ĐẶNG THỊ PHƯỢNG A TRANSLATION QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS OF THE NOVEL “THE DA VINCI CODE” BY DO THU HA 2005 BASED ON J.HOUSE’S MODEL ĐÁNH GIÁ CHẤT LƯỢNG BẢN DỊCH
INTRODUCTION
Rationale of the study
There are various areas in translation among which translation quality assessment is a subject of interest To what degree a translation text is ―good‖ all depends on a large variety of factors, one of those would be the angle from which the translation text can be looked at Translation theorists developed their own models of translation quality assessment (TQA); however, J House‘s is widely adduced for its applicability J House is a German linguist who has developed her own TQA model after criticizing previously proposed ones by other linguists like Newmark‘s or Hatim
This study employs Mason's TQA model to evaluate the first three chapters of Đỗ Thu Hà’s novel "Mật mã Da Vinci" (2005), highlighting ongoing debates over the translation's quality Renowned translator Tran T.C.D criticized the translation in his article "Bản dịch Mật mã Da Vinci: Một thảm họa dịch thuật," published in the newspaper "Văn Nghệ," attributing its flaws to the translator’s lack of knowledge in language, history, and religion, as well as negligence and laziness He also condemned the publisher for their irresponsibility and shamelessness, fueling controversy among readers and experts.
The article highlights that the translation of "The Da Vinci Code" was poorly executed, with numerous errors in vocabulary, grammar, expression, and omissions, as reported by VHTT Publishing House Despite these criticisms, scholars such as Thái Bá Tân, Vũ Thế Khôi, and Lê Bầu argue that the quality of the translation is not as degraded as commonly believed, and they suggest that the book should not be dismissed solely based on these issues.
Despite some noticeable mistakes, the novel's early chapters highlight the importance of quality translation, emphasizing the need for accuracy and coherence The translator’s role becomes crucial in addressing these issues and ensuring that the story's essence is preserved This controversy underscores the significance of professional translation standards to deliver an engaging and faithful reading experience.
Scope and objectives of the study
This study focuses on analyzing the first three chapters of "The Da Vinci Code" by Đỗ Thu Hà (2005), due to time and size constraints Utilizing J House's TQA approach and Halliday’s functional grammar, the research aims to identify key features of the source text and evaluate the quality of its translation Although House’s model is grounded in pragmatic language theories related to semantic and textual aspects, the scope of this study extends beyond these boundaries, incorporating various fields such as contrastive analysis, cross-cultural communication, functional grammar, and translation studies to provide a comprehensive linguistic assessment.
Research questions
In order to fulfill its objectives stated above, this paper needs to answer the following research questions:
1 What are the features of the ST in the light of Halliday‘s functional grammar and House‘s dimensions?
2 To what degree does the translation text (TT) meet the standard of quality as proposed in House‘s TQA model?
Research methodology
This study employs a qualitative research method, utilizing documents and materials as primary data sources for in-depth analysis Data is systematically categorized into patterns to facilitate organized reporting of results The qualitative approach enables researchers to closely examine individual texts and employ multiple analytical strategies, providing comprehensive insights into the subject matter.
Combining analytical and synthetic methods in text analysis provides a comprehensive approach, where the analytical perspective helps identify and isolate specific aspects, while the synthetic perspective examines how these elements interact and function together as a cohesive whole.
- Descriptive and comparative methods: In order to provide in-depth and detailed descriptions of translation and evaluation, the study is descriptive and comparative in nature.
Organization of the study
The first part of the study is the Introduction which provides a general view of the research such as methods, objectives, and scope
The second part of the study, titled "Development," provides the theoretical background of the research in Chapter I and reviews existing literature on translation theory and TQA models in Chapter II Chapter III outlines the methodology and research procedures, while Chapter IV presents the data analysis results and discusses their implications, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the study’s framework and findings.
In part 3, the conclusion of the study will be stated with three components: Recapitulation of the study, Limitation of the study, and Recommendations for further research.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Translation theory
There are various definitions of translation by different authors; nonetheless, certain definitions will be discussed in this section due to the restriction of size of the thesis
Both Tudor, as cited in Duff (1989:5), and Hatim & Mason (1990) consider translation as a communicative activity which ―convey[s] messages across linguistic and cultural barriers‖ (Tudor) and ―takes place within a social context‖ (Hatim & Mason)
Translation involves accurately transferring textual material from the source language to the target language, emphasizing the importance of equivalence (Catford, 1965) Wills (1982a) defines translation as a process that transforms a source language text into an equally effective target language text, requiring understanding of syntax, semantics, style, and pragmatics This perspective is supported by J House (1997), who describes translation as replacing a source language text with a semantically and pragmatically equivalent text in the target language, underscoring the essential role of equivalence in high-quality translation.
