But sometimes translation may be constrained by the barrier between two languages。 Though constrained by cultural factors on one hand, translation is the best way to convey distinctive cultural information on the other。 A proper translation helps promote mutual understanding between peoples of different cultural, whereas a misconception or failure in explanation of cultural elements may lead to confusion to receptors。 Now that cultural background knowledge is essential to our reproduction of source language, besides knowing the two languages well, being up on what the two cultures involved is also essential to a qualified translator。来*自-优=尔,论:文+网www.youerw.com
2。2 Foreignization and domestication
2。2。1 Definition of foreignization and domestication
Domestication and foreignization are two basic translation strategies which provide both linguistic and cultural guidance。 In 1813, he pointed out in his speech, "there are two translation methods: the translator doesn't bother the reader as much as possible and allow the readers to get closer to the author or do not bother the reader as much as possible and let the authors get closer to the reader。” Lawrence Venuti, in his book The Translator’s Invisibility, named the former foreignization and the latter domestication。 He defines domestication as “an ethnocentric reduction of the foreign text to target-language cultural values, bringing the author back home”, and defines foreignization as “an ethnodeviant pressure on those values to register the linguistic and cultural difference of the foreign text, sending the reader abroad”(Venuti, 1995:20)。 In China, Lu Xun(鲁迅) put forward his own opinion about the definition of domestication as “rewriting, changing the foreign story in Chinese story and changing the foreigners into Chinese”, and foreignization as “going abroad traveling, it must reflect the scene and flavor of the foreign country concerned ”(罗新璋, 1984:301)。
To be specific, domestication refers to the target-language-culture-oriented translation strategy by which unusual expressions to the target language are abandoned and turned into some familiar ones so as to make the translated text intelligible and easy for the target readers。 Foreignization refers to the source-language-culture-oriented translation strategy which strives to preserve the foreign flavor as much as possible in order to retain the foreignness of the source-language culture。