CÁC CHIẾN LƯỢC ÁP DỤNG TRONG VIỆC DỊCH CÁC TÊN RIÊNG TỪ TIẾNG VIỆT SANG TIẾNG ANH TRONG TÁC PHẨM “SỐ ĐỎ” CỦA VŨ TRỌNG PHỤNG

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION
GRADUATION PAPER
STRATEGIES APPLIED IN VIETNAMES -ENGLISH
TRANSLATION OF PROPER NAMES IN "SỐ ĐỎ"
(DUMB LUCK) BY VU TRONG PHUNG
Supervisor : Nguyễn Thành Vân (M.A)
Student : Bùi Thu Hương
QH2010.F. E21

Hà Nội, 2014
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ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI
TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ
KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH
KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP
CÁC CHIẾN LƯỢC ÁP DỤNG TRONG
VIỆC DỊCH CÁC TÊN RIÊNG TỪ TIẾNG VIỆT SANG
TIẾNG ANH TRONG TÁC PHẨM “SỐ ĐỎ”
CỦA VŨ TRỌNG PHỤNG
Supervisor : Ths. Nguyễn Thành Vân
Student : Bùi Thu Hương
Khóa : QH2010.F. E21

Hanoi, 2014
DECLARATION
I hereby state that I : Bui Thu Huong, QH2010.F1.E21, being a candidate for
the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirement of the College relating
to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library.
In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origins of my paper deposited in

the library should be accessible for the purpose of the study and research, in
accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan
and the reproduction of the paper.
Hanoi, 2014
Bui Thu Huong
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my
supervisor, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Van, for his precious guidance, valuable advice as well
as his encouragement which were the decisive factors assisting me in finishing the
paper on the right track.
My sincere thanks also go to my friends Dong Thi Ngoc, Hoang Thi Thu Yen,
Duong Thi Ngoc Anh, Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, Pham Lan Phuong for their special
helps in the data analysis process. Without them, this study cannot have been
completed.
I am also grateful to my classmates for their helpful comments, wholehearted
encouragement throughout the process of this paper.
Finally, I appreciate the support and care from my family and my friends from
the beginning to the end of the research.
ABSTRACT
Contrary to popular view, proper names translation is a non-trivial question.
Many scholars and translators claim that proper names do not need to be translated,
especially names of literary characters. However, proper names are not non-
informative; they include a lot of useful information and help to provide some simple
information for audiences. In fact, translation of proper names has not been accorded
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the appropriate attention. These factors encourage the researcher to carry out this study
with the objectives of having a look at translation strategies applied in proper names of
literary characters. The novel “Số đỏ” and its translated version “Dumb Luck” were
chosen as the object of this study and document analysis along with the general

interview guide approach were adopted as research methods. 25 proper names selected
after purposive sampling process. Regarding translation strategies, the most dominant
strategy in translating proper names from Vietnamese to English was literal translation.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
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SL: Source language
TL: Target language
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
6
Table 3.1. Types of proper names……………………………… 8
Table 4.1. The satirical meaning behind some proper names
of the characters in “Số đỏ”……………………….…20
Table 4.2. The use of translation procedures in
Vietnamese-English translation
of proper names in “Số đỏ”………………………… 24
Table 4.3. Proper names translated by literal…………………….25
Table 4.4. Proper names translated by couplet………………… 25
Table 4.5. Types of combination couplet translation procedure…26
Table 4.6. Proper names translated by transference…………… 27
Table 4.7. Proper names translated by cultural equivalent……….27
Figure 4.2. The use of translation procedures in
Vietnamese-English translation of proper names
in”Số đỏ”………………………………………….….24
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale
Translation is not a new term to human. It has such a long history – since the
early dates of civilization. In fact, no one can deny the inevitable role of translation in
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societies. Thanks to this activity, communication between people coming from

