Tiểu luận Lý thuyết dịch

THANG LONG UNIVERSITY
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
---o0o---

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE TRANSLATION OF
“A GAME OF THRONES”
By HA LY

SUPERVISOR:

PHAM THAI SON, M.A

STUDENT’S NAME:

TRAN DUC MANH

STUDENT’S CODE:

A34957

Hanoi, October 2021


TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................2
CHAPTER 1. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ...................................................3
1.1. Translation Definitions ................................................................................................. 3
1.2. Text Analysis ................................................................................................................ 3
1.3. Translation methods ..................................................................................................... 4
1.4. Translation errors ......................................................................................................... 5

1.5. Newmark’s model of translation quality assessment ................................................... 6

CHAPTER 2. AN ASSESSMENT OF THE TRANSLATION OF “A GAME OF
THRONES” BY HA LY ............................................................................................... 7
2.1. A brief analysis of the SL text ...................................................................................... 7
2.2. The translator’s purpose ............................................................................................... 8
2.3. Comparing the translation with the original ................................................................. 8
2.4. The evaluation of the translation ................................................................................ 11
2.5. The translation’s future .............................................................................................. 12
2.6. Conclusion of the assessment ..................................................................................... 12

CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................14
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................15
APPENDICES ..............................................................................................................16


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

No.: Number
SL: Source Language
ST: Source Text
TL: Target Language
TT: Target Text

1


INTRODUCTION

It is known that translation has existed a long time ago, its mark can be traced back as

early as the Mesopotamian era, around the second millennium BC. However, it was until the
second half of the 20th century that the term “Translation Studies” was coined by James S.
Holmes in his paper “The name and nature of translation studies”, by then translation studies
was officially considered as an academic discipline.
The subject of translation quality assessment or translation criticism has always been a
crucial factor of translation studies, some even posed that it is at the heart of all translation
theory. According to Peter Newmark, translation criticism can be considered as an essential
link between translation theory and its practice because: firstly, it improves our competence as
a translator; secondly, it expands our knowledge and understanding of our own and the foreign
language and perhaps the topic; thirdly, it helps us to sort out our ideas about translation.
Therefore, this assignment is my attempt to apply the theories into practice.
My reason for choosing this topic is because I have been fascinated with the story and the
world that George R.R. Martin created in his famous fantasy book series “A Song of Ice and
Fire”. I have decided to choose the first book of the series - “A Game of Thrones”, and its
Vietnamese translation version (by Ha Ly) to serve as the source text (ST) and target text (TT)
for this assessment. However, because the requirement of this assignment limits me on
analyzing a full chapter, I have selected only an excerpt from one chapter of the book for the
evaluation.
Within the content of this assignment, first, some basic translation theories will be
presented, including definitions of translation, text analysis, translation methods, translation
errors, and Newmark’s model of translation criticism. These are some of the most significant
issues of the theoretical framework for translation studies. Then, based on these theories, I will
provide a comparison and analyze the ST and the TT using Newmark’s model to assess the
quality of the Vietnamese translation of an excerpt in the book “A Game of Thrones”.
Through this assessment, it is expected to show how good the Vietnamese version of the
excerpt in “A Game of Thrones” according to Newmark’s model and what recommendations
can be made from the translated version.

2

CHAPTER 1.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

1.1. Translation Definitions
Translation can be seen as a product or a process. As a product, it is a text that has been
translated. As a process, the definitions are various. Catford (1965) defined translation as “the
replacement of textual material in source language (SL) by equivalent textual material in target
language (TL)”. Nida and Taber (1969) explained that “translation or translating consists in
reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source language
message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style”. With Newmark (1988), he
described translation as “rendering the meaning of a text into another language in the way that
the author intended the text”.
1.2. Text Analysis
Before doing any translation work, one must first study the ST by reading it to understand
its content then analyze it from the viewpoint of a translator. He or she must determine the text’s
intention and how it is written before deciding which translation method should be used, and
identifying all the problems.
The intention of the text
The intention of the text can be found in the content of the text, but not in the title of the
text, thus, we need to find the intention in reading. By understanding the text’s intention, we
will know the writer’s attitude toward the subject matter.
The intention of the translator
In most cases, the translator’s intention is identical to the author of the original. However,
in some situations, it can be different for a particular target readership.
Text style
There are four types of text according to Nida. First, there is narrative, which is the type
of text that denotes “a dynamic sequence of events”, and the verb that is used in the text are
emphasized. Second, there is description, the kind of text that is “static, emphasis on linking

verbs, adjectives, adjectival nouns”. Third, the text that contains and is signified by
colloquialisms is dialogue. Last, there is discussion, which presents “a treatment of ideas,
emphasis on abstract nouns, verbs of thought, and mental activity”.
The readership
The readership is another aspect that must be considered, to do so, some characteristics
should be assessed, such as the level of education, the class, the age, and the sex to indicate
how much attention needs to spend in translation. There are three typical types of readers, they
are expert, educated layman, and the uninformed. However, the average text for translation
tends to be for an educated, middle-class readership, and in an informal style.

