Translation in Vietnam: a case study of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

Abstract

Translation is not simply a transmission from one language to another language, but the bridge connecting languages, cultures, and people around the world throughout history, from past to present, in time and space. In the mutual relationship with literary systems, translation in some cases is the pioneer orienting domestic literature from stylistics, genres to content. Translation in Viet Nam, however, has never been studied systematically, and at present is like a chaotic market in which the rhythm of three main factors, translation, proof-reading, and criticism are marching to different tunes. The thesis focuses on evaluating the functions and contributions of translation in the development of literature and society in Vietnam. Besides, the thesis uses Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet as a case study to clarify problems in translation in Vietnam.

The results synthesized from the formulation of research questions have revealed that translation in Vietnam is absolutely a great transformer of culture and a fertilizer of Vietnamese literature. The case study Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has pointed out that present problems of translation in Vietnam are the shortage of criticism which consequently produces many poor quality translations called ‘disasters’, and of classic books for high education and research. Within deep analysis into the sematic features of the Vietnamese translation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in comparison to its Shakespeare’s English, the thesis has concluded that this translation, which has been used popularly in schools over fifty years, is no longer suitable for present audiences. It is, therefore, encouraged to re-translate the text.

The thesis besides providing a whole picture of translation in Vietnam and insights into the practice of translating Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet into Vietnamese, is a valuable source for Vietnamese translation scholars to indicate strategies for the development of translation in Vietnam, and for Vietnamese translators to re-translate not only other plays of Shakespeare but also classical works of the world.

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