NGHIÊN cứu VIỆC sử DỤNG từ hán VIỆT TRONG VIỆC DỊCH các cụm DANH từ TRONG bộ SÁCH HARRY POTTER

ABSTRACT
Translation and its relating issues have become non-stop topics for researchers.
Language difference is one of the most basic issues of translation. Aiming at handling
the gaps between languages, translation procedures is one of the elements determining
the accuracy of language equivalence. Therefore, this research is firstly an attempt to
figure out in detail types of translation procedures applied in the Vietnamese version
of one of the most famous books for children- Harry Potter book series. By counting
the frequency of translation procedures used in the translation of the Vietnamese
translator Ly Lan, the characteristics of each procedures affecting the equivalence of
the translation are drawn, in which through translation, functional equivalence, and
couplet are most frequently used.
Together with that, the Sino-Vietnamese structures used in the books are also
concentrated in the hope to have a deeper look into the use of Sino-Vietnamese in the
translation of literary documents. By modeling common Sino-Vietnamese structures of
noun phrases in Ly Lan’s versions, some structures are built, including some stylistic
structures of the translator such as “Bất khả+V”, or “V+N-career indicator”. In
comparison with original noun phrases, some features of Sino-Vietnamese are also
described. One of those is the ability to remain the structure of English noun phrase by
using the structure “N Adj+N” or “N  Q+ N”. Basing on the closeness in
structures of phrases, Sino-Vietnamese must be exploited in other literary documents
and fictions as well.
Last but not least, since the suggestions were given basing on a small-scale
study, the answer to it needs more examination, thus requires larger-scale studies.
Further studies should be of larger scope to increase the validity as well as reliability
of the results. More discussions are needed within the topic of translation procedures
and the use of Sino-Vietnamese, as there remain a lot of issues to discover.


TABLE OF CONTENT
CONTENT

PAGE

Acceptance page

i

Acknowledgement

ii

Abstract

iii

List of figures, tables, and abbreviations

vii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Statement of the problem and the rationale for the study

1

1.2. Aims and objectives of the study

2

1.3. Significance of the study

3

1.4. Scope of the study

3

1.5. Organization of the study

4

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Noun phrases
2.1.1. Definition

5

2.1.2. Original noun phrases created by J.K.Rowling

6

2.2. SV words
2.2.1. Origins

6

2.2.2. Classification

6

2.2.3. Sino-Vietnamese compounding patterns

7

2.3. Translation
2.3.1. Definition of translation
2.3.2. Translation procedures

8
9
9


2.3.2.1. Transference
2.3.2.2. Naturalization

10
10
11

2.3.2.3.Through translation

11

2.3.2.4.Shift or transposition

12

2.3.2.5.Modulation

12

2.3.2.6.Cultural equivalence

12
13

2.3.2.7.Functional equivalence
2.3.2.8.Descriptive equivalence
2.3.2.9.Adaptation
2.3.2.10.Couplet
2.4. An overview of Harry Potter book series by J.K.Rowling and
Vietnamese translator Ly Lan

13

2.4.1. J.K.Rowling

14

2.4.2. Harry Potter book series

15

2.4.3. Vietnamese translator Ly Lan
CHAPTER 3 : RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1. Selection of subjects

16

3.2. Data collection instruments

17

3.3. Procedures of data collection

17

3.4. Procedure of data analysis

18

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1. Procedures of translation used by Ly Lan to translate English
nouns phrases created by J.K.Rowling into Sino-Vietnamese

20


4.1.1. Functional equivalence

22

4.1.2. Through translation+ Transposition

23

4.1.3. Through translation

24

4.1.4. Functional equivalence+ Transposition

25

4.1.5. Other procedures
4.2. SV structures used by Ly Lan to translate
English nouns phrases created by J.K.Rowling into SV

26

4.2.1. Most frequent SV structures used by Ly Lan

28

4.2.2. Modeling main structures of SV noun phrases in Ly
Lan’s translation

28

4.2.2.1. N+ post-modifier
4.2.2.2. N/Np  V+ N

31
32
33

4.2.2.3. N/Np  Adj+ V/N
4.2.2.4. N/Np  Q (Quantitative indicator)+ N
4.2.3. Suggestions for utilizing SV vocabulary when
translating noun phrases, especially in literary documents

34

4.2.3.1. The exploitation of translation procedures
translating English original noun phrases into SV in fiction
works

34

4.2.3.2. The exploitation of SV in translating English
original noun phrases into Vietnamese in fiction works
4.3. Summary and conclusion

35

36

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION
37

5.1.

