Strategies for translating English isolating intensifiers from Wuthering Heights by Bronté into Vietnamese

STRATEGIES FOR TRANSLATING ENGLISH
ISOLATING INTENSIFIERS FROM WUTHERING
HEIGHTS BY BRONTÉ INTO VIETNAMESE
Đoàn Phan Anh Trúc1
Abstract: Isolating intensifiers are regarded as markers of the lexical-grammatical
class denoting graduation. This category of language performs up-scaling or downscaling of isolated and individual item solely so as to convey the level of intensity (Martin
& White, 2005). The paper aims at exploring how isolating intensifiers are rendered into
Vietnamese and figuring out what strategies are applied to the process of translation.
The study was conducted using qualitative method and based on 170 samples extracted
from the English literary work namely Wuthering Heights by Bronté. The findings show
that translation strategies for English isolating intensifiers into Vietnamese discovered
are mainly literal translation, explicitation and implicitation, and the paper will also
clarify shifts in the Vietnamese translation of isolating intensifiers. The study brings some
implications for English learning, teaching and for the practice of translation.
Key words: Translation strategies; Isolating intensifiers; Literal translation;
explicitation; Implicitation.
1. Introduction
Intensifiers are a category of language discussed by a variety of linguists.
According to Quirk et al. (1972; 1985, pp. 259-261, 439), intensifiers are referred to not
only intensifying adverbs but also intensifying adjectives; some noun phrases and a few
prepositional phrases which indicate not only an intensification but also a point on the
intensity scale which may be high or low. They have a heightening or lowering effect on
some unit in the sentence or on the force of the predicate in part or in whole (Quirk et
al., 1972); and they can modify a variety of wordclasses, not only adjectives and adverbs
but also verbs, nouns, pronouns, prepositions and indefinite articles. In the authors’ view,
intensifiers are both inside gradability (Quirk et al, 1985) and outside the gradability as
the case of emphasizers (Quirk et al, 1972). Diệp Quang Ban (1989) labels intensifiers
as adverbs of degree such as rất, hơi, khí and quá. Nguyễn Anh Quế (1988) divides
adverbs of degree into two groups: downgraders (hơi, khá) and upgraders (rất, lắm).
When combined with adjectives or when reduplicated, downgraders become weaker and
upgraders become stronger. The concepts of intensifiers by the authors intersect at a point

where intensification is realized by adverbs which modify another word class. Quirk et
al. (1972, 1985), however, approve of the unlimitedness of indicating an intensification.
Martin and White (2005) refer Intensification to the axis of graduation showing
scalability, that of grading based on intensity whose nature is the assessment of degree of
1 ThS., Khoa Ngoại ngữ - Trường ĐH Quảng Nam

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intensity and process. Intensification is realized via markers of the lexical-grammatical
class called isolating intensifiers which increase or decrease the level of intensity of a
certain individual item. Additionally, intensification is also seen via any single lexicalgrammatical item which can convey a meaning of the scaling called infusing intensifiers,
unlike insolating intensifiers which modify certain one of function words. The concept of
infusing intensifiers is stated that “there is no separate lexical form conveying the sense
of up-scaling or down-scaling”, i.e. any single term itself can convey a meaning of the
scaling (Martin & White, 2005, p. 143). It is obvious that Martin and White (2005) bring
a new lens of intensifiers from the view of language in evaluation.
Investigating isolating intensifiers in English literary discourse is still an issue left
untouched, especially a consideration into strategies of their Vietnamese translation is a
thing of novelty. The paper helps find out how the category of language is rendered into
Vietnamese; what strategies are used for translating them into Vietnamese. Hopefully, it
would provide a better understanding of isolating intensifiers by language teachers and
learners for language using, literary writing and for the practice of translation.
2. Content
2.1. Categorization of Isolating Intensifiers
Isolating intensifiers are seen as adverbs which modify adjectives, adverbs and
verbs; as inflections to adjectives in comparatives and superlatives. They are categorised
as follows.
2.2.1. Up/Down-scaling of Qualities

