Domestication And Foreignization In The Translation Of Metaphor

Metaphor is a method of rhetoric. Each language contains rich metaphors. It has rich cultural intention as the crystallization of national language. How to handle the metaphor in literature works is one of baffling problems that the translators must be faced with. The study of metaphor from the aspect of translation has been limited to the discussion of translation methods. Few people discussed the problem of translator adopting the translation strategy of domestication or foreignization in the translation of metaphor. The study of domestication and foreignization in the translation of metaphor has theoretical and practical value.The thesis compares different opinions with regard to domestication and foreignization. And then discusses advantages and limitations of domestication and foreignization. The thesis involves in the translation methods of metaphors. The pair of domestication and foreignization is usually mixed up with another pair in translation: literal translation and free translation. So we make a differention between the two pairs of translation terms. At last explores the conditioning factors (including the intention of the translator, the function of the target text, and the socio-cultural and historical constraints) influencing the choice of domestication and foreignization.The thesis elaborates the theory on metaphors: several different definitions of metaphor, the types of metaphor, the meaning of metaphor and the purpose of using metaphor, and the contemporary theory of metaphor that George Lakoff expounded. Newmark, Zhang Peiji and Guo Zhuzhang summarized methods for translating metaphors.We compare the translated texts of Jane Eyre and Oliver Twist in the early 21st century and the late 1970s. We analyze the translation strategy the translators incline to adopt in translating metaphors of two English novels. And then we explore the reasons why they incline to adopt the translation strategy. At last, we discuss different levels of domestication and foreignization in the translation of metaphor.Through the above analysis, we shall draw conclusions: at the beginning of the 21st century, the translators incline to adopt the foreignization in translating metaphors of Jane Eyre and Oliver Twist. The intention of the translator, the function of the target text, the historical and socio-cultural constraints influence the choice of domestication and foreignization.The present study is only a preliminary study of the domestication and foreignization in the translation of metaphor. Due to the limited data and method, the result of research is not absolute. We need further justification of a more systematic study in the future. It is proposed that the later researchers will be carried out to discuss the domestication and foreignization in the translation of cultural elements.