cultural awareness in translation —domestication and foreignization 翻译理论与实践 教学课件

Cultural Awareness in TranslationDomestication and Foreignization,I. General introduction to the lecture1.1 In the development of human civilization, translation plays an active role in enhancing mutual understanding and promoting cultural exchanges among people and nations of different languages. 1.2. The present trend of translation studies regards culture as an indispensable element. 1.3. Culture translation, or cultranslation as it is called, has become a sub-branch of translation studies.,1.4. As what has been mentioned just now, culture is regarded as one of the crucial factors in translation practice, thus our lecture today is mainly devoted to the relationship between culture and translation. 1.5. We also plan to give a detailed examination of two translation strategies of domestication(归化) and foreignization（异化）, which are supposed to bear great significance in translating cultural elements.,II. Translation and culture,2.1. Culture turn(文化转向) in translation Translation has traditionally been described as a comparative linguistic understanding, whereby translation has been approached primarily from the perspective of difference in language structures. Translation research became culturally oriented and led to a cultural turn in the late eighties.,It is cultural difference that hinders the translators from accurately making transfers between two languages; it is also cultural difference that makes it difficult for the readers of target text to obtain the real intention of the original author. Culture similarities are relative, while the difference is absolute. So it is of necessity for translators to be provided with cultural knowledge and awareness.,2.2. Two different strategies in translating cultural elements,As for how to deal with cultural elements in translation, two translation strategies are commonly suggested: one is domestication, the other is foreignization.,Domestication: according to Schuttleworth, is a term used by Venuti to describe the translating strategy in which a transparent, fluent style is adapted in order to minimize the strangeness of the foreign text for target readers.,Domesticating translation should observe main values of the TL and openly assimilate the source text conservatively in order to cater to the TL canon, publication trend and political factors.However, to Venuti, domestication conceals the translators hard efforts in translation and cultural differences, hence imposing current values of the main culture on the source text,Foreignization: is a term used by Venuti to designate the type of translation in which a target text is produced which deliberately breaks target conventions by retaining something of the foreignness of the original.,The two strategies are adopted by the translator according to the differences between the target and source cultures, the translating objects, genres, the authors intention and the target language readers.,Domestication is target language culture oriented. Those who are in support of domestication advocate that translating should adapt to the target language culture and eliminate the cultural barrier between these two languages.,While foreignization is source language culture oriented. It aims at enriching the target language culture and satisfies the curiosity of the readers in need of a sense of foreignness.,III. Domesticating translation,One of the tasks for translators is to avoid cultural conflicts, which should be predicted by the translators. Consequently, the translator needs to take sufficient time and energy to settle the potential culture conflicts. In this way, the target reader can understand what the source text means.,（1）你不要班门弄斧了。 Dont teach your grandmother to suck eggs. Dont display your axe at Lu Bans door,“班门弄斧” is a cultural-specific expressions in Chinese. If directly translated into English as “Dont display your axe at Lu Bans door”, this expression will not make any sense to the western readers, because they neither know who Lu Ban was nor understand what is meant by “displaying ones axe at a persons door.” Thus the translator renders it by domestication and replaces the typical Chinese image with an English idiom, therefore achieving the intended interpretation.,(2) Every dog has his day.人人都有得意的日子。,In the translation of example (2), the translator adopts domestication by replacing the image of “dog” with that of “human being”. We know that in western society, people raise dogs as their pets; however, in China, we sometimes eat the meat of dogs. Thus if we translate the above sentence directly, Chinese may find such rendering illogical and strange.,Example（3）打起黄莺儿，莫叫枝上啼。啼时惊妾梦，不得到辽西。