An evaluation of the Vietnamese translation of “The Thorn Birds” based on House’s model of translation quality assessment

Abstract

Translation quality plays a crucial role in conveying information between languages. Accuracy ensures equivalence between source and target languages, while acceptability involves adherence to cultural norms, and readability requires clarity for target readers. In this research, House's (1977) Translation Quality Assessment Model was applied to evaluate the Vietnamese translation of the novel "The Thorn Birds" by Trung Dung (2015), focusing on two dimensions: Dimensions of Language Use and Dimensions of Language User. This study illustrates steps in evaluating Trung Dung’s Vietnamese translation of “The Thorn Birds”, providing examples of mismatches and errors in comparing the source text and the target text. Some covert mismatches are found related to the translation of pronouns and measurement units, while overt ones involve grammatical discrepancies.

Keywords

• house's translation quality assessment model
• source text
• target text