Isolating intensifiers determining the scale of qualities are divided into three groups.
The first group functions as the pre-modification of adjectives such as a bit, somewhat,
relatively, fairly, rather, very, extremely, utterly. The second group functions as the premodification of adverbs namely slightly, somewhat, fairly, quite, rather, very. Obviously,
intensifiers such as very, rather, fairly, somewhat can be the pre-modification of both
adjectives and adverbs. The last are mophemes as suffixes to adjectives in comparatives
(hotter, warmer, wetter, colder, cooler) and superlatives (saddest, happiest); and as premodifiers to adjectives in comparatives and superlatives (more miserable; most miserable).
2.2.2. Up/Down-scaling of Verbal Processes
Isolating intensifiers determining up/down-scaling of verbal processes are identified
based on the concept suggested by Halliday (2004) and Martin and White (2005). In
the position of Halliday (2004), processes consist, in principle, of three components:
(i) a process unfolding through time, (ii) the participants involved in the process, (iii)
circumstances associated with the process. Process can be realized by verbal groups, thus
intensifiers like slightly, a bit, somewhat or greatly determining the scale of verbal processes
adverbially modify verbal groups such as This upset me slightly / a bit / somewhat (Martin
& White, 2005, p.144).
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Đoàn Phan Anh Trúc
2.2.3. Up/down-scaling of modalities
According to Martin and White (2005), modality refers to the degree of certainty or
uncertainty of what is being said so as to determine the subjectivity of the speaker or the
writer. From this point of view, it can be seen that isolating intensifiers denoting the scale
of modalities either upwards or downwards are often realised by such grammatical items
as just, somewhat, quite, very as in just / somewhat / quite / very possible or reasonably /
quite / very / extremely often.
2.2.4. Maximisers
Isolating intensifiers as maximisers seen are adverbs indicating the scale of the
highest possible intensity such as utterly, totally, thoroughtly, absolutely, completely and
perfectly (Martin and White, 2005, p. 142). As for Quirk et al. (1985), the authors add

