Translation Strategies for Lin Yutang's Humorous Discourse: A Domestication and Foreignization Perspective

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jnme.202610204

Author(s)

Peiran Liu, Lina Zhao

Affiliation(s)

Changchun Normal University, Changchun, Jilin, China

Abstract

Lin Yutang is an outstanding representative in the development of Chinese literature in the 20th century. He has made great efforts to promote Chinese culture to the world, and has become a bridge between Chinese and Western cultures. His works have a strong sense of humor, which is deeply loved by readers. The introduction of Western ideas into his works makes the translation work more difficult. Humor translation is an interdisciplinary field that integrates linguistics, cultural studies and translation theory[20]. This paper focuses on the analysis of Lin Yutang's works, and takes the theory of domestication and foreignization as the theoretical basis[17], and also draws on the theory of dynamic equivalence[10] and the Skopos theory[14]. It is found that in the process of translating Lin Yutang's works, whether it is the version translated by himself or others, domestication is the main method, but sometimes foreignization is also used, which can not only retain the sense of humor in the original text, but also make Western readers feel more comfortable. However, excessive domestication will inevitably lead to the loss of cultural connotations. This paper summarizes the problems existing in the translation of Lin Yutang's works through analysis, and puts forward suggestions for the smooth progress of literary translation in the context of Chinese culture going global.

Keywords

Lin Yutang; Humorous Discourse; Domestication; Foreignization; Cross-Cultural Translation; Essay Translation

References

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