Abstract: Philip Lewis' "abusive translation" is an essential concept in the development of western translation theories. It fights
against the traditional usage value that favors transparency and fluency and turns to an abusive play of the original language to embrace
foreign features and connotative uncertainty. Its translating procedures can be exemplified from different translation units—
punctuations, words, phrases, and discourses, as arrayed in a hierarchical order. Abusive translation is furthered and forwarded by
Venuti's theory on foreignization and the deconstruction theories. Faced with critical doubts, the "abuse" concept of translation selfjustifies
persuasively on target reception, translator's operation and the goal of translation. It is concluded that abusive translation, a
highly instructive strategy for the translator's practices, symbolizes an unprecedented inquiry of translation in its very essence.

Key words: abusive translation, fidelity, fluency, deconstructionism