some items such as altogether, entirely, extremely, fully, quite, thoroughly to this type. As
a result, isolating intensifiers as maximisers are recognized via such adverbs as utterly,
totally, thoroughtly, absolutely, completely, perfectly, altogether, entirely, extremely, fully,
quite, wholly, dead, awfully and frightfully.
Covering all the cases of intensification is an impossible answer in the paper,
so the researcher decided to exclude cases of isolating intensifiers which are seen as
inflections to adjectives; to be more precise, they are the cases of morphemes as suffixes
to adjectives, and pre-modifiers to adjectives/adverbs in comparatives. What is more,
isolating intensifiers as maximisers will be limited in case of morphemes being suffixes to
adjectives/adverbs and pre-modifiers to adjectives/adverbs in superlatives.
2.2. Translation strategies
Discussing translation strategies, a variety of translation theorists present their
own points of view. Newmark (1988, pp. 45-47) shows that translation theory’s main
concern is to introduce applicable translation methods to the widest possible range of
texts or text-categories. He builds eight methods of translation namely (i) Word-for-word
translation; (ii) Literal translation; (iii) Faithful translation; (iv) Semantic translation;
(v) Adaptation; (vi) Free translation; (vii) Idiomatic translation; (viii) Communicative
translation. As for Vinay and Darbelnet (2004, pp. 85-92), two main translation strategies
are stated involving direct (literal) translation, and oblique translation comprising
seven procedures, of which direct translation covers borrowing, calque and literal
translation while oblique translation covers the four remaining ones - transposition,
modulation, equivalence and adaptation. Although the authors categorise translation
strategies differently, it is certain that they share a certain point. The first three strategies
by Newmark (1988) are known as direct (literal) translation by Vinay and Darbelnet
(2004). These authors agree literal translation as a popular strategy, which converts the
source language (SL) grammatical constructions to their nearest target language (TL)
equivalents but renders the lexical words singly, out of context by Newmark (1988);
which is the direct transfer of a SL text into a grammatically and idiomatically appropriate
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TL text by Vinay and Darbelnet (2004).
Baker (1996), however, suggests some strategies of translation which are considered
as universals of translation namely Explicitation, Simplification, Normalization/
conservatism, Leveling out. Explicitation is understood as ‘an overall tendency to spell
things out rather than leave them implicit’ (ibid., p.180), described as ‘extra information’
while Vinay and Darbelnet (1995, p.170) consider it ‘gain of information’, which is
defined as a “stylistic translation technique which consists of making explicit in the
target language what remains implicit in the source language because it is apparent
from either the context or the situation” (ibid., p.342). Simplification is regarded as
‘the tendency to simplify the language used in translation’ (Baker, 1996, p.181), and
Normalization/conservatism - glossed as a ‘tendency to exaggerate features of the target
language and to conform to its typical patterns’ (ibid., p.183). Leveling out described
as ‘the tendency of translated text to gravitate towards the centre of a continuum’ (ibid.,
p.184). Additionally, mentioning translation universals, Toury (2004, p.21) regards
explicitation, implicitation, simplicitation, complexification, ect. as kinds of shifts in
translation, of which explicitation and simplification are considered as up-rank shift
and down-rank shift respectively by Le (2014); implicitation is described as a “stylistic
translation technique which consists of making what is explicit in the source language
implicit in the target language, relying on the context or the situation for conveying the
meaning” (Vinay & Darbelnet, 1995, p. 344).
Regarding implicitiation and explicitation, Klaudy and Károly (2005) present some
criteria to distinguish between them as displayed in Table 2.1.
Table 2.1. Criteria to distinguish Implicitation from Explicitation (Klaudy & Károly,
2005)
No Implicitation

Explicitation

1. SL unit with a specific meaning replaced SL unit with a more general meaning
by a TL unit with a more general meaning replaced by a TL unit with a more
specific meaning
2. meanings of several SL words combined the meaning of a SL unit distributed
in one TL word
over several units in the TL
3. meaningful lexical elements of the SL new meaningful elements appeared in
text dropped in the TL text
the TL text
4. two or more sentences in the ST one sentence in the ST divided into
conjoined into one sentence in the target two or several sentences in the TT
text (TT)
5. ST clauses reduced to phrases in the TT SL phrases extended or ‘raised’ to
clause level in the TT
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Đoàn Phan Anh Trúc
2.3. Methods and Materials
The study was conducted using qualitative methods in order to analyse materials
and analyse the data collected. The data include 170 samples extracted from an English
literary work namely Wuthering Heights by Bronté and their Vietnamese translations
from Đỉnh Gió Hú by Nguyễn Vân Hà. The data were chosen and narrowed based on
the concept of isolating intensifiers by Martin and White (2005). The data were analysed
based on the Theoretical Framework of Translation Strategies by Baker (1996); Vinay
and Darbelnet (2004); Klaudy and Károly (2005). First, the data of isolating intensifiers
collected were examined and described in comparison with the Vietnamese translations
so as to discover, recognise, then sort out into strategies. Next, they were grouped in
literal translation, implicitation and explicitation. Then, a quantalitive calculation of the
translation strategies used was carried out so as to depict a general picture of frequencies.

