A Brief Analysis of Foreignization and Domestication in English—to—Chinese Translation of Film Title

張明耀 向鳳雅 楊婧

【Abstract】This paper explores the domestication method and foreignization method in English-to-Chinese translation of film title.

【Key words】translation； film title； domestication； foreignization

I.Introduction

With the rapid development of globalization，more and more excellent foreign films，especially Hollywood films，are introduced into Chinese cinemas，bringing colorful cultures and affecting peoples daily life.English film title is easy to translate but tough to translate it well.Translation of the film title needs not only to present the characteristics of the film，but also to achieve the recreation of art.Huinan Bao holds a bold view： “Due to moviegoers from extensive range and the diversity of appreciation level，especially cultural differences，translation of English film title is different from translation of book title.English-to-Chinese translation of film title needs to emphasize popularity，popularization，oralization and artistry.”Thus in this way a graceful film title translation may guide moviegoers and promote the film.

II.Foreignization and Domestication in English-to-Chinese Translation

1.Definition.Foreignization and domestication are two unfamiliar concepts to us，whereas literal translation and free translation relatively familiar.Lawrence Venuti believes that “a domesticating method is an ethnocentric reduction of the foreign text to target-language cultural values，bringing the author back home，and a foreignizing method is an ethnodeviant pressure on those values to register the linguistic and cultural difference of foreign text，sending the reader abroad.”

2.English-to-Chinese Translation of Film Title

A.Domestication in English-to-Chinese Translation of Film Title

When English film title contains these different cultures and traditions，the audience may not understand the film title.At this time，translators need to do some modification to meet the needs of the audience.

It Happened One Night was not translated into 《一個(gè)晚上發(fā)生的事》.If you first see the title，you just know one thing happened in one night and nothing more.The audience must be confused about what it will be and hesitate to see it.Before translating the film，translators must preview the plot and they will know it is about a love story happened during one night.Therefore，one translator translated It Happened One Night into 《一夜風(fēng)流》from which the audience can catch the important information about this film，one night and a love story.As we can see，literal translation cannot express all the things that original film wants to express.Domestication method easily handles it.

However，with the development of globalization，cultural exchanges are more and more frequent，Chinese people knowing more about foreign cultures.Thus domestication method will be used less frequently than foreignization method.

B.Foreignization in English-to-Chinese Translation of Film Title

Under the circumstance of globalization，open and compatible cultures offer foreignization a bright prospect.In 1980s，Indiana Jones was translated into 《奪寶奇兵》 which used domestication method.Nevertheless，the Harry Potter series was translated in the other way，Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone 《哈利·波特與魔法石》，Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 《哈利·波特與密室》 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire《哈利·波特與火焰杯》.Why Indiana Jones did not maintain the original English title？ As in 1980s Chinese people did not know foreign languages and cultures so well，the way most of them understood foreign cultures relied on native language habits and native thoughts.Translators who translated Indiana Jones into 《奪寶奇兵》 did a great job to meet the audiences needs in 1980s.There are many foreignization translations in recent years，Source Code 《源代碼》，The Iron Lady 《鐵娘子》，Ice Age 《冰河世紀(jì)》.

As a result，English-to-Chinese translation of film title focuses on cultural differences to deliver cultural information and reflect characteristics of foreign cultures.

Conclusion

In short，translators must skillfully master and apply the two translation methods and accurately understand cultures in China and the English speaking countries so that the translation of English film title will be of the same effect in China and English speaking countries

References：

[1]包惠南.文化語(yǔ)境與語(yǔ)言翻譯[J].北京：中國(guó)對(duì)外翻譯出版公司，2001.

[2]Lawrence Venuti，The Translators Invisibility （USA and Canada：Routledge，1995，20.

作者簡(jiǎn)介：張明耀，男，1989年12月出生，四川宜賓人，碩士研究生在讀，研究方向：英語(yǔ)筆譯。

向鳳雅，女，1988年6月出生，四川內(nèi)江人，研究生在讀，研究方向：外國(guó)語(yǔ)言學(xué)及應(yīng)用語(yǔ)言學(xué)。

楊婧，女，1990年8月出生，湖南懷化人，研究生在讀，研究方向：英語(yǔ)口譯。