VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYEN TIQ THU INEN AN EVALUATION OF THE VIETNAMESE TRANSLATED VERSION OF “THE CALL OF THE WILD” BY NGLYEN CUNG AI AND VU TUAN PHUONG Đánh giá bản dịch tiếng việt của tác phẩm “Tiếng gọi nơi hoang dữ” của hai dịch giả Nguyễn CHng Ai và Vũ Tuân Phương MINOR M.A THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 602215 TFanoi - 2012 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, IIANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYEN TID THU TEN IAN EVALUATION OF THE VIETNAMESE TRANSLATED VERSION OF “THE CALL OF THE WILD” BY NGUYEN CUNG AT AND VU TUAN PHUONG Dinh giá bản dịch tiỗng việt của tác phim “Tiéng goi noi hoang dữ" của dịch giả Nguyễn Cung Ái và VÑ Tuần Phương MINOR M.A TIIESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 60 2215 Supervisor: Pham Thi Thanh Thuy (Ph.d) Hanoi - 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract Acknowledgements. ‘Table of content. List of abbreviations. Rational for the study tà 2.
Objective of the study. Scope and method of the study.1 Scope of the study 3.2 Method of the study 4, Organization of the study. PART TI: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 11 Translation theory 1.1 Definition of translation 1.2 Translation methods and procedures.2 An evaluation of the translation version in the crilic’s Lets 2.3 An evaluation of the translation version as a piece of writing, independently of its original.8 The translation’s future. PART 3: DISCUSSION OF RESULTS AND CONCLUSION REFERENCES.
English version of the selected text Appendix L. Vietnamese version of the selected text. Appendix C: Evidence quoted from the original and the translated version the new harsh environment and rude owners. Therefore, the writer decides to make a comparison between the original version and the translated one to see whether the translators can transship both the comotative and denotative meaning of the source text into the target text or not.
Method of the study The goal of this study is to evaluate the quality of the translated version of “The Call of the Wild” by Nguyen Cung Ai and Vin Tuan Phuong. To reach this goal, I decide lo have an imsighl inion various translation qualily assessment models by different authors, among which Peter Newmark’s model is chosen as the main criteria for assessing the Vietnamese version of this masterpiece because of its strang points in terms of application, that. is casy to follow. During the assessing process, Contrastive Analysis approach will be applied to compare and evaluate the translated version against the original one This assessing process will be carried out as follows.
Furst, the original text will be read thoroughly and comprehensively, then the source text will be compared to its translation under the framework of NewMark’s TQA madel. According to his model, there are five main steps towards ‘'QA and the researcher is going to strictly follow them: ¥ Step 1: A brief analysis of the ST. text, streasing ils imlention and its funelional aspects v Step 2: the translator's interpretation of the ST. text’s purpose, his translation method and the translation’s likely readership ¥ Step 3: A selective but representative detailed comparison of the translation with ihe original in Lerms of both sematics and syntactics Y Step 4: an evaluation of the translation: - (a) in the translator’s terms, (b) in the critic’s terms, (c) as a piece of writing, independently of its original so that the readers can have better understanding of some models of translation quality assessment initiated by some famous linguists in the world like Nida and Taber, Peter Newmark, and J.
Within the limitation of the minor thesis, only some of these models will be introduced, and then, the model of Peter Newmark will be applied in evaluating the Vicinamese (ranslaled version of “The Call of the Wild” by Nguyen Cung Ai and Vu Tuan Phuong, two great and famous Vietnamese translators to point out both the strengths and weaknesses of translated texts m comparison wilh the onginal. Also, the author would like to investigate the prominent equivalence types the translator has achieved in translating this famous masterpiece so that other translators can get some experiences from them 6. Objective of the study This thesis mainly aims at answering the three research questions: * How good is the Vietnamese version of “The Call of the Wild” according ta Newinark’s model? ® What are the weaknesses of the translated version? *® What might be some lessons learned from the translation version? 7. Scope and method of the study 3.1 Scope of the study The masterpiece “The Call of the Wild” includes of seven chaplers in total.
Due to the limited time for this study, only Chapter Two of this short story will be chosen as the typical analysis of the success and the shortcomings of two translators in translating this masterpiece from English into Vietnamese. The title of this chapter is “The Law of Club and Hang” and the reason why this chapter is chosen is that the writer has had access to this chapter since she was a fourth year student. At that time, she had chances to learn aboul this chaplor im the subject “English Tatcrature”, whieh attracts her a lol Moreover, this is a moving chapter about the process in which the dog adapts itself to PART T: INTRODUCTION 5. Rational for the study Translation is an issue which attracts move and more attention from many people all over the world.
Nowadays, in the inevitable trend of globalization and integration, not only the professional translators but also many people working in different Gelds such as health care, economy, polities, cle, are concerned about the quality of translation. However, in fact, to have a high-quality translation version, especially in the field of literature, is nol an easy task and it involves a lol of skil s from the translators. According to the translator Thuy Toan(1 993), to have a good translation version, the translator must not only love his job and literature but also be good at their mother longue, know foreign languages, have a thorough knowledge of culture, work cautiously and be industrious at consulting. Krom his point of view, it is clear that translation is a challenging job, which requires the translator both the knowledge of the language and the background knowledge of the culture which the literary works belongs to.
