Translation Strategy Orientation of Reiss' Text Type Theory

Abstract： Based on Reiss' text type theory and Reiss' translation criticism criteria， this paper analyzes the translation strategy orientation of text type theory. Reiss' translation type influences the choice of translation strategies， and domestication and foreignization are embodied in the translation of different types of texts.

Keywords： Text Type Theory; Translation Strategy; Domestication; Foreignization

Introduction

Katharina Reiss is the initiator of German functionalist translation theory. She believes that each type of text should be translated with a specific communicative context and purpose in mind， and therefore different translation strategies should be used when translating different texts. Reiss' text type theory is an excellent guide for translation. What kind of translation strategy should we choose when translating different texts？ It is worth considering whether a domestication translation strategy or a foreignization translation strategy should be chosen.

1.Reiss' Text Type Theory

In 1971， Reiss published his book Translation Criticism： The Potentials and Limitations. The book classified text types and proposed translation principles and critical criteria for each type of text based on text types. The ideas in the book form the basis of Reiss' translation theory of text types. In his book， Reiss emphasizes that "it is text type that determines what translation method a translator uses. Text type is the primary factor that influences the translator to choose the appropriate translation method" （Reiss， 2004：17）. Therefore， if a translator wants to produce a successful translation， he must first analyze the text type correctly. Corresponding to the presentation function， expression function， and appeal function of language， Reiss classifies translated texts into three categories： content-focused text， form-focused text， and appeal-focused text.

1.1Content- focused Text

The content-focused text is the one most in tune with modern development. This type of text focuses on the communication of relevant signals in language， transmitting specific information content to specific people. Translation of such texts requires faithful communication of the content， and the guiding principle for critics to make a reasonable evaluation is first， "whether the translation reproduces the content of the original text in its entirety" （Reiss， 2004：30）; and secondly， "whether the content of the original language is fully reflected. "（Reiss， 2004：31）， which requires that the linguistic form of the translation be fully adapted to the linguistic habits of the language into which it is translated. Thus， when translating a content-focused text， it is important to focus on the accurate translation of the information content.

1.2Form- focused Text

The form- focused texts are more attentive to the beauty of language and words， and even the expression of inner emotions is to stay at the aesthetic level， so form- focused texts pay more attention to whether the expressed phrases are beautiful and poetic， and whether the structure of the whole text is artistic. The significance of form- focused texts lies in the content to be conveyed， while the significance of expressive texts is the genre chosen by the author. Different genres have different beauty and artistry， and authors choose different appropriate genre types depending on the ideas they want to express inside. Therefore， when translating a form- focused text， the translator should pay attention to the form of linguistic expression of the translated text and reproduce the aesthetic effect of the original linguistic form.

1.3Appeal- focused Text

The most special thing about the appeal- focused text compared to the first two types of texts is that it is more purposeful， and each different infectious text has a specific purpose for its creation. The purpose of an appeal- focused text is to convince the reader of the text to make some specific movement， wanting to convince the reader of what the whole text is meant to appeal to. Therefore， in order to achieve a better rendering of the appeal， the infectious text usually takes the form of a dialogue， which ensures that the author can better communicate with the reader. Compared with the first two text types， appeal- focused texts also have the distinctive feature of centering the text on the readers of the text and creating the text around them.

2. Selection of Translation Strategies Based on Text Type Theory

2.1 Domestication of Content- focused Text

The content- focused text needs the target text to express the original content precisely and completely. The main purpose of this type of text is to provide information for the reader. Therefore， the language form of the target must conform to the language habits of the target language， so that the target language readers can understand the information expressed in the original text. According to Reiss， nonfiction can be defined as a kind of "comprehensive text rather than a specific field"， which is characterized by accurate information and popular language. According to Reiss' definition， texts such as the Analects of Confucius can be classified as content texts. In translating such works， introducing Chinese Confucianism to Western countries is the main goal. Therefore， on the premise of correctly conveying the information， appropriate domestication translation methods should be adopted to make the target language more acceptable to the readers.

