| Translation plays a very important role in the communication between different language speaking groups. It has fascinated so many scholars throughout history that they have made profound studies of it. This paper first traces back the translation theories both in China and the Western countries to show their similar trend of development: from debates on literal or free translation to dealing with translation from the cultural perspective. It points out that it is not accidental for translation studies to move on to cultural studies, for translation involves not only two languages but two cultures as well. Accordingly the transference of cultural contents from one language into another is inevitable. All nations have their own ways of living, their own traditions and customs, so these specific things will certainly find their way into the language, which may carry features of different cultures. Therefore, rendering only the linguistic forms from one language into another is inadequate, because some of the cultural connotations would be neglected. Thus, cultural translation studies marks a good turn for translation studies.In its third part, the paper states the interactions between language and culture, translation and culture, compares the differences between Chinese and English by analyzing the causes, and then it examines two kinds of strategies concerning cross-cultural translation: foreignization and domestication. It further points out that taking into consideration of the intention of the original author, the types of texts, the purpose of translation and the requirements of the TL reader, both of the approaches are justified in their own right. A translator can take either the SL-culture oriented approach or the TL-culture oriented approach to attain his or her purpose. What is most important is that a translator must be well acquainted with both cultures in addition to languages and apply his or her cultural awareness to the entire translation process.
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