Translation, despite varying expressions, fundamentally involves preserving the semantic, pragmatic, and textual aspects of meaning between languages According to Hoang V.V (2005), translation is both an art and a science—an art because it requires human creativity, and a science because it follows systematic stages such as analysis, transfer, and restructuring.
Translation involves a range of procedures beyond simple word-for-word and sense-for-sense methods, depending on the context of both the source text (ST) and the target text (TT) Effective translation requires selecting appropriate procedures that adapt to specific contextual factors to ensure accuracy and coherence.
According to Newmark (1988), there are fifteen translation procedures as follows:
Transference Componential analysis Recognized translation
Cultural equivalent Through-translation Paraphrase
Functional equivalent Shifts or transpositions Descriptive equivalent
As depicted by Nida (1964), translation procedures consist of two smaller procedures: Technical procedures and Organizational procedures
According to Peter Newmark’s classification, translation methods are categorized into eight distinct approaches, which are divided into two main groups: semantic translation and communicative translation These methods are often visualized in a flattened V diagram, highlighting the relationship and differences between the two translation strategies.
SL emphasis TL emphasis Word-for-word translation Adaptation Literal translation Free translation Faithful translation Idiomatic translation
(Source: V-diagram of Translation method (P Newmark, 1988:45))
Semantic and communicative translations are the two most common methods used in literary translation by professionals According to P Newmark (1988), semantic translation is focused on the author's linguistic level and is ideal for expressive texts, while communicative translation targets the readership and is suitable for informative and vocative texts Both approaches aim to achieve the two main goals of translation: accuracy and economy.
In translation theory, equivalence is a central concept that ensures accurate communication across languages It involves identifying appropriate linguistic units such as morphemes, words, phrases, clauses, idioms, and proverbs Achieving equivalence is considered the most challenging stage in the translation process, as it requires careful analysis to maintain meaning and context between source and target languages.
Jakobson (1959) introduces the notion of ―equivalence in difference‖ and
The concept of "sameness in difference," or "unity in diversity," highlights the importance of achieving equivalence in translation Nida (1964) identifies two types of equivalence: formal equivalence and dynamic equivalence, emphasizing different approaches to preserving meaning across languages Catford (1964) asserts that translation equivalence occurs when source language (SL) and target language (TL) texts relate to at least some of the same relevant features of the situation or content, ensuring meaningful correspondence Reiss (1971) introduces the idea of functional equivalence, which broadens the scope of equivalence by focusing on the function and purpose of the text in translation Baker further develops these concepts, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of how equivalence functions within translation theory.
(1992) explores equivalence at different levels (word and above word level) in relation to the translation process such as grammatical, textual, and pragmatic aspects
J House (1977) emphasizes that equivalence is the conceptual basis not only of translation but also of translation criticism where equivalence is the fundamental criterion of translation quality In her article ―Text and Context in translation‖ (2006), she states that views of equivalence as simply bases on formal, syntactic, and lexical similarities alone are multiply ambiguous Further, purely formal definitions of equivalence have long been revealed as deficient in that they cannot explain appropriate use in communicative performance This is why functional, pragmatic equivalence has been a concept accepted in contrastive linguistics for a long time, and it is this type of equivalence which is most relevant for translation It is consequently used in the functional pragmatic model where it is related to the preservation of meaning across two different languages and cultures.
Views and models of translation quality assessment
This model emphasizes the significant influence of text-oriented approaches to translation, which can be effectively integrated into translation pedagogy According to Hatim & Mason, core principles such as communicative, pragmatic, and semiotic skills are essential in guiding the translator's work These principles serve as a set of procedures that position the translator at the core of the communicative process, highlighting the importance of context and meaning in translation practice.
Hatim and Mason propose foundational concepts for analyzing texts, but their approach involves numerous complex ideas and lacks clarity as a practical, applicable model Instead, their work can be viewed as a list of elements to consider in translation analysis, focusing on identifying “dynamic” and “stable” textual elements These elements exist along a continuum and influence translation strategies: more “stable” source texts often call for a “fairly literal approach,” whereas more “dynamic” texts present greater challenges, making literal translation less viable (J House, 1997).