3


The stylistic scales
When the original text is studied, the translator must identify the stylistic scales of the
text. For example, depending on the formality of the text, there are officialese, official, formal,
neutral, informal, colloquial, slang, and taboo; depending on the generality or difficulty, there
are: simple, popular, neutral, educated, technical, and opaquely technical; lastly, depending on
the emotional tone, there are: intense, warm, factual, and understatement.
The setting of the text
Newmark (1988) suggests us to decide on the setting of the text, by considering some
questions about where the text would be published in the TL, about the client that we are
translating for and the requirements, etc. The translator should make assumptions about the
readership, then it needs to be considered that whether the TL text would be read by the same
kind of readership in SL text or different.
Quality of the ST
The quality of the ST is an important thing that a translator needs to pay attention, before
deciding which translation method should be used. As Newmark (1988) suggested, the quality
must be judged in relation to the intention of the writer and/or the requirements of the subject
matter. A text is well-written when the manner is as important as the matter, the right words are

in the right places, and there is minimum redundancy. It is badly written if it has stereotyped
phrases, recently fashionable general words, and poorly structured.
1.3. Translation methods

Newmark stated that there are eight translation methods and he classified them in the
form of a flattened V diagram.
SL emphasis

TL emphasis

Word-for-word translation

Adaptation

Literal translation

Free translation

Faithful translation

Idiomatic translation

Semantic translation

Communicative translation

Word-for-word translation
In word-for-word translation, the SL word order is preserved, and the words are translated
singly by their most common meanings, out of context. This method is used mostly either to
understand the general information of a text or to pre-translate a difficult text.

Literal translation
In literal translation, the SL grammatical constructions are converted to the nearest TL
equivalent but like word-for-word translation, the lexical words are translated singly, out of
context. It is used in pre-translation to identify problems.
4


Faithful translation
In faithful translation, as its name, the translation must be faithful to the intention of the
original, the words are translated precisely within the constraints of the TL grammatical
structures. It means that the words are translated in context, and cultural words are transferred,
but the translated text expresses in an unnatural way.
Semantic translation
In semantic translation, it is nearly the same as faithful translation method, but it takes
more account of the aesthetic value of the SL text. It is more flexible than faithful translation,
especially when it focuses on naturalizing the text in TL with the aid of semantic information.
It is used for expressive texts like literature.
Communicative translation
In communicative translation, it attempts to render the exact contextual meaning of the
original in a way that both content and language are readily acceptable and comprehensible to
the readership. Communicative translation is used for informative texts because it tends to make
the TL text smoother.
Idiomatic translation
In idiomatic translation, it reproduces the ‘message’ of the original but prefers using
colloquialisms and idioms which do not exist in the original.
Free translation
In free translation, it reproduces the content without the form of the original. Usually, it
is a paraphrase much longer than the original.
Adaptation translation
In adaptation translation, this is the ‘freest’ form of translation. It is used mainly for plays

and poetry; the themes, characters, plots are usually preserved, while the SL culture is converted
to the TL culture, and the text is rewritten.
1.4. Translation errors
According to American Translators Association, translation errors are negative impacts
or impacts on the understanding or use of a target text. In their framework for standardized error
marking, there are 22 errors which are grouped into four types of errors:
1) Linguistic errors: word form, grammar, syntax, usage, style, register, false
cognate.
2) Comprehension errors: misunderstanding of ST, ambiguity.
3) Translation errors: mistranslation into the TL, addition/omission, terminology,
inconsistency, too freely translated, too literal, indecision.
4) Formatting errors: incomplete passage, illegible, punctuation, diacritical marks,
spelling, case.
5