Last, each strategy of translation was described into details to draw conclusions.
2.4. Findings
It is undeniable that English and Vietnamese are not always identical in language
type as well as language structure because English is an inflectional language and tends
to move closer to analytic languages whereas Vietnamese is an isolating one, finding oneto-one formal correspondent in translating isolating intensifiers is not always an evident
thing. Therefore, changes or shifts in the process of rendering isolating intensifiers from
English to Vietnamese will be possible and understandable. It is obvious that to operate
the process of translation requires translators to flexibly apply strategies of translation
such as literal translation, implicitation and explicitation. From the data analysed, it can
be seen that the majority of the cases recorded were literal translation accounting for the
largest rate (61%), followed by implicitation reaching the second highest (27%) while
explicitation occupied at a very low rate (12%).
2.4.1. Literal
Via literal translation, English isolating intensifiers are found in Verb Phrases (VP)
which are rendered into VP in the Vietnamese equivalent translations. All of the cases
are isolating intensifiers as maximisers denoting the scale of the highest intensity and
that determining up/down-scaling of verbal processes as illustrated in Table 2.2. Such
intensifiers as completely, extremely, perfectly, entirely and absolutely can be put before or
after verbs, and rendered their meanings into Vietnamese such as hồn tồn, hẳn, q, rất,
ln. Due to the language type, they are flexibly placed at positions in Vietnamese verb
phrases. To be more specific, the case of hoàn toàn which is translated from completely
or entirely can be put at the positions both before and after verbs as in [1],[2]&[3] (hoàn
toàn bỏ cuộc // bỏ cuộc hoàn toàn); however, it can not put after the verb as the case in
[4] (hoàn toàn chẳng ưa but not chẳng ưa hoàn toàn). The cases of luôn and rất which
can translated from perfectly and absolutely respectively can stand just before verbs as
in [5] and [6] (ln im thin thít but not im thin thít ln; rất muốn biết but not muốn biết
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rất. What is more, in some other cases such isolating intensifiers as completely, perfectly,
extremely and entirely as in [7],[8],[9]&[10] are translated into hẳn, quá, luôn which are
just after the verbs in this type of language (bỏ cuộc hẳn but not hẳn bỏ cuộc;khỏi hẳn
but not hẳn khỏi; cấu tôi đau quá but not quá cấu tôi đau; đi khỏi đây luôn but not luôn
đi khỏi đây;).
Table 2.2. Isolating Intensifiers as Maximisers and that in Verbal Processes via
Literal
No
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]

SOURCE LANGUAGE
They had completely given me up:
everybody conjectured that I perished
last night.
What were the use of my creation, if I
were entirely contained here?
The acquaintance must be dropped
entirely.
His
pri-vate
feelings
entirely
disapproved of the exterior of his new
abode
the poor thing remained perfectly quiet
wherever I chose to put him.

TARGET LANGUAGE
Họ kêu ầm ầm lên rằng đã hồn tồn
bỏ cuộc vì đốn tơi bỏ mạng tối qua.
Tơi sinh ra để làm gì, nếu hồn tồn
bị bó buộc trong thể xác này?
Mối quan hệ này phải hoàn tồn
chấm dứt.
Bụng nó hồn tồn chẳng ưa bề
ngồi chỗ ở mới.

Chính vì thế thằng bé tội nghiệp ln
im thin thít trốn ở bất cứ nơi nào tơi
giấu nó.
[6] ...; and I absolutely REQUIRE to know ..., và anh rất muốn biết em chọn ai.
which you choose.
[7] He yielded completely.
Nó bỏ cuộc hẳn.
[8] She beguiled Hareton, who had perfectly Tay đã khỏi hẳn sau vụ tai nạn.
recovered from his accident.
[9] She hurt me extremely.
Cô cấu tôi đau quá.
if you really have a regard for her, you’ll Nếu thực lòng quan tâm đến mợ ấy,
[10] shun crossing her way again: you’ll cậu đừng có xuất hiện nữa: khơng,
cậu nên đi khỏi đây luôn.
move out of this country entirely;
[5]

In addition, English isolating intensifiers determining the scale of qualities as premodifiers of adjectives and adverbs are converted to the Vietnamese equivalents in the
structure of adjective phrases. They are rendered their lexical meanings singly, out of
the context as seen in Table 2.3. Their Vietnamese equivalents are the very intensifiers in

Vietnamese as the case of very - rất, vơ cùng; quite and perpectly - hồn tồn; rather khá, hơi; extremely - cực kì.
Table 2.3. Isolating Intensifiers as Pre-modifiers of Adjectives and Adverbs via
Literal
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Đoàn Phan Anh Trúc
No
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[17]
[18]

SOURCE LANGUAGE
The following evening was very wet.
... his health is very precarious.
He did not forget me; for he had a kind
heart, though he was rather severe
sometimes.
She was rather thin.
He was quite strong and healthy.

