Translation Quality Assessment From The Perspective Of Three Meta-functions Of Language

As far as translation quality assessment is concerned, Juliane House (1977,1997) proposed a model and in detail put forward the parameters for translation quality assessment. However, there is not a systematic and operative description on how to implement this model. Another famous scholar who has made great contribution to translation criticism is Katharina Reiss, who proposed a theory of Text Typology, based on which she proposed translation principles and assessment criteria for each type of text. Still she did not give an operative method on how to do the translation and translation criticism.Si Xianzhu (2004.2005) conducted some critiques of House's model and based on House's research, the theories of Systemic Functional Linguistics, three meta-functions of language, and Text Typology, he raised a model for translation quality assessment. In 2007, he provided a revised model himself. The present study serves as a supplement of Si Xianzhu's research and aims at finding out whether his revised model is applicable to the translation quality assessment of different texts.The revised model of translation quality assessment proposed by Si Xianzhu forms the framework of the present study. Comparison of ST and TT and assessment of TT are conducted under the framework of the present study, with the purpose of testing whether the modification to the model is applicable when actual assessment is conducted. The present study will focus on Chinese-English translation of three texts—Zhang Heng, Cong Cong and Gong Bei Bin Guan, each representing one type of texts, namely informative, expressive and operative. Through analyzing the field, tenor and mode of the ST, as well as its transitivity and mood, the ideational and interpersonal meaning of the ST is explored. The ideational and interpersonal meaning of the TT is analyzed in the same way and compared with those of the ST. Secondly, viewed from macro perspective of the whole text, the equivalent and deviational points are revalued and "real deviations" and "false equivalences" are decided, which are where the TT is not equivalent with the ST. Thirdly, based on Text Typology, we decide which function counts more for different type of text and make a final assessment to the translated text.Through case study of these three texts, the author finds out that the modification to the previous model of translation quality assessment proposed by Si Xianzhu is applicable and necessary when conducting the translation quality assessment of texts. However, we still cannot claim that this model can be applied to all types of texts, because of the complexity of texts, subjectivity of translators and translation critics, and limitation of the present study. Nevertheless, the present study has made a valuable trial and hopefully more studies will be conducted in the future.