Major findings of the study

5.2.

Limitations of the study

38

5.3.

Recommendations for further study

39

REFERENCES

41


APPENDIX 1
APPENDIX 2

44
48


LISTS OF FIGURES, TABLES, AND ABBREVIATIONS
List of figures
Figure 1. Translation procedures applied in the English-SV translation of original noun
phrases in Harry Potter series
Figure 2. Sino-Vietnamese structures used in the English-SV translation of original
noun phrases in Harry Potter series

List of tables
Table 1. Division of noun phrases into groups and subgroups
Table 2. Classification of procedures and structures of noun phrases

List of abbreviations
SV.

Sino-Vietnamese

SL.

Source language

TL.

Target language

N.

Noun

V.

Verb

Adj.

Adjective

Np.

Noun phrase


1

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
This chapter is to clarify the rationale, the aims and the objectives of the study,
the significance, scope and the organization of the thesis.
1.1.

Rationale
Since the release of the first novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on

30 June 1997, Harry Potter has become a symbol in readers’ mind all over the world,
especially children. The name of the young boy wizard is so familiar to everyone in
every corner of the world. Harry Potter, without a doubt, is no longer a name but a
global book phenomenon that maintains its heat and attraction for generations. As of
June 2011, the book series has sold about 450 million copies, making it the best-selling
books series in history and has been translated into 67 languages, and the last four
books consecutively set records as the fastest-selling books in history.
Definitely, Vietnamese translators quickly coped with this global trend to bring
this famous book to Vietnamese readers. This book series have been translated into
Vietnamese, mostly known through the version translated by Ly Lan and published by
Youth Publishing House. Although there are many other translated versions of this
book into Vietnamese, Ly Lan’s version is the most famous among readers of Harry
Potter series.
One of the reasons leading to the fame of Ly Lan’s version is that she knows
how to translate strange and hard-to-understand noun phrases originated from
Rowling’s great imaginative version into typical, easy-to-remember, and arousing
nouns in Vietnamese. “Veritaserum”, “Felix Felicis”,…, what are they? “Chân Dược”
and “Phúc Lạc Dược”. These original nouns cannot be found in any EnglishVietnamese dictionaries. Therefore, Ly Lan’s talent is shown through the way she
1

counts on the content of the original version to find out the best equivalents for those
words. Using SV is one of the special ways of Ly Lan that achieves values of both
content and art. Ly Lan is very clever at keeping characteristics of original words by
using short and descriptive SV equivalents to convey their meaning. The process to
make such products is undoubtedly a tough way to go. Fortunately, SV noun phrases
well facilitate Ly Lan in her process to find out the best Vietnamese equivalents for
such complex nouns.
Undergoing a process of selection, adaptation and application during thousands
of years, SV vocabulary has become one part of Vietnamese language and culture. SV
plays a vital role in expressing, for example, formality, elegance, and classic style.
Therefore, SV noun phrases in Ly Lan’s version have a lot of effects on the texts in
terms of creating the mysterious, magical atmosphere of the wizarding world.
There have been many researchers who conducted studies on translation of SV
in many kinds of texts and documents. Using SV words as equivalents of English terms
is considered the tactics of many translators. However, it seems that the importance of
SV noun phrases in the translation of Harry Potter’s series into Vietnamese has not
been paid enough attention and thoroughly examined. For these above reasons, the
translation of original English noun phrases created by J.K.Rowling into SV by Ly Lan
in seven volumes of Harry Potter book series has become the subject of this graduation
paper.

1.2.

Aims of the study and research questions
Firstly, this research paper is expected to find out the specific features of SV

noun phrases appearing in the sample target text. Secondly, the researcher also hopes to
find out the structures of these SV noun phrases, so that this research paper can help to
model the translation of English noun phrases into SV for further application. Besides,

2


a closer look at the use of SV words in literary translation will be provided by
specifying translation strategies and procedures which are applied in the translation of
the source text.

3


In brief, these aims can be summarized into these following questions:
1. What procedures of translation are mostly used by Ly Lan to translate English
nouns phrases created by J.K.Rowling into SV in 7 volumes of Harry Potter book
series?
2. What models of SV noun phrases are mostly applied in the translation of original
English noun phrases?
3. What are suggestions for utilizing SV vocabulary when translating nouns
especially in literary documents?

