Increasing attention in translation studies has expanded the scope of research to focus on the translator, particularly emphasising the translator’s subjective role in translated texts. While much of this attention has been directed toward literary translators, those working on non-literary texts also play an active role. Situated within the context of non-literary translation, the study attempts to recognise the translator’s voice by identifying the translation techniques used for culture-specific items (CSIs) in one of the representative Chinese sci-tech classics, Chajing (the Classic of Tea). In this study, an integrated framework - comprising Aixelá’s translation techniques for CSIs, Venuti’s concepts of foreignisation and domestication, and Hermans’s notion of the translator’s voice - is applied to examine the tendencies of translation techniques towards foreignisation or domestication, which in turn highlight or suppress the translator’s voice, namely the translator’s visibility or invisibility. The findings reveal that the foreignising tendency is primarily realised through the technique of orthographic adaptation, which foregrounds the translator’s voice, while the domesticating tendency is largely achieved through absolute universalisation, which suppresses it. In addition, although the translator demonstrates a dominant tendency towards domestication, he also experiences a dilemma between foreignising and domesticating strategies. Based on these findings, the study emphasises that highlighting the issue of (in)visibility enables not only the observation of translator subjectivity but also a deeper understanding of the complexity of translation, particularly in non-literary contexts.     

Keywords: the translator’s voice and visibility; foreignisation and domestication; Chinese sci-tech classics; Chajing; CSIs 

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