different countries becomes easier. It also brings nations and cultures to come closer
together. Since translation’s momentous contributions, a lot of experts and scholars
were and are attempting to establish theories and principles to enhance the quality of
translation. They try to find equivalence between the source and target language; in
other words, they wish to convey without distorting the meaning of the source
language into the target language. More details, factors and features appearing in the
source text will be thoroughly focused on, to make sure that target language text can
maintain the spirit, the meaning of the original version. However, it is commonly
known that when facing proper names, many translators accept to ignore proper names
because they believe that translating proper names is not important and necessary.
Vendler (1975) even emphasized that “proper names lack meaning, they are not
translated, but simply carried over to language translation.” (p. 175).
However, the translation of proper names is considered one of the most
challenging parts in the translation given that translators are not able to look them up in
the dictionary. Moreover, proper names also indicate “racial, ethnic, national, and
religious ijhjhhhfhfđgfgyhhk;llk;dentity” (Tymoczko, 1999, p. 223). In the same
manner, Aixela (1996) indicates that proper names “account for the greatest percentage
of the culturally specific items in a text” (p. 86). Therefore, it is essential to pay more
attention to an important factor like a proper name, since it has not been accorded
sufficient attention by scholars and translators.
In Vietnam, there have been several official theses or discussions about proper
names from English to Vietnamese and there seems not yet any official thesis about
names from Vietnamese to English. This gap motivates me as a researcher to carry out
a study on strategies applied in translating proper names. Nevertheless, due to the
limited time frame and capable of the researcher, this study only focuses on the case
study of translation strategies applied by Nguyen Nguyet Cam and Peter Zinoman in
translating proper names from Vietnamese to English in “Số đỏ” by Vu Trong Phung.
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The researcher chooses this writing given that Vu Trong Phung is an
outstanding and prolific satirist who has been compared to Balzac and lauded as

arguably the greatest Vietnamese writer of this rich literary period, and whose works
have been published in English. Vu Trong Phung died in 1939 at a very young age, at
27 years old. However, he left a huge number of works of Vietnamese literature “eight
novels, seven plays, several dozen short stories, five book-length works of nonfiction
reportage, and hundreds of reviews, essays and articles” (Zinoman, 2002, p. 8) Among
his works, “Số đỏ” is considered a masterpiece in Vu Trong Phung’s career and
Vietnamese literature as well, which first appeared in serialized form in a Hanoi
newspaper in 1936.
From the above reasons, the researcher decided to conduct a study titled
“Strategies applied in Vietnamese - English translation of proper names in "Số đỏ"
by Vu Trong Phung.
2. Aims and objectives
The aim of this paper is to identify how well the English translated version of
“Số đỏ” conveys the source texts in terms of style, sense and meaning and the focus is
proper names.
In brief, this objective could be fulfilled by answering the two following
research questions:
1. What are the satirical meanings behind proper names in “Số đỏ”?
2. Which strategies are applied by Nguyen Nguyet Cam and Peter Zinoman in
translating proper names from Vietnamese to English in “Số đỏ”?
3. Significance of the study
Upon completion, the study is expected to be beneficial for students and
teachers who have to translate proper names. They will, to a certain extent, be aware of
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translation procedures applied to translate proper names. Then they may choose the
most appropriate one in order to produce the well translated version.
Besides, this study is also expected to serve as a preliminary work for further
investigation on the issue. The researcher hopes these pieces of information could
provide in-depth understanding on the issue. It means that this study could provide the
foundation for future further study on proper names translation in general, and

