A Comparative Study Of Four Chinese Translations Of Nineteen Eighty-four

Foreignization and domestication have always been a pair of contradicting translation strategies in translation study. Should the translators try to maintain the"foreign flavor"of the original, or should they bring the translated text closer to their native culture and ways of expression? This question has been much discussed among researchers of translation theories and is always confusing to translators, whose choice of translation strategy may have direct influences on the popularity of their translated works. However, it should be pointed out that translation is not simply transference from one language to another; it is essentially a cross-cultural activity that serves as a bridge between different cultures.The author of this thesis chooses four Chinese versions of the political novel Nineteen Eighty-four by British writer George Orwell as the material for a comparative study, which focuses on the choice of syntax and words as well as style. It is discovered through the study that despite translators'inclination toward certain translation strategies, domestication and foreignization can be found in each translated versions. Furthermore, the versions by Liu Shaoming and Dong Leshan have both gained popularity and therefore are successful, though Liu has a preference over domestication while Liu appeals to foreignization more often.It is concluded through analysis that the two strategies have their distinctive features and applications; therefore, overemphasis on either of them from an absolute and inflexible point of view is unscientific. The quality of translation should be judged according to its effect, i.e. whether it has fulfilled the task of culture communication or brought about the same reader response among TL readers as among SL readers etc. It is hoped that these judging criteria can be instructive to translation practice, especially that of political novels.