twosenses,a broad sense and a narrow one.In its broad sense,culture is the attributes ofman.In this sense,whatever distinguishes man from the rest part of the world is culture.Culture in its broad sense is also called“large C culture”or“academic culture.”Cultur

42、ein its narrow sense is also called“small c culture”or“anthropological culture”.The firstdefinition of culture was offered by the British scholar Edward Burnett Tylor.Accordingto him,culture is“that complex whole which includes knowledge,belief,art,morals,law,customs and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of asociety”.“large C culture”or“academic culture”includes every aspect of social life,which reflects social civilization such as literature,art,music,architect,philosophy,scientifi