Luận văn an in depth analysis of the english vietnamese translation version of jack london's famous novel the call of the wild

Organization of the study The first chapter of the study will be Literature Review in which some related concepts of translation theory and typical models of translation quality assess

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST — GRADUATE STUDIKS

NGUYEN TH] HOAN

AN IN-DEPTII ANALYSIS OF TITE ENGLISH — VIETNAMESE

TRANSLATION VERSION OF JACK LONDON’S FAMOUS NOVEL “THE CALL OF TIE WILD”

(PHAN TICH SAU VE BAN DICH ANH - VIET CUON TIEU

THUYET NOI TIENG CUA JACK LONDON

“TIENG GOI NOT HOANG DA”)

MA MINOR THESIS

English Linguistics

60 2215

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNLVERSLTY, HANOL UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST — GRADUATE STUDIES

NGUYEN THI HOAN

AN IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF TITE ENGLISI — VIETNAMESE

TRANSLATION VERSION OF JACK LONDON’S FAMOUS NOVEL “THE CALL OF TITE WILD”

(PHAN TICH SAU VE BAN DICH ANH - VIET CUON TIEU

THUYET NOI TIENG CUA JACK LONDON

“TIENG GOI NOI HOANG DA”)

TT Objectives of the study

ILL Scope of the study

TV.Method of the study

V Organization of the study

CHAPTER 1]— LITERATURE REVIEW

T What is translation?

IL Literary translation

4.1 General characteristics of literary language

IL.2, Problems of literary translation _

Ti = Translation Quality Assessment

41 Proposed models

HIE.1.1, Nida’s response - based approach

1.1.3 Kollers text - based approach wee non om

HIE1.3, Peter Newmark's comprehensive criticism approach

THỊ.1.4 đuhamne House 's functional — pragmatic approach

THỊ.2 Representation dƒ Jhiianne House's TQA mođkk

HE2.1 Covert and Overt Translation

11F.2.2 Representation af J House's model

CHAPTER UI - ANALYSIS OF THE SOURCE TEXT, BASED ON J

IIOUSE’S MODEL

1 Brief introduction of the chapÉeT net

1.1 The audhor back Lon0H, cà ses we vs vies nọ nan e

1.2, The novel “The Caill of the Wild”

1.8 introduction of Chapter 6

IL Discourse features of the source text

2 0S esses es sos vi ve es es ets vie esto

ED, Textual features soc ove cn va oss oe

TL = Analysis of the source text based on J House’s model

HLT Dimension of language usta e+

HI.2, Dimension of language use

TV.Statement of function

CHAPTER I]: COMPARISON BETWEEN THE SOURCE TEXT

AND LTS VIETNAMESE TRANSLATLON VERSION

LL Overtly Erroneous Errors

TIL Statementof Quality and Translation Type

CHAPTER I:

LITERATURE REVIEW

L ‘What is translation?

There have been many different definitions of translation so far From

the researcher's point of view, however, 5 following definitions should be taken into consideration

- ‘Translation is a craft consisting in the attempt to replace a written

message and/or statement in one language by the same message and/or

statement in another language (Peter Newmark, 1988)

- Translation deals with the signs and attempts to prescrve scmiolic, as

well other pragmatic and communicative, properties which signs display

(Basil Hatim and lan Mason, 1990)

- Translation is ihe replacement of a text in the source language by a

semantically and pragmatically equivalent text in the target language

(THouậc, 1977)

- Translation is to produce in the receptor language the closest natural equivalence to the message of the source language, first in meaning and

second in style (Nida, 1975)

- ‘translation means the replacement of a text in one language (Source

Language) by an cquivalent in another language (Target Language)

(Cartford, 1965)

‘The five definitions of Peter Newmark, Basil Hatim and lan Mason, J

House, Nida, and Cartford are expressed in different ways However, they all

share the same essence of translation which lies in the preservation of semantic, pragmatic, and textual aspects of meaning across two different

languages

Ui Literary translation

Literary studies have always, explicitly or implicitly, presupposed a

certain notion of “hterariness” This notion of “literariness” is crucial for the

theoretical thinking about literary translation In the following part, the

rescarcher attempts to put forward some gencral characteristics of literary

language and typical problems of literary translation

IL.1 General characteristics of literary language

translation is no longer a matter of finding verbal cquivalents but also

interpreting a text encoded in one semiotic system with the assistance of another ‘The whole enterprise of finding cultural equivalents raises awareness

of the difference and similarilics belween cultures It alsa brings inte focus

the critical question of cultural identity Apparently, literary translation exerts

great influence on the target culture, and at the same time, the target culture

has never stopped restraining the process of literary translation It is held that

“there is always a context in which the translation takes place, always in a

history from which a text merges and into which a text is transposed”

(Lafervere: 1990: 11) As a matter of fact, literary translation is embedded with the constraints of a certain target cultural context

OI = Translation Quality Assessment

Translation Quality Assessment does not only deal with the ideal case

of integral communicative performance, in which target language aims at the

closest equivalence as regards the conceptual content, linguistic form and

communicative function of a SL text The practice of translation is subject to

a great many conditions which determine that such an integral communicative

performance cannot, or even should not, be achieved Thcodore Savory

(Readings in translation theories, 1957: 49) listed ten translation principles

gleaned from the titerature, some of which are directly contradictory while

others arc mutually complementary They provide an abundance of opinions

on what a good translation should be like

TIL.1 Proposed models

Over long history of translation quality assessment, linguists have kept

on putting forward their approaches to reach the best assessment for the

quality of translation

III.1.1 Nida’s response — based approach

Nida’s concern centered on a systematic approach to translation He

suggested three programmatic and general criteria (1964: 182) for quality

assessment of a translation, including general efficiency of the

conununication process, comprehension of imtent and equivalence of

response The third and most significant crilcrion is obviously close to Nida’s

basic principle of “Dynamic (or Functional) Equivalence of a translation’ In

other words, the manner the receptor of the translation text responds to the

translation is no longer a matter of finding verbal cquivalents but also

interpreting a text encoded in one semiotic system with the assistance of another ‘The whole enterprise of finding cultural equivalents raises awareness

of the difference and similarilics belween cultures It alsa brings inte focus

the critical question of cultural identity Apparently, literary translation exerts

great influence on the target culture, and at the same time, the target culture

has never stopped restraining the process of literary translation It is held that

“there is always a context in which the translation takes place, always in a

history from which a text merges and into which a text is transposed”

(Lafervere: 1990: 11) As a matter of fact, literary translation is embedded with the constraints of a certain target cultural context

