Choice Of Translation Strategies And Its Application In Proverb Translation

As nowadays more attention has been paid to the cultural influence in translation, foreignization and domestication have taken over literal translation and free translation, becoming the center of translation studies and disputes. The traditional literal translation and free translation have been mainly confined to the value of linguistic items; however, foreignization and domestication put more emphasis on cultural values. Domestication and foreignization do not contradict each other, but are two different inclinations in translation. Therefore, how to determine which one is more appropriate is very important in translating process.This paper focuses on the choice between foreignization and domestication. By reviewing the proposition and development of these two translation strategies and analyzing the factors conditioning the choice of translation strategies, the author puts forward the argument—"foreignization first, domestication second" in translation. This paper consists of four chapters, excluding introduction and conclusion. Chapter one points out cultural involvement does bring difficulties to translation, but they may be solved by proper translation strategies. Chapter two defines domestication and foreignization and goes over the studies in this field. The theoretical basis of domestication is the "functional equivalence" theory of Eugene Nida; foreignization originated from the deconstructionistic translation studies of Lawrence Venuti. Chapter three firstly analyzes the factors conditioning the choice of translation strategies and the advantages of foreignization, then proposes the argument of this paper—"foreignization first, domestication second". Translation is a decision-making process, conditioned by such factors as intention of translator, function of translation, reader acceptance and kinds of constraints. Domesticating strategy has dominated Chinese literary translation for a long time,because domesticating translation makes the readers feel at home by getting rid of those foreign elements. With the development of society, interests and expectations of readers are changing. People become eager to learn foreign cultures and enjoy the exotic flavor of literary works. The current international environment has made ready for the foreignizing translation. The properties of foreignization also agree with the demand of cultural communication. Chapter four sets out to test the feasibility of "foreignization first, domestication second" by applying it to proverb translation. Whether to adopt domestication or foreignization is determined by complicated factors. Under the circumstance of cultural globalization, foreignization seems to have more advantages. Comparing with domestication, foreignization is more agreeable with the demand of cultural communication to transfer foreign elements. Therefore, foreignization should be taken as a priority in the choice of translation strategies.