1.5. Newmark’s model of translation quality assessment
In the book “A Textbook of Translation” (1988), Peter Newmark presents a model to
assess the quality of the translation, including five steps as follow.
1) a brief analysis of the SL text stressing its intention and its functional aspects;
2) the translator’s interpretation of the SL text’s purpose, his translation method
and the translator’s likely readership
3) a selective but representative detailed comparison of the translation with the
original
4) an evaluation of the translation: (a) in the translator’s term, (b) in the critic’s
terms;
5) where appropriate, an assessment of the likely place of the translation in the
target language culture or discipline.
In the first step, it is a must to try to indicate the author’s purpose, which is the attitude
he or she takes towards the topic; the characterization of the readership; an indication of its

category and type. The quality of the SL needs to be assessed to determine the translator’s
degree of license. The topic or themes could be stated briefly but not precisely, and do not
discuss the author’s life, other works, or general background if they are not referred in the text.
In the second step, we attempt to see the text from the viewpoint of the translator, to see
the translation method that has been used, and to identify whether the translator has
misinterpreted the author by omitting any certain sections of the text.
In the third step, this is the heart of the assessment. We consider how the translator has
solved the problems in the SL text. We group selectively under general heads such as the title;
the structure, including the paragraphing and sentence connectives; shifts; metaphors; cultural
words; ‘untranslatable’ words; proper names, etc. In this step, a discussion of translation
problems between the two texts should be presented.
In the fourth step, we evaluate by our own standards of referential and pragmatic accuracy
of the translation to see its quality, and extent of the semantic deficit and to see whether it is
inevitable or due to the translator’s deficiencies. Then, we assess the translation as a piece of
writing, independently of its original.
In the last step, in the case of a serious text, for example, a novel, a poem, or an important
document, we assess the work’s potential importance within the target language culture to see
if it was worth being translated or what kind of influence it has on the language and the literature.

6


CHAPTER 2.

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE TRANSLATION OF “A GAME OF
THRONES” BY HA LY

2.1. A brief analysis of the SL text
The Intention of the text
‘A Game of Throne’ is the first novel of the series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’, a series of

fantasy novels, which was written by George R.R. Martin – an American Novelist. The book
was first published in 1996, by Bantam Spectra in the US and Voyager Books in the UK.
The ST is taken from a chapter of the book; thus, its intention must have related to the
intention of the book as well as the whole series. The books’ purpose is first to serve Mr. Martin
as a work of fulfilling his dream of creating his own fantasy world since childhood, after being
influenced by Tolkien’s novels. Secondly, it is to entertain the readership, to satisfy the need to
ease one’s soul for confronting the harsh realities of everyday life.
The ST is the beginning of a chapter from the novel ‘A game of Throne’, which is the
scene when Eddard is on his sickbed after being defeated by Jaime Lannister. Eddard fell into
a dream of the past when he and his men went to the tower of joy for a fight to rescue his sister
Lyanna. After awake from the dream, he recalled the fight which made him suffer a long sleep
and realized that maybe his life is in danger, maybe for his appearance in King’s Landing.
The translator’s intention
Usually, the intention of the translator is identical with the author’s intention, and in this
sense, let us come to agree that the intention of the translator was simply to repaint and retell
the story for concerned readership, and help the readers feel that they are in the medieval world
the ST author.
Text types
Throughout the ST, some parts are dialogue as the characters have some conversation,
some are descriptive, but overall, the text is categorized as Narrative. As it emphasized mainly
on verbs or phrasal and in sequences of events.
Characterizations of the readership
The target readership of the novel are people above eight-teen years old because the
content of the story contains many adult themes, and they are filled with violence, foul language,
and many more which I dare not to mention. The readership is those who are interested in
fantasy, especially curious about the medieval time, and those who have already seen the
television show that adapted from the series, so they have known the story presented in the ST
partially. For this reason, the typical readership must be the educated layman.
Stylistic Scales
The text was written with the formality of neutral, and the words in the text have the

difficulty of neutral as well, which make the text not hard to read or to understand.

7


Quality of the source text
The story is told in third person point of view, in which the narrator exists outside of the
story and addresses the characters by name (e.g., Ned, Alyn, Poole), by the pronouns “he, she,
it” and “him, her, them”. Moreover, the words are used correctly and it has a minimum
redundancy. Thus, the ST is well-written.
2.2. The translator’s purpose
After analyzing the ST, we attempt to see the text from the viewpoint of the translator.
The translator has used faithful translation method in the process of translating the text
from English to Vietnamese most of the time. Considering the two paragraphs below for clearer
illustration.
Target Text

