An Investigation of the Domestication and Foreignization Approach in the English Translation of Martin Wickramasinghe’s Moadol Duva Based on Antoine Berman’s Framework

Abstract

This study investigates the application of the domestication and foreignization strategies applied by Ashley Halpe in the English translation of Madol Duwa (1947), originally written in the Sinhala language by Martin Wickramasinghe, based on the theory “The Experience of the Foreign” emphasized by Antoine Berman in 1984, with the support of Lawrence Venuti’s domestication and foreignization strategy. This study employs a qualitative textual analysis to examine the rendition of the socio-cultural elements of Sinhalese in the English translation. The Sinhala text ‘Madol Duwa (1947)’ by Martin Wickramasinghe and the Target text ‘ Madol Doova (1976) by Ashley Halpe have been selected as the primary data of this study, while the first chapters of both primary sources have been chosen to evaluate. The study found that while the translator preserved some socio-cultural elements in the translated text, the absence of explanatory notes, footnotes, and a glossary limits deeper understanding for target readers. In conclusion, the translator achieved a partial balance between cultural specificity and readability, and recommended that translators employ footnotes or glossaries to enhance cross-cultural accessibility without compromising the source text’s cultural identity.