1.3.

Significance of the study
This research would benefit those who work in translation, those who are

trained to be future translators, especially those who work on literary translation, and
researchers working on related studies.
As for translators and students whose major is translation, this study raises their
awareness of using SV noun phrases as equivalents in translation of English Literature,
specifically proper names created by writers. Based on the findings, they can draw
some conclusions of the effectiveness of exploiting SV vocabulary in translation of

literary text. Therefore, this research paper can help translators develop some strategies
and apply some models of SV noun phrases for utilizing SV vocabulary.
In addition, the researcher hopes those who share the same interest in the study
of application of SV vocabulary in translation not only in literary field but also in other
fields such as economics or politics can rely on this research to find some reliable and
useful information for their related studies in the future.

4


1.4.

Scope of the study
As the title implies, this research paper focuses on the translation of original

noun phrases created by Rowling into SV by Ly Lan in Harry Potter Book Series.
Therefore, the analysis is conducted in seven volumes of Harry Potter book series of
J.K.Rowling in English and seven translated volumes into Vietnamese of those books
by Ly Lan (Youth Publishing House). In those books, only original noun phrases
created by Rowling (including nouns, proper names, and some complete noun phrases)
which have SV equivalents in the translated versions are focused.

1.5.

Organization of the study

The graduation paper consists of five chapters as follows:
Chapter 1 (Introduction) clarifies the rationale, the aims and the objectives of the study,
the significance, scope and the organization of the thesis.
Chapter 2 (Literature Review) presents the theoretical background of the study,

including an overview of noun phrases, SV, and translation. Particularly, this part will
deal with translation procedures suggested by Newmark, and the structures of SV
compounding patterns.
Chapter 3 (Methodology) describes the participants and procedures deployed in the
study.
Chapter 4 (Results and Discussion) gives detailed answers to all research questions
raised in the study as well as a comparison between factual findings and assumptions
discussed in the Literature Review.
Chapter 5 (Conclusion) summarizes all issues discussed in the paper, the limitations of
the research, and some recommendations for other researchers in this field.
The final part of the study will provide references and appendices for the whole paper.
5


CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter is a summary and provides general introduction of translation and
translation procedures together with some background knowledge about SV. The
chapter starts with the definitions of noun phrases, the translation procedures applied
in the Vietnamese version of Harry Potter book series by J.K.Rowling (translated by
Ly Lan), and finishes with an overview of Harry Potter books series accompanied by
an introduction about Vietnamese translator Ly Lan.
2.1.
2.1.1.

Noun phrases
Definition
Yule (2006) defines a noun phrase as “a phrase in which the main word is a

noun and which is used as a subject or an object” (p.269). When analyzing the

structure of a noun phrase, Baker examines individual modifiers as well as
complements that can follow the main word, i.e., a noun (1995). For example, he
concerns about “elementary noun phrases introduced by quantity words”, “elementary
noun phrases introduced by a(n)”, etc. It means he just examines modifiers separately
rather than arranges them into an order. Jackson (1989), however, suggests all the
possible elements that can combine into a single noun phrase. According to him, an
English noun phrase has the following formula:
Pre-modification + Head + Post-modification
As we can see, a noun phrase consists of three parts: pre-modification, head,
post-modification. In a noun phrase, the head is obligatory but the Pre-modification
and the Post-modification are optional. As their names have suggested, the function of
the pre-modification and post-modification is to elaborate or limit the head noun’s

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meaning. In this research paper, noun phrases are mostly in the form of only head
nouns (common nouns and proper nouns).

2.1.2. Original noun phrases created by J.K.Rowling
In Harry Potter book series, there are many nouns, such as “Veritaserum”,
“Thestral”, or “Death Eater” that are not very familiar with readers as they are the
products of Rowling’s imagination. In this research, proper names and nouns relating
to typical terms of wizarding world are mainly focused as they help the readers stay in
the whole picture of the story and follow the storyline. It is necessary to say that these
noun phrases sometimes cannot be looked up in any dictionaries as they originate from
Rowling’s own knowledge about wizarding world and her imagination to invent such
specific, typical wizard items.

2.2.