Source Text

Họ có bảy người, chọi ba. Giấc mơ
đúng như ngồi đời thực. Nhưng đó khơng
phải ba người bình thường. Chúng đứng chờ
trước tháp, ngọn núi Dorne đỏ sậm sau lưng
chúng, áo chồng trắng tung tay trong gió. Và
ở đó khơng có bất cứ cái bóng nào cả; mặt họ
chợt bừng sáng, hiển hiện rõ ràng. Ser Arthur
Dayne, Hiệp sĩ Ánh sáng, mang một nụ cười
buồn trên môi. Chi thanh đại đao Bình
Minh thị ra khỏi vai phải anh. Ser Oswell
Whent quỳ một chân, đang mài kiếm. Hai bên

mũ trụ men sứ trắng và hình con dơi đen của
Gia Đình đang giang cánh. Đứng giữa họ là
Ser Gerold Tháp Lớn, Bò Đực Trắng, lãnh
chúa chỉ huy Ngự Lâm Quân.

They were seven, facing three. In the
dream as it had been in life. Yet these were
no ordinary three. They waited before the
round tower, the red mountains of Dorne at
their backs, their white cloaks blowing in the
wind. And these were no shadows; their faces
burned clear, even now. Ser Arthur Dayne,
the Sword of the Morning, had a sad smile on
his lips. The hilt of the greatsword Dawn
poked up over his right shoulder. Ser Oswel
Whent was on one knee, sharpening his blade
with a whetstone. Across his whiteenamelled helm, the black bat of his House
spread its wings. Between them stood fierce
old Ser Gerold Hightower, the White Bull,
Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

As it could be seen, all the words were translated, and the TL text was grammatically
correct. The overall content of the ST remains in the TT, yet the sentences in the TL text are
displayed unnaturally. In this matter, the translator’s purpose seems to focus on reconstructing
the general content, not the semantic details at the word level. However, the translator did not
misinterpret the author or omit any important sections of the text.
2.3. Comparing the translation with the original
The translation consists of five pages printed in the book, from page 541 to 545. In the
framework of this assignment, we will compare the translation with the original in page order
print, and look at the problems of the ST to see how the translator has solved them.

8


No.

Target Text

Source Text

1.

Title

Trò Chơi Vương Quyền

A Game of Thrones

2.

Page

cùng Lyanna nằm trên vũng máu

and Lyanna in her bed of blood

3.

541

như họ đã sánh bước bên ông cả đời

as they had in life

4.

người trông coi đầm lầy

the crannogman

5.

những hồn ma cưỡi ngựa trong mù grey wraiths on horses made of mist
sương
Chúng đứng chờ trước tháp, ngọn núi They waited before the round tower,

6.

Dorne đỏ sậm sau lưng chúng

7.

Và ở đó khơng có bất cứ cái bóng nào And these were no shadows; their
cả; mặt họ chợt bừng sáng, hiển hiện faces burned clear, even now.
rõ ràng.

8.

Hiệp sĩ Ánh sáng

The Sword of the Morning

9.

thanh đại đao Bình minh

the greatsword Dawn

10.

Ser Oswell Whent quỳ một chân, đang Ser Oswell Whent was on one knee,
mài kiếm
sharpening his blade with a
whetstone

11.

Hai bên mũ trụ men sứ trắng và hình Across his white-enameled helm, the
con dơi đen của Gia Đình đang giang black bat of his House spread its
cánh
wings

12.

Đứng giữa họ là Ser Gerold Tháp Lớn, Between them stood fierce old Ser
Bò Đực Trắng, lãnh chúa chỉ huy Ngự Gerold Hightower, the White Bull,
Lâm Quân.
Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

13.

“Nếu chúng tơi ở đó thì đúng là Phản “Woe to the Usurper if we had been,”
Vương gặp hoạ rồi,”

14.

Vương Đô

King’s Landing

the red mountains of Dorne at their
backs

15.

Page

Ngai Sắt

Iron Throne

16.

542

củng cố phòng tuyến

to lift the siege

Lãnh chúa Tyrell và Redwyne hạ cờ

Lords Tyrell and Redwyne dipped
their banners

17.

18.

Chúng tôi không dễ dàng quỳ gối trước Our knees do not bend easily
ai
9


19.

với hoàng hậu và hoàng tử Viserys

with your queen and Prince Viserys

20.

một người tốt bụng và trung thành

a good man and true

21.

Ngài tháo mũ trụ

He donned his helm

22.

Giờ bắt đầu thôi

And now it begins

23.

Lưỡi kiếm trắng đục như cỏ sữa

The blade was pale as milkglass

24.

Giờ kết thúc rồi

Now it ends

25.

