To Foreignize or To Domesticate

Abstract1： Domesticating translation and foreignizing translation are two 

different translation strategies. The former refers to the translation 

strategy in which a transparent, fluent style is adopted in order to minimize 

the strangeness of the foreign text for target language readers, while 

the latter designates the type of translation in which a target text deliberately 

breaks target conventions by retaining something of the foreigness of the 

original. But what is the translation practice like in China? Do translators 

tend to use foreignizing methods or domesticating ones? What are the factors 

that affect their decision making? This paper tries to find answers to 

the questions by looking into the translation of English metaphors into 

Chinese. 

Key words: domesticating translation; foreignizing translation; metaphor; 

target  

language reader 

1. Introduction 

"Domesticating translation" and "foreignizing translation" are the terms 

coined by L. Venuti (1995) to describe the two different translation strategies. 

The former refers to the translation strategy in which a transparent, fluent 

style is adopted in order to minimize the strangeness of the foreign text 

for target language readers, while the latter designates the type of translation 

in which a target text "deliberately breaks target conventions by retaining 

something of the foreigness of the original" (Shuttleworth &Cowie, 1997:59). 

The roots of the terms can be traced back to the German philosopher Schleiermacher’s 

argument that there are only two different methods of translation, " either 

the translator leaves the author in peac

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