Bài giảng thực hành dịch (dành cho các lớp đại học liên thông)

QUANG BINH UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

PRACTICE ON TRANSLATION
UNDERGRADUATE UNIVERSITY CLASS
(INTERNAL USE)

Lecturer: Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, MA

Year 2014
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UNIT 1

INTRODUCTION TO THEORY OF TRANSLATION

1 Definition of translation
1 What is translation?
- Translation is the expression in another language (target language) of what has
been expressed in one language (source language), preserving semantic and
stylistic equivalencies. (By Roger T. Bell).
- Translation is the replacement of a representation of a text in one language by a
representation of an equivalent text in a second language. (By Roger T. Bell).
- Translation is rendering a written text into another language in a way that the
author intended the text. (By Bui Tien Bao- Hanoi National University)
“ Translators are concerned with written texts. They render written texts from
one language into another language. Translators are required to translate texts
which arrange from simple items including birth certificates or driving licences
to more complex written materials such as articles in journals of various kinds,
business contracts and legal documents.” (Bui Tien Bao- Hanoi National

University).
- Translation, by dictionary definition, consists of changing from one state or form
to another, to turn into one’s own or another’s language. (The Merriam-Webster
Dictionary, 1974). Translation is basically a change of form. When we speak of the
form of a language, we are referring to the actual words, phrases, sentences,
paragraphs, etc. The forms are referred to as the surface structure of a language. It
is the structural part of language which is actually seen in print or heard in speech.
In translation the form of the source language is replaced by the form of the
receptor/target language. But how is this change accomplished? What determines
the choices of form in the translation?
2. Form and meaning
There are certain characteristics of languages which have a very direct bearing on
principles of translation. First, let us look at the characteristics of meaning
components. Meaning components are packaged into lexical items, but they are
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packaged differently in one language than in another. In most languages there is a
meaning of plurality, for example the English -s. This often occurs in the grammar
as a suffix on the nouns or verbs or both. In Vietnamese, however, plurality is
expressed in an isolated word ‘ những/các’. Many times a single word in the source
language will need to be translated by several words. For example, a projector was
called the thing that shows pictures on the wall by the Chipara Bolivia.
Second, it is characteristic of languages that the same meaning component will
occur in several surface structure lexical items. In English, the word ‘sheep’
occurs. However, the words ‘lamb’,’ ram’ and ‘ewe’ also include the meaning
‘sheep’. They include the addition meaning components of young (in ‘lamb’, adult
and male in ‘ ram’ and adult and female in ‘ewe’. In Peru, ‘lamb’ would need to be
translated by ‘sheep its child’, ‘ram’ by ‘ sheep big’ and ‘ewe’ by ‘sheep its
woman’.

Third, it is further characteristic of language that one form will be used to
represent several alternative meanings. This again is obvious from looking in any
good dictionary. For example, the Reader’s Digest Great Encyclopedic Dictionary
gives 54 meanings for the English word ‘run’. Most words have more than one
meaning. There will be a primary meaning-the one which usually comes to mind
when the word is said in isolation-and the secondary meaning-the additional
meanings, which a word has in context with other words. In English, we can say ‘
the boy runs’, using ‘run’ in its primary meaning. We can also say ‘ the motor runs,
the river runs, and his nose runs’, using runs in its secondary meanings.
 Notes
Form-based translation: dịch dựa vào hình thức hay cấu trúc
Meaning-based translation:
tải

dịch dựa vào nghĩa, dựa vào nội dung cần chuyển

Source language:

ngôn ngữ gốc

Receptor language:

ngôn ngữ dịch

Principle of translation: nguyên tắc dịch/kỹ thuật dịch
Meaning component:

thành tố nghĩa

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Surface structure:

cấu trúc bề mặt

Primary meaning:

nghĩa chinh/nghĩa gốc

Secondary meaning:

nghĩa sinh

3. Practice
 Questions for discussion
1. What is translation? What definition do you think is the most appropriate? Can
you give your own definition of translation?
2. What is a literal translation? Can you give some examples of literal translations?
3. What is an idiomatic translation? Give some examples of idiomatic translations.
4. What characteristics of language affect translation?
5. What are the secondary meanings? Give ten sentences, each of which contains a
word used in a secondary sense.
6. What is the primary meaning? Give ten sentences, each of which contains a
word used in a primary sense.
 Exercises
A. Identify change of meaning versus change of form. Some of the following pairs
of sentences differ in their form. Some differ in meaning. Indicate if the primary
change is in the form or in the meaning.
Example:

They robbed the old man.
The old man was dropped by them.
Answer: Change of form

1.