Take a translation in the Analects of Confucius as an example：

子曰：“禘，自既灌而往者，吾不欲观之矣。”（Zhang，2007）

The Master said， "At the great sacrifice， after the pouring out of the libation， I have no wish to look on."（Li，2001）

In the above example， the text contains a lot of cultural information： "禘" is a sacrifice. This ritual was a grand sacrifice， which only the emperor could perform. "灌"， is called "naked "， naked sacrifice is a procedure in sacrifice. In general， young men and women are used to replace the sacrificial victims， which is called "corpse". The sacrifice is to offer wine to the corpse nine times， and the first offering is called nakedness. Without further research， this information would not be available to us， let alone to Western readers. The translator directly translates "禘" into "great sacrifice"， which helps the translation readers to understand. However， in order to introduce traditional Chinese culture， the author should have added a note detailing the procedure and purpose of this ancient ritual. Therefore， we cannot say that the translation precisely transmits the content of the original text.

2.2 Foreignization of Form- focused Text

According to Reiss' theory of text type， in form- focused texts， authors use some formal elements， either intentionally or unintentionally， to achieve a special aesthetic effect. In form- focused texts， form is much less important than content， but in literary texts， it is the formal elements that come first. Therefore， the form should be the priority when translating. The translation requirement for such texts is to reach an aesthetic effect similar to that of the original. Considering the inherent differences between languages， the translator can even create the same aesthetic effect through new forms. To maintain the formal or aesthetic effect of the original text， the translator needs to employ foreignization as much as possible.

The translation of the Chinese classic A Dream of Red Mansions by British Sinologist David Hawks and the famous translators Yang Xianyi and Gladys respectively represent two kinds of translation strategies that show opposite trends to a certain extent.

For example， there is a sentence in the original text：

谋事在人，成事在天。

Hawkes directly translated this into a similar English proverb：

"Man proposes， God disposes."

Hawkes used domestication to translate this sentence directly from an English proverb. This is indeed conducive to western understanding， but it makes Chinese traditional culture lost in the hands of translators. This message conveys to Western readers the illusion that the Chinese also believe in God.

This is how Yang Xianyi and Gladys dealt with the problem. Their translation is：

"Man proposes， Heaven disposes."（Yang & Gladys，1999）

They borrowed a similar expression from an English proverb， but changed the word "God" to "Heaven"， thus retaining the religious belief in Chinese culture. When Westerners read this sentence， they will naturally think of the proverb in their native language， thus forming a concept in their mind that God is equivalent to Heaven in Chinese. In this way， the religious belief culture of the Han nationality is not only correctly transmitted， but also completely received by the readers of the target language. This has achieved the successful transmission of exotic cultural characteristics.

2.3 Domestication of Appeal- Focused Text

To create the same linguistic effect in the target language as in the original， it is crucial to directly engage the listeners or readers of the text and induce them to perform the desired action. Appeal- focused texts are oriented to the target language recipients， and the main purpose is to influence the audience. Thus， the linguistic form of the translation must be fully compatible with the linguistic conventions of the target language. Commercials and sermons are typical examples of such texts.

Advertising is defined by Gober Brockhaus as "an attempt to influence a group of people to engage in a particular action". The requirement of commercial advertisement translation to attract the recipient determines that the translation must adopt the strategy of naturalization. The translation of the name of the Coca-Cola beverage is a classic case. The English name has alliteration and tail rhyme to make it catchy， and it doesn't have a lot of cultural connoisseurship. Coca is a medicinal plant grown in South America and the West Indies. The Cola tree is an evergreen plant of equatorial Africa that has red， aromatic， nutlike seeds that contain caffeine and theobromine extracts and are used in the manufacture of carbonated beverages and pharmaceuticals. The literal content of the name simply indicates the ingredients of the drink （Xu， 2005）. In the Chinese market， it was first translated as "口渴口蜡" or "口渴口辣". Consumers are disgusted with this because it is difficult for consumers to have a good association with the words "wax" and "spicy" to buy products. Later， Coca-Cola was translated into "可口可乐"， which not only matched the original name in rhyme but also was much richer than the original name in meaning. "可口" emphasizes the quality and taste of the product itself， and "可乐" illustrates the effect of drinking and the spiritual enjoyment of consumers. This shows that appeal- focused texts are more suitable for the translation strategy of domestication.

3. Conclusion

Through the analysis of Reiss' text type theory and some cases above， the translation strategies adopted in the translation process are different according to the different functions played by different text types. From the above analysis， it is concluded that content- focused texts and appeal- focused texts are suitable for the translation strategy of domestication， while form- focused texts are suitable for the translation strategy of foreignization.

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