Assessing the english version of "the sorrow of war" using waddington's method C

Abstract

Literary translation plays a crucial role in disseminating Vietnamese literature to a global audience. This study aims to assess the English version of Bao Ninh's novel "The Sorrow of War," translated by Phan Thanh Hao and edited by Frank Palmos, using Waddington's Translation Quality Assessment model, specifically Method C. Method C employs a holistic approach to evaluate the translation based on the accuracy of transfer from the source text to the target text, the quality of expression in the target language, and the degree of task completion. The analysis reveals that while the translation reads like a piece originally written in English, there are inaccuracies in the transfer of content that require thorough revision to reach a higher quality. The overall degree of task completion is deemed adequate. Besides, the study highlights the importance of semantic translation in literary works to ensure the accurate representation of the source text's meaning, style, and cultural nuances. The findings would contribute to the development of translation quality assessment frameworks and emphasize the need for a comprehensive approach in evaluating literary translations.