a translation quality assessment of the vietnamese version of the novel the adventures of tom sawyer by ngụy mộng huyền and hoàng văn phương 2001 using peter newmarks model

THANG LONG UNIVERSITY ENGLISH DEPARTMENT o0o A TRANSLATION QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF THE VIETNAMESE VERSION OF THE NOVEL “THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER” BY NGỤY MỘNG HUYỀN AND HOÀNG VĂN PHƯƠNG (2001) USING PETER NEWMARK’S MODEL Supervisor: M.A Phạm Thái Sơn Student: Vũ Minh Châu Student code: A32979 Hanoi, May 2021 TABLE OF CONTENT CHAPTER 1.1 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Translation theory 1.1.1 Definition of translation 1.1.2 Translation methods 1.1.3 Translation Equivalence 1.2 1.1.3.1 Definition 1.1.3.2 Types of equivalence Translation Quality Assessment 1.2.1 Definition 1.2.2 Translation Quality Assessment Model of Peter Newmark CHAPTER ASSESSMENT OF THE VIETNAMESE VERSION OF “THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER” BY NGỤY MỘNG HUYỀN AND HOÀNG VĂN PHƯƠNG USING PETER NEWMARK’S MODEL .6 2.1 A brief analysis of the source language text 2.1.1 The author’s purpose 2.1.2 Characterization of the readership 2.1.3 Translator’s purpose .7 2.2 The translator’s interpretation .7 2.2.1 The translator’s method 2.2.2 Omission of original text 2.3 Comparison of the translation with the original 2.3.1 The title 2.3.2 The structure 2.3.3 Proper names 10 2.3.3.1 People’s names .10 2.3.3.2 Geographical names .10 2.3.3.3 Other names 11 2.3.4 Some issues 11 a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model 2.3.4.1 Mistranslation 11 2.3.4.2 Sentences sound unnatural in the target language 11 2.4 An evaluation of the translation 12 2.5 Potential importance of the work within the target language culture 13 a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS SL: Source Language TL: Target Language ST: Source Text TT: Target Text a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model INTRODUCTION In the age of globalization, Vietnam has had the opportunities to raise the country’s economy as well as the people’s living standard In the process of integration, Vietnam also adopted many foreign literatures As there are an enormous amount of foreign literary works need to be translated, the role of translation has become more and more important In order to catch up with the development of society, translators have to prepare themselves with broad cultural and social knowledge along with scrupulousness With hundreds of literary works published every year, translation quality control seems to be an impossible task Besides many highly recommended translation works, there are still many poor-quality translation versions Fortunately, the translated version of “The adventures of Tom Saywer” by Ngụy Mộng Huyền and Hoàng Văn Phương was not one of them Since the day of its released, this translated version has been trusted by many book publishers However, it is not true to say that Ngụy Mộng Huyền and Hoàng Văn Phương’s version has no drawbacks “The adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Mark Twain is a story about a boy growing up along the Mississippi River Everyone who read this book, either kids or adults, can enjoy and remember the pleasant time when they were young Therefore, this assessment aim to focus on the evaluation of one particular literary translation in order to help readers and booklovers have a better comprehension of some models of translation quality assessment initiated by notable linguists in the world such as Peter Newmark The translation assessment model by Peter Newmark will be introduced and selected as the main way to evaluate Ngụy Mộng Huyền and Hoàng Văn Phương’s “The adventures of Tom Sawyer” translated version Through this model, we can discover the strengths and weaknesses of translation Moreover, future translators can learn from this translation and create more spectacular works The study aims to:  Assess the quality of the Vietnamese version of “The adventures of Tom Sawyer” from the theoretical framework developed by Peter Newmark  Recommend some improvements for this translation In order to achieve those goals, the study aims to answer these following questions:  How good is the Vietnamese version of “The adventures of Tom Sawyer” according to Peter Newmark’s model?  What recommendations can be made in order to improve the translated version? a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model CHAPTER THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 1.1 Translation theory 1.1.1 Definition of translation The term of translation itself has several meanings: it can refer to the general subject field, the product (the text that has been translated) or the process (the act of producing the translation, otherwise known as translating) The process of translation between two different written languages involves the translator changing an original written text (the source text or ST) in the original verbal language (the source language or SL) into a written text (the target text or TT) in a different verbal language (the target language or TL) There are some different definitions of translation In Approaches to Translation, Newmark (1982:7) states “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.” According to Bell, R.T (1991:5), “Translation is the expression in another language (or TL) of what has been expressed in another, SL, preserving semantic