A Quantitative Study of the Correspondence Between Foreignizing/Domesticating Strategies and Explicit/Implicit Translations: With Reference to the Official Titles in Hong Lou Meng and Their English Renditions

Chinese and western translation studies are shackled by dichotomies of translations, such as literal/free, foreignizing/domesticating, explicitation/implicitation, etc., at least in terms of concepts, categories, strategies or style. A large amount of real translation texts manifest not only as existing in a continuum between the two extremes of the aforementioned dichotomies rather than in binary opposites, but also a close correspondence between these dichotomies. Taking foreignizing/domesticating and explicitation/implicitation as theoretical foci, this study presupposes a positive correlation between the two concepts/categories. And taking the seven Chinese official titles frequently used in the first twelve chapters of Hong Lou Meng and their renditions in the four English complete translations as data, this study designs a framework and the relevant route whereby not only can this hypothesis be verified, but also the cultural values of these titles and their correspondent renditions be examined. It is hoped that findings of the study could shed light on using different translation theories or concepts in a mutually reciprocating manner and with an operable framework, so as to construct a coherent systematic network of translation theories.