OI = Translation Quality Assessment

Translation Quality Assessment does not only deal with the ideal case

of integral communicative performance, in which target language aims at the

closest equivalence as regards the conceptual content, linguistic form and

communicative function of a SL text The practice of translation is subject to

a great many conditions which determine that such an integral communicative

performance cannot, or even should not, be achieved Thcodore Savory

(Readings in translation theories, 1957: 49) listed ten translation principles

gleaned from the titerature, some of which are directly contradictory while

others arc mutually complementary They provide an abundance of opinions

on what a good translation should be like

TIL.1 Proposed models

Over long history of translation quality assessment, linguists have kept

on putting forward their approaches to reach the best assessment for the

quality of translation

III.1.1 Nida’s response — based approach

Nida’s concern centered on a systematic approach to translation He

suggested three programmatic and general criteria (1964: 182) for quality

assessment of a translation, including general efficiency of the

conununication process, comprehension of imtent and equivalence of

response The third and most significant crilcrion is obviously close to Nida’s

basic principle of “Dynamic (or Functional) Equivalence of a translation’ In

other words, the manner the receptor of the translation text responds to the

CHAPTER I:

LITERATURE REVIEW

L ‘What is translation?

There have been many different definitions of translation so far From

the researcher's point of view, however, 5 following definitions should be taken into consideration

- ‘Translation is a craft consisting in the attempt to replace a written

message and/or statement in one language by the same message and/or

statement in another language (Peter Newmark, 1988)

- Translation deals with the signs and attempts to prescrve scmiolic, as

well other pragmatic and communicative, properties which signs display

(Basil Hatim and lan Mason, 1990)

- Translation is ihe replacement of a text in the source language by a

semantically and pragmatically equivalent text in the target language

(THouậc, 1977)

- Translation is to produce in the receptor language the closest natural equivalence to the message of the source language, first in meaning and

second in style (Nida, 1975)

- ‘translation means the replacement of a text in one language (Source

Language) by an cquivalent in another language (Target Language)

(Cartford, 1965)

‘The five definitions of Peter Newmark, Basil Hatim and lan Mason, J

House, Nida, and Cartford are expressed in different ways However, they all

share the same essence of translation which lies in the preservation of semantic, pragmatic, and textual aspects of meaning across two different

languages

Ui Literary translation

Literary studies have always, explicitly or implicitly, presupposed a

certain notion of “hterariness” This notion of “literariness” is crucial for the

theoretical thinking about literary translation In the following part, the

rescarcher attempts to put forward some gencral characteristics of literary

language and typical problems of literary translation

IL.1 General characteristics of literary language

- What kind of translation, covert or overt, is employed?

Ill Scope of the study

As referred to carlicr, J Housc’s model is adopted to assess the quality

of the wanslation in this research This results from the fact that the models

proposed by Peter Newmark and other linguists’ only suit professionals in

translation, whilst J Housc’s madcl can be widely applicd by rescarchers

In terms of the data for analysis, the whole novel should have been

adopted to provide the researcher with a sufficient insight into the translation

quality of the Victnamese target text However, duc to its madest scale, this

study is merely confined to chapter 6 of the novel “The Call of the Wild”, which partly features Jack London’s basic writing style m the novel With

such @ limit sct out al the begining of the study, all the analysis and

comparison between the ST and the TT is only restricted in this chapter

IV Method of the study

The principal method employed in the study is Documentary Research,

using the outside sources (the ST and TT of chapter 6 “The Cail of the

Wild} to support the whole procedure of translation quality assessment

The researcher also combines both qualitative and quantitative research, analyzing data and providing the readers with deeper insights into

the distinclions and value in the ST and TT Some important conclusions can

be drawn from these analyses

Vv Organization of the study

The first chapter of the study will be Literature Review in which some

related concepts of translation theory and typical models of translation quality

assessment are discussed

In the second chapter, the research will introduce an overview of the

original lext?s content, and J [Touse’s model applied to analyze the ST

In the third chapter, the researcher will apply J House’s model to

analyze and compare English ST and its Victnamese TT to find out

mismatches and draw a conclusion of what type of translation is employed in

the study

CHAPTER I:

LITERATURE REVIEW

L ‘What is translation?

There have been many different definitions of translation so far From

the researcher's point of view, however, 5 following definitions should be taken into consideration

- ‘Translation is a craft consisting in the attempt to replace a written

message and/or statement in one language by the same message and/or

statement in another language (Peter Newmark, 1988)

- Translation deals with the signs and attempts to prescrve scmiolic, as

well other pragmatic and communicative, properties which signs display

(Basil Hatim and lan Mason, 1990)

- Translation is ihe replacement of a text in the source language by a

semantically and pragmatically equivalent text in the target language

(THouậc, 1977)

- Translation is to produce in the receptor language the closest natural equivalence to the message of the source language, first in meaning and

second in style (Nida, 1975)

- ‘translation means the replacement of a text in one language (Source

Language) by an cquivalent in another language (Target Language)

(Cartford, 1965)

‘The five definitions of Peter Newmark, Basil Hatim and lan Mason, J

House, Nida, and Cartford are expressed in different ways However, they all

share the same essence of translation which lies in the preservation of semantic, pragmatic, and textual aspects of meaning across two different

languages

Ui Literary translation

Literary studies have always, explicitly or implicitly, presupposed a

certain notion of “hterariness” This notion of “literariness” is crucial for the

theoretical thinking about literary translation In the following part, the

rescarcher attempts to put forward some gencral characteristics of literary

language and typical problems of literary translation

IL.1 General characteristics of literary language

understanding of the undercurrents in the nevel Tt ts, thus, clear that cultural

elements are central to any translation To support this idea, Nord (1997:11) states that “ a translation theory cannot draw on a linguistic theory alone

What il necds is a theory of culture to explain the specificity of

conununicative situations and the relationship between verbalized and non-

verbalized situational elements.”

U.2 Problems of litcrary translation

In order to create a good translation, a translator has to deal with many challenges, especially regarding literary translation where a number of

problems remain

Long — standing debates mainly consider finding equivalents not just

for lexis, syntax, or concopls, but also for [oaturos like style genre, figurative

language, historical stylistic dimensions, polyvalence, connotations as well as

denotations, cultural items and culture-specific concepts and values Options

made by translators such as whether to relain stylistic dimension of the

original become critical in literary translation As regards poetry translation, it

is neccessary for the translator to determine whether the versc should be

translated into verse, or into free verse or into prose In poetry, the form of

linguistic units cannot be modified without a corresponding change in

semantic, pragmalic, textual meaning Since the form cannot be detached

from ils meaning, this meaning cannot be expressed in another ways such as

paraphrases explanations and borrowing of new words is impossible in a translation of a poctic-aesthetic work of art

One of the prominent problems in translating literary texts is the

differences between cultures It is easily recognized by a translator who uses a

cultural approach that each language contains elements which are derived from its culture In addition, every text is anchored in a specific culture, and

conventions af text production and reception vary from culture to culture In

fact, translation is considered as a form of intercultural communication which

poses the problems not merely at verbal level or linguistic level ‘The

awareness that one docs not scck barely verbal equivalents but also for

cultural equivalents, if there are any, comes in handy in prompting the

translator to decide the strategics he or she has to use Accordingly,

CHAPTER I:

LITERATURE REVIEW

L ‘What is translation?