and stylistic equivalences.” Translation is the replacement of a representation of a text in one language by a representation of another equivalence in a second language (Hartman & Stock, 1972) Translation consists in producing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source language message, firstly in terms of meaning and secondly in term of style (Nida &Taber, 1974:12) It is observed that the above definitions by different scholars in different times include the two significant factors: the qualities of the original text conveying meaning, style, syntactic and pragmatic issues, and the equivalence in the translation 1.1.2 Translation methods Newmark (1988) suggests eight methods of translation as followed: Source Language Emphasis Target Language Emphasis Word-for-word translation Adaptation Literal translation Free translation Faithful translation Idiomatic translation Semantic translation Communicative translation Word-for-word translation: the SL word-order is preserved, and the words translated singly by their most common meanings, out of context Cultural words are translated literally Literal translation: the SL grammatical construction are converted to their nearest TL equivalents, but the lexical words are again translated singly, out of context a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model Faithful translation: a faithful translation attempts to reproduce the precise contextual meaning of the original within the constraints of the TL grammatical structures Its attempts to be completely faithful to the intentions and the text-realization of the SL writer Semantic translation: semantic translation differs from “faithful translation” only in as far as it must take more account of the aesthetic value It may translate less important cultural words by culturally neutral third or functional terms but not by cultural equivalents The distinction between ‘faithful’ and ‘semantic’ translation is that the first is uncompromising and dogmatic, while the second is more flexible, admits the creative exception to 100% fidelity and allows for the translator’s intuitive empathy with the original Communicative translation: communicative translation attempts to render the exact contextual meaning of the original in such a way that both content and language are readily acceptable and comprehensible to the readership Idiomatic translation: idiomatic translation reproduces the ‘message’ of the original but tends to distort nuances of meaning by preferring colloquialisms and idioms where these not exist in the original Free translation: free translation reproduces the matter without the manner, or the content without the form of the original Usually, it is a paraphrase much longer than the original, a socalled ‘intra-lingual translation’, often prolix and pretentious, and not translation at all Adaption: this is the ‘freest’ form of translation It is used mainly for plays and poetry; themes, characters, plots are usually preserved, the SL culture converted to the TL culture and the text rewritten (1988: 45-47) 1.1.3 Translation Equivalence 1.1.3.1 Definition From the definitions of translation by different scholars, it is clear that equivalence is the central issue in Translation Studies Andrew Chesterman, in Reading in Translation Theories (p100), says that there are “various categories of equivalence that have been proposed in the literature of translation theory: content equivalence, functional equivalence, textual equivalence, communicative equivalence, pragmatic equivalence.” “SL and TL texts or items are translation equivalents when they are interchangeable in a given situation.” (Catford, 1965:49) Newmark (1995:48) states that “The overriding purpose of any translation should be to achieve equivalent effect, i.e to produce the same effect (or one as close as possible) on the readership of the translation as was obtained on the readership of the original.” In this statement, a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model Newmark emphasizes the importance of the functional equivalence as “the overriding purpose of any translation.” 1.1.3.2 Types of equivalence Translation theorists tend to classify equivalence in accordance with different criteria and approach Some of the most outstanding ones are form-based, meaning-based, function-based and quantitative equivalence  Form-based Equivalence An extremely interesting discussion of the notion of equivalence can be found in Baker (1992) who seems to offer a more detailed list of conditions upon which the concept of equivalence can be defined She distinguishes between:  Equivalence that can appear at word level and above word level, when translating from one language into another This means that the translator should pay attention to a number of factors when considering a single word, such as number, gender and tense (1992:11-12)  Textual equivalence, when referring to the equivalence between a SL text and a TL text in terms of information and cohesion It is up to the translator to decide whether or not to maintain the cohesive ties as well as the coherence of the SL text His or her decision will be guided by three main factors, that is, the target audience, the purpose of the translation and the text type  Meaning-based Equivalence Koller (1979) considers five type of equivalence:  Denotative equivalence: the SL and the TL words refer to the same thing in the real world  Connotative