On Translators’ Subiectivitv As Reflected In Methods Of Assimilation And Alienation

Enlightened by Deconstructionism, Lawrence Venuti proposed "foreignizing translation", which originated and developed from the respective theories of German scholar Friedrich Schleiermacher and French scholar Antoine Berman. Venuti’s "foreignization" aims to counter the ethnocentrism and culture hegemony of Britain and the US, whose dominating language has long determined the translation norms and aesthetic standards with the principles of "faithfulness" and "fluency". However, as for Venuti’s theory that was introduced into Chinese academic circles in the late1980’s, a number of issues have surfaced regarding foreignization/domestication in translation, especially the terms of foreignization/domestication and their long-standing counterparts in the Chinese context. The correspondence between the English terms and the Chinese equivalents has never been formally established. Worse, even Venuti’s original intension has been misunderstood in some cases.In this thesis I have tried to see Venuti’s "foreignization" theory in the context of the traditional Chinese discussion of domestication/foreignization (�'化/异化). I attempt to find out their relationships and differences. I have analyzed the inadequacy of the Chinese terms of literal translation/free translation (直译/意译), and would propose that Venuti’s system and that of Chinese translation study should be usefully differentiated in light of the cultural consideration in translation. To achieve a degree of integration both on the linguistic level and on the cultural level, I tentatively suggest the terms of "assimilation" and "alienation"亲化法/疏化法). The idea is to modify the terms of literal translation/free translation (直译/意译), and to better coordinate the Chinese terms with the English originals.My view is derived from my earlier translation experience in general and the translation practice of The Plague of Doves and Disaster Stamps of Pluto in particular. These two novelettes are the works of Louise Erdrich, a female American Indian writer, whose stories feature profound historical, cultural, and racial conflicts. Thirty-three typical examples from the translation practice have been examined in terms assimilation/alienation (亲化法/疏化法).