A Study On The Poetry Translation In The Two English Versions Of Hong Lou Meng From The Perspectives Of Foreignization And Domestication

Hong Lou Meng, completed during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty, is one of the "Four Great Classical Chinese Novels". It is also one of the most outstanding representations of Chinese classical culture; therefore, the translation of Hong Lou Meng benefits the spread of Chinese traditional culture. There are over200verses including shi (poems), ci (slant rhyme pomes), qu (poems with melody), fu (sentimental composition), ballads, couplets, lantern riddles, and drinker’s wager games and so on so forth in Hong Lou Meng, which are the epitomization of Chinese traditional culture. These poems are closely intertwined with the development of the theme, and they also indicate the destinies of the characters. Therefore, it is concluded that the translation of verses in Hong Lou Meng is very important for the full English versions.The two full English versions of Hong Lou Meng were completed by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang and David Hawkes and John Minford in1974and1986respectively, which provide two good reference texts for the research of poetry translation in Hong Lou Meng. Based on the two full English versions, the author of this thesis carries on the research of translated poems in Hong Lou Meng from perspectives of foreignization and domestication. Firstly, the author will explain the definition of foreignization and domestication. Foreignization aims at reappearing the source culture and exotic feelings by adopting the expressions of source culture. It is a translation strategy inclining to source language. Domestication focuses on a more fluent translation for target language readers by adopting the expressions of target culture. This translation strategy inclines to target language. More important, the author should fully understand the advantages and disadvantages of foreignization and domestication to make a good research on these two translation strategies.By comparing their different translations of poetry in Hong Lou Meng, the author concludes that the Yangs mainly adopt the translation strategy of foreignization, while David Hawkes and John Minford primarily employ domesticating strategy. In fact, foreignization and domestication are dynamically united; neither of them is exclusively adopted in the two full versions. The dynamic unity of the two translating strategies in the two full versions is demonstrated in the following aspects:the lexical level, the syntactic level, the stylistic level and the cultural level. On the lexical and cultural levels, Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang adopt more foreignization in translating poetry in Hong Lou Meng, while domestication serves as a supplementary method. On the syntactic and stylistic levels, David Hawkes and John Minford apply more domestication and less foreignization. Whether foreignization is much adopted or domestication is much applied in translating HLM, both of them are adopted by the translators of the two full English versions. They are dynamically united in poetry translation of Hong Lou Meng.There are many factors that influence the choice of different translation strategies. One of them is that the manipulation of ideology, which is the translator’s stand. The Yangs’translation is dominated by the state, which was completed in1974(just two years before the Cultural Revolution). That means this version must be loaded with the mission of spreading Chinese culture. In order to fully transmit Chinese traditional culture, Chinese translators have to keep the original characteristics of Hong Lou Meng in the translated texts. Such a condition determines the couple’s translating principle—spreading Chinese culture. However, David Hawkes and John Minford’s version is supported by the most authoritative press of England, the Penguin Press, which confines that their version must gratify the target language readers’needs. Therefore, the translation principle of The Story of the Stone is the readers’reception.This thesis is an exploration of poetry translation in the two English versions of Hong Lou Meng by the Yangs and David Hawkes and John Minford from the two perspectives of foreignization and domestication. The author elaborates different translation strategies and principles of poetry translation in the two full versions of HLM. Besides, the author proves that that there isn’t absolute foreignization or domestication in poetry translation of Hong Lou Meng. These two translation strategies are dynamically united in the two full versions.