The Study of Foreignization and Domestication

王健

【Abstract】The historical and cultural obstacles rising during translation bring about different versions of the same original work，thus probably preventing the translator from fully conveying the original meaning.Generally speaking，different versions will be complementary to each other，showing the diversity of translation criteria which has a strategically significant to international cultural exchange.Meanwhile，the diversity of translation criterion will have a strategic significance in diversified culture of our modern society.Foreignization and domestication are two different strategies often used in the translation of language form and culture parts，and regarded as the extension of free translation and literal translation.This research will begin with the definition of foreignization and domestication，and then explain the complementary relations of the two versions of The Great Gatsby with examples.

【Key words】Translation； Foreignization； Domestication； The Great Gatsby

【摘要】翻譯中的歷史文化阻隔，對同一原著產生了多種譯本，使得譯者對原文的意義傳輸變得困難重重。從某種意義上講，同一原著多譯本形成互補性關系，這體現了翻譯標準的多元化。與此同時，在現代的多元文化社會中，實行文學翻譯標準的多元化，具有重要的戰略意義（遲慶立，2007）。[1]異化和歸化是處理語言形式與文化因素的兩種不同的翻譯策略，可以說它們是直譯和意譯在某種程度上的進一步延伸。本文首先介紹了異化和歸化的定義，然后通過小說《了不起的蓋茨比》兩個不同譯本中異化和歸化的實例，闡述二者在翻譯過程中相輔相成的關系。

【關鍵詞】翻譯 異化 歸化 《了不起的蓋茨比》

1.Overview

Translation theorists from different countries had in-depth researches of foreignization and domestication.In the early nineteenth Century，a German scholar Schleiermacher pointed out that the translation works should be different from the source text when it was translated into German； if the original texts are from Spanish，the readers should not be able to guess the translation versions are from Spanish.If all the translations read and sound the same，the features of source text will disappear，and so will the difference between target languages（Shuttleworth，M.& Cowie，1997）.[2]In twentieth Century，the Italian American translation scholar Venuti proposed the concept of foreignization and domestication firstly in his book The Translator Invisibility：A History.

Generally speaking，foreignization gives the translator an expressing method adapt to the original text and will lead readers close to the author； while domestication allows the translator to take more care of readers by resorting more structures familiar to readers.Foreignization is similar to literal translation to some extent，for it tries to follow the original language and present the exotic culture to readers.It is beneficial to cultural dissemination but may add difficulty to the readability of the work.Domestication，or free translation sometimes，allows readers to understand the work easily but may lose its language characteristics and cultural connotation （Venuti，2001）.[3]

2.Application of Foreignizationand Domestication in Translation—— Taking The Great Gatsby as an example

2.1 About the author Fitzgerald

As a famous American novelist and a symbol of the critical period in American history，Fitzgerald described the United States as a“Jazz”and“Money”society.His life，works and experience in the World War I made him the symbol of“Jazz Age”of the United States.He instinctively equated his own experiences to the United States.His genius can be found in his writings which reflect inadvertently the pulse and appearance of that time.His masterpiece The Great Gatsby was completed in 1925，depicting the cruelness，coldness and selfishness of the “Jazz Age” and revealing the inevitable death of the American Dream.

2.2 Applications of Foreignization and Domestication in two translated versions of The Great Gatsby

The difference begin with the title ——The Great Gatsby，《了不起的蓋茨比》by Wu Ningkun and 《大亨小傳》by Qiao Zhigao.The former，apt to foreignization，is widely accepted in the mainland of China which is often regarded as the biography of Gatsby，a great man，while the latter may bring to readers the doubts that who is the tycoon and whether he is great or not.

The following are some other examples of foreignization and domestication from the two versions：

（1）“Just remember that all the people in this world havent had the advantages that youve had.”

喬：“只要記住，世界上所有的人不是個個都像你這樣，從小就占了那么多便宜。”（Qiao Zhigao，2013，P1）

巫：“你就記住，這個世界上所有的人，并不是個個都有過你那些優越條件。”（Wu Ningkun，2010，P3）

This refers to Nicks memories about what his father told him when he was young.Qiaos domestication translation“從小就占了那么多便宜” following the target language and conveying the original meaning clearly and accurately，sounds natural to readers，while Wus foreignized version “并不是個個都有過你那些優越條件”，though correct，but does not seem idiomatic to Chinese readers.

（2）Occasionally a line of gray cars crawls along an invisible track，gives out a ghastly creak，and comes to rest，and immediately the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud，which screens their obscure operations from your sight.

喬：有時看見一隊垃圾車，慢慢沿著不清不楚的路線爬行過來，車子一聲鬼嘯，咯吱停住，馬上一群灰撲撲的漢子拖著鐵鏟一窩蜂的包圍上來，搞得灰塵滿天，叫你看不清他們干的是什么勾當。（Qiao Zhigao，2013，P29）

巫：有時一列灰色的貨車慢慢沿著一條看不見的軌道爬行，嘰嘎一聲鬼叫，停了下來，馬上那些灰蒙蒙的人就拖著鐵鍬一窩蜂擁上來，揚起一片塵土，讓你看不到他們隱秘的活動。（Wu Ningkun，2010，P25）

Compared with Wus translation of “which screens their obscure operations from your sight” into “讓你看不到他們隱秘的活動” which sounds stiff with unclear meaning and awkward readability，Qiaos domesticated translation into “叫你看不清他們干的是什么勾當” seems more appropriate.