According to House (1997), a key aspect of the linguistic textual approach to translation involves Peter Newmark’s (1981; 1988) application of linguistic models, such as componential analysis and case grammar, to translation analysis His concept of translation criticism, which emphasizes the evaluation of translations, is significant in the field Additionally, Newmark’s distinction between semantic and communicative translation has proven to be both important and influential in understanding different translation strategies.
House (1997) criticizes that Newmark has always spoken against the conception of translation as solely a ―science‖ maintaining that the translation process is also a
The basic artistic process of translation requires the translator’s taste, wit, and elegance, emphasizing its inherently artistic nature (1981: 137) Consequently, there is no fixed model for assessing translation quality, as subjective judgment inevitably plays a role However, it is essential not to overemphasize the subjective aspect to the point of dismissing the importance of scientific inquiry Scientific methods in translation evaluation help abstract useful procedures and evaluative norms from individual variations, leading to more consistent and valid standards in assessing translation quality.
Development of J House‘s model
J House is a German linguistics who has devoted her life to find out a scientifically based frame work for translation assessment Her first book about this term was published in 1977 named ―A model for Translation Quality Assessment‖ and twenty years later, she revised and updated it into ―Translation Quality Assessment, a model revisited‖ Being different from scholar with mentalist view or response-based view, House takes discourse approach to be the original base of her theory Her model to criticize a translation, for that reason, roots from five important foundations: Halliday‘s systemic-functional theory, Prague school ideas, speech act theory, pragmatics, discourse analysis and corpus-based distinctions between spoken and written language Her model is intended to analyze and compare the SL and TL in different levels: Language/Text, Register, and Genre This makes the evaluation to be more fair and complete In her article published in 2001, House mentioned clearly each element and the way to compare the two texts
A high-quality translation emphasizes equivalence to the source text, ensuring that the original meaning is accurately preserved Translating involves replacing the source language text with a semantically and pragmatically equivalent version in the target language Effective translation maintains both the meaning and context of the original, resulting in a coherent and faithful representation in the target language.
(1997:31) Some people think that the translation should be in the same form and be a
Modern translation practices emphasize the importance of changing the term "reproduction" of the original text by applying discourse analysis and contrastive analysis, which support the concept of functional-pragmatic equivalence To achieve equivalence, it is essential to preserve the original meaning across three dimensions: semantic, pragmatic, and textual This approach introduces the concepts of overt and covert translation, offering new perspectives on how meaning is conveyed and preserved in translated texts.
An overt translation involves explicitly referencing the original language or content without direct address to the recipient, maintaining the original's genre and register while enabling access to its discourse function (2001) This type of translation does not produce a "second original" but situates the text within a new context while highlighting its foreign origin, allowing second-language audiences to assess the original’s impact externally Typical examples include translations of literary, religious, or political texts Conversely, covert translation aims to reproduce the original’s functions within a new context, effectively recreating the speech event and preserving the original’s status, as seen in journalistic, scientific, or magazine texts Additionally, in covert translation, the translator applies a CULTURE FILTER to adapt the original to the new cultural context.
A culture filter is a crucial tool for capturing socio-cultural differences in shared communication conventions, including preferred rhetorical styles and behavioral expectations across speech communities This concept is essential in translation criticism, as it enables the differentiation between covert and overt translation versions, ensuring cultural nuances are accurately conveyed.
In her model, House adopts Halliday‘s terms ―ideational‖ and ―interpersonal‖ as labels for the referential and non-referential functional components
House‘s TQA model consists of specific situational dimensions grouped into two sections: Dimensions of Language User and Dimensions of Language Use
Dimensions of Language User Dimensions of Language Use
Language user is characterized by three key situational dimensions that reveal the provenance of a text producer: geographical origin, social class, and time Geographical origin signifies the producer’s geographic background, typically reflected in the use of unmarked forms such as Standard British or American English Social class indicates the producer’s position on the social hierarchy, with unmarked forms usually associated with educated middle-class speakers of the standard language Time offers temporal clues that help identify when the text was produced, providing context to its linguistic features and usage.
In language use analysis, five situational dimensions are essential for examining source and target texts (ST and TT) The medium may be simple, such as spoken or written to be silently read, or complex, like written to be spoken Participation can be simple, exemplified by monologues, or complex, where the text includes features indicating addressee involvement, even within monologues The social role relationship between the addresser and addressees is categorized as symmetrical, marked by solidarity and equality, or asymmetrical, indicating authority Social attitude reflects varying degrees of social distance or proximity, from frozen to intimate Finally, the province encompasses occupational, professional, or topical fields, illustrating the broad "area of operation" of language activity, along with details of text production inferred from the text itself.