There have been many different definitions of translation so far From

the researcher's point of view, however, 5 following definitions should be taken into consideration

- ‘Translation is a craft consisting in the attempt to replace a written

message and/or statement in one language by the same message and/or

statement in another language (Peter Newmark, 1988)

- Translation deals with the signs and attempts to prescrve scmiolic, as

well other pragmatic and communicative, properties which signs display

(Basil Hatim and lan Mason, 1990)

- Translation is ihe replacement of a text in the source language by a

semantically and pragmatically equivalent text in the target language

(THouậc, 1977)

- Translation is to produce in the receptor language the closest natural equivalence to the message of the source language, first in meaning and

second in style (Nida, 1975)

- ‘translation means the replacement of a text in one language (Source

Language) by an cquivalent in another language (Target Language)

(Cartford, 1965)

‘The five definitions of Peter Newmark, Basil Hatim and lan Mason, J

House, Nida, and Cartford are expressed in different ways However, they all

share the same essence of translation which lies in the preservation of semantic, pragmatic, and textual aspects of meaning across two different

languages

Ui Literary translation

Literary studies have always, explicitly or implicitly, presupposed a

certain notion of “hterariness” This notion of “literariness” is crucial for the

theoretical thinking about literary translation In the following part, the

rescarcher attempts to put forward some gencral characteristics of literary

language and typical problems of literary translation

IL.1 General characteristics of literary language

TNTRODUCTION

1 Rationale for the study

Over the past years, translation has been playing a crucial part in

bridging two culturcs and has cnabled the advances of modern life and

internationalism of around the world In literature, foreign poetry and prose into the curriculum also increasmgly covers much ground, which brings

translation to more atlention However, the translation of literary works is not

aneasy to deal matter and the question of how a gocd translation text is

measured has never ceased to challenge linguists

In fact, Translation Quality Assessment (TQA) has been addressed by

many linguists so far and it remains a controversial topic with many a theory

proposed Among many linguists wha have put forward models to carry out a

comprehensive assessment, J Ilouse is chosen by most researchers because of

the best applicability of her model, based mainly on the theory of functional

grammar by K Halliday

The novel “The Call of the Wild” by Jack London is the author’s first

literary work, which helped him rise to the prominence as the top author of American literature in the carly 20" century The rescarcher has taken the translation version by Nguyễn Công Ai and Va Tuan Phuong to measure how

well the translation is

The novel also characterizes Jack London’s writing style,

straightforward but formal, which is embraced in each chapter of the novel In

this miner study, Chapter 6 of the novel titled “Kor the love of a man” is

chosen as the data [or the analysis This chaptor is the only anc which reveals

Buck’s passionate love for his master and this love demonstrates the humanity

in the whole novel

Il Objectives of the study

The study aims at investigating the translation quality of the target text

of Chapter 6 in full comparison with the source text, based on J House's

model

At the end of this study, the answers to the following research questions

should be provided

- What are the features of the ST, according lo J House’s model?

- What are the mismatches of the TT in comparison with the ST?

translation is no longer a matter of finding verbal cquivalents but also

interpreting a text encoded in one semiotic system with the assistance of another ‘The whole enterprise of finding cultural equivalents raises awareness

of the difference and similarilics belween cultures It alsa brings inte focus

the critical question of cultural identity Apparently, literary translation exerts

great influence on the target culture, and at the same time, the target culture

has never stopped restraining the process of literary translation It is held that

“there is always a context in which the translation takes place, always in a

history from which a text merges and into which a text is transposed”

(Lafervere: 1990: 11) As a matter of fact, literary translation is embedded with the constraints of a certain target cultural context

OI = Translation Quality Assessment

Translation Quality Assessment does not only deal with the ideal case

of integral communicative performance, in which target language aims at the

closest equivalence as regards the conceptual content, linguistic form and

communicative function of a SL text The practice of translation is subject to

a great many conditions which determine that such an integral communicative

performance cannot, or even should not, be achieved Thcodore Savory

(Readings in translation theories, 1957: 49) listed ten translation principles

gleaned from the titerature, some of which are directly contradictory while

others arc mutually complementary They provide an abundance of opinions

on what a good translation should be like

TIL.1 Proposed models

Over long history of translation quality assessment, linguists have kept

on putting forward their approaches to reach the best assessment for the

quality of translation

III.1.1 Nida’s response — based approach

Nida’s concern centered on a systematic approach to translation He

suggested three programmatic and general criteria (1964: 182) for quality

assessment of a translation, including general efficiency of the

conununication process, comprehension of imtent and equivalence of

response The third and most significant crilcrion is obviously close to Nida’s

basic principle of “Dynamic (or Functional) Equivalence of a translation’ In

other words, the manner the receptor of the translation text responds to the

understanding of the undercurrents in the nevel Tt ts, thus, clear that cultural

elements are central to any translation To support this idea, Nord (1997:11) states that “ a translation theory cannot draw on a linguistic theory alone

What il necds is a theory of culture to explain the specificity of

conununicative situations and the relationship between verbalized and non-

verbalized situational elements.”