equivalence: this type of equivalence provides additional value besides denotative value and is achieved by the translator’s choice of synonymous words or expressions  Text-normative equivalence: the SL and the TL words are used in the same or similar context in their respective languages  Pragmatic equivalence: with readership orientation, the SL and TL words have the same effect on their respective readers  Formal equivalence: this type of equivalence produces an analogy of form in the translation by their exploiting formal possibilities of TL or creating new forms in TL  Function-based Equivalence a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model Nida (1974) distinguishes formal equivalence and dynamic translation as basic orientations rather than as a binary choice:  Formal equivalence is achieved when the SL and TL words have the closest possible match of form and content  Dynamic equivalence is achieved when the SL and TL words have the same effect on their effective readers  Quantitative Equivalence On the world level, Hann (1992, in Baker, 2005:78) classifies equivalence relationships into:  One-to-one equivalence: a single expression in TL is equivalence to a single expression in SL  One-to-many equivalence: more than one TL expressions are equivalent to a single SL expression  Many-to-one equivalence: there is more than one expression in the source language but there is a single expression in target language which is equivalence to them  One-to-part-of-one equivalence: A TL expression covers part of a concept designated by a single SL expression  Nil equivalence: no TL expression is equivalent to a single SL expression; therefore, loaned/borrowed equivalents should be used 1.2 Translation Quality Assessment 1.1.1 Definition In his book, A Textbook of Translation, Peter Newmark, names translation quality assessment as translation criticism, and defines it as essential link between translation theory and its practice 1.2.1 Translation Quality Assessment Model of Peter Newmark Newmark (1988) gives his own model of translation quality assessment called “comprehensive criticism of a translation” including five practical steps which will be applied in evaluating a specific translated version in this assessment  Step1: A brief analysis of the SL text stressing its intention and its functional aspects This step may include a statement of the author’s purpose, that is, the attitude he makes towards the topic; characterization of the readership; an indication of its category and type  Step 2: the translation’s interpretation of the SL text’s purpose, the translation method and the translation’s likely readership  Step 3: A selective but representative detailed comparison of the translation with the original in terms of both semantics and syntactic You not take the points successively; you group them selectively under general heads: the title; the structure, including the paragraphing a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model and sentence connectives; proper names; culture words; shifty metaphors; translationese; neologisms; ‘untranslated’ words; ambiguity; level of language; where relevant, metalanguage, puns, sound effect  Step 4: an evaluation of the translation: in the translator’s terms, in the critic’s terms, as a piece of writing, independently of its original  Step 5: where appropriate, an assessment of the likely place of the translation in the target language culture or discipline In the case of a serious text, say a novel, a poem, or an important bool, you assess the work’s potential importance within the target language culture CHAPTER ASSESSMENT OF THE VIETNAMESE VERSION OF “THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER” BY NGỤY MỘNG HUYỀN AND HOÀNG VĂN PHƯƠNG USING PETER NEWMARK’S MODEL In this chapter, the translated version of “The adventures of Tom Sawyer” will be evaluated by using Peter Newmark’s model in the following steps: 2.1 A brief analysis of the source language text In the book “A textbook of translation”, Peter Newmark states that “In your analysis of the SL text, you may include a statement of the author’s purpose, that is, the attitude he takes towards the topic; characterization of the readership; an indication of its category and type You assess the quality of the language to determine the translator’s degree of license, assuming for example that he can reduce cliché to natural language in informative but not in authoritative texts You briefly state the topic or themes, but not precis the text and not ‘plot-monger’ (painfully retell the plot)” Therefore, this study will give a brief analysis of the statement of the author’s purpose, characterization of the readership, and an indication of its category and type 2.1.1 The author’s purpose Mark Twain is an American humorist and novelist who acquired international fame for his travel narratives His books are mostly about the boyhood adventure and commentary on man’s faults that is humorous even while it probes, often bitterly, the roots of human behavior Some of his popular works include “The adventures of Tom Sawyer” and its sequel “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” have been translated into many languages “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” has stood the test of time because Twain's perceptive and humorous portrayal of young boys is so perfect and so universal Twain's sarcastic humor keeps the proceedings from