When analyzing the situational dimensions, House makes use of the following means for characterizing the linguistic evidence present in the text: Syntactic Means, Lexical Means, and Textual Means The Textual Means comprise theme dynamics, clausal linkage, and iconic linkage
House employs various analytical devices beyond basic dimensions, including symbols like [+ human], [- human], [+ abstract], and [- abstract], to categorize textual elements He also utilizes rhetorical-stylistic techniques such as alliteration and anacoluthon to enrich textual analysis Additionally, House considers concepts like foregrounding versus automatization, illocutionary force, and distinctions between emic and etic texts to interpret meaning His approach also examines textual features like overall logical structure and redundancy, providing a comprehensive framework for comparing ST and TT These tools collectively enable a nuanced understanding of translation strategies and textual coherence.
A textual profile is established for the source text through a Statement of Function, which is then used to analyze the translation using the same dimensions Comparing the textual profiles of the source and translation reveals the degree of similarity, indicating translation adequacy and allowing for a Statement of Quality When the profiles do not match, it signifies an error, which House categorizes into two types.
COVERTLY ERRONEOUS ERRORS: those which result from a mismatch in one situational dimension
Overtly erroneous errors occur due to a non-dimensional mismatch, leading to violations of the target language system These errors include ungrammatical constructions, which are clear breaches of grammatical rules, as well as issues of dubious acceptability that violate usage norms Addressing these errors is essential for ensuring accurate and grammatically correct communication in the target language.
Mistakes in the denotative meanings of ST and TT consist of wrong selections, wrong omissions, and ambiguities
LITERATURE REVIEW
Application of House‘s model in Vietnam
Luong (2007) used House’s model to evaluate the translation quality of Vietnam’s 2005 Law on Investment, revealing mismatches across eight parameters and identifying the translation as poor quality due to incomplete functional correspondence and inconsistent means of text functions Based on her findings, Luong proposed four key implications for translating Vietnamese legal documents into English.
A study by Nguyen T.Y (2007) on the translation quality of the travel guidebook "Du lich Ha Long" found that, despite some mismatches between the source text (ST) and the translated text (TT), the TT generally met the requirements for equivalence with the ST The translation effectively conveyed both the ideational and interpersonal functions, ensuring the overall communicative purpose was preserved This demonstrates that the house model of translation can be applied successfully to travel guide translations, maintaining the necessary functional components for accurate and meaningful communication.
Le, M H (2010) conducted a study based on House’s model, revealing that both covert and overt errors are present in translated texts (TT) Despite these errors, the TT successfully conveys the ideational and interpersonal features of the source text (ST) The study highlights important implications for literary translation, emphasizing the importance of accurately capturing both content and interpersonal nuances.
Application of House‘s model in other countries
House‘s model is also found in studies conducted in other countries Yamini, H
F Abdi (2009) analyzed the translation quality of the Persian version of Shakespeare's play "Macbeth" and found that the results did not undermine House’s translation model; instead, they demonstrated the robustness and effectiveness of this influential framework in assessing translation quality.
Nazhand and Pur (2011) utilized House’s model to assess the Persian translation of William Faulkner’s "The Sound and the Fury," revealing that the translator mistakenly rendered certain sentences Their findings indicated that House’s model effectively predicts both overt and covert translation errors, highlighting its value in identifying inaccuracies in literary translations.
Almeida and Nascimento (1996) evaluated the effectiveness of House’s model in translating legal contracts, highlighting its usefulness in assessing multiple translations of the same source text Their study demonstrated that the model is valuable for evaluating English-to-Portuguese contract translations, despite some limitations This research confirms that House’s model can significantly improve the quality and accuracy of legal translations, making it a beneficial tool for professional translators.
Another study by Jun, T & Yan, W (2011) based on House‘s model and its procedure of operation was conducted to analyze and assess Zhang Peiji's translation of
"The translation of 'The Sight of Father's Back' by Zhu Ziqing is primarily an overt translation, with minor overt and covert inaccuracies that do not compromise the overall integrity of the text Despite these minor issues, the authors concluded that the translation closely aligns with the source material, ensuring its faithful representation Overall, the translation maintains a high quality, effectively conveying the original's emotional and thematic depth."
Previous research has explored translation quality using J House’s TQA models, but many literary works have not been methodologically evaluated in this context This study aims to fill that gap by assessing the translation quality of the first three chapters of Do Thu Ha’s novel "Mật mã Da Vinci" (2005), providing insights into effective translation analysis within literary texts.
