Developing an Interdisciplinary Framework to Assess Transfer of Character Voice: Vietnamese Translation of J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace as a Case Study

Abstract

Multiple approaches to the character's voice, namely narratology, semiotics, stylistics, and translation studies, are integrated to develop an interdisciplinary framework capable of analyzing the character's voice in fiction and assessing its transfer in translated fiction. The application of Barthes's five semiotic codes plays a crucial role in this newly developed framework for analyzing voices in narrative texts, alongside Nord's functionalism approach for evaluating the translation of literary texts. From the perspective that translation fulfills the function of the text and the functioning of voice, the framework establishes three levels of fulfillment: specifically, the fulfillment of text function, the achievement of voice coherence, and the contribution to the target language and literary translation. Additionally, the framework delineates three evaluation criteria: accuracy, coherence, and adequacy. The validity of the framework is substantiated through its application to the assessment of the Vietnamese translation of J.M. Coetzee's novel Disgrace (Coetzee, 2002). This case study reveals significant inaccuracies and inadequacies in the reproduction of voice evidence, particularly concerning semiotic codes. Consequently, the voice of David Lurie, the protagonist of Disgrace, loses coherence, depth, piquancy, and provocation for the target reader. In the Vietnamese translation, David Lurie is portrayed as less racist, less intellectual, less sarcastic, and more pathetic. Furthermore, this case study uncovers the translator's hybrid strategy: employing literal translation as a means of resisting domestication, while simultaneously utilizing Vietnamese personal pronouns to maintain the original narrative distances and incorporating elegant variations to convey the complexity of intimacy. This case study verifies that the coherence of voice is a vital evaluation criterion, and the analysis of voices in fiction and in translation presents a promising avenue for future translation evaluation projects. Show more