ever seeming precious or teachy; Tom is a realistic character who could exist in any time, and his story is full of engaging slapstick and excitement The book may offend readers because of the author's use of bigoted language, including the "N" word However, Mark Twain later stated in “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” that readers should keep an open mind to understanding the difference between the worldview of the author and that of his characters a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model 2.1.2 Characterization of the readership Anyone who loves reading books, especially picaresque and satire books would be keen on reading this famous story Mark Twain wrote this story not only for children but also for adults He called his book “a song of childhood that has been transformed into prose” He wanted anyone who reads this, either young or old, can enjoy the exciting adventures and remember the time when they were young Readers can see themselves through the character Tom Sawyer and understand the world around a child as well as children’s mind 2.1.3 Translator’s purpose In this step, the study aims to find out which translation method has been used Additionally, the study also reviews whether the translators have misinterpreted the author by omitting certain parts of the original text and whether it affects the author’s message 2.2 The translator’s interpretation In this second step, the study reviews whether the translator has omitted any parts of source text and whether it affects the message that the author wishes to express The study also wishes to find out the method of translation 1.1.1 The translator’s method Since the book is for children, the author mostly used simple words and colloquial As “The adventures of Tom Sawyer” was written in 1876, the author used American vernaculars As a result, translators are required to have a broad knowledge of American cultures, society and language in the 19th century Therefore, translating Mark Twain’s book is considered a difficult process The Vietnamese version of “The adventures of Tom Sawyer” by Ngụy Mộng Huyền and Hoàng Văn Phương was the first translated edition The two translators have combined several translation methods in this version However, the most common translation method applied is communicative translation 2.2.1 Omission of original text After carefully reading and analyzing the original text and its Vietnamese version by Ngụy Mộng Huyền and Hoàng Văn Phương, some words and phrases have not been translated No ST TT “Cardiff Hill, beyond the village and above it, was green with vegetation and it lay just far enough away to seem a Delectable Land, dreamy, reposeful, and inviting “Bringing water from the town pump had always been hateful work in Tom’s eye, before, but now it did not strike him so.” “Đồi Carđip sừng sững phía cuối làng, cối xanh um, xa xa trơng nơi tuyệt thú đầy thơ mộng, yên tĩnh, chào đón người đến dạo chơi.” “Xưa Tom coi việc phải lấy nước máy phố công việc đáng ghét, Tom lại không nghĩ nữa.” a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model “And he remembered that although the pump was only a hundred and fifty yards off, Jim never got back with a bucket of water under an hour ” “Oh, never you mind what she said, Jim That’s the way she always talks Gimme the bucket – I won’t be gone only a a minute She won’t ever know.” “Và Tom nhớ máy nước cách nhà chừng trăm rưởi thước, chuyến Jim lấy nước phải tiếng đồng hồ” “Bà nói mặc bà Bao bà chả nói Chú Jim đưa xơ Tơi phút Bà biết đâu.” “Bà nói nghe ghê gớm lắm, nói sng thơi việc cóc – dù bà khơng qt tháo ầm lên việc mà sợ?” Some words and phrases omitted in TT may be of negligible significance The omission of these words and phrases did not affect the meaning of the sentence and the author’s message It can be seen that the translator has unintentionally or deliberately left out quite many words In some cases, the omission of the words has no significant impact on the general meaning of the sentence This kind of translating is still acceptable However, it seems insupportable in other cases not translating some important words or phrases, which affects the sequence of understanding of readers who only have chance to read the Vietnamese version “She talks awful, but talk don’t hurt – anyways it don’t if she don’t cry.” 2.3 Comparison of the translation with the original This third section is the heart of the critique, considers how the translator has solved the particular problems of the SL text (Newmark, 1988: 87) They are grouped selectively under general heads: the title, the structure, proper names, culture words A discussion of translation problems will also be presented in this part 1.1.1 The title Generally, translating titles is not simple Peter Newmark (1988:56) argued that the translated title “should usually bear some relation to the original, if only for identification”, but it should also “sound attractive, allusive, suggestive” to attract the potential readers In some cases, the title is the very first thing that the potential readers see and then put in their consideration of whether or not they will buy the novels Newmark (1988: 56 & 57) suggested that all titles are either descriptive (“which describe the topic of the text”) or allusive (“which have some kind of referential or figurative relationship to the topic”) The latter ones are suitable for imaginative literature and may have to be