METHODOLOGY AND PROCEDURES
Subject of study
As the study of the whole text is beyond the scope of this paper, the object under investigation is the first three chapters in the SL ―The Da Vinci Code‖ written by Dan Brown in 2003 and their Vietnamese version translated by Đỗ Thu Hà in 2005.
Methodology
This qualitative study aims to identify two types of errors resulting from comparing the Source Text (ST) with the Target Text (TT), utilizing House’s TQA Model as the analytical framework Primarily based on library research methods, the study provides an in-depth analysis of translation errors to improve translation quality.
This article explores House's model for analyzing and comparing Source Text (ST) and Translated Text (TT) through two main sections: Dimensions of Language User and Dimensions of Language Use The first section examines three situational dimensions—Geographical Origin, Social Class, and Time—that reflect the background of the text producer The second section assesses five situational dimensions—Medium, Participation, Social Relationship, Social Attitude, and Province—for detailed analysis and comparison Each dimension is analyzed across three linguistic levels: syntactic, lexical, and textual, providing a comprehensive understanding of language features in translation Additionally, the analysis incorporates Halliday’s functional grammar, focusing on aspects such as Field, Tenor, Mode, Transitivity, Theme, and Mood to deepen the insight into language functions within the texts, enhancing the accuracy and contextual relevance in translation studies.
Data Collection Procedure
The researcher begins by thoroughly analyzing the original text and comparing the source text (ST) with its translation to identify two types of errors: overtly erroneous and covertly erroneous errors The House's model for translation quality assessment (TQA) involves a series of systematic steps: first, conducting an analysis to determine the ST profile using an analytic method; second, assigning a function statement to the ST related to ideational and interpersonal meanings through a synthetic approach; third, comparing the two texts to identify and categorize in-equivalence errors into covertly and overtly erroneous errors using a comparative method; and finally, providing a quality statement based on the translation result via a descriptive method.
Data Analysis Procedure
Mismatches and errors are identified through a detailed comparison between the Source Text (ST) and the Target Text (TT) Errors are classified as overt or covert, with overt errors arising from mismatched denotative meanings or violations of the target language system Recognizing these distinctions helps improve translation accuracy and language fidelity in the final output.
Findings and Discussion: This subsection is aimed at presenting the results of the application/implementation of the above-mentioned step and providing a statement of quality of the TT.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Brief introduction of the original text
Dan Brown, born on June 22, 1964, is a renowned American author specializing in thriller fiction He gained worldwide fame with his best-selling novel, "The Da Vinci Code," published in 2003 by Anchor Books In addition to this success, Brown has written several other popular novels, including "Digital Fortress" (1998), "Angels and Demons" (2000), "Deception Point" (2001), and "The Lost Symbol" (2009), all of which have garnered international acclaim.
Generally, the target readers of Brown‘s books are educated ones, especially readers who are interested in fiction, treasure hunts, and historical and religious themes For the novel ―The Da Vinci Code‖, its readers are people who are fond of thriller fiction, cryptography, fine art, and history of Christianity
The novel ―The Da Vinci Code‖ was written mainly for entertainment
The novel was divided into 105 chapters excluding the Acknowledgement, Facts, Prologue and Epilogue The whole book is 597 pages in length However, the first three chapters accounts for only 18 pages
IV.1.5 Summary of the original text’s content
Professor Robert Langdon is in Paris on business when he's summoned to The Louvre A dead body has been found, setting Langdon off on an adventure as he attempts to unravel an ancient code and uncover the greatest mystery of all time Joining Langdon‘s adventure is beautiful and gifted cryptologist named Sophie Neveu
At the end of the novel, the secrets about the Royal Blood and Christianity are unveiled by Langdon without being revealed to anyone else
In the first three chapters, Robert Langdon is staying at the Ritz in Paris after giving a lecture on religious symbology A call from the concierge informs him that an important man wishes to see him, leading to Lieutenant Jérôme Collet of the DCJP arriving at his hotel room Collet requests Langdon’s assistance in investigating the mysterious death of Jacques Saunière, the Louvre Museum curator He shows Langdon a strange photograph of Saunière’s corpse before taking him to the Louvre Museum to continue the investigation.
Silas, the albino, returned to his bare room to inform the Teacher that the three sénéchaux and the Grand Master were dead, each revealing the location of the keystone before their demise, which was in the Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris The Teacher assured Silas he would arrange for him to access the church Prior to his visit, Silas practiced "corporal mortification" as part of his preparation Meanwhile, Langdon and Collet arrived at the Louvre, where Langdon met Captain Bezu Fache, who explained that the photograph was just the beginning of Saunière's secrets.
