Preservation of the Author’s Tonality as a Tool for Evaluating Translation Quality

Abstract

Introduction. This paper examines the methodology of text analysis using phono-semantic assessment based on the “VAAL-mini” program. The study includes an analysis of the original text and its translation to identify the author's tonality and its [non]preservation in the translation. The relevance of the chosen topic is determined by the application of psycholinguistic methods in the interpretation of V.P. Belyanin and the use of quantitative text analysis methods. The novelty of the research lies in employing the domestic linguistic computer program “VAAL-mini” as a tool capable of categorizing emotional elements of the text. Methodology and sources. The methodological foundation of the research is a psycholinguistic approach to assessing the quality of translation, which justifies the significance of the author category in the interpretation and translation of fiction texts. It also allows for an examination of how translation affects the perception and emotional response of the reader, as well as how accurately the translator conveys the cognitive and emotional aspects of the original text. The primary research method proposed is a quantitative method using the computer program “VAAL-mini”, which is capable of categorizing the emotional elements of the text. The material for the study is the novel by P. Suskind “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” and its translation into Russian by E.V. Vengerova. Results and discussion. The literature review conducted allows for tracing the current state of psycholinguistics as per Belyanin and its developmental dynamics. In accordance with the identified concept, we performed a comprehensive analysis of P. Suskind's work “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer” and its Russian translation. The results of this analysis help to gain a deeper understanding of the emotional and lexical components of the text, as well as to assess the quality of the translation. The integration of a psycholinguistic approach with modern quantitative analysis methods-using corresponding computer programs enables a more comprehensive understanding of the studied work. Conclusion. As a result of the analysis based on determining the type of text using the linguistic application VAAL-mini, findings were obtained that refuted the external (qualitative) impression of stylistic and emotional equivalence between Süskind's original text and E.V. Vengerova's translation of the novel. This result demonstrates the viability of the proposed methodology for assessing translation quality.