TARGET LANGUAGE
Chiều hôm sau trời vơ cùng ẩm ướt.
... và hiện sức khỏe nó rất yếu.
Ơng chủ khơng qn tơi, vì ơng vốn

tử tế dù đơi khi cũng khá nghiêm
khắc.
Mợ hơi gầy.
Hắn hồn tồn khỏe mạnh, cường
tráng.
Linton’s looks and move-ments were Linton thì cử chỉ chậm chạp, thân
very languid, and his form extremely hình cực kì mảnh dẻ.
slight.
‘Perfectly right; if people be right to Hoàn toàn đúng, nếu người ta cưới
marry only for the present.
nhau chỉ vì hiện tại.
She consented, rather unwillingly.
Con bé đồng ý, dù tơi nghĩ nó khá
miễn cưỡng.

2.4.2. Implicitation
It can be found that the strategy of implicitation used in the Vietnamese translation
of isolating intensifiers accounted for the highest number at 69% in the case where
meaningful lexical elements of the SL text are dropped in the TL text. Implicitation
occurs when one TL word is created from combining the meanings of several SL words
occupying a relatively low proportion of representation at 20%. The case of implicitation
in which SL unit with a specific meaning is replaced by a TL unit with a more general
meaning made up the lowest percentage at 11%. The following are the typical examples.
(i) Meaningful lexical elements of the SL text dropped in the TL text
[19] You have no scruples in completely ruining all hopes of her perfect restoration.
 Cậu chả ngần ngại phá tan mọi cơ may để mợ phục hồi hẳn.
[20] ... and she would soon be entirely her former self.
 ... rồi nàng sẽ sớm trở lại là mình khi xưa.
[21] He did not thoroughly comprehend the meaning of his father’s speech.
 Nó chẳng hiểu lời bố nói.

It is obvious that completely, entirely, thoroughly and very are dropped in their TL
translations; in other words, these meaningful SL lexical elements are left out in the TL
texts. Although the isolating intensifiers are dropped their meanings in the TL texts, the
strategy conveys the very content from the SL texts to TL texts and it does not cause
ambiguity.
(ii) Meanings of several SL words combined in one TL word
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[22] ... but he rose when I appeared, asked me how I did, quite friendly, and offered
me a chair.
 Thấy tôi vào, hắn thân mật đứng lên chào hỏi, rồi kéo ghế mời ngồi. [AdvP
 A]
[23] He took her education entirely on him-self, and made it an amusement.
 Ông một tay dạy dỗ con, và lấy đó làm vui. [PP  N]
[24] My feet were thoroughly wetted; I was cross and low; exactly the humour
suited for mak-ing the most of these disagreeable things
 Chân ướt sũng, người mệt mỏi, quạu đeo, tôi thấy thật nực cười khi phải làm
cơng việc khó chịu nhất trần đời này. [VP  A]
[25] We were quarrelling like cats about you, Heathcliff; and I was fairly beaten in
protestations of devotion and admiration.
 ;... Em thua đứt cô ấy về khoản sùng kính, ngưỡng mộ anh. (VP  V)
Via implicitation, phrases in SL texts are transfered to words in TL texts. The adverb
phrase ‘quite friendly’ in [22] is translated into a Vietnamese adjective ‘thân mật’; the
prepositional phrase ‘entirely on himself’ in [23] into a noun ‘một tay’; the verb phrases
‘thoroughly wetted’ in [24] and ‘fairly beaten’ in [25] into an adjective ‘ướt sũng’ and a
verb ‘thua đứt’ respectively. It can be realized that the isolating intensifiers via the strategy
of implicitation are converted into infusing intensifiers in Vietnamese.
(iii) SL unit with a specific meaning replaced by a TL unit with a more general