Findings of the study
IV.2.1 Analysis of the original text based on J House’s model and Halliday’s systemic-functional model
This article analyzes the original text through Halliday’s systemic-functional theory, focusing on five key dimensions: Field, Tenor, Mode, Transitivity system, Theme, and Mood, to understand its linguistic and contextual features Additionally, the analysis incorporates House’s framework, examining both the Dimension of Language Use and the Dimension of Language User to provide a comprehensive understanding of language function and interaction By integrating these models, the study offers in-depth insights into how language operates within social and communicative contexts, enhancing SEO relevance for linguistics and language analysis topics.
Professor Robert Langdon, an expert in religious symbology, travels to Paris to give lectures, eager to share his knowledge At midnight, he is unexpectedly summoned by the French Judicial Police to assist in a complex murder investigation, recognizing that his unique expertise is crucial As the case unfolds, Langdon’s deep understanding of symbolism becomes essential in uncovering hidden clues and solving the mysterious crime This thrilling story immerses readers in a world where history, religion, and secrets collide, showcasing Langdon’s vital role in uncovering the truth behind the murder.
1 Lexical means: Preponderance of lexical items that are related to different fields such as symbology, religion, and judiciary which require that readers be educated and have general knowledge on those topics
2 Syntactic means: Preponderance of short clauses with simple structures throughout the text
3 Textual means: Strong textual cohesion to make the text comprehensible and digestible for readers
Theme dynamics: Thematic movement frequently arranged in sequences of theme-rheme movements to ensure given-new ordering For example:
+ ―Silas turned his attention now to a heavy knotted rope coiled neatly on the
Theme Rheme floor beside him The knots were caked with dried blood.‖ (p.17)
Clausal linkage: In clause complexes, ample use of transitional signals could be seen For example:
+ ―Although his female colleagues insisted the gray only accentuated his bookish appeal, Langdon knew better.‖ (p.9)
+ ―The hostess began reading choice excerpts from the inane article, and Langdon felt himself sinking lower and lower in his chair.‖ (p.10)
A Author‘s Temporal, Geographical and Social Provenance
Marked – past (2003), Educated middle class speaker of the standard language, Standard American English
B Author‘s personal (Emotional and Intellectual) Stance:
The author views the incidents that happened in the text with seriousness and objectiveness as he is the teller of the story
Syntactic means: Presence of structures describing stressful situations without humor For example:
Langdon became a reluctant celebrity in the art world due to his books on religious paintings and cult symbology His visibility skyrocketed last year following his involvement in a highly publicized incident at the Vatican Since then, a constant influx of self-important historians and art enthusiasts has been visiting his door, reflecting his rising prominence in the field.
+ ―Langdon was feeling anything but fortunate, and coincidence was a concept he did not entirely trust.‖ (p.18)
Author – readers(s): author puts himself on a par with his addressees, i.e., the readers The relationship is symmetrical
The author functions solely as a storyteller, remaining detached from the story's events His role is to narrate without direct involvement, establishing an author-character dynamic similar to that of a producer and their creations This perspective emphasizes the relationship between the writer and the characters as one of creation rather than participation, highlighting the author's role as an observer and narrator.
* Lexical means: a Use of expletives marking a rather informal relationship such as ―of course‖
(p.19) b Presence of reference, for examples, proper names (Langdon, Jacques
In the analyzed texts, proper nouns such as Saunière, Bezu Fache, and the Eiffel Tower are frequently replaced with personal pronouns like he, she, him, or her, ensuring smoother narrative flow Additionally, there is a notable presence of utterances carrying illocutionary force, such as refusals or urgings, which play a crucial role in conveying the speaker’s intentions and advancing the dialogue These linguistic features enhance the coherence and dynamic structure of the discourse, aligning with SEO best practices by emphasizing key elements like pronoun usage and speech act functions.