changed However, for serious imaginative literature, he thinks a descriptive title should be “literally” kept, and an allusive title literally or, where necessary, imaginatively preserved The book was named “The adventures of Tom Sawyer” and was translated into “Những phiêu lưu Tom Sawyer” According to Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, “adventure” is defined as an unusual, exciting or dangerous experience, journey or series of events In Vietnamese, its equivalents a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model usually are phiêu lưu, mạo hiểm The translators have chosen the title “Những phiêu lưu Tom Sawyer” to make it more natural, exciting and attractive to Vietnamese readers 2.3.1 The structure In this part, the study wishes to present key points with remarkable examples showing differences between the two languages in the two versions No ST “Saturday morning was come, and all the summer would bright and fresh, and brimming with life.” “There was cheer in every face and a spring in every step.” “The locust-trees were in bloom and the fragrance of the blossoms filled the air.” “He surveyed the fence, and all gladness left him and a deep melancholy settle down upon his spirit” TT “Đã đến sáng thứ bảy Trời đất cảnh vật mùa hạ rực rỡ muôn màu tươi thắm tràn đầy sức sống.” “Ai mặt mày hớn hở, chân bước thoăn thoắt.” “Hoa minh đua nở, tỏa hương thơm ngào ngạt.” “Nó nhìn hàng rào, lịng khơng cịn chút vui, thấy tràn ngập nỗi buồn ủ ê vô hạn.” “Tom thở dài, nhúng chổi vào chậu vôi, bôi “Sighing, he dipped his brush and passed it bôi vài lên mảnh ván cao nhất, lại along the topmost plank; repeated the làm hai ba lần nữa, nhìn operation; did it again; compared the vạch vôi dài vừa quét xong, thấy insignificant whitewash streak with farbé tí tẹo, khơng nghĩa lý so với reaching continent of unwhitewashed khoảng diện tích chưa quét rộng bao la fence, and sat down on a tree-box đại châu Nản quá, Tom ngồi phịch discouraged.” xuống hàng rào thấp gỗ vây quanh gốc cây.” “Xưa Tom coi việc phải lấy “Bringing water from the town pump had nước máy phố công việc always been hateful work in Tom’s eye, đáng ghét, Tom lại không before, but now it did not strike him so.” nghĩ nữa.” “Jim, I’ll give you a marvel I’ll give you a “Chú Jim, để biếu tuyệt, white alley!” bi trắng tinh, lịng khơng?” From example 1, 5, instead of keeping the original structure, the translators have divided it into two separate sentences so that the readers can easily understand the message In example 2, 3, 4, while the author writes a sentence with conjunction and, the translator has composed a sentence of two independent clauses, with comma in between, which makes the Vietnamese version sound more natural In example 6, the translators move the adverb before to the beginning of the sentence instead of keeping it in the middle of the sentence in ST Therefore, the sentence will sound natural in Vietnamese a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model All the rest of examples have been translated in the same way In the ST, the two independent clauses are connected using conjunction and but in the TT they are linked by comma In brief, the translators, in some cases, have modified the original structures of some sentences in the book to make them more familiar and understandable to the target audience 2.3.2 Proper names 2.3.2.1 People’s names According to Newmark (1988: 214), normally, people’s first and surnames are transferred, thus preserving their nationality, and assuming that their names have no connotations in the text However, nowadays, more and more people have some knowledge about English and are more familiar with English names, most translated version of foreign works retain the character’s names In this book, most of the characters’ names are remained unchanged in the Vietnamese version such as Tom, Jim or Polly 2.3.2.2 Geographical names Newmark (1988: 216) suggests that we have to be up-to-date in our rendering, to check all term in the most recent atlas or gazetteer and, where necessary, with the embassies concerned We have to respect a country’s wish to determine its own choice of names for its own geographical features Basing on the theory, geographical names appearing in the book are now investigated Name of ST TT Hill Cardiff Hill Đồi Carđip Town Buffalo Gals Con gái Bâpfalơ All of the geographical names have been translated quite reasonable and appropriated This translation is common and acceptable in Vietnam In conclusion, it is clear that the translators have checked the geographical names carefully in order to make Vietnamese readers understand 2.3.2.3 Other names 2.3.3 Some issues 2.3.3.1 Mistranslation No ST TT “Ole missis she’d take an’ tar de head “Tơi mà làm bà chủ phạt bơi hắc ín off’n me.” lên đầu cho chết.” In this example, the phrase “she’d take an’ tar de head off’n me” has been translated into “bà chủ phạt bơi hắc ín lên đầu cho chết” which makes the readers have trouble understand it This phrase in English means “she will take my head off of me” which means “bà chủ lấy đầu mất” in Vietnamese However, the target readers of this book are mostly children, so it will be 10 a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model inappropriate to use “bà chủ lấy đầu mất” Therefore, this phrase can be translated into “bà chủ phạt gõ đầu mất”, so that it will sound more child-friendly In short, the translators have tried their best to convey