A Study on the English Translation of Culture-Loaded Words in “Love in a Fallen City” from the Perspectives of Domestication and Foreignization
Abstract
In the context of globalizing Chinese literature, translation serves as a crucial medium for cross-cultural dissemination. Eileen Chang’s fiction, with its blend of modern sensibility and traditional cultural motifs, holds a distinctive position in modern Chinese literary heritage. However, in the existing studies, the proportion of systematic processing of culture-loaded words in Chinese-English translation is very low. This study examines Kingsbury’s English version of Love in a Fallen City, classifying culture-loaded words into material and social categories, and analyzing them through domestication and foreignization. The results indicate that foreignization is more effective for culturally iconic terms to preserve authenticity, while domestication enhances readability for culturally opaque references. Kingsbury’s translation often employs a hybrid approach, occasionally supplemented with explanatory adjustments, to bridge cultural and communicative gaps. The study concludes that balancing different strategies in a context-sensitive manner best preserves cultural nuance while promoting cross-cultural engagement. These insights contribute to the translation of culturally dense literature, provide a new perspective on the translation of Eileen Chang’s works, and encourage further discussion on strategic negotiation in literary translation.
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