meaning
[26] I did remark, to be sure, that mounting the stairs made her breathe very quick;
 Nhưng tôi nhận thấy rõ ràng là mợ thở hổn hển vì chạy lên cầu thang;
[27] in the act of saying she thought she should be able to get up to-morrow, a fit of
coughing took her a very slight one he raised her in his arms.
 ... thì mợ bỗng húng hắng ho, cậu đỡ mợ dậy.
The specific meaning of a unit in the SL text is replaced by a more general meaning
in the TL text. It can be found that the verb phrase ‘breath very quick’ is more specific
because very is used to modify quick, to boost the meaning of quick which is combined
with ‘very’ so as to be a complement of the verb ‘breathe’. Its Vietnamese equivalent is
a verb phrase but it manifests a more general meaning; hổn hển performs a very quick
degree.
2.4.3. Explicitation
From the data, three forms of explicitation seen in the TL translations involve
(i) meaning of a SL unit distributed over several units in the TL, (ii) new meaningful
elements appeared in the TL text, (iii) SL unit with a more general meaning replaced by
a TL unit with a more specific meaning. The first form can be understood as addition
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Đoàn Phan Anh Trúc
which involves in the TL text of extra lexical elements, and the last is seen as specification
which adds meaning(s) by using lexical elements that are semantically more informative
(Kláudy & Karoly, 2005, p.15). They are specified in the following samples.
(i) Meaning of a SL unit distributed over several units in the TL
[28] She looked very well, and very hand-some; yet, I think, not very happy.
 Nàng khỏe, rất xinh đẹp. Nhưng tôi nghĩ, nàng không được vui vẻ cho lắm.
[29] I was fairly mad at him.
 Em phát điên lên vì nó ấy chứ.
Here it can be seen that the isolating intensifiers ‘very’ as in [28] and ‘fairly’ as in