Khi những thanh kiếm thép và kiếm As they came together in a rush of
ma hồ vào nhau
steel and shadow

26.

ơng nghe tiếng Lyanna hét

27.

Một trận bão cánh hoa hồng rơi lả tả A storm of rose petals blew across a
khắp bầu trời mang những vệt máu, blood-streaked sky, as blue as the
xanh như mắt người chết.
eyes of death

he could hear Lyanna screaming

28.

Page

Tháp Quân Sư

Tower of the Hand

29.

543

yếu như mèo con

weak as a kitten

30.

Page

Sát Vương

Kingslayer

31.

544

Quỷ Lùn

the Imp

32.

Tiểu thư nhỏ bé nhưng can trường

She is a fierce little thing

33.

Hội Chị Em Quản Sinh Tử

the silent sister

34.

tháp hạnh phúc

tower of joy

Page
35.

545

Ơng khơng nghĩ đó là điềm báo trong He did not think it omened well that
một giấc mơ có thật đó sau hàng năm he should dream that dream again
trời
after so many years
Table 1. Comparing two version of the text

The title
The ST was taken from a chapter of the book entitled “A Game of Thrones” which is one
of the novels in the series namely “A Song of Ice and Fire”, as it was already mentioned.
However, when the book was translated and published in Vietnam by Tre Publishing House in
September 2012, it had been divided into two separate books; one was named “Trò Chơi Vương
Quyền (1A) - Sói tuyết thành Winterfell” and the other was named “Trò Chơi Vương Quyền
(1B) - Vua phương Bắc”. It is better to not dig into the reason why the publisher does such a
thing. Still, as in the titles of the two books, they share the same phrase: “Trò Chơi Vương
Quyền”, thus it is wise to consider “Trò Chơi Vương Quyền” is the translation of the original
title “A Game of Thrones”.
10


The translator has translated the word “Thrones” (special chairs used by kings or queens)
to “Vương Quyền” (the right to be a king or queen). If the translator translated the title literally,
the translated title would be “Trò Chơi Ngai Vàng”, which is fine as one might say, but it is not
suitable for the content of the story, since the word “Ngai Vàng” can be referred to two
meanings: ‘a throne’ or ‘a golden throne’. The second meaning would be a big problem since
there was no golden throne but an iron one in the story. The translated title would be more
suitable cause it avoids all the misunderstandings that might happen, and is more precise to the
book’s content.
Structure

Throughout both texts, in most cases, the TL text has the same form of sentences as the
SL text. The reason is that the source text does not contain many complex and compound
sentences. However, there are a few situations the structures are different (No. 13, 18, 25, 35)
Proper names
In the original text, there is a lot of proper nouns, including geographical names,
characters’ names, and other kinds of names. With all the characters’ names and most
geographical names, the translator did not translate but transferred them to the TL text (e.g.,
Eddard, Lyanna, Jory, etc.).
Some proper nouns that have been translated using TL are in No. 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 28,
30, 31, 34. The translator has translated these names, for these are the names created by
compounding words that describe the person or the objects themselves (e.g., No. 15: Iron
Throne), or the names that are based on real things/concepts (e.g., No. 9: Dawn). The
translator’s purpose for translating these might be because she wanted to minimize the SL words
in the TL text as possible.
2.4. The evaluation of the translation
Evaluation of the translation through the criteria of the translator
In this part, the translation will be evaluated through the analysis of section 2.3 above.
In general, the translator has provided an accurate translation of the meaning of symbols
and expressions. See number (No.) 4, 15, 28, 33 (Table 1.). These have proved that the translator
has researched the original text well, and has a rich Vietnamese vocabulary.
Example: No. 33: Hội Chị Em Quản Sinh Tử (the silent sister). In the story, the Silent
Sister is a religious order of women, who are sworn to the service of the Stranger – a god that
represents death. They are responsible for dressing and preparing dead bodies for funeral rites,
they are called the “silent sister” as they have sworn vows of silence. The translator has made
an excellent translation here by creating the name “Hội Chị Em Quản Sinh Tử”, the name refers
to their role as women who preparing for a man’s death, instead of translating it into “chị em
im lặng”, which was “silent sister” literally.
There are some points that need to be overcome in the translation, including
comprehension errors and translation errors.
11