+ ―I‘m sorry,‖ Langdon said, ―but I‘m very tired and–‖ (p.8)
+ ―The agent checked his watch ‗My capitaine is waiting, sir.‘‖ (p.13)
* Syntactic means: Presence of elliptical clauses produced by the interlocutors For example:
+ ―Paris? Incredible It is almost too easy.‖ (p.15)
+ ―The driver shook his head ‗Interpol.‘‖ (p.19)
D Social attitude: consultative and casual The consultative style shows that the addresser (author) does not assume that he can leave out certain parts of his message which he may do in a socially close relationship where much of the message is understood Moreover, the addresser has to be fairly elaborative on supplying background information Besides, there are a lot of conversations among characters in the text, therefore, casual and informal styles are also employed
1 Syntactic means: a Presence of elliptical clauses and contractions, for example:
+ ―‗What is the capital‘s name?‘ Langdon asked, changing topics
‗Bezu Fache,‖ the driver said,…‖ (p.23)
+ ―No, I haven’t climbed the tower.‖(p.19) b Use of first, second, and third personal and possessive pronouns
2 Lexical means: a Presence of emotive subjectivity markers such as ―I hope…‖ (p.7), ―I thought…‖ (p.11), ―I think…‖ (p.19), ―I assume…‖ (p.19) b Presence of interjections or spoken language signals, for example, ―well‖ (p.11) c Interspersion of subjectively qualifying modal adverbial such as: ―not‖ (p.7, p.10) d Interspersion of words and phrases or structures marker [-formal] For example:
+ ―‗Would you be so kind,‘ Langdon said, doing the best to remain polite,
+ ―Mr Langdon, again my apologies…‖ (p.11)
However, the use of normal, everyday conversational expressions is dominant For instance:
+ ―‗She is lovely, no?‘ The agent asked, looking over.‖ (p.19)
A Medium: simple (written to be read)
Syntactic features indicative of natural speech include a high frequency of elliptical structures commonly found in casual conversations, where contextual cues help clarify incomplete utterances Additionally, there is a notable use of contractions and short coordinated clauses connected with "and," reflecting the informal and spontaneous nature of spoken language These elements collectively demonstrate the typical syntactic patterns of oral communication, aligning with social attitudes towards conversational authenticity.
* Textual means: a Ample use of repetition for redundancy throughout the text designed to make comprehension easier For instance:
+ ―‗We are closer than you think The keystone is here in Paris.‘
+ ―‗…I apologize for this intrusion, but you have a visitor…‘
+ Langdon still felt fuzzy A visitor?‖ (p.7) b Presence of a well-planned, logical, simple structure: S – V – Od For instance:
+ ―Langdon held out his hand to shake.‖ (p.25)
+ ―You will meet the capitaine at the main entrance.‖ (p.22)
B Participation: Complex: monologue with built-in (fictional) dialogic parts Syntactic means: a Use of both monologue and dialogue b The text is a narrative fiction; therefore, there is an ample use of the first, second, and third personal and possessive pronouns in indicate direct and indirect interaction situations in the text c Presence of declarative, interrogative, and imperative sentences The examples are as follows:
Our guest tonight is a renowned author known for his influential books, including *The Symbology of Secret Sects*, *The Art of the Illuminati*, and *The Lost Language of Ideograms* He is considered an authority on Religious Iconology, with his textbooks widely used in academic settings.
+ ―We had hoped that you might help us answer that very question, considering your knowledge in symbology and your plans to meet with him.‖ (p.12)
Interrogative: + ―And you believed them?‖ (p.14)
+ ―‗Did you mount her?‘ the agent asked, looking over.‖ (p.19)
Imperative: + ―‗Speak,‘ the voice commanded, sounding pleased to hear from him.‖ (p.14)
+ ―So, my pupil, tell me what I must know.‖ (p.14)
The original text is part of a thriller fiction which is written for educated readers
1 Syntactic means: a Consistent use of the past simple tense, which is popular in narrative form b Presence of use of verbal process to express the character‘s worry such as
The article discusses the use of expressive sounds such as "groan" (p.8) to convey emotion or reaction, and the term "goad" (p.10) to signify excitement It emphasizes the importance of clausal linkage, which involves establishing logical relationships between clauses and sentences—such as additive, alternative, causal, explanatory, or illative connections—to enhance coherence in writing Additionally, the article highlights the absence of repeated structures, promoting varied sentence construction to improve readability and engagement.
2 Lexical means: a Presence of adverb ―of course‖ (p.19) at the end of the sentence making the text a little more natural and informal b Preponderance of adjectives and adverbs to describe the character‘s psychological development or the scenery c Use of lexical items marked [+human], for example:
+―The jacquard bathrobe hanging on his bedpost bore the monogram: HOTEL RITZ PARIS.‖ (p.7)
+―Sitting up now, Langdon frowned at his bedside Guest Relations Handbook, whose cover boasted: SLEEP LIKE A BABY IN THE CITY OF LIGHTS, SLUMBER AT THE PARIS RITZ.‖ (p.8)
3 Textual means: a Use of a narrative frame to direct the addressees (readers) to the story b Presence of sentences with a relentlessly repetitive structure: S – V – Od (cf Medium above) c Presence of strong textual cohesion with theme-dynamics (cf Field above.) IV.2.1.5 Transitivity system
In the analyzed text, various process types are employed, including material, verbal, mental, relational, behavioral, and existential processes Among these, material and verbal processes are the most dominant, significantly shaping the overall content, while the other process types constitute a smaller proportion, contributing to the diversity of the text's informational structure.
