Translation and Interpreting Research

Translation and Interpreting Research

Critics’ Voices on Translation Quality: A Thematic Analysis of Emergent Criteria in Ketab-e Mah-e Adabiyat

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Zahra Eidi Attarzadeh
PhD Student in Translation Studies, Department of English Translation Studies, Faculty of Persian Literature & Foreign Languages, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran
10.22054/tir.2026.96866.1109
Abstract
Translation reviews provide valuable sources of data for identifying the explicit and implicit criteria that critics employ when evaluating translated texts. They offer insights into how translation quality is understood and assessed in practice. The present study aimed to identify the major criteria of a good translation based on reviews published in Ketab-e Mah-e Adabiyat over its last five years of publication. Employing thematic analysis and drawing on Chesterman’s (2007) model of reaction, response, and repercussions, the study analyzed the evaluation criteria reflected in these reviews. The findings revealed two main themes: faithful representation of the source text and production of a high-quality target text. Together, these themes suggest a dual conceptualization of translation quality, in which translators are expected to remain faithful to the source text’s meaning and style while simultaneously producing a natural and idiomatic target text. The findings may help translators better understand critics’ expectations and assist translation students in developing a clearer understanding of the qualities expected of successful translations in real-world translation criticism.
Keywords
Translation criticism, translation reviews, translation quality, good translation criteria, critics’ expectations