Sometimes, due to lack of either of these or because of the translator’s carelessness, the translated version may not be concise enough. Even more seriously, it can transfer the wrong message that is attached in the Literary works. At present, in Viemam, works of literary translations are growing rapidly , even uncontrollably in quantity for commercial purposes , however, there has been no popular criterion for a good and valuable translated version. Besides the successfully -translated masterpieces such as Wuthering Heights (Pai gié hut), Harry Porter, Nornwei no mori (Rừng Nauy), The Centaur in the Garden (Con nhin ma @ trong vudn ), there still exists ones of bad quality, for example, the Vietnamese version of “he Da Vinci Code” (Mật mã Da Vinci) by translator Bo Thu Ha (Van Hoa-Thong Tin Publisher.
This Inmslation receives a lot of criticism right from publication because of the mistakes that she should not have made in terms of vocabulary, grammar and descriptions. For this reason, (he minor thesis would like to focus on the evaluation of one literary translation PART T: INTRODUCTION 5. Rational for the study Translation is an issue which attracts move and more attention from many people all over the world. Nowadays, in the inevitable trend of globalization and integration, not only the professional translators but also many people working in different Gelds such as health care, economy, polities, cle, are concerned about the quality of translation.
However, in fact, to have a high-quality translation version, especially in the field of literature, is nol an easy task and it involves a lol of skil s from the translators. According to the translator Thuy Toan(1 993), to have a good translation version, the translator must not only love his job and literature but also be good at their mother longue, know foreign languages, have a thorough knowledge of culture, work cautiously and be industrious at consulting. Krom his point of view, it is clear that translation is a challenging job, which requires the translator both the knowledge of the language and the background knowledge of the culture which the literary works belongs to. Sometimes, due to lack of either of these or because of the translator’s carelessness, the translated version may not be concise enough.
Even more seriously, it can transfer the wrong message that is attached in the Literary works. At present, in Viemam, works of literary translations are growing rapidly , even uncontrollably in quantity for commercial purposes , however, there has been no popular criterion for a good and valuable translated version. Besides the successfully -translated masterpieces such as Wuthering Heights (Pai gié hut), Harry Porter, Nornwei no mori (Rừng Nauy), The Centaur in the Garden (Con nhin ma @ trong vudn ), there still exists ones of bad quality, for example, the Vietnamese version of “he Da Vinci Code” (Mật mã Da Vinci) by translator Bo Thu Ha (Van Hoa-Thong Tin Publisher. This Inmslation receives a lot of criticism right from publication because of the mistakes that she should not have made in terms of vocabulary, grammar and descriptions.
For this reason, (he minor thesis would like to focus on the evaluation of one literary translation 1.2 Typss of translation equivalence.3 Translation asscssment/ evaluation.2 Translation Qualily Assessment Models 1.1 Julianne House and her model.2 Peter Newmark’s model. 16 CHAPTER 2: APPLICATION OF NEWMARK’S MODEL FOR 18 TRANSLATION QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF CHAPTER 2 OF “THE CALL OF THE WILD” 2.1A brief analysis of the Source Language text 2.2 The translator’s purpose.3 Comparing the translation with the original.4 An evaluation of the traustation.1 An evaluation of the translation version in the translator's 1.2 Typss of translation equivalence.3 Translation asscssment/ evaluation.2 Translation Qualily Assessment Models 1.1 Julianne House and her model.2 Peter Newmark’s model. 16 CHAPTER 2: APPLICATION OF NEWMARK’S MODEL FOR 18 TRANSLATION QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF CHAPTER 2 OF “THE CALL OF THE WILD” 2.1A brief analysis of the Source Language text 2.2 The translator’s purpose.3 Comparing the translation with the original.4 An evaluation of the traustation.1 An evaluation of the translation version in the translator's LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS TQA: Translation Quality Assessment ST: Source Text TT. Target Text SL; Source Language TL: Target Language vũ so that the readers can have better understanding of some models of translation quality assessment initiated by some famous linguists in the world like Nida and Taber, Peter Newmark, and J.
Within the limitation of the minor thesis, only some of these models will be introduced, and then, the model of Peter Newmark will be applied in evaluating the Vicinamese (ranslaled version of “The Call of the Wild” by Nguyen Cung Ai and Vu Tuan Phuong, two great and famous Vietnamese translators to point out both the strengths and weaknesses of translated texts m comparison wilh the onginal. Also, the author would like to investigate the prominent equivalence types the translator has achieved in translating this famous masterpiece so that other translators can get some experiences from them 6. Objective of the study This thesis mainly aims at answering the three research questions: * How good is the Vietnamese version of “The Call of the Wild” according ta Newinark’s model? ® What are the weaknesses of the translated version? *® What might be some lessons learned from the translation version? 7. Scope and method of the study 3.1 Scope of the study The masterpiece “The Call of the Wild” includes of seven chaplers in total.