Vietnamese - English proper name translation in particular.
4. Scope of the study
“Số đỏ” and its translation might be related to a lot of issues in the translation
field such as translation of satire, humor, word plays, etc. However, as the time and the
capability of the researcher are limited, this study’s focus is placed on strategies that
Nguyen Nguyet Cam and Peter Zinoman used to translate proper names in “Số đỏ”.
5. Organization of the study
The study includes 5 chapters.
Chapter 1: Introduction
This chapter will provide readers an overview of the study, including the
rationales, aims, scope, significance and the methodology used to conduct the research.
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Theoretical background knowledge which has influence on the entire orientation
of the research will be discussed in this chapter. First, an overview of translation and
translation procedure are provided. Then an overview on proper names and proper
name translation will be presented. The purpose of this chapter is to build the
researcher’s understanding, background and expertise in the translation in general and
the proper name translation in particular. Besides, this chapter will bring the readers up
to date; let them know the key concepts, go over all ideas of the past scholars and
researchers.
Chapter 3: Methodology
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Methods which were applied to conduct the research will be presented in this
chapter. In this chapter, the reader will be informed how the researcher approaches the
research, why the researcher uses the methods the researcher is using instead of others.
Then, the researcher will give a completely accurate description of the procedures of
data collection and procedures of data analysis.
Chapter 4: Results and discussion
In this chapter, necessary comparison and analysis will be made to sort out types
of strategies applied in translating proper names in from Vietnamese to English “Số

đỏ”. This chapter also contains a critical discussion of the findings and their linkages to
the existing literature and research in order to ascertain whether these translation
strategies applied by Nguyen Nguyet Cam and Peter Zinoman can retain the
implication of author in the source text.
Chapter 5: Conclusions
This chapter presents addresses the results delivered from the thesis and draws a
conclusion on the work of the researcher. It also suggests the possibility of further
research in the future. This chapter ends with a sum-up of the thesis’s contribution and
significance to translation.
Chapter 6: References and appendixes
A reference list includes books, articles, and web pages, etc. that are cited in the
study. The list is arranged alphabetically by authors.
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter provides background knowledge used to analyze data in the next
chapter, which includes definition of translation in general, proper names in particular
and proper name’s translation as well.
2.1. Translation theory
2.1.1. Definition of translation
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A thorough and precise awareness of the definition of translation is a
prerequisite for a study of translation.
One of the first definitions of “translation” is presented by Cartford in his 1965
book named “A Linguistic Theory of Translation”. In this book, translation is defined
as “the replacement of textual material (SL) in one language by equivalent textual
material in another language (TL)” (p. 20).
Sharing a similar view, Newmark (1988, p. 7) states that “translation is a craft
consisting in the attempt to replace a written message and/or statement in one language
by the same message and/or statement in another language".
Along the same line, Hartman and Stork (1972, p. 713) also consider
“translation is the replacement of a representation of a text in one language by a

representation of an equivalent text in a second language.”
Although, each of the above authors uses different words to express the term
“translation”, all of them share the same perspective that the basis of translation is
finding and transferring successfully the equivalence between two languages.
According to Larson, translation process includes three phases: the first is
studying the source language text including factors such as the lexicon, grammatical
structure, communication situation, and cultural context; then analyzing it in the
purpose of establishing its meaning; finally, reconstructing this same meaning using
the lexicons and grammatical structures which are appropriate in the receptor language
and its cultural context.
The most important responsibility of a translator is to convey without distorting
the meaning of the source language into the target language, while still maintaining the
author’s purposes and implications between the words of the text in target language.
Newmark (1995, p.5) also emphasizes that “often, though not by any means always, it
is rendering the meaning of text into another language in the way that the author
intended the text.”
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Apparently, translation plays a crucial part in communication and culture.
Thanks to translation, people are able to overcome language and cultural obstacles;
they can easily connect together despite having differences in their mother languages.
2.1.2. Translation procedures
Some authors use the term “procedures” while some others prefer the term
“techniques” or “strategies”. Although word choices are different, “Translation
procedures are methods applied by translators when they formulate equivalence for the
purpose of transferring elements of meaning from the Source Text (ST) to the Target
Text (TT). (Delisle, 1999).
In order to evaluate the translation of proper names, a language unit that smaller
than sentences, the research utilizes theories on translation procedures by Newmark
(1988), in which he maintained a considerably different standpoint from other theorists
that literal translation is a translation procedure.

