A Study On Domestication And Foreignization--In E-C Proverb Translations

Whether Domestication or Foreignization should be applied has been the topic of discussions in translation studies for a long time. Many scholars have proposed theories from different aspects, but no universally accepted standard has been set. The two Translation Methods or Strategies have been related to the translation of cultural elements. Proverb is a special type of text, which has fixed linguistic form and profound cultural background. This thesis focuses on the application of the two Translation Methods in E-C proverb translations. The author claims that Translation Methods should be applied according to certain conditions, and different English proverbs should be translated by applying different Translation Methods.This thesis is concerned with the origins and theories relating to Domestication and Foreignization. The author proposes the notion of 'Approach', and differentiates it from 'Strategy' and 'Method'. Translation Approach is the general direction the translator chooses to do translation. Under Translation Approach, there are two layers: linguistic layer and cultural layer, hi different layers, the translator can choose to apply Domestication or Foreignization Method. If Domestication Method is applied in both layers, then it is Domestication Approach. If Foreignizaiton Method is applied in both layers, then it is Foreignization Approach. The third is Neutralization Approach, that is, in linguistic layer, Domestication Method is applied;in cultural layer, Foreignization Method is applied. Among them, Neutralization Approach lays emphasis on the combination of Domestication and Foreignization, and further researches should be done in this field.Proverb has fixed linguistic form and profound cultural background, so proverb translation is by no means easy. In this thesis, proverbs are classified into four categories after comparison of English and Chinese proverbs: Overlapping, Parallelism, Exclusion and Conflict. Overlapping means Chinese proverbs and English proverbs express the same or similar connotative meanings with the same terms by coincidence;Parallelism means Chinese proverbs and English proverbs express the same or similar connotative meanings with different terms;Exclusion means Chinese proverbs and English proverbs express different connotative meaningswith different terms;Conflict means Chinese proverbs and English proverbs express different connotative meanings with the linguistically same terms.Different Translation Approaches are suggested according to different types of proverbs. For proverbs of Overlapping meanings, the applications of Domestication Approach or Foreignization Approach would generate the same translation. For proverbs of Parallelism, two situations are suggested. If expressions of English proverbs don't represent special Western culture, or Foreignization may lead to misunderstanding, Domestication Approach should be applied. If expressions represent special Western culture, or expressions can be understood by TL readers without difficulty, Neutralization Approach should be applied. For proverbs of Exclusion, Neutralization Approach should be applied, with annotations sometimes. For proverbs of Conflict meanings, Domestication Approach should be applied.In sum, the choice of Translation Approaches is made according to certain conditions. Discussing Domestication and Foreignization without relating to specific texts is meaningless. The choice of Translation Approaches should be made according to specific situations considering all the factors influencing translator's choice of Translation Approaches.