Her skin was as soft as feather.
Her skin was as soft as velvet.

2.

She was as quiet as a mouse. I didn't even know she'd come in.

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She was as quiet as a night. I didn't even know she'd come in.
3.

Adults often look back on their childhood as a gold age.
Adults often look back on their childhood as a golden age.

4.

He was a really unpleasant man and as ugly as sin.
He was a really unpleasant man and as ugly as a ghost.

5.

They're not blood relations, - they're only connected by marriage.
They're not blood relationship, - they're only connected by marriage.

6.

The students like to listen to music.
The students like listening to music.

7.

I heard one dog barking his loudest.
I heard three dogs barking their loudest.

8.

The man who is walking down the street is her uncle.
The man walking down the street is her uncle.

9. You ate too fast, and your stomach will hurt.
You ate too fast; your stomach will hurt.
10. I saw him sometime yesterday.
I sometimes saw him yesterday.
B. List as many grammatical forms as you can which realize the same meaning as
the one given below. Then put the same meaning into a language other than
English in as many forms as you can.
Example: the cat is black
the black cat
the cat, which is black

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1. the jug water
2. John bought a car
3. a hot day
4. mother’s long blue dress
5. Peter’s house
C. All of the following have the same grammatical form. With the change of lexical
items, there is a change of meaning which is signaled by that lexical item, apart
from the referential meaning of the word itself. What meaning is signaled in each
of the following possessive phrases? Answer by restating. How can that meaning
best be expressed in another language which you speak?
Example: The man’s car - the man owns the car
The man’s eye - the eye is part of the man
1. the doctor’s office
2. the doctor’s patient
3. the doctor’s book
4. the doctor’s brother

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UNIT 2

STRATEGIES FOR TRANSLATORS

1. Kinds of Translation strategies
The following strategies have been suggested by translators, commissioners of
translations, and others involved in translating as ways to approach difficulties in
translations from English into Vietnamese.

1. STRATEGY 1 : How to deal with non-equivalence at lexical level
It is often the case that no direct equivalents can be found in Vietnamese for
English words. It may be that the concept or idea is new to Vietnamese translators,
as in the case of ‘gender’, which is, in fact, a relatively new concept in general, and
a very difficult concept to understand and explain in many languages. It may also
be that the concept is known or understood but there is no specific word in
Vietnamese used to express it. Another difficulty is that, in addition to their
concrete meaning, some words have special connotations that are not conveyed by
the Vietnamese word for the same thing. The strategies listed below can be used to
handle cases of non-equivalence.
1.1 Translating by a more specific word
In some cases, it may be appropriate or necessary to use a more specific word to
translate an English word into Vietnamese. This usually involves choosing among
several different words, as there may be many Vietnamese words that correspond
to the general category or meaning expressed by English word. For instance,
Vietnamese has many words that mean “to carry” with distinction being made
depending on the size and shape of the object; its animate (e.g. a child as opposed
to a box); and how it is carried (e.g. in the hand, or in the arms...). Similarly, the
English word for “rice” can be translated by many different Vietnamese words,
depending on whether one is planting it, harvesting it, cooking it, or eating it. In
these cases, the English word alone is not enough to determine the appropriate
Vietnamese translation, and it is necessary to examine the English context.
1.2 Translating by a more general word
In other cases, it may be appropriate to use a more general word to translate an
English word with no specific Vietnamese equivalent. For example, English makes
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distinctions among mopeds, scooters, and motorcycles, the latter having larger
wheels and engines than both mopeds and scooters. Vietnamese, on the one hand,