16 translation procedures proposed by Newmark in his book “A textbook of
translation” (1995) as follows:
1. Literal translation
According to Newmark, the most crucial translation procedure is the literal
translation. He even wrote a separate chapter about this procedure.
Literal translation is a translation that maintains closely the form and order of
the source language. Literal translation occurs when a translator directly transfers a
word or expression from the source language to the target language without further
explanation. Vocabulary is still separately translated and separated from context.
E.g.
• It was a pleading cry of a strong man in distress (London, “Love of life”).
→ Đó là tiếng kêu van vỉ của một người đàn ông khoẻ mạnh trong lúc tuyệt
vọng. (Tình yêu cuộc sống - Đắc Lê dịch)
• I love you
→ Anh yêu em.
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1. Through-translation
The literal translation, which dealt with already recognized terms including
names of organizations (UN), names of diseases (HIV-AIDS), or common collocations
(small business websites → các trang web của doanh nghiệp nhỏ), is recognized by
Newmark as “cake” (loan translation) or “through-translation”.
E.g.
• Galloping inflation
→ Lạm phát phi mã
• Eyeball
→ Nhãn cầu
• Superman
→ Siêu nhân
• International Monetary Fund
→ Quỹ tiền tệ quốc tế

2. Transference
Transference procedure is utilized when translator attempt to preserve the
original text in the source language. The words which are often preserved may be the
names of newspaper, geographical names. etc. All these words have the same
characters because they do not have an equivalent in the target language.
E.g. Santiago, New Zealand.
3. Naturalization
This type of translation procedure comes after transference in that when a
normal pronunciation is adapted first by the SL word, it is then followed by the normal
morphology of the target language.
E.g :
• Nail → neo (nêu).
• Clark Clifford → Clác Clípphớt
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4. Cultural equivalent
This procedure is a proximate translation translating the SL cultural word to TL
cultural word, and Newmark (1988) clearly indicated that supplement of another
translation process in a couplet is the procedure’s main function. Because of different
culture, idioms and currencies are translated differently.
E.g. Muttons dressed as lamb
→ Cưa sừng làm nghé.
5. Functional equivalent
Newmark (1988, p. 83) said that the procedure is normally applied to cultural
SL words; TL words can be unrelated to culture. Sometimes, new term can be
invented. Hence, this generalizes or removes the cultural influence in the SL words. He
also defines that this method is “the most accurate way of translating i.e.
deculturalizing a cultural word” (Newmark, 1988, p. 83)
E.g.
• Shadow Cabinet
→ Nội Các Đối Lập

• Red Nose Day
→ Ngày quyên tiền cho công cuộc nghiên cứu hiện tượng trẻ em chết trong
nôi
6. Descriptive equivalent
The meaning of the original word is explained in several words. This procedure
is often used with transference to translate a cultural word or expression.
Eg.
• Continental breakfast
→ Bữa điểm tâm nhẹ gồm có bánh mỳ, mứt, cà phê hay trà.
• Hitchhiking backpacker
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→ khách du lịch ba lô
7. Componential analysis
This translation procedure involves in splitting up a lexical unit into meaning
atoms and translating those.
8. Synonymy
By using the word “synonym”, Newmark (1988, p.84) meant a near translation
equivalent to an SL word in a context, where exact synonym may or may not be
available. “Where there is no precise alternative for a SL word, or this word is not
crucial, this method is used, especially for adjectives or adverbs of quality” (Newmark,
1988, p.84)
9. Shifts or transpositions
The translation procedure of shift or transpositions involves a change in
grammar or part of speech from SL to TL, including four main types: the change in
number (singular-plural) of nouns, the position of adjectives or grammatical structure.
E.g: With good nutrition, medical care, education and skill training
→ Do được ăn uống đầy đủ, chăm sóc sức khỏe đều đặn và được giáo dục,
đào tạo kỹ năng tốt
10. Modulation
This translation procedure involves a variation in the message when it is