[29] are translated into Vietnamese with the addition of some extra elements such as được,
cho and lên considered as extra words. We can have không vui vẻ lắm instead of being
không được vui vẻ cho lắm or phát điên instead of being phát điên lên. The strategy is
applicable to make the translations much more explicit.
(ii) New meaningful elements appeared in the TL text
[30] Oh, he’ll do very well.
 Ồ, thằng bé sẽ nhanh chóng quen thơi.
[31] Both par-ties were delayed very late.
 Cả 2 việc đều bị trì hỗn thành ra chậm trễ.
The explicitation process occurs because the new meaningful elements namely
nhanh chóng, thành ra appear in the Vietnamese translations as in [30] & [31].
(iii) SL unit with a more general meaning replaced by a TL unit with a more specific
meaning
Transfering the isolating intensifiers in [32], [33] & [34] is counted to undergo the
explicitation process because more general meanings in the SL texts namely very ill, very
punctually and utterly impossible are established to replace by the TL units with more
special meanings. We can have ốm nặng as in [32] which is involved by very, so it is likely
to exclude rất.
[32] ‘My father is very ill,’
 Bố tôi quả thực ốm rất nặng.
[33] She obeyed his directions very punctually.
 Nàng làm theo lời hắn, không chút chậm trễ.
[34] But it is utterly impossible I can ever be revenged.
 Nhưng rõ ràng làm gì có chuyện tơi trả thù được.
The findings show that the strategies applied to translating isolating intensifiers
extracted from the English literary work - Wuthering Heights into Vietnamese involve
literal, implicitation and explicitation, of which literal translation is the most popular. It is
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used for rendering isolating intensifiers as maximisers, that determining up/down-scaling
of verbal processes and isolating intensifiers as pre-modifiers of adjectives and adverbs
into Vietnamese. Via the strategy, the TL equivalents are closest to SL grammatical
structures and the lexical words are rendered singly, far from the contexts. Implicitation is
relatively much used when putting the category of language into Vietnamese, especially
when the meaning of isolating intensifiers drop in the Vietnamese translations. Through
implicitation, it is found that isolating intensifiers combine with adjectives, adverbs or
verbs to create meaning of a lexical word such as noun, adjective or verb. However,
explicitation is seen via the Vietnamese translation of isolating intensifiers but it occupies
quite a small number.
2.4.4. Some implications
Investigating the strategies for translating English isolating intensifiers into
Vietnamese leaves some implications for English learners and translators. First of all,
from the collected data, it makes clear to realize that English isolating intensifiers can be
flexibly position such as before or after verbs, after objects, before adjectives and adverbs
as pre-modifiers, before noun phrases or prepositional phrases. This helps learners perceive
their flexibility and variety of positions as well as of funtions so as to use them in the
effective language communication. Secondly, via the lens of translation these intensifiers
are rendered into Vietnamese by three various strategies such as literal, implicitation and
explicitation. Each forces to transform them into Vietnamese in such a way that their
Vietnamese equivalents are accepted and convey the very message of the TL text. Via
these strategies of translation, isolating intensifiers are translated quite differently, and the
following case of very is a typical example. By literal, very as pre-modifiers of adjectives
and adverbs can be translated as rất, vô cùng, tuyệt. By implicitation, it can be replaced
by a more general meaning in the TL text for example, breathe very quick  thở hổn
hển. By explicitation, it can distribute over several units in the TL, for instance, not very
happy  không được vui vẻ cho lắm; or it can create a new meaning in the TL text like do
very well  nhanh chóng quen thơi. Therefore, translators should comprehend this type
of language and strategies of translation applied to their rendering into Vietnamese so as

to bring exact translations. Lastly, the paper clarifies the three strategies for translating
English isolating intensifiers into Vietnamese. This helps English learners and translators
be more confident and flexible in choosing applicable strategies to SL texts.
3. Conclusion
By way of conclusion, isolating intensifiers are a language category enlightened
by Martin and White (2005) operating the theory of appraisal. From the samples taken
from the English literary work - Wuthering Heights by Bronté, we can see how these
intensifiers are translated into Vietnamese, at the same time finding out three strategies of
translation involved in the process. Literal is the most popular when rendering isolating
intensifiers as maximisers, as pre-modifiers of adjectives/adverbs and isolating intensifiers
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Đoàn Phan Anh Trúc
determining scaling of verbal processes into Vietnamese. Implicitation is preferable to
being applied to the cases when isolating intensifiers in the SL text are left out in the TL
text; when isolating intensifiers in their adverb phrases, prepositional phrases and verb
phrases in the ST text are converted into a TL word; when isolating intensifiers in a phrase
in SL text with a specific meaning are replaced by a TL unit with a more general meaning.
Explicitation is less used in the process of translating the category of language, however, it
can occur when meaning of isolating intensifiers is distributed over several units in the TL
text; when new meaningful elements appear in the TL text; and when isolating intensifiers
in a more general meaning are replaced by a TL unit with a more specific meaning.
It is hoped that these initial findings can be of some help to students of English,
and that such an analysis of translation strategies of isolating intensifiers is hoped to shed
some new light into the study and practice of translation in general and of the literary
genre in particular.

REFERENCES
[1] Baker, M. (1996). “Corpus-based translation studies: The challenges that lie ahead”.