（金昌绪,春怨）,English version 1: A Spring Sigh Drive the orioles away, All their music from the trees When she dreamed that she went to Liao-hsi To join him there, they wakened her. (by Witter Bynner),English version 2:Drive orioles off the tree, awake me. From dreaming of For their songs my dearFar off on the frontier. (许渊冲 译),Analysis:The two translation versions are both done by famous scholars, yet they deal differently with the same poem, especially with the name of a Chinese historical place “辽西”, which, as frontier, is of historical significance in China. In the first version “辽西”is translated directly, showing nothing of its historical association. Thus, the implicit meaning of that place, though clear to Chinese readers, may get lost to a western reader without much knowledge on Chinese history. In the second version the implicit information of “辽西” has been made explicit, therefore the success of communication is ensured by domestication.,Example (4),(他认为离开了办公大楼，离开了政工部门，就是离开了政治，就听不到那些闲言碎语了。) 谁知是离开了咸菜缸又跳进了萝卜窖。 （蒋子龙 ，赤橙黄绿青蓝紫） English version: However later he found that he was just jumping out of the frying pan into fire.,Analysis:The expression “out of frying pan into fire” means, “experiencing increasingly worse circumstances.” It has the same implicit meaning as the phrase “离开了咸菜缸又跳进了萝卜窖”. Here, “咸菜缸” and “萝卜窖” are cultural-specific expressions in Chinese, which, if directly translated into English, will not make any sense to the western readers. In different cognitive environment, the whole sentence by direct translation will fail to achieve the intended relevance, thus resulting in the total breakdown of the communication. So the translator renders it by replacing the typical Chinese image with an English idiom, therefore achieving the intended interpretation.,Conclusion:,From the above two examples, we can conclude that cultural difference is a great obstacle of translation, and domestication can bring the foreign culture closer to the reader in the target culture and make the target text recognizable and familiar.,IV. Foreignizing translation and cultural other （文化他者） 4.1. Foreignizing translation,It is well acknowledged that the ultimate purpose of translation is to promote the mutual cultural exchanges among different nations and races so it is really necessary for target readers to feel the foreign cultures when reading translated texts and the transplant of some source cultural elements into target language will bring some new and fresh ways of idea-expressing so that the target culture could be enriched.,Example(5):,Joe, a clumsy and timid horseman, did not look to the advantage in the saddle, “Look at him, Amelia dear, driving into the parlor window. Such a bull in a china shop I never saw.” (William Thackery, Vanity Fair) Chinese version: 乔胆子小, 骑术又拙, 骑在鞍子上老不像样。“爱米丽亚, 亲爱的, 快看他骑到人家客厅的窗子里去了。我一辈子没见过这样儿, 真是大公牛闯到瓷器店了。” （杨必 译）,Analysis,Foreignization always provides the target readers with the beauty of foreignness and the enjoyment of vivid expressions. This remains true with the above example. Though it may require more processing effort, the contextual effect is, at the mean time, increased.,(6) Shall I compare thee to a summers day?,Version one: 我能否将你比作明媚的春天？Version two: 我能否将你比作夏日璀璨？,This is taken from Shakespeares sonnet and it has always been mentioned in the literature of translation. Version one is by domestication, for some people believe that “this sentence cannot be directly translated into a language where summers are unpleasant, just as the concept of God the farther cannot be translated into a language where the deity is female.” However, others disagreed to such claim by translating it into version two. they think that “by foreignization, the readers should get a vivid impression from the content of the sonnet the beauty of summer in England, and reading the poem should exercise his imagination as well as introduce him to England culture.”,Example (7),“I bet you cant spell my name,” say I.“I bet you, what you dare I can,” says he.“All right,” say I “go ahead.”“George Jaxon then now,” says he. (Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ),Chinese version 1:,“我敢说你准不知道我的名字是哪几个字，”我说。“我敢说你这可难不住我，我知道，”他说。“好吧，”我说，“你说说看”。“荞麦的荞，自治的治，清洁的洁， 克服的克，孙子的孙怎么样，”他说。(张友松、张振先 译),Analysis:,The two translators take great trouble to substitute those English letters with Chinese characters. However their rendering nowadays is often blamed for misleading the target readers: Chinese people may find it ridiculous to see English names are spelled not by letters, but by Chinese characters. Compared with this one, another version by foreignization appears more natural.,Chinese version 2:,“我敢说你不会拼我的名字，”我说。“我敢说，你能行的事我也能行，”他说。“那好，”我说，“就拼拼看。”“G-e-o-r-g-e J-a-x-o-n怎么样，”他说。（张万里 译）,Conclusion:,From the above discussion we can see the difference between domestication and foreignization, and it is clear that the latter can provide the target readers with the beauty of foreignness and the enjoyment of novel expressions.,4.2. Cultural other,The above debate reflects different attitudes not only toward the choice of translation strategies, but, more importantly, toward the cultural other. Lawrence Venuti holds that “A translation text should be the site where a different culture emerges, where a reader gets a glimpse of a cultural other.”,One of the essential tasks of translation is to introduce foreignness, and during the process of reading, readers automatically expect to see different sceneries and different conditions of existence. Apart from its inner desire to be more adaptable, language wants translation to speed up its development. The enormous impact of translation upon the target culture is that it brings about richer language.,Chinese in its development has constantly absorbed from foreign cultures new words and expressions. Many words of this kind are now part of our daily life. Example(8):,An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.