On Fiction Translation From The Perspective Of Foregrounding Theory

The essential feature of literature lies in the literariness of its language.As an embodiment of "literariness",linguistic foregrounding,generally known as "unconventional" expressions,is significant in realizing thematic functions and producing aesthetic effects of a literary work.The studies on foregrounding translation by different scholars have proved the feasibility of applying foregrounding theory of literary stylistics in translation practice.Consequently,translators should use appropriate translation strategies to handle foregrounded language under the guidance of foregrounding theory in the process of literary translation.Elinor Mordaunt’s short story “Genius” is rich in literariness and features abundant foregrounding in language,which plays an important role in expressing the text’s theme and enhancing its aesthetic effects.Therefore,the study attempts to explicate how to identify the foregrounded expressions and analyze their functions in the source text,and reproduce the foregrounding effects in the target text using different translation strategies.This study aims to explore the translation of linguistic foregrounding in fiction translation based on foregrounding theory.It holds that the translation of linguistic foregrounding determines the faithfulness of a translation in conveying the literariness of the original work.Thus,translators can turn to foregrounding theory which enables them to identify the foregrounded expressions of a source text and analyze their functions,and then try to retain the stylistic value in the target text with appropriate translation methods.In the translation process,translators should therefore give priority to literal translation to ensure the linguistic foregrounding features of the source text can be preserved and the style of the target text is close to that of the source text.However,on condition that literal translation affects the readability of the target text,translators should choose other translation strategies such as amplification and adaptation to recreate the stylistic effects of linguistic foregrounding.As for “non-motivated prominence”,free translation is adopted to guarantee the transmission of the original meanings.In conclusion,translators should endeavor to realize functional equivalence of foregrounded language while ensuring the readability of the target text.