Comprehension errors: No. 3, 5, 6, 7, 12, 17, 27, 35.
In close, the translator seems to translate some details in a way that may not affect the
meaning of the text, but these minor details may create misunderstandings in related to the
storyline of the ST author.
For example, in No. 12, the name of the character was “Gerold Hightower” but she has
translated it to “Gerold Tháp Lớn”. Usually, the name of the character must not be translated,
yet she did understand that this is a name, as she keeping the first name of the character –
“Gerold”, but she has misunderstood the last name “Hightower” to a nickname. In No. 27, she
translated “A storm of rose petals blew across a blood-streaked sky, as blue as the eyes of death.”
into “Một trận bão cánh hoa hồng rơi lả tả khắp bầu trời mang những vệt máu, xanh như mắt
người chết”. In the original version, the sentence denotes an image of blue-colored rose petals
blowing in a red-colored sky, but in the translated version, it creates an ambiguity of either an
image of a storm of rose petals carrying blue blood streaks or an image of blue petals blowing
in a sky and the sky carries blood streak.
Translation errors: No. 9, 11, 16, 20, 21, 23, 32.
Again, these errors do a minor effect on the original content. As in No. 11, “the black bat
of his House spread its wing” has been translated to “hình con dơi đen của Gia Đình đang giang
cánh”, which is too literal and senseless. I suggest the phrase should be converted to “là hình
gia huy, một con dơi đen đang dang cánh”. Another example is No. 23, the translator has
translated the phrase “as pale as milkglass” to “trắng đục như cỏ sữa”, the word “milkglass”
refers to the milky-white glass, but it has been translated wrong into “cỏ sữa” – a kind of grass
that has green color, thus, the translated text seems meaningless.
Evaluation of the translation as an independent piece of writing
As a reader, when reading the translated version without caring about the original, we can
see that the text is organized well and the content is well-presented. The language used in the
text is easy to understand and comprehensible to most readers. In sum, as an independent piece
of writing, this is a completely readable text.
2.5. The translation’s future

The world created by George R.R. Martin come to the audience of Vietnam through the
movie series that adapted from his novels. However, the movies could not cover all the details,
all the images, and all the plots from the book “A Game of Throne”, therefore, the need for a
Vietnamese version of the novel is an obvious matter, and it has been solved by this translation
of Ha Ly. Although, it must be said that this translation is not perfect, for many minor details
that might affect the reader, but it would be the base for further edition.
2.6. Conclusion of the assessment
Overall, this is a qualified translation. It remains the same content and structure as the
original text. The translator has conveyed the author’s intention through the choice of diverse
vocabulary, paragraphing the same ways as the original, and attempting to translate it as close
12


as possible without significant addition or omission of any parts. This shows that the translator
has been able to render a text from one language into another while keeping both the matter and
the manner of it.
However, the translation still exists some issues that have not been converted well, related
to the differences in structure and expression between the two languages. The translator should
also be more careful when translating words that were created specifically for the content of the
ST.

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CONCLUSION
After evaluating the translation using Newmark’s model, the researcher concludes that
the translated version of the excerpt in “A Game of Thrones” is of good quality. In general, the
translated text has conveyed most of the author’s ideas by using faithful translation method as
the main method, translating closely to the original text. Despite the differences in sentence
structure between the two languages, the sentences in the translated text are all grammatically

correct. The translator has also made excellent selection of words and showing the creativity
and flexibility in translating new term created in the source text. The language used in the
translation is easy to understand for all readers as well.
Still, some issues of the translation should be review for a better version in the future.
First, by using faithful translation the content of the text is remained but most of the aesthetic
values in the source text has not appeared in the translation. Secondly, the translation has an
inconsistency in translating geographical names, which some are translated into Vietnamese
but some are not, this may create a confusion.
The researcher suggests that the translation should be translated using semantic
translation methods, for it would be suitable to express both the meanings and the aesthetic
values of the original text. All the geographical names should not be translated, for even though
it being translated to Vietnamese, the world in the story is somewhat relevant to western culture
which is not always the same as Vietnamese culture.

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REFERENCES

• ATA’s Framework for Standard Error Marking.
• Catford, J.C. 1965, A Linguistic Theory of Translation, Oxford University Press,
London.
• Newmark, P. 1988, A Textbook of Translation, Prentice Hall International, New York.
• Nida, E.A. & Taber, C.R. 1969, The Theory and Practice of Translation, E. J. Brill,
Leiden.
• Munday, J. 2016, Introducing Translation Studies - Theories and Applications,4th edn,
Routledge, London.

