Translation Between Domestication and Foreignization: The Perspective of the Canadian Novelist Anne Michaels

Abstract

This paper explores the interplay between domestication and foreignization in Anne Michaels’ novel Fugitive Pieces, illustrating how translation functions as both a means of adaptation and a tool for preserving identity. Domestication, which involves aligning a translated text with the target culture, is depicted through the protagonist Jakob Beer’s survival strategies. Escaping the Nazis and integrating into Greek and English-speaking societies, Jakob learns new languages, reflecting the necessity of cultural assimilation for survival. However, this process also distances him from his original identity, illustrating the cost of domestication. Conversely, foreignization, which retains the original cultural essence of a text, manifests in Jakob’s persistent connection to his Jewish heritage and past traumas. Despite acquiring new languages, Jakob remains tied to his lost world, demonstrating how translation can serve as an act of remembrance rather than mere linguistic substitution. Michaels presents translation as a negotiation between freedom and constraint, where linguistic choices reflect deeper existential struggles. Through this analysis, Fugitive Pieces emerges as a meditation on the challenges of translation—both linguistic and existential—highlighting how survivors and translators alike navigate the delicate balance between adaptation and preservation.