SV words

2.2.1. Origin
Both Vietnamese and Chinese are languages experiencing a very long history.
As China and Vietnam are neighbors for centuries, the contact of these two languages
had begun. Instead of using the whole system of Chinese characters, Vietnamese had
adapted and changed those characters for their easier using and learning. Therefore, SV
words are elements in Vietnamese language derived from Chinese. According to Tran
(2012), SV words account for 60% of Vietnamese vocabulary, not including
naturalized words borrowing from China. After Vietnamese had their own alphabet
system, SV words have been written with Latin alphabet instead of Chinese characters.

7


SV words are frequently used in written documents in formal context rather than
in daily life. They are widely used in various fields such as medicine, politics,
economics, literature, etc. SV words are mainly exploited to create formal, classical, or
mysterious nuances for the text.
2.2.2.

Classification
According to Le (2010), Vietnamese vocabulary consists of two groups of

words which are native and non-native. Non-native group refers to words borrowed
from other languages, including Chinese-derived words. In the history of China, two
remarkable periods which are the early Tang Dynasty (8 th century) and the late Tang
Dynasty (8th-10th century) mark the border of two sub-groups of Chinese-derived words
in Vietnamese non-native vocabulary: Old Chinese words and SV words.

Firstly, Old Chinese words are Chinese-derived words adopted to Vietnamese in
the first period. After a long time of adaptation, these words have become more
familiar among Vietnamese, entering the daily life of them. Some words such as “hoa”,
“trà” are used frequently in the modern time but they are not regarded as original
Chinese words.
Secondly, SV words are also Chinese-derived words imported to Vietnam in the
second period. They involve words which Chinese borrowed from other languages,
then are pronunciatively adjusted to be in accordance with Vietnamese phonology, for
example “Nã Phá Luân”, “Nữu Ước”, etc.
2.2.3. SV compounding patterns
According to Ngo (1984, p. 302), the SV adjunctive formation requires that at
least one constituent be [+ SV]. Thus, the SV compounding patterns are listed below:
a.

i.

adj  noun-adj

ii.

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noun  noun- adj


adj  verb-adj
adj  adj-adj’
b.

i.

verb  verb- adj
adj  adj- adj’

verb  noun- verb

ii.

noun  noun- verb

verb  verb- verb
verb  adj- verb
c.

i.

verb  verb- verb
adj  adj- verb

noun  noun- noun

ii.

noun  noun- noun

noun  verb- noun
noun  adj- noun
d.

i.

verb  verb- noun
adj  adj- noun

noun  Q- noun

ii.

verb  Q- verb
e.

i.

Q  Q- noun
Q  Q- verb

noun- Q

ii.

adj- Q

verb- Q
Q- adj

In the context of this thesis, the researcher only goes deeper into SV noun phrases. Therefore,
this table above can be shortened regarding only the structures of noun translated into noun plus
suffixes and prefixes:
1.

noun  noun- adj

2.

noun  noun- verb

3.

noun  noun- noun
noun  verb- noun
noun  adj- noun

4.

noun  Q- noun

in which:
Q= Quantitative indicator (Nhất, Nhị, Tam, Á, Song, Đa...)

9


Based on this table of the formation of SV words, each noun phrase is analyzed
and re-structured to find out which word formation is the most popular in the book.
This helps to build some common forms of SV words often used in the translation texts
from English into Vietnamese.

2.3.

Translation

2.3.1. Definition of translation
In general, translation can be understood as a process of rewriting texts from one
language into another language. According to Newmark (1995, p.5), translation
“though not by any means always, is rendering the meaning of a text into another
language in the way that author intended the text.” Meanwhile, Bell (1991, p.5) defined
translation as “the expression in another language (or TL) of what has been expressed
in SL, preserving semantic and stylistic equivalences.” Among these two definitions,
the translation definition of Newmark is probably the most suitable to the thesis.
2.3.2. Translation procedures
A perfect translated version totally depends on two main factors: The thorough
analysis of linguistic of the text to be translated and proper application of translation
approaches to that (Tran, 1999). There have been many theories about application of
the so-called translation approaches, including translation procedures. Among them,
translation procedures set out by Peter Newmark are widely recognized for their
significant influences on many professional translators. Newmark (1988, pp. 81-93)
also mentioned the differences between translation methods and procedures that while
translation methods refer to the whole text, translation procedures are used for sentence
and smaller units of language.

