Reflection On Assimilation And Alienation In Translating The First Chapter Of Firebird From The Reader’s Vantage Point

Translation is a cross-cultural communication event. The reader has come to aprominent position in the translation activity, in the context of globalization and marketeconomy, and especially when English learning has obtained more and more attention inChina. As more and more people have learned English, or at least had some knowledge ofEnglish, the readership of the translated novels has undergone great changes in terms of thereaders’ English proficiency，and along come the changes in their expectations of thenovels translated from English. Readers of different levels of English proficiency may havedifferent degrees of “tolerance” to the foreignness and readability of the translated version.This thesis reflects, from the reader’s vantage point, on the strategies employed during thetranslation of the first chapter of the English novel Firebird, by discussing the problemsencountered during the translation process and possible solutions to them.The research carried out by this thesis falls into the category of the micro-leveltranslation studies, with different translation versions of the first chapter of Firebird as itsresearch target. Such methods as analysis and induction are employed during the research.Translation problems encountered during the translation process are classified intodifferent groups and different possible solutions to the same problem are analyzed andcompared so as to finalize the proper techniques and strategies.The results of the research suggest that: assimilation is the major translation strategytaken to guarantee fidelity and readability, while alienation is considered as a vital andnecessary complement, which helps to preserve the foreignness of the original text.Different versions of translation may be provided for readers of different levels of Englishproficiency and having different expectations of the translated novels.