On Translation Strategies In The Context Of Cultural Integration

This paper attempts to address some methodological concerns regarding translation in the context of cultural integration. It focuses on the changing factors which determine the strategies applied in translation, particularly in Chinese-English translation.To start with, the thesis discusses the inevitability of cultural integration and the tremendous impact it has on the reconstruction of the world cultural framework. As the phenomena of economic globalization and colonial emancipation have given rise to a form of cultural globalization, borderlines are shifting between the East and the West, the center and the periphery. Questions are raised about the possible consequences of such deconstruction and reconstruction. While some scholars find hope in the unprecedented exchanging activities happening between different cultures, others predict that a future cultural clash is under way. The thesis expresses high confidence in the occurrence of cultural integration and views it as the highest solution to the potential clash and the most favorable climate for coexistence and co-development of different cultures. It is especially significant for the used-to-be periphery cultures, as opportunities have been created for equal dialogue and reconstruction of a balanced structure of the East and the West.To view translation in the context of cultural integration which is mostly characterized by the erosion of borderlines, the thesis points out that translation is no longer a marginalized subject. Its domain has expanded tremendously so as to overlap a series of important fields. Translation has entered a stage where it holds responsibilities that it has never had before, namely, to play its part in de-marginalizing the periphery and accelerating the process of cultural integration. Theoretically speaking, translation studies have gone through the cultural turn with its focus shifting from the linguistic perspective to the cultural one. Within the framework of translation as intercultural communication, a number of importantchanges have taken place, which deserve serious consideration. Firstly, translators should be fully aware of their new roles as bridge builders to enable people from different cultures to know about and learn from each other. Secondly, translators need to realize that the reader mentality is now much more open toward foreign elements. When making decision about translation strategy, translators should take the foreignizing approach as the first choice so as to convey the cultural meaning in the source text. The thesis bases this advocation on the translation criteria of meaning transference (faithfulness) and acceptability (smoothness). It argues that the traditional translation standard still remains applicable, what has changed is the increasing demand for transference in terms of cultural meaning together with a higher degree of acceptability in terms of "foreignness". As cultural meaning is a very complicated term, the thesis makes it a point that the translators should grasp the "rich points" beyond the linguistic form and bring them across to the target culture.The thesis then examines the situation in Chinese translation circle and finds out that foreignizing translation has yet to become the reality, especially in Chinese-English translation. The thesis analyzes the reason behind the reluctance and concludes that the Chinese translators have yet to realize that their decision on translation strategies has something to do with cultural exchange and, in case of Chinese-English translation, de-marginalization of Chinese culture. At the same time, they have underestimated the readership receptivity. The thesis provides examples to prove that the readers' mentality has experienced remarkable changes so that it is open for the "foreignness" in the translated text. Thus the thesis calls for further attention to foreignizing approach. But the thesis has no intention of following those translation theorists who advocate foreignizing only and foreignizing at all costs. Given the tremendous differences b...