10


According to Newmark (1995, pp. 81-93), there are many procedures of
translation listed below:
2.3.2.1.

Transference

A SL word is directly taken into the TL word with no changes in terms of word

form in order to create certain stylistic effect. Most of the cases of this loan-translation
procedure are used for proper names of people, places, kinds of tree or animals that do
not exist in Vietnam. These can serve as typical examples.
E.g:

- IT-related names: Bluetooth, Internet, Blog, Wifi, USB
- Some jobs: MC, DJ

11


2.3.2.2. Naturalization
A transferred word is adapted to the TL (maintaining the pronunciation and the
phonology). This procedure succeeds in transferring and adapting the SL word first to
the normal pronunciation, then to the normal morphology of the TL. It helps strange
elements of SL texts come closer to the readers thanks to the familiar pronunciation.
Illustrations for this procedure are various.
E.g:

- Coffee: cà phê
- Turbine: Tua-bin

2.3.2.3. Through translation
A word or normally an expression is literally translated into the TL. Through
translation should be used for already recognized terms, e.g. names of organizations.
Newmark (1995, p. 84) defined this procedure as “the literal translation of common
collocations, names of organizations, the components of compound and perhaps
phrases.” Names of organizations and diseases can be illustrations of this translation
procedure.
E.g: - AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome: Hội chứng suy giảm

miễn dịch mắc phải.
- MOET: Ministry of Education and Training: Bộ Giáo dục và Đào tạo.
- APEC: Asian Pacific Economic Corporation: Hợp tác kinh tế châu ÁThái Bình Dương

2.3.2.4.

Shift or transposition

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This procedure involves a change in the grammar from SL to TL. For example,
change from singular to plural, change required when a specific SL structure does not
exist in the TL, change of a SL verb to a TL word, change of a SL noun group to a TL
noun (Newmark, 1988, p.86). Here are the examples of this procedure:
E.g:

- After his return: sau khi anh ta trở về
- Despite his laziness, he passed the exam: dù anh ta lười học, anh ta vẫn
thi đỗ.

2.3.2.5.

Modulation

Modulation means the variation in the message when it is translated into the TL
due to a change in the point of view. In other words, it is a variation through a change
of viewpoint, of perspective and very often of category of thought. The following pairs
of sentences can be taken as examples for this translation procedure.
E.g:

One part

another

She cleared the throat before making her speech.
 Cô ta hắng giọng trước khi phát biểu.
-

E.g:

Passive

active

The roof was damaged by the storm: Trận bão đã phá hỏng mái nhà.
Unwritten contract: Hợp đồng miệng
-

E.g:

Positive

double negative

Flawless: hoàn hảo

2.3.2.6.

Cultural equivalence

13


A SL cultural word or expression is translated by a TL cultural word considered
equivalent to it. The illustration for this translation procedure is as follow:

E.g:

She graduated after obtaining the degree with high distinction
 Cô ấy tốt nghiệp loại xuất sắc.

2.3.2.7.

Functional equivalence

Functional equivalence uses a culture-free word or expression in a translation
for a culture word or expression in a SL. This procedure can also be called the
“deculturalising-cultural-word” procedure. The following sentences can be examples of
this method:
E.g:

- Will the Pentagon decide to terminate the program?
 Liệu Bộ Quốc Phịng Mĩ có quyết định dừng chương trình?
-He has attended the biggest carnival festival in Europe.
 Anh ấy đã tham dự lễ hội hóa trang lớn nhất châu Âu.

2.3.2.8.

Descriptive equivalence

This means the meaning of the original word is explained by a phrase or
sentence. It is frequently used with transference to translate a cultural word or
expression. These sentences can serve as an example for this method of translation:
E.g: - To attend the barbecue, you must have a student ID

14


- Khi đi dự tiệc Barbecue (bữa tiệc tổ chức, đồ ăn cũng được đặt ở bên
ngoài), bạn cần mang theo thẻ sinh viên.

2.3.2.9.

Adaptation

In addition to those eight translation procedures, Newmark (1995, p.91)
considered another item of translation approach, which is “adaptation”. It is used in the
cases where the type of situation referred to by the SL message is unknown in the TL
culture. According to him, adaptation rests on “the use of a recognized equivalent
between two situations”, and he considered it as “a matter of cultural equivalence.”
However, Newmark (1995, p. 91) claimed that adaptation is not “usable” and
recommended other translation procedures to translators.

