Foreignization and Domestication： the Translation of Idioms in the English Version of The Water Margin

【Abstract】 In recent years， foreignization and domestication have always been the focus of translation. In this paper， I will use there versions of The Water Margin as an example， through the analysis of translation strategies that choosen by there translator， it is concluded that the translator should be flexible in accordance with the specific circumstances of the translation. It can be used either foreignization or domestication， or the combination of the two， to translate the best works.

【Key Words】 Foreignization；Domestication；The Water Margin

【作者簡介】趙紅（1993.4.15- ），女，漢族，西安外國語大學英文學院，現就讀于西安外國語大學英文學院2016級翻譯學專業，主要研究方向：翻譯理論與實踐。

1.Introduction

Sapir， a famous American linguist， once said， “Here is something behind the language， and the language can not exist without culture.” As a tool of human communication， language is the carrier of culture. As a translator， how to be faithful and to maintain the characteristics of the foreign culture？

2.Foreignization and Domestication

The so-called foreignization is the use of the original text in the translation process， so that the translation is full of exotic. Foreignization not only enriches and improves the expressive power of the target text， but also enables the reader to understand the culture of other countries by reading the translated text. Venuti has made the following description of domestication： to comply with the current mainstream values of the target language culture， and to adopt a conservative means of assimilation to the original text， so as to make the translation conform to the laws of the local customs， publishing trends and political needs.

3.The Practical Application of Foreignization and Domestication in the English Version of The Water Margin

In the three English versions of The Water Margin ， it is Pearl Bucks translation that mostly consistent， it is inseparable from her goals that she wants readers to understand the foreign culture， promote the cultural exchange. While Jackson and Shapiros translation hold information receiver as the core， by using fluent idiomatic target language.

Look at the following cases：

（1）有毫厘昧心，天誅地滅。（施耐庵 羅貫中， 1992：410）

If there has been the least dishonesty may Heaven strike me and Earth destroy me.（ Buck， 1933：816）

Should there be some slight mistake in the accounts then may Heaven punish me for it. （ Jackson， 1963：637）

The foreignization used by Buck can be seened from the “least dishonesty” and “Heaven strike me and Earth destroy me”. Translation is not only faithful to the original but also retains the cultural elements of foreign countries. Jacksons “slight mistake” apparently failed to convey the original intention of the author.

（2）正是叫俺望梅止渴，畫餅充饑。（施耐庵 羅貫中，1992： 456）

It is as though you gave me the picture of a loaf and bade me be fed. （ Buck， 1933：912）

It seems as though you were showing me a plum to quench my thirst and a painted cake to satisfy my hunger. （ Jackson， 1963：687）

Slake my thirst looking at a sour plum or assuage my hunger with a drawing of a muffin. （ Shapiro， 1980：1545）

Thus it can be seen that in the introduction of the real Chinese culture to the western readers， foreignization is more effective. While， Jackson and Shapiros domestication embodied in their choose of words. Its purpose is to make the target language readers easier to understand and accept. In the translation practice， the two methods should be synthetically considered， using the best match of both.

4.Conclusion

We can not separate foreignization from domestication. They are two kind of translation strategies that are indispensable in literary translation， both complement each other. Foreignization or domestication or their combination， as long as it can achieve the purpose and intention of translation， it should be considered as a suitable technique. Therefore， the choice of foreignization or domestication in literary translation must be not specific. The translator should applied the dialectical point of view to choose between foreignization and domestication.

References：

[1]Nida，Eugene A.[M].Language，Culture and Translating.Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press，1993：121.