Quality Assessment of the Persian Translation of the Novel Fardghan by Youssef Zaydan Based on the Julian House’s Model

Abstract

Translation evaluation and quality assessment have always been crucial in the field of translation studies. Among the several models and theories proposed for assessing translation, Juliane House's context reconstruction model is widely recognized as one of the most renowned models. The concept of translation can be categorized into two distinct types: overt and covert. In an overt translation, the text and its elements are oriented towards the culture of the source language, and the recreation of context is evident. However, in a covert translation, the norms and culture of the target language are clearly apparent, and context is being generated. This study seeks to assess the quality of Alireza Baqer's Persian translation of the novel Fardghan by Youssef Zaidan. The research was conducted using a descriptive-analytical approach, with the Julian House Translation Quality Assessment model serving as the foundation for the study. The translation quality was assessed by comparing the source text (ST) with the target text (TT), and both obvious and hidden faults were examined. The resulting data was then displayed in the form of tables and graphs. The results indicate that the translator made efforts to employ strategies such as incorporating terms and proverbs from Persian culture and colloquial language, as well as utilizing omission as a common translation strategy to align the translation with the target language and culture. However, the prevailing strategy observed was open translation.Keywords: Youssef Zaydan, Translation of Fardghan’s Novel, Julian House, Evaluation of Translation Quality, Alireza Baqer.IntroductionFardqan, written by Youssef Zaydan, is a novel that recounts the imprisonment and exile of Avicenna, the renowned Iranian scientist, to Fardqan, a well-known stronghold in Hamedan. It is worth noting that Alireza Baqer translated this novel into Persian. Throughout the history of translation, the assessment and appraisal of translated materials have consistently held significance. Given the particular significance of translating literary writings, the evaluation of the quality of these translations has been of even greater relevance. Julian House (1997) proposed the translation quality evaluation model as one of the methodologies and models for translation evaluation. This model aims to assess the worth of translation, particularly in the context of literary translation, by employing defined and practical criteria instead of relying on subjective judgments of taste.The objective of this study is to analyze the translation of Alireza Baqer, the initial published translation of the esteemed novel "Fardqan" by a prominent Egyptian author, employing House's model. The present research focuses on a translation that has undergone textual modifications. The chosen translation is of significant importance due to Zaydan’s novel. The research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to examine this translation. The research focuses on studying and critiquing the Persian translation of a modern novel that explores the life and contributions of the great Iranian scientist Avicenna. The study aims to answer the following questions: The Persian translation of the novel "Fardqan" is being evaluated based on the House model. The translator's tendency towards covert and open translation is being analyzed, specifically in which parts of the novel. Alireza Baqer's translation of "Fardqan" leans more towards open translation strategies in general, indicating that it is an open translation. Is it seen as explicit or concealed?Literature ReviewValuable research has been conducted in recent years in both English and Arabic language and literature to evaluate the quality of translations using House's model. Researchers have sought to employ House's comprehensive model for precise and scientific translation criticism. Several research studies have been conducted using this paradigm. Some notable examples include:In his master's thesis titled "The Application of Julian House's Translation Quality Assessment Model Regarding the Persian Translation of the Book (Prophet) Gibran-Khalil-Jibran by Meshya Barzegar," Eskandari Durbati (2014) compared these translations and found that Barzegar's translation is highly intricate and abstract in Farsi, while Daryabandari's translation is structurally more understandable.In his master's thesis, Vakili (2014) evaluates the quality of the translation of the book "Be a Follower of Your Heart" by Andrew Matthews, conducted by Vahid Afzalirad and Zahra Nabi, using the House model. The focus of the study is on comparing the explicit translation tactics employed by the two translators. The translator has determined that Afzali's translation is more faithful to the essence of the original text and therefore more suitable.Salimi and Ansari (2019) conducted a study titled "Examination of the Translation Quality of Nahj al-Balaghah based on House's Role-oriented Model (a case study of Allameh Jafari and Shahidi's translation of the