U.2 Problems of litcrary translation

In order to create a good translation, a translator has to deal with many challenges, especially regarding literary translation where a number of

problems remain

Long — standing debates mainly consider finding equivalents not just

for lexis, syntax, or concopls, but also for [oaturos like style genre, figurative

language, historical stylistic dimensions, polyvalence, connotations as well as

denotations, cultural items and culture-specific concepts and values Options

made by translators such as whether to relain stylistic dimension of the

original become critical in literary translation As regards poetry translation, it

is neccessary for the translator to determine whether the versc should be

translated into verse, or into free verse or into prose In poetry, the form of

linguistic units cannot be modified without a corresponding change in

semantic, pragmalic, textual meaning Since the form cannot be detached

from ils meaning, this meaning cannot be expressed in another ways such as

paraphrases explanations and borrowing of new words is impossible in a translation of a poctic-aesthetic work of art

One of the prominent problems in translating literary texts is the

differences between cultures It is easily recognized by a translator who uses a

cultural approach that each language contains elements which are derived from its culture In addition, every text is anchored in a specific culture, and

conventions af text production and reception vary from culture to culture In

fact, translation is considered as a form of intercultural communication which

poses the problems not merely at verbal level or linguistic level ‘The

awareness that one docs not scck barely verbal equivalents but also for

cultural equivalents, if there are any, comes in handy in prompting the

translator to decide the strategics he or she has to use Accordingly,

understanding of the undercurrents in the nevel Tt ts, thus, clear that cultural

elements are central to any translation To support this idea, Nord (1997:11) states that “ a translation theory cannot draw on a linguistic theory alone

What il necds is a theory of culture to explain the specificity of

conununicative situations and the relationship between verbalized and non-

verbalized situational elements.”

U.2 Problems of litcrary translation

In order to create a good translation, a translator has to deal with many challenges, especially regarding literary translation where a number of

problems remain

Long — standing debates mainly consider finding equivalents not just

for lexis, syntax, or concopls, but also for [oaturos like style genre, figurative

language, historical stylistic dimensions, polyvalence, connotations as well as

denotations, cultural items and culture-specific concepts and values Options

made by translators such as whether to relain stylistic dimension of the

original become critical in literary translation As regards poetry translation, it

is neccessary for the translator to determine whether the versc should be

translated into verse, or into free verse or into prose In poetry, the form of

linguistic units cannot be modified without a corresponding change in

semantic, pragmalic, textual meaning Since the form cannot be detached

from ils meaning, this meaning cannot be expressed in another ways such as

paraphrases explanations and borrowing of new words is impossible in a translation of a poctic-aesthetic work of art

One of the prominent problems in translating literary texts is the

differences between cultures It is easily recognized by a translator who uses a

cultural approach that each language contains elements which are derived from its culture In addition, every text is anchored in a specific culture, and

conventions af text production and reception vary from culture to culture In

fact, translation is considered as a form of intercultural communication which

poses the problems not merely at verbal level or linguistic level ‘The

awareness that one docs not scck barely verbal equivalents but also for

cultural equivalents, if there are any, comes in handy in prompting the

translator to decide the strategics he or she has to use Accordingly,

- What kind of translation, covert or overt, is employed?

Ill Scope of the study

As referred to carlicr, J Housc’s model is adopted to assess the quality

of the wanslation in this research This results from the fact that the models

proposed by Peter Newmark and other linguists’ only suit professionals in

translation, whilst J Housc’s madcl can be widely applicd by rescarchers

In terms of the data for analysis, the whole novel should have been

adopted to provide the researcher with a sufficient insight into the translation

quality of the Victnamese target text However, duc to its madest scale, this

study is merely confined to chapter 6 of the novel “The Call of the Wild”, which partly features Jack London’s basic writing style m the novel With

such @ limit sct out al the begining of the study, all the analysis and

comparison between the ST and the TT is only restricted in this chapter

IV Method of the study

The principal method employed in the study is Documentary Research,

using the outside sources (the ST and TT of chapter 6 “The Cail of the

Wild} to support the whole procedure of translation quality assessment

The researcher also combines both qualitative and quantitative research, analyzing data and providing the readers with deeper insights into

the distinclions and value in the ST and TT Some important conclusions can

be drawn from these analyses

Vv Organization of the study

The first chapter of the study will be Literature Review in which some

related concepts of translation theory and typical models of translation quality

assessment are discussed

In the second chapter, the research will introduce an overview of the

original lext?s content, and J [Touse’s model applied to analyze the ST

In the third chapter, the researcher will apply J House’s model to

analyze and compare English ST and its Victnamese TT to find out

mismatches and draw a conclusion of what type of translation is employed in

the study

Literature is the usc of well-chosen words to tell a story through

narrative, involving characters in conflict, or to express an emotion or idea

through artfully arranged images ‘Ihe purpose of literature is to entertain and

instruct (or lo delight or cnlighicn) the reader Uhrough the use of imagination

Literature can shock, amaze or help readers make an escape from the reality

tor a while

As [ar as we know, literary language is a part of general linguistics

Thus, almost linguistic features used in literary texts are taken from general

linguistics However, literary language possesses some typical characteristics

Literary language possesses all the features that assist in realizing the descriptive goal of literary texts As Peter Mark (1995: 13) states, there is “an

cmphasis linking verbs, adjective, and adjectival nouns.” Besides, literary

texts consist of the linguistic particularities relating to “major topics as

cohesion, manning patterns, modality, and evaluation, the structure of

narratives, the recording of character specch and thought, clause processes

and participants, and the dynamic of dialogue, presupposition and textual

revision.” (Michael Toolan — 1998)

Literary tcxts, espevially in poetry, also carry the metrical and para-

metrical features of language This is an adaptation of the linguistic form

which is called the prosodic phonological form A linguistic form which is

also used in literary language is parallelism in syntax, semantics, and lexis

With regards to narrative, one of the aspects of narrative form which

exists independently of language is the macro-strecture, or large-scale

structure As far as we know, it seems generally agreed upon that the structure

of the stories cannot adequately be accounted for in terms of their sentence

structures alone Notions such as plot, scheme, theme, and plan have been

used, both in classical lilerary scholarship and in structural analysis of myths,

folktales and other simple stories, in order to denote more global narrative

structures

In addition, literary language is closely related to cultural elements

‘These cultural elements marked out the patterns and threads in the narrative

whereby the overall cullural gap thal has to be bridged and gauged, and some

consideration can also be given to the balance of items to be domesticated and

foreignised Moreover, these elements provide insights to the author and an

Literature is the usc of well-chosen words to tell a story through

narrative, involving characters in conflict, or to express an emotion or idea

through artfully arranged images ‘Ihe purpose of literature is to entertain and

instruct (or lo delight or cnlighicn) the reader Uhrough the use of imagination

Literature can shock, amaze or help readers make an escape from the reality

tor a while

As [ar as we know, literary language is a part of general linguistics

Thus, almost linguistic features used in literary texts are taken from general

linguistics However, literary language possesses some typical characteristics

Literary language possesses all the features that assist in realizing the descriptive goal of literary texts As Peter Mark (1995: 13) states, there is “an

cmphasis linking verbs, adjective, and adjectival nouns.” Besides, literary

texts consist of the linguistic particularities relating to “major topics as

cohesion, manning patterns, modality, and evaluation, the structure of

narratives, the recording of character specch and thought, clause processes

and participants, and the dynamic of dialogue, presupposition and textual

revision.” (Michael Toolan — 1998)

