A Study on the Translation of Japanese Literary Titles into Vietnamese Using Newmark's Model

Abstract

This study employs Newmark's (1988) model of translation to analyze a dataset of 214 Japanese literary titles and their 223 corresponding Vietnamese translations. The analysis reveals a dominant tendency toward fidelity to the original text, evidenced by the overwhelming prevalence (72.65%) of source-language oriented methods, including Semantic Translation, Faithful Translation, Literal Translation, and Word-for-word Translation. Furthermore, the significant presence of Communicative Translation (18.39%) reflects a dual purposes: preserving the values of the source text while optimizing communicative effectiveness in the target language. Despite accounting for a small percentage, Free Translation (6.28%) and Adaptation (2.24%) are still considered effective options for titles with philosophical depth or those containing culture-specific items.