On Foreignization and Domestication in Idiom Translation From a Cultural Perspective

Abstract As the essence of language, idioms reflect people’s life styles and thinking patterns, so it is of great significance to analyze foreigniztion and domestication from a cultural perspective。 Due to the importance of culture, it is necessary to study the relationship among culture, language, idiom and translation。 73020

As more attention has been paid to the cultural influence in translation, the debate between foreignization and domestication, two cultural translation strategies, has become one of the focuses in current translation studies。 These two translation strategies have long been practiced by translators both at home and abroad。 Some hold that every target text should be domesticated to be more readable and intelligible; while some believe that it should be foreignized to retain its foreignness; others take their stance in between the two extremes and regard both as necessary。 Since idioms are linguistic symbols loaded with cultural connotations, translators should bear in mind taking cultural elements into account during the process of translation。

This paper focuses on how to make a choice between domestication and foreignization in translating process。 It starts with the relationship among culture, language, idiom and translation。 Then it moves to the analysis of the two translation strategies。 This paper holds that domestication and foreignization are not contradictive but mutually complementary。 Under the circumstance of globalization and ever-increasing exchanges among different cultures, foreignization should be the general trend, but when foreignization is not feasible, translators are advised to resort to domestication as a supplementary method。 

Keywords: foreigniztion; domestication; idiom; translation; cultural strategy 

从文化视角探讨异化与归化在习语翻译中的应用

摘要习语是语言的精华，它反映了人们的生活和思维方式，所以从文化角度分析习语翻译中归化和异化两种翻译策略有着重大意义。由于文化的重要性，研究文化、语言、习语和翻译四者的关系就非常有必要。文化对翻译的影响如今备受关注，对归化和异化两种翻译策略的争论也成为目前翻译研究的焦点。这两种翻译策略在国内外已经被大量译者应用。部分译者主张运用归化使译文更易懂更有可读性，也有部分译者主张运用异化保持异域风味以促进文化交流，还有部分译者认为两种翻译策略都有必要，应该结合使用两种翻译策略。习语是语言符号，又有着文化蕴含，译者要谨记在翻译的过程中，应当把文化元素考虑在内。

本文着重探讨了再翻译过程中怎样选择归化和异化两种策略。本文阐述了文化、语言、习语和翻译的关系并分析了两种策略的定义及其应用。在全球化的背景下，各国文化不断交融发展，应当采用异化为主，归化为辅的翻译策略。

毕业论文关键词：异化；归化；习语；翻译；文化策略

Contents

1 Introduction 3

1。1 Research background of the paper 3

1。2 Significance and purpose of the paper 3

2 Literature review 3

2。1 Culture, language, idiom and translation 3

2。1。1 The relationship between culture and language 3

2。1。2 The relationship between culture and idioms 3

2。1。3 The relationship between culture and translation 3

2。2 Foreignization and domestication