A translation quality assessment of the first three chapters of the novel "The da Vinci code" by Do Thu Ha (2005) based on J.House's model Đặng Thị Phượng Trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ Luận văn Thạc sĩ ngành: English Linguistics; Mã số: 60 22 15 Người hướng dẫn: Assoc.Prof.Dr. Trần Xuân Điệp Năm bảo vệ: 2012 Abstract. Literary translation has been developing for a long time; however, the definition of a “good” translation still remains a controversy. Different theorists construct different models to assess the quality of a translation text; therefore, there exists only “good” translation according to a specific view. This qualitative study attempts to evaluate the translation quality of the first three chapters in the Vietnamese version of the novel “The Da Vinci Code” translated by Do Thu Ha (2005) based on J. House’s translation quality assessing model. Under qualitative method, the source text has been analyzed in the light of Halliday’s functional grammar (under five dimensions namely Field, Tenor, Mode, Transitivity System, and Theme) and House’s model (under two dimensions namely Dimensions of Language Use and Dimensions of Language User). Besides, a comparison between the source and translation text has been implemented to discover the mismatches and errors (namely covert and overt erroneous errors). Thence, a statement of quality of the translation text has been presented, i.e. the translation text is of rather poor quality and fails to exactly and completely convey the interpersonal and ideational meaning of the source text (ST) according to House’s model. Keywords. Phương pháp giảng dạy; Tiếng Anh; Dịch thuật; Bản dịch Content I. Rationale of the study There are various areas in translation among which translation quality assessment is a subject of interest. To what degree a translation text is “good” all depends on a large variety of factors, one of those would be the angle from which the translation text can be looked at. Translation theorists developed their own models of translation quality assessment (TQA); however, J. House’s is widely adduced for its applicability. J. House is a German linguist who has developed her own TQA model after criticizing previously proposed ones by other linguists like Newmark’s or Hatim & Mason’s. This paper is conducted based on her TQA model to assess the first three chapters of the novel “Mật mã Da Vinci” by Đỗ Thu Hà (2005). This translation work has raised a heated controversy over its quality among various translators and readers. Tran, T.C.D, a famous translator, in his article “Bản dịch Mật mã Da Vinci: Một thảm họa dịch thuật” in the newspaper “Văn Nghệ” (as cited in http://www.baomoi.com/Chi-can- %C4%91oc-la-thay-loi/152/7153208.epi), indicates that the translation version is the result of the translator’s lack of knowledge of language, history, and religion in combination with her carelessness, laziness and the publisher’s irresponsibility and shamelessness. Another article discussing this issue is “Mật mã Da Vinci dịch ẩu, NXB VHTT nói gì?” Retrieved from the website http://vietbao.vn/Van-hoa/Mat-ma-Da-Vinci-dich-au-nha-xuat-ban-VHTT-noi- gi/70027621/181/, this article also argues that the translation text contains numerous errors such as vocabulary, grammar, expression, and obmission, etc. Nonetheless, several scholars such as Thái Bá Tân, Vũ Thế Khôi and Lê Bầu (as cited in http://evan.vnexpress.net/news/phe- binh/dich-thuat/2005/11/3b9acaf9/) hold that the quality of “Mật mã Da Vinci” is not that poor and it should not be considered to be a “catastrophe” though there are noticeable mistakes in it. Hence, the conductor of this research wishes to employ a recognized model of TQA in order to evaluate the translation quality of the first three chapters of this novel to contribute a voice to the controversy raised. II. Scope and objectives of the study Under the constraints of time and size, the study only focuses on the first three among 105 chapters in the book “Mật mã Da Vinci” by Đỗ Thu Hà in 2005. In this study, the investigated chapters will be analyzed under the light of J. House’s approach of TQA in order to reach the objectives of (1) discovering the features of the source text (ST) in the light of Halliday’s functional grammar and House’s dimensions and (2) assessing the level of quality that the translation text reaches. Due to the fact that House’s model is constituted based on pragmatic theories of language use meanwhile concerning semantic and textual aspect, the scope of this study is not limited as its title may arouse. The paper covers quite a large range of applied linguistics, for example, constrastive analysis, cross-cultural study, functional grammar, and translation. III. Research questions In order to fulfill its objectives stated above, this paper needs to answer the following research questions: 1. What are the features of the ST in the light of Halliday’s functional grammar and House’s dimensions? 