Literary tcxts, espevially in poetry, also carry the metrical and para-

metrical features of language This is an adaptation of the linguistic form

which is called the prosodic phonological form A linguistic form which is

also used in literary language is parallelism in syntax, semantics, and lexis

With regards to narrative, one of the aspects of narrative form which

exists independently of language is the macro-strecture, or large-scale

structure As far as we know, it seems generally agreed upon that the structure

of the stories cannot adequately be accounted for in terms of their sentence

structures alone Notions such as plot, scheme, theme, and plan have been

used, both in classical lilerary scholarship and in structural analysis of myths,

folktales and other simple stories, in order to denote more global narrative

structures

In addition, literary language is closely related to cultural elements

‘These cultural elements marked out the patterns and threads in the narrative

whereby the overall cullural gap thal has to be bridged and gauged, and some

consideration can also be given to the balance of items to be domesticated and

foreignised Moreover, these elements provide insights to the author and an

translation is no longer a matter of finding verbal cquivalents but also

interpreting a text encoded in one semiotic system with the assistance of another ‘The whole enterprise of finding cultural equivalents raises awareness

of the difference and similarilics belween cultures It alsa brings inte focus

the critical question of cultural identity Apparently, literary translation exerts

great influence on the target culture, and at the same time, the target culture

has never stopped restraining the process of literary translation It is held that

“there is always a context in which the translation takes place, always in a

history from which a text merges and into which a text is transposed”

(Lafervere: 1990: 11) As a matter of fact, literary translation is embedded with the constraints of a certain target cultural context

OI = Translation Quality Assessment

Translation Quality Assessment does not only deal with the ideal case

of integral communicative performance, in which target language aims at the

closest equivalence as regards the conceptual content, linguistic form and

communicative function of a SL text The practice of translation is subject to

a great many conditions which determine that such an integral communicative

performance cannot, or even should not, be achieved Thcodore Savory

(Readings in translation theories, 1957: 49) listed ten translation principles

gleaned from the titerature, some of which are directly contradictory while

others arc mutually complementary They provide an abundance of opinions

on what a good translation should be like

TIL.1 Proposed models

Over long history of translation quality assessment, linguists have kept

on putting forward their approaches to reach the best assessment for the

quality of translation

III.1.1 Nida’s response — based approach

Nida’s concern centered on a systematic approach to translation He

suggested three programmatic and general criteria (1964: 182) for quality

assessment of a translation, including general efficiency of the

conununication process, comprehension of imtent and equivalence of

response The third and most significant crilcrion is obviously close to Nida’s

basic principle of “Dynamic (or Functional) Equivalence of a translation’ In

other words, the manner the receptor of the translation text responds to the

understanding of the undercurrents in the nevel Tt ts, thus, clear that cultural

elements are central to any translation To support this idea, Nord (1997:11) states that “ a translation theory cannot draw on a linguistic theory alone

What il necds is a theory of culture to explain the specificity of

conununicative situations and the relationship between verbalized and non-

verbalized situational elements.”

U.2 Problems of litcrary translation

In order to create a good translation, a translator has to deal with many challenges, especially regarding literary translation where a number of

problems remain

Long — standing debates mainly consider finding equivalents not just

for lexis, syntax, or concopls, but also for [oaturos like style genre, figurative

language, historical stylistic dimensions, polyvalence, connotations as well as

denotations, cultural items and culture-specific concepts and values Options

made by translators such as whether to relain stylistic dimension of the

original become critical in literary translation As regards poetry translation, it

is neccessary for the translator to determine whether the versc should be

translated into verse, or into free verse or into prose In poetry, the form of

linguistic units cannot be modified without a corresponding change in

semantic, pragmalic, textual meaning Since the form cannot be detached

from ils meaning, this meaning cannot be expressed in another ways such as

paraphrases explanations and borrowing of new words is impossible in a translation of a poctic-aesthetic work of art

One of the prominent problems in translating literary texts is the

differences between cultures It is easily recognized by a translator who uses a

cultural approach that each language contains elements which are derived from its culture In addition, every text is anchored in a specific culture, and

conventions af text production and reception vary from culture to culture In

fact, translation is considered as a form of intercultural communication which

poses the problems not merely at verbal level or linguistic level ‘The

awareness that one docs not scck barely verbal equivalents but also for

cultural equivalents, if there are any, comes in handy in prompting the

translator to decide the strategics he or she has to use Accordingly,

1.2, The novel “The Caill of the Wild”

1.8 introduction of Chapter 6

IL Discourse features of the source text

2 0S esses es sos vi ve es es ets vie esto

ED, Textual features soc ove cn va oss oe

TL = Analysis of the source text based on J House’s model

HLT Dimension of language usta e+

HI.2, Dimension of language use

TV.Statement of function

CHAPTER I]: COMPARISON BETWEEN THE SOURCE TEXT

AND LTS VIETNAMESE TRANSLATLON VERSION

LL Overtly Erroneous Errors

TIL Statementof Quality and Translation Type

translation is no longer a matter of finding verbal cquivalents but also

interpreting a text encoded in one semiotic system with the assistance of another ‘The whole enterprise of finding cultural equivalents raises awareness

of the difference and similarilics belween cultures It alsa brings inte focus

the critical question of cultural identity Apparently, literary translation exerts

great influence on the target culture, and at the same time, the target culture

has never stopped restraining the process of literary translation It is held that

“there is always a context in which the translation takes place, always in a

history from which a text merges and into which a text is transposed”

(Lafervere: 1990: 11) As a matter of fact, literary translation is embedded with the constraints of a certain target cultural context