E.g:
Người ta khổ vì thương khơng phải cách

You suffer as you stray and lose your heart

Yêu sai duyên, mà mến chẳng nhầm người

Adore the wrong one, and misplace your love

Người ta khổ vì xin khơng phải chỗ

Your gold you lavish where it foes to waste

Có kho vàng nhưng tặng chẳng tùy nơi

You suffer as you beg where one won’t give

(Source: Dại khờ- Xuân Diệu)

(Translation: A fool in love- Xuan Dieu)

2.3.2.10.

Couplets

Couplet is the procedure in which two translation procedures are combined.
Similarly, triplets combine three procedures, and quadruplets combine four.
E.g: What do you want for breakfast, hotdog or hamburger?
15


 Bữa sáng bạn muốn ăn gì? Hotdog (bánh mì kẹp xúc xích) hay hamburger
(bánh mì kẹp thịt)?

2.4.

An overview of Harry Potter book series by J.K.Rowling and Vietnamese

translator Ly Lan
2.4.1. J.K.Rowling
Born in Yate, England, on July 31, 1965, J.K. Rowling came from humble
economic means before writing Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, a children's
fantasy novel. J.K. Rowling is the creator of the Harry Potter fantasy series, one of the
most popular book and film franchises in history.
Joanne Rowling isst known as J.K. Rowling. As a single mother living in
Edinburgh, Scotland, Rowling became an international literary sensation in 1999, when
the first three installments of her Harry Potter children's book series took over the top
three slots of The New York Times best-seller list after achieving similar success in her
native United Kingdom.
Being a graduate of Exeter University, Rowling moved to Portugal in 1990 to
teach English. She met and married the Portuguese journalist Jorge Arantes. After her
marriage ended in divorce, Rowling worked on a book to support her daughter and
herself on welfare. After a number of rejections, she finally sold the book, Harry
Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, for the equivalent of about $4,000.
On July 7, 2004, she received an honorary degree from Edinburgh University, in
recognition of the Potter books and her outstanding contribution to children's literature.
She is the best-selling author in the history of literature. Also, she is the first author to
become a billionaire from writing books.
2.4.2. Harry Potter book series
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Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J.
K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of a wizard, Harry Potter, and his
friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The main story is about Harry's quest to overcome

the Dark wizard Lord Voldemort, whose aims are to become immortal, conquer
the wizarding world, subjugate non-magical people, and destroy all those who stand in
his way, especially Harry Potter.
Since the release of the first novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on
30 June 1997, the books have gained immense popularity, critical acclaim and
commercial success worldwide. The series has also had some share of criticism,
including concern for the increasingly dark tone. As of June 2011, the book series has
sold about 450 million copies, making it the best-selling book series in history, and has
been translated into 67 languages. The last four books consecutively set records as the
fastest-selling books in history.
The main theme of Harry Potter books is death. There are also many other
themes in the series, such as prejudice and corruption.
The initial major publishers of the books were Bloomsbury in the United
Kingdom and Scholastic Press in the United States. The books have since been
published by many publishers worldwide.
2.4.3. Vietnamese translator Ly Lan
Ly Lan was born on July 16, 1957 in Thu Dau Mot, Binh Duong province. Her
mother is Vietnamese, and her father is originally Chinese.
Ly Lan spent about a year studying at village school, half a year at Trung Chanh
school, and finished her primary school at Cho Quan. She continued her secondary
stage at Gia Long, then entered University of Teacher Education in Ho Chi Minh City.
She went abroad to take her M.A degree in Literature at Wake Forest University, U.S.

17


She had been a teacher until 1997, then she stopped teaching and continued
working as a linguistic researcher, translator, and writer.
Ly Lan’s most famous work is the translation of Harry Potter book series
published by Youth Publishing House. She is praised for her amazing translation speed

(her translation is introduced just a few months after the official work is introduced in
UK), and her effort to find out the closest equivalents in Vietnamese for hard-tounderstand phrases or original nouns and proper names created by Rowling. By her
unique talent of building her own translation style, Ly Lan devotes her efforts to
bringing Harry Potter book series to Vietnamese readers. Although there remain some
mistakes or weaknesses in her translation such as the omission of some interesting
puns, her translated works are the most famous editions among Vietnamese readers,
and they are constantly reprinted by Youth Publishing House.

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