ghost sermon)". Their conclusion, based on House's model, was that both translations are clear.In his master's thesis titled "Utilizing the House Model to Assess the Quality of Two Persian Translations of Charles Dickens' Book 'Great Desires' by Yonsei and Akhwan," Ahmadi Darani (1400) conducted an evaluation of the translation quality. The findings indicate that Yunsi's translation of Akhwan is characterized by greater clarity and accuracy, while also noting the removal and alteration of cultural elements due to the influence of the cultural filter.Despite extensive study, the writers did not uncover any studies that assessed the quality and critique of Alireza Baqer's Persian translation of the novel "Fardqan" or attempted to analyze the translation's quality using the Julian House model.Research Methodology This research has used Julian House's model to find answers to the aforementioned questions. It aims to analyze the text profile by considering the genre of the text and the context of the speech, including the discourse range, agents, and style. Furthermore, it examines the style of discourse by identifying both obvious errors and hidden translations, such as the removal of certain parts of the text. This also encompasses incorrect selection and cultural filtering in the translation process, as well as the use of direct or indirect discourse. By analyzing these factors and compiling the relevant data, the research aims to determine the style of Alireza Baqer's translation of Fardqan’s novel.ConclusionUpon careful analysis and comparison of the source and destination texts, it can be concluded that this translation is congruent with the source text. Both of them are widely recognized and embraced in terms of their shared topic and societal impact in the original and final texts. Both books exhibit a sophisticated discourse style when it comes to media style. The translation successfully maintained the historical-romantic genre and the contextual elements of the original text. Upon analyzing the comparisons, we also examined evident errors, and the evaluation findings indicate that the number of evident errors in translation is greater than concealed errors, suggesting that the translator has a preference for translating overtly.Based on the conducted studies, it can be concluded that translators often employ covert translation strategies by manipulating frames and utilizing cultural subtleties in areas of the text that are intricate and perplexing for the reader. This is done to express an equivalent representation of the target language culture and ultimately achieve the objective of role equivalence. The text has been imbued with an indigenous essence, and via thorough examinations, 59 instances of the translator's adherence to cultural authenticity were identified.The translator employed phrases and proverbs that align with Persian folk culture to effectively translate the cultural aspects requiring concealed translation.Furthermore, the translation maintains the genre of the source work. However, modifications have been made in the discourse, a component of context, without compromising the substance of the subject. The source text employs both direct and indirect speech, and the translation adheres to the same approach. In several sections, the translator opted to employ direct speech rather than indirect speech, as found in the original text. The apparent objective of this alteration is to allure a larger audience and render the narrative of the novel more palpable.By analyzing the characteristics of the source and destination texts and scrutinizing both the concealed and evident mistakes, it has been seen that in certain instances, the source text has been disregarded. This disregard encompasses actions such as deletion, addition, erroneous selection of equivalents, doubtful acceptance, and irregularities, all falling under the category of obvious errors. From a statistical standpoint, deletions have the highest frequency, constituting about two percent (0.2) of the entire text. Conversely, the translator has inserted words and phrases into the text where ambiguity has been eliminated or replaced with alternative words and phrases. Incorrect equivalences were made in certain sections, resulting in the detection of 19 instances of such errors during the investigations. These errors were entirely incorrect and led to the failure to accurately transfer the message from the source text to the destination text.According to Julian House's model, Baqer's translation can be categorized as a combination of hidden and open translations. While Baqer has incorporated elements of cultural purity, his translation mostly adheres to the role and norms of the source text, resulting in a clear and faithful rendition in the target language.As Julian House explained in his translation of the book (Fardqan), Baqer used two translation techniques, namely hidden and open translation. However, it is worth noting that the majority of the translation was conducted openly.

Keywords

• youssef zaydan
• translation of fardghan’s novel
• julian house
• evaluation of translation quality
• alireza baqer