OI = Translation Quality Assessment

Translation Quality Assessment does not only deal with the ideal case

of integral communicative performance, in which target language aims at the

closest equivalence as regards the conceptual content, linguistic form and

communicative function of a SL text The practice of translation is subject to

a great many conditions which determine that such an integral communicative

performance cannot, or even should not, be achieved Thcodore Savory

(Readings in translation theories, 1957: 49) listed ten translation principles

gleaned from the titerature, some of which are directly contradictory while

others arc mutually complementary They provide an abundance of opinions

on what a good translation should be like

TIL.1 Proposed models

Over long history of translation quality assessment, linguists have kept

on putting forward their approaches to reach the best assessment for the

quality of translation

III.1.1 Nida’s response — based approach

Nida’s concern centered on a systematic approach to translation He

suggested three programmatic and general criteria (1964: 182) for quality

assessment of a translation, including general efficiency of the

conununication process, comprehension of imtent and equivalence of

response The third and most significant crilcrion is obviously close to Nida’s

basic principle of “Dynamic (or Functional) Equivalence of a translation’ In

other words, the manner the receptor of the translation text responds to the

Literature is the usc of well-chosen words to tell a story through

narrative, involving characters in conflict, or to express an emotion or idea

through artfully arranged images ‘Ihe purpose of literature is to entertain and

instruct (or lo delight or cnlighicn) the reader Uhrough the use of imagination

Literature can shock, amaze or help readers make an escape from the reality

tor a while

As [ar as we know, literary language is a part of general linguistics

Thus, almost linguistic features used in literary texts are taken from general

linguistics However, literary language possesses some typical characteristics

Literary language possesses all the features that assist in realizing the descriptive goal of literary texts As Peter Mark (1995: 13) states, there is “an

cmphasis linking verbs, adjective, and adjectival nouns.” Besides, literary

texts consist of the linguistic particularities relating to “major topics as

cohesion, manning patterns, modality, and evaluation, the structure of

narratives, the recording of character specch and thought, clause processes

and participants, and the dynamic of dialogue, presupposition and textual

revision.” (Michael Toolan — 1998)

Literary tcxts, espevially in poetry, also carry the metrical and para-

metrical features of language This is an adaptation of the linguistic form

which is called the prosodic phonological form A linguistic form which is

also used in literary language is parallelism in syntax, semantics, and lexis

With regards to narrative, one of the aspects of narrative form which

exists independently of language is the macro-strecture, or large-scale

structure As far as we know, it seems generally agreed upon that the structure

of the stories cannot adequately be accounted for in terms of their sentence

structures alone Notions such as plot, scheme, theme, and plan have been

used, both in classical lilerary scholarship and in structural analysis of myths,

folktales and other simple stories, in order to denote more global narrative

structures

In addition, literary language is closely related to cultural elements

‘These cultural elements marked out the patterns and threads in the narrative

whereby the overall cullural gap thal has to be bridged and gauged, and some

consideration can also be given to the balance of items to be domesticated and

foreignised Moreover, these elements provide insights to the author and an

CHAPTER I:

LITERATURE REVIEW

L ‘What is translation?

There have been many different definitions of translation so far From

the researcher's point of view, however, 5 following definitions should be taken into consideration

- ‘Translation is a craft consisting in the attempt to replace a written

message and/or statement in one language by the same message and/or

statement in another language (Peter Newmark, 1988)

- Translation deals with the signs and attempts to prescrve scmiolic, as

well other pragmatic and communicative, properties which signs display

(Basil Hatim and lan Mason, 1990)

- Translation is ihe replacement of a text in the source language by a

semantically and pragmatically equivalent text in the target language

(THouậc, 1977)

- Translation is to produce in the receptor language the closest natural equivalence to the message of the source language, first in meaning and

second in style (Nida, 1975)

- ‘translation means the replacement of a text in one language (Source

Language) by an cquivalent in another language (Target Language)

(Cartford, 1965)

‘The five definitions of Peter Newmark, Basil Hatim and lan Mason, J

House, Nida, and Cartford are expressed in different ways However, they all

share the same essence of translation which lies in the preservation of semantic, pragmatic, and textual aspects of meaning across two different

languages

Ui Literary translation

Literary studies have always, explicitly or implicitly, presupposed a

certain notion of “hterariness” This notion of “literariness” is crucial for the

theoretical thinking about literary translation In the following part, the

rescarcher attempts to put forward some gencral characteristics of literary

language and typical problems of literary translation

IL.1 General characteristics of literary language

- What kind of translation, covert or overt, is employed?

Ill Scope of the study

As referred to carlicr, J Housc’s model is adopted to assess the quality

of the wanslation in this research This results from the fact that the models

proposed by Peter Newmark and other linguists’ only suit professionals in

translation, whilst J Housc’s madcl can be widely applicd by rescarchers

In terms of the data for analysis, the whole novel should have been

adopted to provide the researcher with a sufficient insight into the translation

quality of the Victnamese target text However, duc to its madest scale, this

study is merely confined to chapter 6 of the novel “The Call of the Wild”, which partly features Jack London’s basic writing style m the novel With

such @ limit sct out al the begining of the study, all the analysis and

comparison between the ST and the TT is only restricted in this chapter

IV Method of the study

The principal method employed in the study is Documentary Research,

using the outside sources (the ST and TT of chapter 6 “The Cail of the

Wild} to support the whole procedure of translation quality assessment

The researcher also combines both qualitative and quantitative research, analyzing data and providing the readers with deeper insights into

the distinclions and value in the ST and TT Some important conclusions can

be drawn from these analyses

Vv Organization of the study

The first chapter of the study will be Literature Review in which some

related concepts of translation theory and typical models of translation quality

assessment are discussed

In the second chapter, the research will introduce an overview of the

original lext?s content, and J [Touse’s model applied to analyze the ST

In the third chapter, the researcher will apply J House’s model to

analyze and compare English ST and its Victnamese TT to find out

mismatches and draw a conclusion of what type of translation is employed in

the study

- What kind of translation, covert or overt, is employed?

Ill Scope of the study

As referred to carlicr, J Housc’s model is adopted to assess the quality

of the wanslation in this research This results from the fact that the models

proposed by Peter Newmark and other linguists’ only suit professionals in

translation, whilst J Housc’s madcl can be widely applicd by rescarchers

In terms of the data for analysis, the whole novel should have been

adopted to provide the researcher with a sufficient insight into the translation

quality of the Victnamese target text However, duc to its madest scale, this

study is merely confined to chapter 6 of the novel “The Call of the Wild”, which partly features Jack London’s basic writing style m the novel With

such @ limit sct out al the begining of the study, all the analysis and

comparison between the ST and the TT is only restricted in this chapter

IV Method of the study

The principal method employed in the study is Documentary Research,

using the outside sources (the ST and TT of chapter 6 “The Cail of the

Wild} to support the whole procedure of translation quality assessment

The researcher also combines both qualitative and quantitative research, analyzing data and providing the readers with deeper insights into

the distinclions and value in the ST and TT Some important conclusions can

be drawn from these analyses

Vv Organization of the study

The first chapter of the study will be Literature Review in which some

related concepts of translation theory and typical models of translation quality

assessment are discussed

In the second chapter, the research will introduce an overview of the

original lext?s content, and J [Touse’s model applied to analyze the ST

In the third chapter, the researcher will apply J House’s model to

analyze and compare English ST and its Victnamese TT to find out

mismatches and draw a conclusion of what type of translation is employed in

the study

1.2, The novel “The Caill of the Wild”