In Harold Somers, Ed. Terminology, LSP and Translation. Studies in Language
Engineering in Honour of Juan C. Sager, 175-186. Amsterdam and Philadelphia:
Benjamins.
[2] Diệp Quang Ban (1989). Ngữ pháp Tiếng Việt phổ thông (tập2). Nhà xuất bản
Đại học và giáo dục phổ thông Hà Nội. (trans. General Vietnamese Grammar Volumn 2. Ha noi: University and General Education Press).
[3] Halliday, M. A. K. (2004). An Introduction to Functional Grammar. Revised by
Matthiessen, C. M. I. M. Third Edition. London: Arnold.
[4] Klaudy, K. & Károly, K. (2005). Implicitation in translation: Empirical evidence
for operational asymmetry in translation. Across Languages and Cultures, 6(1),
13-28.
[5] Le Thi Giao Chi (2014). Grammatical Metaphor in English Official Documentation
- A Corpus Approach to the Vietnamese Translation of Nominalisation, PhD Thesis
UK: University of the West of England.
[6] Martin, J.R. & White,P.R. (2005). The Language of Evaluation- Appraisal in
English. Palgrave Macmillan.
[7] Newmark, P. (1988). A TextBook of Translation. London: Longman.
[8] Nguyễn Anh Quế (1988), Hư từ trong tiếng Việt hiện đại. Hà Nội: NXB Khoa học
& Xã hội.
[9] Quirk, R, Greenbaum, S., Leech, G. & Svartvik, J. (1972). A Grammar of
Contemporary English. London: Longman.
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Strategies for translating english isolating intensifiers...
[10] Quirk, R, Greenbaum, S., Leech, G. & Svartvik, J. (1985). A Comprehensive
Grammar of the English. Harlow: Longman.
[11] Toury, G. (2004). “Probabilistic explanation in translation studies. Welcome as
they are, would they qualify as universals?”. In A. Mauranen and P. Kujiamaki
(eds.), 15-32.
[12] Vinay, J., & Darbelnet, J. (2004). “A Methodology for Translation”. In L.Venuti

(ed.), 84-93.

CHIẾN LƯỢC CHUYỂN DỊCH CÁC TỪ LÀM GIA TĂNG CƯỜNG ĐỘ
TRONG ĐÁNH GIÁ TRÍCH TỪ TÁC PHẨM ĐỒI GIĨ HÚ CỦA TÁC GIẢ
BRONTÉ SANG TIẾNG VIỆT
ĐỒN PHAN ANH TRÚC
Tóm tắt: Từ làm gia tăng cường độ trong đánh giá là những từ thuộc phạm trù
ngữ pháp từ vựng định ra thang tăng hoặc thang giảm cường độ trong đánh giá. Martin
and White (2005) chỉ ra rằng nhóm từ này độc lập chuyển tải mức độ tăng hay giảm về
độ mạnh trong đánh giá. Bài viết này nhằm khai thác nhóm từ này được chuyển dịch thế
nào sang tiếng Việt; đồng thời xem xét chiến lược chuyển dịch nào được dùng trong quá
trình dịch. Nghiên cứu được thực hiện bằng phương pháp định tính, từ khối liệu gồm 170
mẫu trích từ tác phẩm văn học Anh Đồi Gió Hú của tác giả Bronté. Kết quả nghiên cứu
cho thấy các chiến lược chuyển dịch nhóm từ làm gia tăng cường độ trong đánh giá sang
tiếng Việt bao gồm dịch nguyên văn, chiến lược dịch làm hiển ngôn thông tin và dịch làm
hàm ẩn thông tin. Từ việc sử dụng những chiến lược chuyển dịch này, nghiên cứu cũng
làm sáng tỏ những chuyển đổi khi chuyển dịch phạm trù ngôn ngữ này sang tiếng Việt.
Bài báo mang lại những đóng góp nhất định cho việc học và dạy tiếng Anh cũng như cho
việc thực hành dịch.
Từ khóa: Chiến lược chuyển dịch, Từ làm gia tăng cường độ trong đánh giá, Dịch
nguyên văn, Dịch làm hiển ngôn thông tin, Dịch làm hàm ẩn thông tin.

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