Cultural Factors Influencing The Choice Of Domestication And Foreignization: A Case Study Of Chinese Translated Literature Around May 4～(th) Movement

With frequent cultural communication in the world, translation study also tends to be viewed in a cultural perspective. Domestication and foreignization, the two translation strategies, closely relating to cultural factors, are one of the hot topics in translation field. With the application of the theories of polysystem, manipulation, resistance and the theory of skopos, the thesis studies and analyzes the cultural factors influencing the choice of the translation strategies of domestication and foreignization in the case study of the Chinese translated literature around May 4th Movement, that is, in the two historical periods of 1898-1919 and 1919-1937. There are five parts in the thesis:In part one, literal translation and free translation, domestication and foreignization, and their relationship are discussed. The main study of the thesis is introduced.Part two offers a survey of the articles on domestication and foreignization published in recent years from which there is something in common found. First, textual approach; second, too much emphasis on the source culture while little on the target culture.Part three lists the views on domestication and foreignization of such theories as polysystem theory, manipulation theory, resistance strategy, skopostheorie, which will be the theory support of the thesis.With the case study of the translated literature in the two historical periods of 1898-1919 and 1919-1937, part four, the main body of the thesis, studies and analyzes three factors that exert influence on the choice of domestication and foreignization. First, cultural positions of the translated literature in the two different historical periods. Second, the translator's cultural attitude and his translation purpose. Third, the target reader's acceptability.Based on the above analysis, a conclusion is drawn that the choice of domestication and foreignization is dynamic as far as the cultural factors are concerned. Since cultural background is changing, so are the reader's acceptability and translation purpose, the principles or standards for the choice of domestication and foreignization are accordingly dynamic.