| Summary: | This paper is a study on retaining cultural elements from a source text through the use of translation techniques grounded primarily in foreignisation, and a priority to honour the source culture. It includes a Chinese-to-English translation of Chapters 1 through 3 of a Singapore historical fiction novel《永恒的山村》by Fang Ran, followed by a critical analysis of the translation, which expounds on the translation techniques used in the process, as well as the motivations for using these techniques. The project accounts for some of the pros and cons of translating text in a way that honours the source culture and the extent to which that is possible. It revealed that choosing to foreignise text in order to honour the source culture might often come at the cost of good readability, and that foreignisation demands the text be adapted to accommodate any extra measures or tools—in the form of footnotes or extra information added to the main text—needed to ensure the reader is able enjoy the work without being burdened by superfluous information. The case against a reliance on footnotes is also made, specific to this project because of how the author uses footnotes to bolster the narrative. Overall, it explains in part the balancing act that is translation. This paper might benefit translators or academics interested in a similar field. It might also help to inform those who read translated texts of motivations behind translation projects.
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