translated into a TL due to a change in the point of view. There are three types of
modulation:
a . One part - Another
E.g. She cleared her throat
→ Cô ta hắng giọng
b . Passive – active:
E.g. I was not prepared for …
→ Tôi đã không hề biết rằng…
c . Possitive – Double Negative
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E.g. It isn’t impossible to …
→ Có thể …
11. Recognized translation
This translation procedure uses a well-known accepted target language
translation for a specific source language institutional term.
12. Compensation
A translation procedure whereby the translator solves the problem of aspects of
the source text that cannot take the same form in the target language by replacing these
aspects with other elements or forms in the source text.
13. Paraphrase
This translation procedure is sometimes called periphrasis, it is a translation
procedure whereby the translator replaces a word in the source text by a group of
words or an expression in the target text.
14. Couplets
This translation procedure combines two or more translation procedures to deal
with a single problem. This procedure is particularly common for cultural words,
where transference may be combined with a functional or cultural equivalence.
E.g. To attend the barbecue you must have a student ID
→ Để có thể tham gia bữa tiệc barbecue (tiệc nướng ngoài trời) anh phải mang
theo thẻ sinh viên

15. Reduction and Expansion
Reduction implies “omission of a word from an expression” which “is not
essential for understanding” (Newmark, 1988, p. 90)
E.g. Linguistics
→ Khoa học ngôn ngữ
2.2. Proper names
2.2.1. Definition of proper names
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Generally, proper names cover several categories: names of people, places,
animals, signs, festivals, etc. Although many scholars provide their own definitions of
proper names, this study focuses on the definition mentioned in The Oxford Concise
English Dictionary (2001, p.1146). A proper name is “a name for an individual person,
place, or organization having an initial capital letter”.
According to Nord (2003, p.183), “if we are familiar with the culture in
question, a proper name can tell us whether the referent is a female or a male person ,
maybe even about their age or their geographical origin within the same language
community”. For example, many children were named after a soccer player, film star
of a film which was shown on the television as the same year as they were born.
Furthermore, many translation theorists such as Javier Franco Aixelá, Irma
Hagfors, Eirlys E. Davies, Katrine Brøndsted and Cay Dollerup acknowledge that
proper names may also have certain connotations, and then they treat proper names as
belonging to certain culture and often call them culture-specific items.
In the same manner, Garcéc (2003, p. 122) emphasized that “proper names are
used “not only to reinforce characterization […], but in some cases to anticipate the
drawing of a character or even make it unnecessary”.
In short, proper names are not non-informative; it includes a lot of useful
information and helps to provide some simple information for audiences.
2.2.2. Types of proper names
As mentioned above, proper names cover several categories such as: names of
people, places, animals, signs, festivals, etc. According to Marshall (2010), proper

names can be classified as below:
Table 3.1. Types of proper names
Types of proper names Examples
1. Holidays New Year’s Day
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Mother’s Day
2. Times and months April
May
3. Geographical areas California
France
4. People and pets Mr. Civilization
Miss. Snow
5. Books, Newspaper and Magazines Atlanta Journal
Southern Living
6. Companies and organizations Child Fund International
Google
7. Religious terms Hindu
Allah
8. Places and buildings Empire State Building
Ritz Carlton
9. Titles King George
Judge Judy
10. Languages French
Spanish
11. Brand names Timberland
Dockers
12. Possessive proper nouns Mary’s coat
Kansas’s prairie lands
Table 3.1. Types of proper names
However, in the framework of this study, the researcher limits the study’s scope

