The Application Of Domestication In Historical Texts

The texts translated are chosen from the first and second chapters of Viking,a historical work by John Haywood who is an English expert of European early history.In order to be free from the language form of English,the author adjusts the translation with Chinese features as benchmark.Based on this,this paper is written to explore this phenomenon,hoping to find out the translation strategies followed in the translation.After analysis from aspects of type of texts,translation purposes and target language readers,as well as the differences between the two languages and cultures,the author takes mainly domestication strategy as guidance for this translation practice.In the thesis,the author has given a sketchy account of the definition and development of domestication and foreignization,then explained their respective merits and demerits and analyzed examples to draw conclusions from this practice.In this translation,the author has taken examples from such aspects as vocabularies,sentences and cultural images.In terms of vocabularies,common nouns,proper nouns,verbs,adjectives and adverbs are considered.When translating,the author has also considered the style of the original texts and tried to use the four-character structures to showcase Chinese features.Techniques of cutting of sentences,adjusting of voice and word order,and concretizing of pronouns have been applied to translate sentences.With regard to cultural images,methods of substitution and reservation have been used since there are overlapping or independent cultural images between two different languages and cultures.The author hopes that this domesticated translation caters to the psychological expectation of Chinese readers and can assist them in exploring the early history of Europe.