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APPENDICES
(Target text)
EDDARD
Ơng lại có giấc mơ về những ngày xa xưa, về ba chàng hiệp sĩ áo trắng, ngọn tháp đã sụp đổ từ
lâu, cùng Lyanna nằm trên vũng máu.
Trong giấc mơ đó, bạn bè ơng đi bên cạnh, như họ đã sánh bước bên ông cả đời. Martyn Cassel
kiêu hãnh, cha Jory; Theo Wull trung thành; Ethan Glover, người từng là hộ vệ của anh Brandon;
Ser Mark Ryswell, một người có giọng nói nhẹ nhàng và trái tim ấm áp; người trông coi đầm
lầy, Howland Reed; Lãnh chúa Dustin trên con ngựa chiến to lớn. Ned biết tường tận khn
mặt từng người như ơng nhớ chính khn mặt mình, nhưng năm tháng đã cướp đi ký ức, kể cả
những ký ức ông thề không bao giờ quên. Trong giấc mơ họ chỉ cịn là những cái bóng, những
hồn ma cưỡi ngựa trong mù sương.
Họ có bảy người, chọi ba. Giấc mơ đúng như ngồi đời thực. Nhưng đó khơng phải ba người
bình thường. Chúng đứng chờ trước tháp, ngọn núi Dorne đỏ sậm sau lưng chúng, áo choàng
trắng tung tay trong gió. Và ở đó khơng có bất cứ cái bóng nào cả; mặt họ chợt bừng sáng, hiển
hiện rõ ràng. Ser Arthur Dayne, Hiệp sĩ Ánh sáng, mang một nụ cười buồn trên mơi. Chi
thanh đại đao Bình Minh thò ra khỏi vai phải anh. Ser Oswell Whent quỳ một chân, đang mài
kiếm. Hai bên mũ trụ men sứ trắng và hình con dơi đen của Gia Đình đang giang cánh. Đứng
giữa họ là Ser Gerold Tháp Lớn, Bị Đực Trắng, lãnh chúa chỉ huy Ngự Lâm Qn.
“Tơi đã tìm các vị trên dịng Trident,” Ned nói với họ.
“Chúng tơi khơng ở đó,” Ser Gerold trả lời.
“Nếu chúng tơi ở đó thì đúng là Phản Vương gặp họa rồi,” Ser Oswell nói.
“Khi Vương Đơ sụp đổ, Ser Jaime giết chết vua của các vị bằng thanh kiếm vàng, và tôi băn
khoăn liệu các vị đang ở nơi nào.”
“Rất xa,” Ser Gerold nói, “Nếu khơng Aerys sẽ vẫn ngồi vững trên Ngai Sắt, và người anh em
phản bội kia sẽ bị thiêu ở bảy địa ngục.”
“Tôi đã tới Storm’s End để củng cố phịng tuyến ” Ned nói với họ... “Lãnh chúa Tyrell và
Redwyne hạ cờ, và tất cả các hiệp sĩ của họ đều quỳ gối thề trung thành với chúng tơi. Tơi
tưởng các vị ở đó.”

“Chúng tơi không dễ dàng quỳ gối trước ai,” Ser Arthur Dayne nói.
“Ser Willem Darry tháo chạy tới Dragonstone, với hồng hậu và hồng tử Viserys. Tơi nghĩ
các ngài sẽ đi cùng họ.”
16


“Ser Willem là một người tốt bụng và trung thành,” Ser Oswell nói.
“Nhưng khơng thuộc Ngự Lâm Qn,” Ser Gerold chỉ ra. “Ngự Lâm Quân không bỏ chạy.”
“Dù là lúc đó hay bây giờ,” Ser Arthur nói. Ngài tháo mũ trụ.
“Chúng tơi đã thề,” Ser Gerold già nói.
Những bóng ma của Ned di chuyển tới bên ông, với thanh kiếm ma trên tay. Bảy chọi ba.
“Giờ bắt đầu thôi,” Ser Arthur Dayne, Hiệp sĩ Anh sáng nói. Ngài rút thanh Binh Minh ra khỏi
vỏ và cầm bằng cả hai tay. Lưỡi kiếm trắng đục như cỏ sữa, sống động trong nắng.
“Không,” giọng Ned buồn man mác. “Giờ kết thúc rồi.” Khi những thanh kiếm thép và kiếm
ma hòa vào nhau, ông nghe tiếng Lyanna hét. “Eddard!” cô gọi. Một trận bão cánh hoa hồng
rơi lả tả khắp bầu trời mang những vệt máu, xanh như mắt người chết.
“Lãnh chúa Eddard,” Lyanna lại gọi.
“Anh hứa,” ơng thì thầm. “Lya, anh hứa mà...”
“Lãnh chúa Eddard,” giọng một người đàn ông vang vọng trong bóng tối.
Eddard rên rỉ và mở mắt. Ánh trăng luồn qua khung cửa sổ cao của Tháp Quân Sư.
“Lãnh chúa Eddard?” một bóng đen đứng bên giường.
“Bao… bao lâu rồi?” Tấm ga giường nhàu nhĩ, chân ơng bó bột. Một cơn đau nhoi nhói chạy
dọc người ơng.
“Sáu ngày bảy đêm.” Đó là giọng bác Vayon Poole. Người quản gia đưa chiếc cốc lên mơi Ned.
“Lãnh chúa uống đi.”
“Cái gì đây..?”
“Chỉ là nước thơi. Maester Pycelle nói chắc ngài sẽ khát.”
Ned uống. Mơi ơng khơ nứt nẻ. Nước có vị ngọt như mật ong vậy.
“Bệ hạ cho gọi,” bác Vayon Poole nói khi cốc nước đã cạn. “Bệ hạ muốn nói chuyện với ngài.”
“Sáng mai đi,” Ned nói. “Khi ta khỏe hơn.” Ơng khơng thể đối diện với Robert trong lúc này.

