Negotiating Meaning across Languages: Foreignization Retaining Cultural Translation within an English Text

Abstract

The present study aims at investigating foreignization as a deliberate translational strategy operative in the preservation of cultural identity in the selected novel with special reference to the negotiation of cultural elements across the linguistic boundaries. The study adopts a qualitative research design and undertakes close reading of selected passages on the basis of purpose which are rich in cultural references and Urdu lexical items. The approach takes into consideration how translation choices that run counter to domestication and foreground linguistic and cultural differences preserve and transfer cultural elements from the source language to the target language. The analytical basis for the analysis of such choices is the theoretical framework of foreignization proposed by Lawrence Venuti (2018). The process of removing data gathered from the initial passages of the novel enables a detailed study of the foreignizing techniques employed to preserve cultural identity, particularly concerning Urdu phrases rich in socio-cultural meanings. As the research results suggest, these tactics encourage an improved socially relevant reading engagement that takes into account cultural alterity but interrogates fluent, target-oriented standards of translation. This study adds to the continuing discussions in translation studies concerning the tension between readability and cultural fidelity, and it highlights the utility of Venuti’s framework in the analysis of literary texts marked by language-power imbalances. In general, the research suggests that foreignization may be a deliberate and successful technique of cultural translation.