the meaning of the original text into target text Beside these minor mistakes, the translators have successfully maintained the author’s message in the original text in the Vietnamese version 2.3.3.2 Sentences sound unnatural in the target language Despite their tremendous effort in translating in the whole novel, the professional translators have generated some sentences that sound ludicrous and enigmatic in the target language No ST “Thirty yards of board fence nine feet high.” “Oh, never you mind what she said, Jim That’s the way she always talks Gimme the bucket – I won’t be gone only a a minute She won’t ever know.” “She! She never licks anybody – whacks ’em over the head with her thimble – and who cares for that, I’d like to know.” TT “Ba mươi thước hàng rào ván ghép cao gần ba thước.” “– Bà nói mặc bà Bao bà chả nói Chú Jim đưa xô Tôi phút Bà biết đâu.” “Bà à? Bà có đánh đâu – cầm đê khâu củng vào đầu – lại lo đến vặt chứ.” “Bà nói nghe ghê gớm “She talks awful, but talk don’t hurt” lắm, nói sng thơi việc cóc gì” “Jim, I’ll give you a marvel I’ll give you “Chú Jim, để biếu tuyệt, a white alley!” bi trắng tinh, lịng khơng?” “Một hịn bi trắng tinh, Jim Một “White alley, Jim! And it’s a bully taw.” bi chúa.” In the first example, the translators have translated it too literal which makes it sound confusing to readers The sentence “Thirty yards of board fence nine feet high.” can be translated into “Cái hàng rào dài ba mươi thước cao gần ba thước.” By doing so, the sentence will sound more understandable in Vietnamese The quoted sentences in example to also sound unnatural to Vietnamese people These sentences can be translated into “Bà nói kệ bà ấy… bà đâu”, “… bà biết cầm đê gõ vào đầu – lại quan tâm chuyện ý chứ” , “…bà biết nói sng thơi.”, “Chú Jim, tơi tặng viên bi thật đẹp…” and “… viên bị tuyệt đẹp.” accordingly Briefly, there are some phrases and sentences that the translator might not have expressed smoothly in the target language Therefore, revision is needed in order to provide a higher-quality version 11 a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model 2.4 An evaluation of the translation In this step, Newmark (1988: 188) proposes that we assess the referential and pragmatic accuracy of the translation by the translator’s standard If the translation is not a clear version of the original, we consider first whether these essential ‘invariant’ element of the text which consists usually (not always) of its fact or its detail is adequately represented Peter Newmark (1988: 170) also observes that from a translator’s point of view, the short story is, of literary forms, the second most difficult, but here he is released from the obvious constraints of poetry – metre and rhyme – whilst the varieties of sound – effect are likely to play a minor role Further, since the line is no longer a unit of meaning, he can spread himself a little – his version is likely to be somewhat longer than the original though, always, the shorter the better He can supply cultural glosses within the text – not, as in poetry or drama, delete or banish them to some note or glossary […] There is no advantage in making generalizations about the translation of serious novels The obvious problems: the relative importance of the SL culture and the author’s moral purpose to the reader – it may be exemplified in the translation of proper names; of the SL conventions and the author’s idiolect; the translation of dialect; the distinction between personal style, literary convention of period and/or movement; and the norms of the SL – these problems have to be settled for each text The translators Ngụy Mộng Huyền and Hoàng Văn Phương have chosen communicative translation method as their main method Therefore, the translated version should render the exact contextual meaning of the original, so that the readership can easily comprehend it From that point of view, the critic would like to make the following evaluations of the translation Firstly, it is clear that most sentences in the original text have been translated with accurate meaning However, some the structure of the sentences has been translated not well enough The translators have proven their flexibility and competence in translating the whole literary The translation of proper names has been quite appropriate Besides, there are some mistranslations of words and phrases that are presumably due to the carelessness of the translators It is recommended that they need to check the terms carefully before they translated it Moreover, learning about the history and culture related to the book is extremely necessary By this way, it shows that the translators have respected not only the work but also the culture of the country Last but not least, there are still some sentences that sound unnatural and absurd in the target language The translators have unintentionally or deliberately left out quite many words In this case, the omission of the words has no significant impact on the general meaning of the sentences or paragraphs and affects the comprehension of readers In short, although there are some minor mistakes in the Vietnamese version, the translators have done a good job in conveying the author’s messages 12 a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model 2.5 Potential importance of the work within the target language culture In this last step, especially in the case of a book like “The adventures of Tom Sawyer”, it is