Material process is used permanently throughout the text For instance, solely one short paragraph consists primarily of material process:
Discussion: statement of quality
Analysis based on House’s dimensions reveals that ST and TT are primarily compared in terms of Medium, Social Role Relationship, Social Attitude, and Province to identify potential mismatches The application of House’s model highlights various breaches of equivalence, exposing both overt and covert errors These findings underscore the importance of addressing linguistic and cultural discrepancies to ensure accurate and effective communication across contexts.
First, regarding the covertly erroneous errors, there are mismatches on the dimensions below
The mismatch in the Medium dimension arises from adding contact references not present in the ST, along with changes in phrasing types These modifications aim to make the text more familiar to the Vietnamese context, ensuring better cultural compatibility.
In the medium social role relationship, lexical mismatch often occurs in the use of pronouns, leading to translation inaccuracies For example, the pronouns "she" and "her," used to refer to the Eiffel Tower as a beloved and specific entity, were mistranslated as "trên ấy, cái tháp, trên đó," which causes the subtle emotional and referential meaning of the pronouns to be lost in the translation Ensuring accurate pronoun translation is essential to preserve the original tone and contextual significance in multilingual content.
The consultative style of the source text (ST) is often enlarged in the translation (TT) with more words to create a more intimate tone, enhancing social connection However, in some instances, the TT omits details from the ST, leading to a loss of meaning and potential misinterpretation While the stylistic differences between the ST and TT are minimal and have limited negative impact on the overall pragmatic meaning, they do diminish the interpersonal aspect of the text's communicative function.
In the dimension of Province, the TT's minimal use of past simple tense, a common feature of narrative fiction, and the avoidance of lexical items marked [+human] in the ST to craft a fictional style, significantly influence the interpersonal functional components of the text This stylistic choice impacts how the narrative engages with the reader and shapes the overall tone and interaction within the translation.
The translation contains numerous errors, including ungrammaticalities, dubious acceptability due to literal or incorrect translations, and mistakes in capturing the denotative meanings of the source text These errors diminish the interpersonal and functional aspects of the translation, affecting its overall quality However, according to the "cultural filter" concept—highlighting socio-cultural differences in expectations and stylistic norms between source and target communities—the translated text generally falls short in fully conveying both the ideational and interpersonal features of the original.
Despite the mismatches presented above, the TT shows some good translated sections that can convey both interpersonal and ideational features of the ST as follows:
1 ―Pulling his shades, he stripped naked and knelt in the center of his room
True followers of The Way wear a spiked cilice belt, a leather strap studded with sharp metal barbs that cut into the flesh, serving as a perpetual reminder of Christ's suffering.
The pain caused by the device also helped counteract the desires of the flesh
Although Silas already had worn his cilice today longer than the requisite two hours, he knew today was no ordinary day
Grasping the buckle, he cinched it one notch tighter, wincing as the barbs dug
Hắn quỳ xuống giữa phòng sau khi kéo rèm che, kiểm tra chiếc dây thắt bằng sợi lông đuôi ngựa được đóng đinh và buộc chặt quanh bắp đùi Tất cả môn đồ của Con Đường đều đeo vật này — một dây da với ngạnh kim loại sắc nhọn, nhắc nhở về sự chịu đựng của Chúa.
Mặc dù hôm nay Silas biết mính đeo vật này lâu hơn yêu cầu hai tiếng, hắn biết hôm nay không phải là một ngày bính thường Nắm lấy cái dây, hắn cột chặt nó lại thêm một mức nữa, co rúm deeper into his flesh Exhaling slowly, he savored the cleansing ritual of his pain.‖
(p.16) người khi những ngạnh sắc đâm sâu hơn vào da thịt Thở ra từ từ, hắn cảm nhận sự thanh sạch của nỗi đau đớn.‖ (p.15)
Analyzing the translation of the first three chapters of "The Da Vinci Code" using J House’s TQA model reveals significant mismatches from the source text, indicating serious translation issues While a few passages are well-translated, most of the target text contains errors stemming from careless translation and minimal editing These translation flaws extend across all twenty-three pages, resulting in a low-quality translation that diminishes the positive impact and overall reader impressions of the original novel.