2. To what degree does the translation text (TT) meet the standard of quality as proposed in House’s TQA model? IV. Research methodology - Qualitative method: This research is a qualitative evaluation; hence, the source of data is document, and information is gathered by an analysis of documents and materials. Data are categorized into patterns as the primary basis for organizing and reporting results. Qualitative method allows the researcher to study individual text closely. It also enables multiple analytic strategies. - Synthetic and analytic methods: The analysis of the texts is also approached from the combination of analytic and synthetic methods: analytic perspective to identify, isolate certain aspects to concentrate on, and synthetic perspective to investigate the interdependence of these constituents – how they work together as a whole. - Descriptive and comparative methods: In order to provide in-depth and detailed descriptions of translation and evaluation, the study is descriptive and comparative in nature. V. Organization of the study The first part of the study is the Introduction which provides a general view of the research such as methods, objectives, and scope. In the second part – Development, the study aims to present the theoretical background of the research (Chapter I) and review the existing literature by presenting some related concepts of translation theory and typical TQA models (Chapter II). Chapter III focuses on the Methodology and Procedures of the research. Chapter IV is the Findings and Discussion which present the results of data analysis and discussions. In part 3, the conclusion of the study will be stated with three components: Recapitulation of the study, Limitation of the study, and Recommendations for further research. References 1. Almeida, L. & Nascimento, S. (1996). Assessment of the Quality of Contract Translation. 1996. Unpublished MSc Dissertation. Florianópolis: UFSC. 2. Baker, M. (1992). In Other Words: a Coursebook on Translation. London: Routledge. 3. Catford. (1964). A Linguistic Theory of Translation. Oxford: OUP 4. Duff, A. (1989). Translation. Oxford: OUP. 5. Hatim, B. & Mason, I. (1990). Discourse and the Translator. London: Longman. 6. Hoang, V.V. (2006). Translation: theory and practice. Educational Publisher. 7. House, J. (1997). Translation Quality Assessment: A Model Revisited. Gunter Narr, Tubingen. 8. House, J., (2001). Translation Quality Assessment: Linguistic Description versus Social Evaluation”, Translators' Journal, vol. 46, n° 2, p. 243-257." 9. House, J. (2006a). Text and Context in Translation. Journal of Pragmatics 38. 338-358. 10. Jakobson, R. (1959). On Linguistic Aspects of Translation, in R. A. Brower (ed.) On Translation, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 232-39. 11. Jun, T. & Yan, W. (2011). Application of House's Translation Quality Assessment Model in C-E Translation - A Case Study of „The Sight of Father's Back‟ by Zhu Ziqing. Journal of Hefei University of Technology (Social Sciences): 2011-06 12. Le, M. H. (2010). A translation quality assessment of the Vietnamese version of part 7 “Nightmare” in the novel “Twilight” using House‟s model. MA thesis. ULIS, VNU. 13. Luong, T.L. (2007). Application of House‟s model for translation quality assessment in assessing the English version of the Vietnam‟s Law on Investment No 59/2005/QH11. MA thesis. ULIS, VNU. 14. Munday, J. (2001). Introducing Translation Studies. Routledge: London & New York. 15. Nazhand, N. & Pur, M. M. (2011). House's Model Application to Faulkner's book Translated by S.Hosseini: The Application of House's Model to William Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury" and its Persian Translation by Saleh Hosseini (Paperback). Saarbrücken, Germany: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller. 16. Newmark, P. (1981). Approaches to translation. Oxford: Pergamon. 17. Newmark, P. (1988). A textbook of translation. Hertfordshire: Centre for Translation & Language Studies, University of Surrey. 18. Nguyen, T.Y. (2007). Evaluating the translation of the travel guidebook “Du lich Ha Long” based on house‟s approach. MA thesis. Hanoi: ULIS, VNU. 19. Nida, E. A. 1964. Towards a Science of Translating. Leiden: E. J. Brill. 20. Reiss, K. (1971). Possibilities and limitations of translation criticism. Munich: Hueber. 21. Wills, W. 1982. The science of translation, Problems and methods. Tübingen: Gunter Narr. 22. Yamini, H. & Abdi, F. (2010). The Application of House‟s Model on William Shakespeare‟s „Macbeth‟ and its Persian Translation by Ala‟uddin Pasargadi. Translation Directory Journal June 2010. Retrieved August 10 th 2012 from http://www.translationdirectory.com/articles/article2182.php 23. Tran, T.C.D. (2006). Bản dịch Mật mã Da Vinci: Một thảm họa dịch thuật. Ha Noi: Văn Nghệ Newspaper. Retrieved August 10 th 2012 from http://www.baomoi.com/Chi-can- %C4%91oc-la-thay-loi/152/7153208.epi) 24. Mật mã Da Vinci dịch ẩu, NXB VHTT nói gì? Retrieved August 10 th 2012 from http://vietbao.vn/Van-hoa/Mat-ma-Da-Vinci-dich-au-nha-xuat-ban-VHTT-noi-gi/70027621/181/ 25. Sách dịch – Đáng báo động mà chưa có giải pháp. Retrieved August 10 th 2012 from http://evan.vnexpress.net/news/phe-binh/dich-thuat/2005/11/3b9acaf9/ . to evaluate the translation quality of the first three chapters in the Vietnamese version of the novel The Da Vinci Code translated by Do Thu Ha (2005) based on J. House’s translation quality. A translation quality assessment of the first three chapters of the novel " ;The da Vinci code& quot; by Do Thu Ha (2005) based on J. House's model Đặng Thị Phượng. thu t; Bản dịch Content I. Rationale of the study There are various areas in translation among which translation quality assessment is a subject of interest. To what degree a translation