Analysis of Domestication and Foreignization Strategies in the Translations of Riyadus-Salihin

Abstract

This study investigates the domestication and foreignization strategies in the translation of the book Riyadus-Salihin. The study explores how these two translation strategies were employed to balance linguistic clarity and cultural-religious authenticity. Using Lawrence Venuti’s framework as an analytical model, the study examined twenty hadiths selected from different chapters in the book through random sampling as representatives of ritual, ethical, and theological discourse. The analysis is conducted through a qualitative descriptive method combined with a quantitative frequency discussion method. This method helps in understanding the translation shifts at the syntactic, lexical, cultural, and paratextual levels. The findings reveal that 55% of the targeted expressions are foreignized, 40% are domesticated, and 5% hybrid, which demonstrates a preference for retaining theological terminology while adapting stylistic structures for readability. The study highlights that foreignization outweighs the rendering of culture-specific and doctrinal terms and religious authenticity, while domestication is applied to abstract moral and stylistic features. It contributes to translation studies by demonstrating how religious translation requires a balance between linguistic intelligibility and cultural faithfulness