1.8 introduction of Chapter 6

IL Discourse features of the source text

2 0S esses es sos vi ve es es ets vie esto

ED, Textual features soc ove cn va oss oe

TL = Analysis of the source text based on J House’s model

HLT Dimension of language usta e+

HI.2, Dimension of language use

TV.Statement of function

CHAPTER I]: COMPARISON BETWEEN THE SOURCE TEXT

AND LTS VIETNAMESE TRANSLATLON VERSION

LL Overtly Erroneous Errors

TIL Statementof Quality and Translation Type

TNTRODUCTION

1 Rationale for the study

Over the past years, translation has been playing a crucial part in

bridging two culturcs and has cnabled the advances of modern life and

internationalism of around the world In literature, foreign poetry and prose into the curriculum also increasmgly covers much ground, which brings

translation to more atlention However, the translation of literary works is not

aneasy to deal matter and the question of how a gocd translation text is

measured has never ceased to challenge linguists

In fact, Translation Quality Assessment (TQA) has been addressed by

many linguists so far and it remains a controversial topic with many a theory

proposed Among many linguists wha have put forward models to carry out a

comprehensive assessment, J Ilouse is chosen by most researchers because of

the best applicability of her model, based mainly on the theory of functional

grammar by K Halliday

The novel “The Call of the Wild” by Jack London is the author’s first

literary work, which helped him rise to the prominence as the top author of American literature in the carly 20" century The rescarcher has taken the translation version by Nguyễn Công Ai and Va Tuan Phuong to measure how

well the translation is

The novel also characterizes Jack London’s writing style,

straightforward but formal, which is embraced in each chapter of the novel In

this miner study, Chapter 6 of the novel titled “Kor the love of a man” is

chosen as the data [or the analysis This chaptor is the only anc which reveals

Buck’s passionate love for his master and this love demonstrates the humanity

in the whole novel

Il Objectives of the study

The study aims at investigating the translation quality of the target text

of Chapter 6 in full comparison with the source text, based on J House's

model

At the end of this study, the answers to the following research questions

should be provided

- What are the features of the ST, according lo J House’s model?

- What are the mismatches of the TT in comparison with the ST?

TNTRODUCTION

1 Rationale for the study

Over the past years, translation has been playing a crucial part in

bridging two culturcs and has cnabled the advances of modern life and

internationalism of around the world In literature, foreign poetry and prose into the curriculum also increasmgly covers much ground, which brings

translation to more atlention However, the translation of literary works is not

aneasy to deal matter and the question of how a gocd translation text is

measured has never ceased to challenge linguists

In fact, Translation Quality Assessment (TQA) has been addressed by

many linguists so far and it remains a controversial topic with many a theory

proposed Among many linguists wha have put forward models to carry out a

comprehensive assessment, J Ilouse is chosen by most researchers because of

the best applicability of her model, based mainly on the theory of functional

grammar by K Halliday

The novel “The Call of the Wild” by Jack London is the author’s first

literary work, which helped him rise to the prominence as the top author of American literature in the carly 20" century The rescarcher has taken the translation version by Nguyễn Công Ai and Va Tuan Phuong to measure how

well the translation is

The novel also characterizes Jack London’s writing style,

straightforward but formal, which is embraced in each chapter of the novel In

this miner study, Chapter 6 of the novel titled “Kor the love of a man” is

chosen as the data [or the analysis This chaptor is the only anc which reveals

Buck’s passionate love for his master and this love demonstrates the humanity

in the whole novel

Il Objectives of the study

The study aims at investigating the translation quality of the target text

of Chapter 6 in full comparison with the source text, based on J House's

model

At the end of this study, the answers to the following research questions

should be provided

- What are the features of the ST, according lo J House’s model?

- What are the mismatches of the TT in comparison with the ST?

1.2, The novel “The Caill of the Wild”

1.8 introduction of Chapter 6

IL Discourse features of the source text

2 0S esses es sos vi ve es es ets vie esto

ED, Textual features soc ove cn va oss oe

TL = Analysis of the source text based on J House’s model

HLT Dimension of language usta e+

HI.2, Dimension of language use

TV.Statement of function

CHAPTER I]: COMPARISON BETWEEN THE SOURCE TEXT

AND LTS VIETNAMESE TRANSLATLON VERSION

LL Overtly Erroneous Errors

TIL Statementof Quality and Translation Type

- What kind of translation, covert or overt, is employed?

Ill Scope of the study

As referred to carlicr, J Housc’s model is adopted to assess the quality

of the wanslation in this research This results from the fact that the models

proposed by Peter Newmark and other linguists’ only suit professionals in

translation, whilst J Housc’s madcl can be widely applicd by rescarchers

In terms of the data for analysis, the whole novel should have been

adopted to provide the researcher with a sufficient insight into the translation

quality of the Victnamese target text However, duc to its madest scale, this

study is merely confined to chapter 6 of the novel “The Call of the Wild”, which partly features Jack London’s basic writing style m the novel With

such @ limit sct out al the begining of the study, all the analysis and

comparison between the ST and the TT is only restricted in this chapter

IV Method of the study

The principal method employed in the study is Documentary Research,

using the outside sources (the ST and TT of chapter 6 “The Cail of the

Wild} to support the whole procedure of translation quality assessment

The researcher also combines both qualitative and quantitative research, analyzing data and providing the readers with deeper insights into

the distinclions and value in the ST and TT Some important conclusions can

be drawn from these analyses

Vv Organization of the study

The first chapter of the study will be Literature Review in which some

related concepts of translation theory and typical models of translation quality

assessment are discussed

In the second chapter, the research will introduce an overview of the

original lext?s content, and J [Touse’s model applied to analyze the ST

In the third chapter, the researcher will apply J House’s model to

analyze and compare English ST and its Victnamese TT to find out

mismatches and draw a conclusion of what type of translation is employed in

the study

Literature is the usc of well-chosen words to tell a story through

narrative, involving characters in conflict, or to express an emotion or idea

through artfully arranged images ‘Ihe purpose of literature is to entertain and

instruct (or lo delight or cnlighicn) the reader Uhrough the use of imagination

Literature can shock, amaze or help readers make an escape from the reality

tor a while

As [ar as we know, literary language is a part of general linguistics

Thus, almost linguistic features used in literary texts are taken from general

linguistics However, literary language possesses some typical characteristics

Literary language possesses all the features that assist in realizing the descriptive goal of literary texts As Peter Mark (1995: 13) states, there is “an

cmphasis linking verbs, adjective, and adjectival nouns.” Besides, literary

texts consist of the linguistic particularities relating to “major topics as

cohesion, manning patterns, modality, and evaluation, the structure of

narratives, the recording of character specch and thought, clause processes

and participants, and the dynamic of dialogue, presupposition and textual

revision.” (Michael Toolan — 1998)

