| Translation criticism (or"TC") is a time-old practice among human activities. However, traditionally it is apt to be a highbrow discussion among literary theorists or critics for its abstruse appearance and hence the strange phenomenon that you (critics) play your tunes whereas I (translator) dance to my own music. Such phenomenon actually originates in the incongruous understanding of some basic issues: What is translation? How to exercise control over translation quality and how to measure translation quality? A consensus on such issues is not only imperative but also important for TC studies, and the thesis purports to be such an exploration.Translation is a specific form of service, nothing less than a product per se but with a particular function or functions. The quality of a product is made rather than inspected. It rests with feedforward and in-process control instead of feedback inspection and so does translation quality. Constructive TC means more than making a judgment about the quality of a translated text and it warrants an operative quality management model as well. A translation may be expected to be sentenced fairly by checking whether it has duly fulfilled its intended purpose with the fixed cost thereof.Based on the above understanding, a new TC kit is advocated covering Skopos Theory, cost and quality perspective, QM model and suggestive TC approaches. These perspectives combine to make the six chapters of this thesis which is deployed in the logical order of elicitation, analyses and solving of problems, and the arguments therein are presented in diagrams and tables, by analogy or comparisons.Chapter 1 is a lead-in paragraph in response to the following questions: Is TC research a rewarding work? Why choose TC as the research theme? How about TC research home and abroad? What problems are there? Are there any solutions? etc.Chapter 2 is about Vermeer and Katharina Reiss's Skopos Theory as a theoretical weapon for TC. The fact, which is made clear by comparison of skopos theory and equivalence theory, has come to light that translation equivalence is nothing but a never-to-reach ideal and the right yardstick for measuring translation quality is to check whether a translated text has met its intended purposes or not. In addition, Skopos Theory enriched TC with 3 important revelations.Chapter 3 is about TC cost and quality perspective. Quality, the core concept for TC, unfortunately so far, has been explored in the absence of cost. Cost is introduced to TC in this thesis for the first time with the implication that cost justifies quality and translation quality depends on how much the client would like to pay.Chapter 4 is oriented for QM model of TC. The operating mechanism of QM model and its advantages over TGO and TQA model are elucidated in detail here. QM model as a TC work frame is deliberately and innovatively set up to demystify and reify TC.Chapter 5 is about suggestive approaches to TC. Three TC principles (attitudes, angles and amplitude) are elaborated here in favor of a value-loaded, focused, practical TC in sharp contrast with the objective, complete and scientific perspective of traditional TC. Three TC methods are expounded here with balanced emphases on traditional text analyses and translator analyses, wherein the former is fleshed out by some extra-textual factors such as translation contract, customer's requirements and users'expectations and the latter is enriched especially by translators'qualifications and verifications of translated texts in addition to the traditional processes of comprehension and representation, thus making TC procedure appear unassailable. As for TC criteria, conformity, adequacy, acceptability and satisfaction combine to serve the explanation of the grand skopos of a translation. As for TC comments and judgments, 4-C (clarity, conciseness, concreteness and constructiveness) TC is advocated.Chapter 6 winds up the whole thesis. Remarks on further research of the thesis are available in the l'envoi.The thesis, based on Skopos Theory and value-based quality view, is a paradigm-busting attempt against the vague and metaphysical traditional TC. It stands up for a completely new practical approach to TC with QM model as its work frame. All important arguments are presented in diagrams for succinctness and vividness.Translation study is an intrinsically multidisciplinary science, and translation criticism is inevitably a complex issue. Some apparently seminal ideas in this thesis may be actually immature and even sound confusing per se. However, the author has the conviction that such practical research will prove to be meaningful to and warmly hailed by all practitioners in translation and TC. |