（3）A momentary hush； the orchestra leader varies his rhythm obligingly for her.

喬：在這一剎那，大家肅靜，樂班指揮馬上很合作地改變了拍子來為她伴奏。（Qiao Zhigao，2013，P53）

巫：片刻寧靜，樂隊指揮殷勤地為她改變了拍子。（Wu Ningkun，2010，P43）

The word “obligingly” literally means “親切地”.Qiaos transfer of this word into “很合作地” is more in line with the present situation than Wus version “殷勤地” which may confuse readers why the band is so hospitable to an unknown dancer.

（4）I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that，as my father snobbishly suggested，and I snobbishly repeat，a sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth.

喬：我前面提到我父親的話，似乎我們父子都有點瞧不起人的樣子，但他的意思是說，待人寬厚雖是一種天賦，卻并不是人人生來相同的——我唯恐忘了這個教訓，責人過苛，而有所失。（Qiao Zhigao，2013，P2）

巫：我現在仍然不免擔心錯過什么東西，如果我忘記（如同父親帶著優越感所揭示過的，我現在又帶著優越感重復的）基本的道德觀念是在人出世的時候就分配不均的。（Wu Ningkun，2010，P4）

Here is a long complex sentence with a conditional adverbial clause，two parallel attributive clauses and one objective clause，introduced respectively by“if”，“as”and“that”.Here Wu reproduces the sentence with the adverbial clause still behind the main clause and without any change to the original structure which may sound somewhat obscure and puzzling.But Qiao，based on fully understanding of deep structure，does not follow the original sentence order by dividing it into three parallel sentences，and focuses on the meaning of the original sentence by adding“責人過苛，而有所失”and other words.Such change not only offers conciseness and readability to readers，but also reflects the translators understand of the characters in the novel and the authors original implication.Obviously，Qiao has exerted his subjectivity into the translation.

（5）Yet high over the city our line of yellow windows must have contributed their share of human secrecy to the casual watcher in the darkening streets，and I was him too，looking up and wondering.I was within and without，simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.

喬：可是我一面心里想，我們這排燈火輝煌的窗戶高高在這都市之上，從底下暮色蒼茫的街道望上來不知道蘊藏著何等的人生秘密，而我自己也就是這么一位過客，偶爾路過此地，抬頭望望，不知所以。我似乎又在這里邊又在外邊，對這幕人生悲喜劇無窮的演變，又是陶醉又是惡心。（Qiao Zhigao，2013，P45）

巫：然而我們這排黃澄澄的窗戶高踞在城市的上空，一定給暮色蒼茫的街道上一位觀望的過客增添了一點人生的秘密，同時我就是他，一面在仰望一面在尋思。我既身在其中又身在其外，對人生的千變萬化既感到陶醉，又感到厭惡。（Wu Ningkun，2010，P38）

Wu adopts foreignizaion during his translation，for his version is concise，simple and natural，reflecting the fresh and beautiful original style； While Qiao prefers domestication with his version eloquent，exquisite and decorated，On the whole，Wus version seems more concise and acceptable to Chinese readers in the mainland.

（6）It was lonely for a day or so until one morning some man，more recently arrived than I，stopped me on the road.

喬：頭一兩天我相當孤單，隨后一天早上在路上碰到一個比我還陌生的人，向我請教。（Qiao Zhigao，2013，P4）

巫：頭幾天我感到孤單，直到一天早上有個人，比我更是新來乍到的，在路上攔住了我。（Wu Ningkun，2010，P6）

Contrast to Qiao of translation of “more recently arrived than I” into “一個比我還陌生的人” which may confuse readers：who is he unfamiliar with，Wus version “比我更是新來乍到的” is more idiomatic，telling readers a man who recently moved here.

The above analysis shows that，Mr.Wu Ningkun and Mr.Qiao Zhigao have adopted different strategies to translate The Great Gatsby.With foreignization，Mr.Wu tries to retain the features of the original vocabulary，sentences and rhetorics，so that readers can feel the exotic culture present in the original work.But too much foreignization in his translation adds difficulties to readers.On the contrary，Mr.Qiao is more inclined to adopt domestication where he，based on his full understanding of the original text，combines the authors thought with the translators understanding without following the original structure.His version shows not only subjectivity and creativity from the translator but also acceptability and readability to target language readers.

3.Conclusion

During translation，domestication and foreignization are often hard to decide.In fact，proper adoption of either will offer a balanced point where the author and readers can have an efficient indirect communication.The point should not be too far from or close to either the author or readers，that is to say，foreignzation should not hinder reading and understanding fluency while domestication should allow readers to get to know exotic cultures.Only in this way can the translator take full advantage of these two strategies and produce excellent works.

References：

[1]Shuttleworth，M.& Cowie，M.Dictionary of Translation Studies[M].Manchester：St Jerome，1997.

[2]Venuti，L.Strategies of Translation[M].Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies.Baker，M.&.Mlmkjaer（eds.）.London and New York：Routledge，2001.

[3]遲慶立.文化翻譯策略的多樣性與多譯本互補研究.上海外回語大學，2007.

[4]《大亨小傳》弗·司各特·菲茨杰拉德 喬志高：上海三聯書店；第1版，2013.

[5]《了不起的蓋茨比》菲茨杰拉德（Francis Scott Fitzgerald）巫寧坤；上海譯文出版社；第1版，2010.