FOREIGNIZATION AND DOMESTICATION IN MICHAEL ONDAATJE’S RUNNING IN THE FAMILY: TRANSLATING TITLES INTO FRENCH AND SINHALA

Abstract

Michael Ondaatje’s Running in the Family (1983) has been translated into several languages, including French and Sinhala. The present study focuses on the two translations aiming to examine the use of two main translation strategies: Foreignization and Domestication. The study is centered on the chapter titles as they play a key role. The titles and their translations are analyzed and compared to understand how the two strategies are adopted by the translators in their respective translations. Lawrence Venuti’s theoretical framework of foreignization and domestication is applied to the analysis. The results reveal that both strategies are used in French and Sinhala and highlight certain limitations of their applications. Their application, particularly domestication, though makes the titles more comprehensive to each readership, offer at times, interpretations different from what is intended by the author, and may mislead the target reader.