to the analysis of translating proper names given to the literary characters. With her
own observations and experiences in the field of linguistic study, Bertills (2003)
categorizes proper names in literary works into the following groups:
“1) Conventional personal names including first names and/or family names that
belong to the general anthroponomy. This category includes only names that are found
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as such in the general name register and which cannot be defined as suggesting any
characteristic traits of the name-bearer.
2) Invented names or coined names which are, to use Hermans (1988) term,
“semantically loaded” and are formed or invented for the purpose of a certain narrative
context. Most of these names are transparently or opaquely semantically loaded, or
have a clearly discernable origin. For instance, Raivo (2001, p.9) distinguishes between
invented or names derived from other words and imaginary names. (Bertills, 2003)
refers to these names in terms of poetic names. The term imaginary names with
reference to names that have no transparent semantic content, that is, they do not
include already existing word forms. They are still coined for a specific narrative
context.
3) Classic names (also historical, universal or literary names) contain a
“universal” content, that is, the name is associated with certain characteristics
independently of cultural or linguistic context. For instance, the classic names of
literary characters “Hamlet”, historical names “Caesar”. These are not conventional
and do not have any discernable meaning.” (p.53)
2.2.3. Proper names translation
Gergana Apostolova presents a variety of aspects to consider while translating
proper names.
“The transformation of names in translation […] is rooted deeply in the cultural
background of the translator which includes phonetic and phonological competence,
morphological competence, complete understanding of the context, a correct attitude to
the message, respect for tradition, compliance with the current state of cross-cultural
interference of languages, respect for the cultural values and the responsibilities of the

translator. The process reaches from an ear for aesthetic sounding to the philosophical
motivation of re-naming.”
(2004, p.14)
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Therefore, Jaleniauskiene (2009) concludes that “for a translator to translate
efficiently it is not enough to be well linguistically educated. Cultural education is also
very important. Moreover, a translator has to consider the intended audience and its
age, as different audiences require different translation strategies to be used.”
According to Nguyen (2013), to deal with proper names, translators employ six
translation procedures as defined by Peter Newmark to translate proper names.
Furthermore, transference is the procedure used the most.
Chapter summary
In this chapter, the readers are briefly introduced to the theories which have an
influence on the entire orientation of the research.
Firstly, an overview of translation and translation procedures is provided.
Translation is considered as a process which involves the change of form from a source
language into a target language. Translation procedures are methods applied by
translators when they coin equivalence between the source language (SL) and the
target language (TL). There are 16 types of translation procedures: Literal translation,
Through translation, Transference, Naturalization, Cultural equivalent, Functional
equivalent, Descriptive equivalent, Componential analysis, Synonymy, Shifts or
transpositions, Modulation, Recognized translation, Compensation, Paraphrase,
Couplets, Reduction and Expansion.
Secondly, this chapter provides an overview on proper names and proper names
translation. In the dictionary, the term “proper name” is demonstrated as “a word that is
the name of a person, a place, an institution, etc. and is written with a capital letter”.
Depending on the meaning, proper names can categorized into 12 types which are (1)
holidays, (2) geographical areas, (3) people and pets, (4) books, newspaper, magazines,
(5) companies and organizations, (6) religious terms, (7) places, (8) tittles, (9)
languages, (10) brand names, (11) languages, (12) possessive proper nouns. However,

this study limits itself to the analysis of translating proper names given to the literary
characters. Therefore, proper names of literary characters can be sort out into 3 groups
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which are (1) conventional personal names, (2) invented names or coined names, and
(3) classic names.
CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY
The chapter gives a description of the methodologies which are employed in this
research: the research approach, the sampling, the methods of data collection and the
procedure of data collection and analysis.
3.1. The research approach
A qualitative research must be an optimal choice when the researcher sets out to
investigate phenomena which are difficult to quantify or measure accurately, or where
such measurement would be inexact. Qualitative research commonly measures:
• Personal experience
• Processes
• Personal values and beliefs
• Interactions and relationships
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• Service evaluation
As presented previously, the focus of this study is analyzing the translation
procedures which Nguyen Nguyet Cam and Peter Zinoman applied in translating
proper names from Vietnamese to English in “Số đỏ”. Therefore, qualitative method is
chosen to convey a clearer perspective on the translation of proper names, especially
by investigating translation tactics adopted to express the author’s implications under
the words.
The results of the research will be more persuasive if the researcher can have
precious information from the direct exchange with the two translators Nguyen Nguyet
Cam and Peter Zinoman. For that reason, the researcher and her supervisor attended a
talk by Peter Zinoman at Bookworm, 44 Chau Long, Hanoi on 3
rd

