Domestication or foreignization: A message or THE message?

YI Yong Qufu Normal University, China yiyong01@gmail.com

Domestication & Foreignization (1)

Domesticationan ethnocentric reduction of
the foreign text to target-language cultural values, bring the author back home

Foreingization an ethnodeviant pressure on

those (cultural) values to register the linguistic and cultural difference of the foreign text, sending the reader abroad. (Venuti 1995: 20)

Domestication & Foreignization (2)

domestication designates the type of
translation in which a transparent, fluent style is adopted to minimize the strangeness of the foreign text for target language readers,

foreignization means a target text is

produced which deliberately breaks target conventions by retaining something of the foreignness of the original (Shuttleworth & Cowie 1997:59).

Domestication & Foreignization (3)

Domesticationstrategy to conform to the culture of the language being translated to, which may involve the loss of information from the source text.

Foreignisationstrategy to retain information from the source text, may break conventions of the target language to preserve meaning.

Research questions (?)

. how is Conucius/Confucianisam know to the outside world? what IS good translation? What is the purpose of translation? In what sense is domestication and foreignisation a relevant argument when cultural contexts seem to be constantly changing?

Piloting some ideas a questionnaire

I wanted to see what idea of Confucius really existed in
English speaking Western adults

SO - selection of analects related to Ren a particular

construct of Confucius writings which was translated into benevolent, the good, humane, real men, the man of real virtue etc.

Asked selection of people to respond Selection of the translators/English versions

Different decades Native or near native English speakers

Preliminary findings
Not much known of Confucius to wide public
Difficulty with the English language used by the
translators
Leading to lack of engagement with the message that
Confucius MAY have wanted to convey

and

Lack of engagement with the ideas of Confucianism as not

interesting/stimulating Not perceived as relevant to this modern culture

Issues that arose were

the questions of whether a writer/translator seeks to convey:
A message, or THE message A meaning, or

THE meaning?

Cans and cants

So we cannot legitimately ask anyone whether THE
meaning of the Analects is conveyed as no-one really knows definitively what THE meaning is

But we can ask if the reader comprehends the English

sentence structure and

we can ask if the words presents have any meaning to

the reader.

However, we cannot equate the two.

What next?
Extend the pilot study

Review the findings in details

Refine the questionnaire. Administer a larger scale study

Major references
Ames, R. T. & Rosemont, H. (2003) The analects Confucius & Pound, E. (1956) Confucian analects, London, Peter Owen Limited. Dawson, R. (1964) The legacy of china, Oxford, Clarendon Press. El-Dali, H. M. (2011) Towards an understanding of the distinctive nature of translation studies. Journal of King Saud University - Languages and Translation, 23, 29-45. Lau, D. C. (1983) Confucius: The analects, Hong Kong, The Chinese University Press. Legge, J., Confucius & Mencius (1966) The four books : Confucian analects, the great learning, the doctrine of the mean, and the works of mencius, New York, Paragon Book Reprint Corp. Olberding, A. (2012) Moral exemplars in the analects: The good person is that, Routledge. Yung, B. (2010) Can confucianism add value to democracy education? Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2, 1919-1926. (2008) . ( ) Journal of Chongqing Technology and Business University( Social Sciences Edition) 25, 134137. Confucian analects, The great learning, and The doctrine of the mean [electronic resource] / translated, with critical and exegetical notes, prolegomena, copious indexes, and dictionary of all characters by James Legge

On-line sources
Analects in different language:

http://www.confucius.org/main01.htm
Confucian analects, The great learning, and The
doctrine of the mean [electronic resource]