A Study of the Translation of Mo Yan's Frog From the Perspective of Domestication and Foreignization

Abstract

Mo Yan is a famous Chinese writer. He has become the first Chinese to win the Nobel Prize in literature. Frog is one of Mo Yan's masterpieces. His works were strongly influenced by magical realism and told the legend which took place in Gaomi, Shandong Province, during the Cultural Revolution and the early years of reform and opening up. Different countries have different cultural formation processes, which have led to creating their culture-loaded words. Culture-loaded words refer to the words, phrases, and idioms used to signify objects peculiar to specific cultures. These culture-loaded words and expressions are the direct reflections of the unique features of Chinese culture. The translator needs to avoid errors and omissions in translation, especially when translating cultural information. Based on domestication and foreignization translation strategies, this article takes Howard Goldblatt's English translation of Mo Yan's Frog as the research object to explore the translation and effect of cultural-loaded words in the novel. The translator uses foreignization and domestication strategies to explain and convey these Chinese characteristics. It achieves faithfulness to the original text and flexibly handles culture-loaded words with Chinese characteristics, ensuring the attractiveness and affinity of the translated text. The research on the English translation of the Chinese culture-loaded words in the novel is helpful for foreign readers to understand and accept the culture with Chinese characteristics.