January, 2014 in an
attempt to bring all the questions to lights and enhance the credibility of the study.
3.2. Design of the study
The research ultimately sought to explore the strategies employed among two
translators in translating Vietnamese proper names in the novel “Số đỏ” into English.
Because of this purpose, it was essential to investigate both translated proper names
and translators. The research is conducted with qualitative approaches and it involves
two phases.
In the first phase, all the proper names which appeared in the novel “Số đỏ” are
collected, and then the researcher made a reference to some websites, books, articles,
and blogs discussing the implication of author in giving names for characters in novel.
The purpose of this phase is to answer the first question “What are the satirical
meanings behind proper names in “Số đỏ?”
In the second phase, the researcher sorted out all the proper names in the novel
“Số đỏ” into groups in reference to their translation procedures. This phase aimed to
seek out answer the second question “Which strategies are applied by Nguyen Nguyet
Cam and Peter Zinoman in translating proper names from Vietnamese to English in
“Số đỏ?”
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3.3. Phase one
3.3.1. Sampling
The study took advantage of purposive sampling, in which samples are
“selected because it serves the real purpose and objectives of the researcher of
discovering, gaining insight and understanding into the particular chosen phenomenon”
(Burns, 2000, p. 465). The researcher mentioned before in the previous chapters that
the study only focuses on proper names of literary characteristics. Hence, proper names
investigated in the research were chosen purposely.
3.3.2. Data collection method
Data collection method
In this phase, document analysis served as the method of data collection. The

researcher investigated information from two types of document resource which are
public records and personal documents.
Data collection instrument
As the document analysis was chosen as the data collection method, the
instruments employed to gather data would be 25 selected proper names in Vietnamese
and their English translated version.
3.3.3. Data collection procedures
In this chapter, the data collection procedure basically consisted of three main
steps as follows:
Step 1: Collecting the proper names in “Số đỏ”.
The very initial and necessary step of this research is collecting proper names of
literary characters. Due to the limitation of accessible materials, the researcher could
only find a soft copy of the translated work in pdf file on the website
www.diendantienganh.net. As for original work, sampling was identified and listed
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from the book “Số đỏ” by Vu Trong Phung which was published in 2008 by Vietnam
Culture and Information Publishing House. The researcher read and highlighted all
proper names appearing in “Số đỏ” and its translated version in “Dumb luck”.
Step 2: Building the database of proper names in “Số đỏ”.
It was essential to establish a database containing both original Vietnamese
proper names and their English translated version so that it could be much easier for
the researcher to investigate samples. These proper names in original and translated
version will be listed alphabetically in a table.
The list would be enclosed in the Appendix.
Step 3: Gathering meaning explanation of proper names in the Vietnamese
version of “Số đỏ”.
From the established database, the researcher made a reference to some
websites, books, articles, and blogs discussing the implication of author in giving
names for characters in the novel.
3.3.4. Data analysis procedures

First, all explanation of proper names in the Vietnamese version of “Số đỏ” was
gathered then presented in a table which includes 4 columns : the original version of
proper names, English version of proper names, meanings that proper name can show,
the real personality of the character, last but not least satirical meaning.
3.4. Phase two
This phase aimed to seek the answer for the second research question: “Which
strategies are applied by Nguyen Nguyet Cam and Peter Zinoman in translating proper
names from Vietnamese to English in “Số đỏ?”.
3.4.1. Sampling
In order to answer the second question, it was necessary to apply the purposive
sampling and the result would have been better if the researcher had asked for the
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