关键词: 《二十年目睹之怪现状》; 归化; 异化; 文化自觉; 文化自信; 文化自省

Abstract:

In Shih Shun Liu’s English translation of Erh-shih Nien Mu-tu Chih Kuai Hsien-chuang（Bizarre Happenings Eyewitnessed Over Two Decades）, published in 1977, the translator has tactfully employed domestication and foreignization strategies while remaining faithful to the spirit of the original book. On the one hand, he has omitted unnecessary details, repetition and doggerel couplets that add nothing to the story but a great deal to the cost of publication, which helps to highlight the storyline and reinforce the theme. By reconstructing the plots and adapting the chapter titles, he has changed the typical narrative mode in Chinese writing to meet the intended readers’ expectation. He has also chosen to simplify some culturally-embedded expressions that contain dross of feudalism and may thus cause great difficulty for the intended readers. On the other hand, the translator has turned to transliteration with interpretation when encountering expressions that embody the essence of Chinese traditional culture to avoid cultural default for the intended readers. In addition, he has dug into the original work and managed to convey the implied meaning in the translation. Word-for-word translation has also been adopted when it is necessary to effectively introduce the Chinese culture into the English world. From the viewpoint of the paper, the combined application of domestication and foreignization strategies contributes to both a successful construction of China’s image with true characters and maximization of the efficiency and value of the translation. The domestication strategy reflects the translator’s cultural awareness whereas the foreignization strategy highlights his cultural confidence. Such cultural awareness and confidence result from the translator’s profound cultural self reflection.

Keywords: Bizarre Happenings Eyewitnessed Over Two Decades; domestication; foreignization; cultural awareness; cultural confidence; cultural self-reflection