Giấc mơ làm ông yếu ớt như mèo con vậy.
“Lãnh chúa,” bác Poole nói, “bệ hạ ra lệnh cho chúng tôi đưa ngài tới ngay khi ngài mở mắt.”
Bác quản gia tất bật châm nến bên giường.
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Ned khe khẽ chửi thầm. Robert chưa bao giờ biết kiên nhẫn. “Nói với ngài ấy rằng ta đang rất
mệt khơng tới tiếp kiến được. Nếu ngài muốn nói chuyện với ta, ta sẽ vui lòng được tiếp ngài
tại đây. Ta mong ông đánh thức ngài dậy khỏi giấc ngủ ngon. Và gọi...” Ơng định nói Jory thì
nhớ ra.
“Gọi đội trưởng đội hộ vệ.”
Alyn bước vào phòng ngủ một lát sau khi bác quản gia lui đi. “Lãnh chúa.”
“Bác Poole nói với ta rằng ta đã mê man sáu ngày,” Ned nói. “Ta cần biết tình hình.”
“Sát Vương đã đào tẩu,” Alyn nói. “Người ta nói hắn đã trở về Casterly Rock cùng cha hắn.
Chuyện về phu nhân Catelyn bắt Quỷ Lùn đã tới tai mọi người. Tôi đã tăng thêm lính gác, mong
ngài vừa ý.”
“Ngươi làm rất tốt ” Ned lên tinh thần cho anh ta “Các con gái ta thì sao?”
“Họ ở cùng ngài suốt ngày. Sansa im lặng cầu nguyện, nhưng Arya thì...” Anh chần chừ. “Tiểu
thư khơng nói lấy một lời kể từ khi họ mang ngài về. Tiểu thư bé nhỏ nhưng can trường. Tôi
chưa từng thấy một cơn giận đến vậy ở một cô bé.”
“Dù chuyện gì xảy ra,” Ned nói, “ta cũng mong các con gái của ta an toàn. Ta sợ đây mới chỉ
là bước đầu.”
“Không ai làm hại được họ đâu, thưa Lãnh chúa Eddard,” Alyn nói. “Tơi lấy mạng mình ra mà
đảm bảo.”
“Cịn Jory và những người khác?”
“Tơi đã trao họ cho Hội Chị Em Quản Sinh Tử, để đưa họ lên phương bắc về Winterfell. Jory
muốn được nằm cạnh ông mình.”
Tất nhiên anh ta muốn được nằm cạnh ông mình, vì cha Jory được chơn cất rất xa ở phương
nam. Martyn Cassel đã ngã xuống cùng những người khác. Sau cùng Ned cũng chiếm được tòa
tháp, và sử dụng những viên đá đẫm máu của nó để xây lên tám ngôi mộ trên đồi. Nghe đồn

rằng Rhaegar đặt tên đó là tháp hạnh phúc, nhưng đối với Ned nó chỉ là một đoạn ký ức đau
thương. Bảy người bọn họ đấu với ba người, nhưng chỉ còn hai người sống sót; Eddard và người
trơng đầm lầy nhỏ bé, Howland Reed. Ơng khơng nghĩ đó là điềm báo trong một giấc mơ có
thật đó sau hàng năm trời.
( )

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