Foreignization Strategy in Translating To Live

Abstract

Literary translation is a kind of special translation because it involves both the form and the style. Since literary works are always born in context certain cultural context, it also contain unique cultural elements. To effectively deal with all these factors in translation, foreignization strategy could be employed, for it not only keeps the original form and style, but also helps to convey complex cultural images into the target language, thus ensuring the effective communication between two cultures. To illustrate this point, this essay analyzes the novel To Live, the English version of Yu Hua’s Huozhe, to observe how foreignization translation helps to bring the readers close to the author and how it guarantees effective comprehension among the readers. Besides, the paper also suggests three methods for foreignization.