Literary tcxts, espevially in poetry, also carry the metrical and para-

metrical features of language This is an adaptation of the linguistic form

which is called the prosodic phonological form A linguistic form which is

also used in literary language is parallelism in syntax, semantics, and lexis

With regards to narrative, one of the aspects of narrative form which

exists independently of language is the macro-strecture, or large-scale

structure As far as we know, it seems generally agreed upon that the structure

of the stories cannot adequately be accounted for in terms of their sentence

structures alone Notions such as plot, scheme, theme, and plan have been

used, both in classical lilerary scholarship and in structural analysis of myths,

folktales and other simple stories, in order to denote more global narrative

structures

In addition, literary language is closely related to cultural elements

‘These cultural elements marked out the patterns and threads in the narrative

whereby the overall cullural gap thal has to be bridged and gauged, and some

consideration can also be given to the balance of items to be domesticated and

foreignised Moreover, these elements provide insights to the author and an

1.2, The novel “The Caill of the Wild”

1.8 introduction of Chapter 6

IL Discourse features of the source text

2 0S esses es sos vi ve es es ets vie esto

ED, Textual features soc ove cn va oss oe

TL = Analysis of the source text based on J House’s model

HLT Dimension of language usta e+

HI.2, Dimension of language use

TV.Statement of function

CHAPTER I]: COMPARISON BETWEEN THE SOURCE TEXT

AND LTS VIETNAMESE TRANSLATLON VERSION

LL Overtly Erroneous Errors

TIL Statementof Quality and Translation Type

TNTRODUCTION

1 Rationale for the study

Over the past years, translation has been playing a crucial part in

bridging two culturcs and has cnabled the advances of modern life and

internationalism of around the world In literature, foreign poetry and prose into the curriculum also increasmgly covers much ground, which brings

translation to more atlention However, the translation of literary works is not

aneasy to deal matter and the question of how a gocd translation text is

measured has never ceased to challenge linguists

In fact, Translation Quality Assessment (TQA) has been addressed by

many linguists so far and it remains a controversial topic with many a theory

proposed Among many linguists wha have put forward models to carry out a

comprehensive assessment, J Ilouse is chosen by most researchers because of

the best applicability of her model, based mainly on the theory of functional

grammar by K Halliday

The novel “The Call of the Wild” by Jack London is the author’s first

literary work, which helped him rise to the prominence as the top author of American literature in the carly 20" century The rescarcher has taken the translation version by Nguyễn Công Ai and Va Tuan Phuong to measure how

well the translation is

The novel also characterizes Jack London’s writing style,

straightforward but formal, which is embraced in each chapter of the novel In

this miner study, Chapter 6 of the novel titled “Kor the love of a man” is

chosen as the data [or the analysis This chaptor is the only anc which reveals

Buck’s passionate love for his master and this love demonstrates the humanity

in the whole novel

Il Objectives of the study

The study aims at investigating the translation quality of the target text

of Chapter 6 in full comparison with the source text, based on J House's

model

At the end of this study, the answers to the following research questions

should be provided

- What are the features of the ST, according lo J House’s model?

- What are the mismatches of the TT in comparison with the ST?

- What kind of translation, covert or overt, is employed?

Ill Scope of the study

As referred to carlicr, J Housc’s model is adopted to assess the quality

of the wanslation in this research This results from the fact that the models

proposed by Peter Newmark and other linguists’ only suit professionals in

translation, whilst J Housc’s madcl can be widely applicd by rescarchers

In terms of the data for analysis, the whole novel should have been

adopted to provide the researcher with a sufficient insight into the translation

quality of the Victnamese target text However, duc to its madest scale, this

study is merely confined to chapter 6 of the novel “The Call of the Wild”, which partly features Jack London’s basic writing style m the novel With

such @ limit sct out al the begining of the study, all the analysis and

comparison between the ST and the TT is only restricted in this chapter

IV Method of the study

The principal method employed in the study is Documentary Research,

using the outside sources (the ST and TT of chapter 6 “The Cail of the

Wild} to support the whole procedure of translation quality assessment

The researcher also combines both qualitative and quantitative research, analyzing data and providing the readers with deeper insights into

the distinclions and value in the ST and TT Some important conclusions can

be drawn from these analyses

Vv Organization of the study

The first chapter of the study will be Literature Review in which some

related concepts of translation theory and typical models of translation quality

assessment are discussed

In the second chapter, the research will introduce an overview of the

original lext?s content, and J [Touse’s model applied to analyze the ST

In the third chapter, the researcher will apply J House’s model to

analyze and compare English ST and its Victnamese TT to find out

mismatches and draw a conclusion of what type of translation is employed in

the study

understanding of the undercurrents in the nevel Tt ts, thus, clear that cultural

elements are central to any translation To support this idea, Nord (1997:11) states that “ a translation theory cannot draw on a linguistic theory alone

What il necds is a theory of culture to explain the specificity of

conununicative situations and the relationship between verbalized and non-

verbalized situational elements.”

U.2 Problems of litcrary translation

In order to create a good translation, a translator has to deal with many challenges, especially regarding literary translation where a number of

problems remain

Long — standing debates mainly consider finding equivalents not just

for lexis, syntax, or concopls, but also for [oaturos like style genre, figurative

language, historical stylistic dimensions, polyvalence, connotations as well as

denotations, cultural items and culture-specific concepts and values Options

made by translators such as whether to relain stylistic dimension of the

original become critical in literary translation As regards poetry translation, it

is neccessary for the translator to determine whether the versc should be

translated into verse, or into free verse or into prose In poetry, the form of

linguistic units cannot be modified without a corresponding change in

semantic, pragmalic, textual meaning Since the form cannot be detached

from ils meaning, this meaning cannot be expressed in another ways such as

paraphrases explanations and borrowing of new words is impossible in a translation of a poctic-aesthetic work of art

One of the prominent problems in translating literary texts is the

differences between cultures It is easily recognized by a translator who uses a

cultural approach that each language contains elements which are derived from its culture In addition, every text is anchored in a specific culture, and

conventions af text production and reception vary from culture to culture In

fact, translation is considered as a form of intercultural communication which

poses the problems not merely at verbal level or linguistic level ‘The

awareness that one docs not scck barely verbal equivalents but also for

cultural equivalents, if there are any, comes in handy in prompting the

translator to decide the strategics he or she has to use Accordingly,