Exploring elements of untranslatability and strategies as represented in the English translation of the Vietnamese work “Dế Mèn Phiêu Lưu Ký” (the most recent publication) by To Hoai

Tóm tắt

This study investigates elements of untranslatability as shown in the literary translation, rather the latest English translation of Tô Hoài's “Dế Mèn Phiêu Lưu Ký”. The research focuses on cultural and linguistic challenges that are commonplace in translating Vietnamese literary works into English, analyzing the extent to which author’s cultural idioms, symbolic references, narrative style can be rendered into English without loss of their original meaning. By using comparative analysis of the source text and its English translation, this paper identifies specific representations of untranslatability and categorizes them into common nouns, adjectives, names of characters and idiomatic expressions. Strategies for addressing such untranslatability are then explored, including transference, retention through translation, omission, neutralization and so on. The findings are expected to serve as a reference for translators, scholars, and educators in the field of literary translation, particularly those working with Vietnamese-English translations.