Translating Culture-Specific Items (CSIs) in Water Margin: Balancing Domestication and Foreignization

Every translation of a book is a creation unto itself, wherein the translator imbues the work with their essence while striving to maintain the spirit of the original. Guided by Venutis concepts of domestication and foreignization, this study examines their application in translating culture-specific items (CSIs) in the English version of Water Margin. This research focuses on the earliest version (1872) titled The Adventures of a Chinese Giant, published in the pages of the China Review. The study involved analyzing 180 hand-selected CSIs out of 800, using Newmarks classification method. The findings reveal that translators predominantly use domestication to enhance readability for target language readers. However, domestication often leads to a loss of cultural meaning, which directly impacts the accuracy and authenticity of the translation. This study addresses the challenges of domesticating cultural texts and reflects on the implications for translation quality. These insights provide valuable strategic direction for translating culturally sensitive material and lay a foundation for future research on translation strategies across different cultural contexts.