A Comparative Study Of Translation Strategies-Case Studies On Three Chinese Versions Of Emma

With the thriving of retranslation of classical novels since 1980s in China, it will be of vital importance to make comparison and analysis of different renderings of the original. Firstly, through comparative study, merits and defects of each version can be brought into prominence so that better versions can be selected and recommended to readers. Secondly, the quality and standard of literary translation can be improved as a result of the study on how different effects being achieved by adopting different translation strategies. Thirdly, translation criticism can be a good help for the improvement of the quality of the translated versions. This thesis aims at comparing and analyzing the three Chinese versions of Emma by Liu Zhongde, Zhang Jinhao and Sun Zhili. The author attempts to make a comparative study of translation strategies by analysis of these three Chinese versions of Jane Austin's.Foreignization and domestication are the two main translation strategies adopted in these three Chinese versions. Foreignization and domestication have given rise to much controversy in recent years. The paper aims to analyze the methods they choose, then points out the merits and demerits of the each version. The quality and standard of literary translations are further explored on how different effects being achieved by adopting different translating strategies in the three versions.The thesis first presents the author's understanding of foreignization and domestication after a historical review about dispute over foreignization and domestication at home and abroad on the basis of collected resources. Proper foreignization and domestication will be the decisive factors for a successful translation. The author explores domestication and foreignization as a descriptive approach. The descriptive theory insists that the study of a translation should be subject to a certain cultural environment.Next the thesis points out that there are some factors, which influence the choice of either foreignization or domestication such as author's subjectivity, objective socio-cultural factors and readers' reception. The thesis probes how theses factors influence the choice of approaches in detail in these three versions. To answer the question "how to decide when to use which approach", the author chooses these factors as the focus of analysis. Each factor is discussed in detail and the alteration of a factor results in variedpreference of the choice of either domestication or foreignization in culture branded language translation.Finally, the paper makes a comparison of the three Chinese versions in terms of reproduction results of the original style. The comparison is to be approached in the light of two translation theories: functional translation theory and reception aesthetics theory. The paper attempts to find the ways to make the translated version as acceptable as possible through the comparison study.Based on the above comparison and analysis of the three versions, the paper draws its conclusion that it is highly advisable to make a compromise between foreignization and domestication. The strategy of domestication may enhance readability while the strategy of foreignization may retain more foreign flavor of the original.