Abstract：This paper mainly studies the address forms in A Dream of Red Mansions. The author uses Comparative Approach to study the translation of the address forms and the strategies---- foreignization and domestication, which are used in two different translated versions of A Dream of Red Mansions----Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang’s version and David Hawkes and Minford’s version. 

By comparing the address forms in different translation versions, we can not say absolutely that one version is better than the other one, or domestication is better/worse than foreignization. Each translator has his/her own understanding of the source language and his /her own cultural background, awareness and orientation. The purpose of the comparison between the two versions is to compare the strategies used in their translation approaches and to study different translators’ translating experience and learn something from them to improve our translation. 

Through this paper, we can find that Yangs mainly adopt the foreignization translation strategy while Hawkes prefers the domestication strategy. However, when finding the strategy they prefer isn’t appropriate, the translators apply these two strategies flexibly in literary translation, and they supplement and complement each other. The results can help us decide what strategies we should use in translating similar literary works. 

Keywords: A Dream of Red Mansions; address forms; foreignization; domestication 

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1. Introduction-7

2. Literature Review-2

2.1 Brief introduction of A Dream of Red Mansions-2

2.2 Two translation versions of A Dream of Red Mansions-2

2.3 Domestication and foreignization-2

2.4 Related research on domestication and foreignization-3

3. Comparison and Analysis of the Address Forms in A Dream of Red Mansions-4

3.1 The different strategies used in the two English versions-4

3.2 Yang Xianyi’s foreignization-4

3.3 David Hawkes’s domestication-5

3.4 A comparison of address forms of the two English versions-5

3.4.1 The translation of kinship address forms-5

3.4.2 The translation of social address forms-8

3.4.3 Address Forms with Modifiers-10

3.5 Summary-11

4. Conclusion-11

Works Cited-13