necessary to assess the work’s potential importance within the target language culture by seeking answers to such questions as: Was it in fact worth translating? What kind of influence will it have on the language, the literature, the ideas in its new milieu? (Newmark, 1988:189) Concerning the first question, the answer surely is yes As mentioned above, the original version is a work by a worldwide famous author Therefore, the translation of this novel into Vietnamese is certainly indispensable Thanks to the translated version of the book, fans of Mark Twain in Vietnam and fans of humorous story have chance to enjoy another great classical work For the second question, a well-written literary work and its well-translated version would be an invaluable contribution to the literature of both the source language and the target language If “The adventures of Tom Sawyer” is well-known for its unique, its Vietnamese version is considered quite successful because the readers can understand and appreciate the beauty of foreign literature in translation In conclusion, the book is appreciated and well-received and its Vietnamese version is considerably acceptable However, the translators can improve this translated version by fixing some minor mistakes, so that it will become a better version 13 a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model CONCLUSION After applying Newmark’s model to evaluate the translation, the researcher is now capable of answering the two research questions posed in the introduction of this thesis With regard to the question “How good is the Vietnamese version of The adventures of Tom Sawyer according to Newmark’s model?”, it can be said that the Vietnamese version is quite good in transferring some English sentence structures into Vietnamese structures The translated version has conveyed fairly well the author’s idea using brief and concise target language with communicative translation method as the main method The translators have also carefully translated people’s names and geographical names to make them easier for readers to understand There are still some mistakes that should be considered for future editions Firstly, the translator has omitted some words, phrase in comparison with the original Secondly, the structures need revision for better ones Last but not least, as pointed out in step three of assessment, mistranslation mistakes must also be revised in upcoming editions This kind of mistakes may be owing to the translator’s negligence in translating process Until these mistakes are fixed, confusion and misunderstanding may still arise Translators should be very cautious when translating any works from source language into target language The dictionary may not always have all the words that we encounter daily due to the different usage of slang, idiom or some vernacular Therefore, in order to help readers enjoy the work, it is the translators’ task to widen their knowledge or some research to find out the meaning of these words In conclusion, the findings of this paper are expected to be useful to teachers and students in their studying of Translation Studies To improve the quality of translation in general and of literary translation in particular, it is essential to evaluate basing on a certain model to make the assessment more adequate and objective Last but not least, the critic hopes that this research would help the future edition of the book become a better one 14 a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model REFERENCES Baker, M (1992) In Other Words: A Course Book on Translation London: Routledge Baker, M (ed.) (2005) Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies London: Routledge Bell, R T (1991) Translation and Translating London & New York: Routledge Catford, J C (1976) A linguistic Theory of Translation Oxford: OUP Hartman, R.R.K & Stock, F.C (1972) Dictionary of Language and Linguistics in Bell, R.T (1992) Translation and Translating Longman Koller, W (1979/89) Equivalence in Translation Theory (translated by Chesterman, A.) in Chesterman, A (ed.), Readings in Translation Theory (Helsinki, Finn Lectures) Newmark, P (1982) Approaches to Translation Oxford: Pergamon Institute of English Newmark, P (1988) A Textbook of Translation New York: Prentice-Hall International Newmark, P (1995) Approaches to Translation Prentice Hall International (UK) Ltd 10 Nida, E A & Taber, C R (1974) The Theory and Practice of Translation Leiden: Published for the United Bible Societies by E.J Brill 11 Definition of “adventure” Retrieved on May 26 th, 2021 from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/adventure?q=adventure 12 Lê Hùng Tiến, Đỗ Minh Hoàng, Nguyễn Phương Trà (2006), Lý thuyết thực tiễn dịch thuật Anh-Việt: Một số vấn đề lý luận phương pháp bản, Đề tài nghiên cứu cấp Đại học quốc gia: Khoa Sau Đại học, Trường Đại học Ngoại Ngữ - ĐHQG Hà Nội 15 a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model APPENDICES 16 a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model 17 a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model 18 a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model 19 a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model a.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.modela.translation.quality.assessment.of.the.vietnamese.version.of.the.novel.the.adventures.of.tom.sawyer.by.nguy.mong.huyen.and.hoang.van.phuong.2001.using.peter.newmarks.model