以眼还眼, 以牙还牙。,This expression is nowadays often used to refer to an act which will be met with retaliation(报复) of the same kind. However, though widely accepted in China, it is rooted from an English idiom in the Bible:,If men hurt a woman with childand if any mischief follows, then thou shalt give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.(Exodus圣经旧约出埃及记),V. The Unification of Domestication and ForeignizationA Case Study of Lin Yutangs Six Chapters of a Floating Life,This part analyzes the translation strategies used by Lin Yutang (林语堂) in his Six Chapters of a Floating Life. It can be proved that the coexistence of domestication and foreignizationis possible in translation practice.,5.1. Application of domestication,The original: 鸿案相庄廿有三年，年愈久而情愈深。Translated version: We remained courteous to each other for twenty-three years of our married life like Liang Hong and Meng Kuang of the east Han Dynasty, and the longer we stayed together, the more passionately attached we become to each other,Analysis,“鸿案相庄”, the cultural-specific expression, comes from the Chinese allusion“举案齐眉,” which is recorded in后汉书: “梁鸿为人凭舂，每归，妻为具食,不敢于鸿前仰视，举案齐眉。”The allusion later refers to the husband and wife respecting each other. From the context, Chinese readers can easily conclude that “I and “Yun” are deeply in love and respect each other, while it is of little possibility for the English readers to understand such implicit cultural information. Therefore, Lin Yutang adopted domestication to offer more background information of Liang Huang and Meng Kuang, which may guide the target readers to the originally intended interpretation.,5.2. Application of foreignization,The original: 余曰：“卿果中道相舍，断无再续之理。况曾经沧海难为水，除却巫山不是云耳！The translated version: “Even if you should leave me half-way like this,” I said, “ I shall never marry again. Besides, it is difficult to be water for one who has seen the great seas, and difficult to be clouds for one who has seen the Yangtze Gorges!”,Analysis,“曾经沧海难为水，除却巫山不是云”is from the poem 离思by Yuan Zhen (元缜)，a poet in Tang Dynasty. In this poem, the poet compared his deceased(dead) wife to the clouds that were transformed by the goddess, and his deep sorrow as well as his nostalgia to the vast seas, which surpassed any waters or clouds in the world. In Lin Yutangs translation, those images are well maintained and by foreignization the target readers may be deeply impressed by such vividness and the novel oriental expressions.,More examples:,He made you for a high way to my bed; but I, a maid, die maiden-widowed. (W. Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet)译文1： 他要借着你做牵引相思的桥梁，可是我却要做一个独守空阁的怨女而死去。（朱生豪译）译文2： 他要借你作捷径，登上我的床；可怜我这处女，守活寡，到死是处女。（方平译）,The first translations of the example is domestication while the second is foreignization. To eulogize(颂扬) sex as the Chinese culture requires, Zhu Shenghao just translated maiden-widowed in a moderate way.,情人眼里出西施（曹：145）Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. (Yang: 681)Xishi lies in the lovers eyes.,Xishi is a famous beauty of the Spring and Autumn Period. The second translation will bewilder those who do not know this allusion, failing to convey the original meaning. However, the domesticating translation by Yang will help the TL readers understand the implications without difficulty. There happen to be a proverb in English compatible with the Chinese idiom, hence the rescue on the translator from the suspicious foreignization.,天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福。（曹：156）Storms gather without warning in nature, and bad luck befalls men overnight. (Yang: 155)The weather and human life are both unpredictable. (Hawkes: 231),Yang Xianyi rendered the Chinese antithesis对偶into two English parallels while Hawkes into a simple sentence. To Chinese readers and those who know Chinese, Yangs translation is more appreciable, for it has preserved the Chinese languages force, metric and musical effects. In addition, Yangs translation has provided a chance for the TL readers to know the Chinese language, thus the Chinese culture been transmitted. Hawkess translation is more in accordance with the English culture and more informal. Nevertheless, his translation has deprived the TL readers of the rights to get acquainted with the Chinese culture.,癞蛤蟆想天鹅吃。（曹：165）A toad hankering for a taste of swan (Yang: 164)A case of “the toad on the ground wanting to eat the goose in the sky” (Hawkes: 242),Yang tries to pass the exotic taste onto the TL readers. However, the metaphor, vivid to the SL readers, may not have the same effect on the TL readers. Hawkes has retained the original image by replacing the word “swan” with “goose” because on seeing goose, th