refers to all two-wheel, motorized vehicles as “xe máy”. Similarly, the English
words “paw”, “foot”, or “leg” may all be translated by the Vietnamese word
“chân”, which does not suggest any problems of comprehension in Vietnamese, as
it should be clear from the context which of these words is meant. Another
example can be found in a manual on community development, which translates
the word “matrix” by the Vietnamese word “ma trận”. However, in Vietnamese,
“ma trận” has a specific use in mathematics only, and does not have the additional
sense of a model or a plan according to which something is developed. In this
example, “matrix” is better translated “bản”, which is a more general word used to
classify a written plan or formula.
1.3 Translating by cultural substitution
This strategy involves replacing a culture-specific item or expression with one of
the different meanings but similar impact in the translated text. Because of their
self-described “respect” for the original text, most Vietnamese translators object to
this strategy and tend to translate directly, even though it is in appropriate. For
example, a farmer’s manual that has been translated into Vietnamese suggests the
planting of different types of fruit trees which are not even grown in Vietnam. The
original manual, which was developed in other parts in Asia, was not modified at
all for the Vietnamese context. Though some translators argue that it is not the
responsibility of the translator to chance the text in this way, the translator is in fact
playing an important role in this task. Translators should be encouraged to consider
the appropriateness of the documents they are translating and suggest changes to
make them more culturally appropriate. However, this is not only
of the translator, but also of the commissioners of the translation and the editor.
1.4 Translating by using a loan word plus explanation
There is some objection to this strategy in Vietnam, as many translator prefer to
coin new words in Vietnamese rather than borrow English words. However, this
strategy is very useful when the translator deal with concepts or ideas that are new
to Vietnamese audience, culture-specific items, and proper names of diseases or
medicines that are widely known in English names. For instance, HIV and AIDS

are two loan words that are frequently used in Vietnamese, as they are referred to
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by their English names in almost every part of the world. Because these words
have been in common used in Vietnam for a long time, they are often used without
any accompanying explanation. Whenever a loan word is used , it is better to give
an explanation. Another example is the acronym for oral dehydration salts, or
ORS, which is printed on every package and hence easily recognized; this is
normally written in English with an explanation in Vietnamese : ORS (muối bù
mất nước)
1.5 Translating by using a paraphrase
This strategy can be used when we translate an English word or concept that does
not exist in Vietnamese, or when the Vietnamese term for it does not include all
the meanings conveyed by the English term for the same concept. For example, in
the sentence: “ Pregnant women should avoid alcohol.”, the English ‘alcohol’
includes all alcoholic drinks in its meaning. The Vietnamese word ‘rượu’ does not
include beer in its definition, so the Vietnamese translation should add the word
beer to reflect the full meaning of the source language sentence. Another example
is that the English words ‘abuse’ and ‘neglect’ signify a whole range of behaviors,
some of which are not conveyed by the Vietnamese words alone. As a result, the
English sentence: “Children should be protected from abuse and neglect.” cannot
be translated as simply as “trẻ em nên được bảo vệ khỏi sự lạm dụng và lơ là.”.
This translation does not account for their full meaning , which must be unpacked
for better understanding. This can be done by paraphrasing as a translator has
attempted in the following translation: “trẻ em cần bảo vệ chống lại mọi hình thức
bạo lực, gây tổn thương hay xúc phạm, bỏ mặc hoặc xao nhãng trong việc chăm
sóc”. Back translated roughly into English, this sentence reads, : “Children must be
protected from all forms of violence causing harm or offense, and from
abandonment and negligence in their care.”

1.6 Translating by omission
Though some translators may reject this strategy as too drastic, it is sometimes
appropriate to omit words or phrases that are not essential to the meaning or impact
of the text. This is especially true for words that would require lengthy
explanations, awkward paraphrases, or literal and unnatural translations, which
would interrupt the flow of the text and could distract the reader from the overall
meaning. For example, the sentence “ Much can be done even without being
physically present in the meeting.” is best translated into Vietnamese by, “ nhiều
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việc có thể làm ngày cả khi không có mặt tại cuộc họp” which omit the word
“physically” in the translation. The difference in meaning between “ being
physically present” and being present” is so minimal that it does not justify
translation into Vietnamese, which cannot easily express the slight emphasis
implied here by the author, and would not do so by emphasizing the physicality of
a person’s presence.
2. STRATEGY 2 : How to deal with idioms and set expressions
Idioms and set expressions can be dealt with in the ways similar to those
mentioned above. With idioms, however, there is another difficulty that the
translator may not realize that s/he is dealing with an idiomatic expression, since
more idioms may make sense when translated literally.
2.1 Using an idiom or a set expression of similar meaning and form
It is sometimes possible to find a Vietnamese idiom or expression with a similar
meaning to an English idiom or expression, and which is expressed in the same
way. One example is the idiom “ to fight like cats and dogs”, which is expressed
using the same words in Vietnamese: “ cãi nhau như chó với mèo.”; another is “
Better than never.”, which is translated : “Thà muộn còn hơn không đến”. It is
ideal if such a match can be found, but this kind of correspondence is not common,
and it is usually necessary to use other strategies in dealing with idioms and set

expressions.
2.2 Using an idiom or a set expression of similar meaning but different form
It is possible and easy to find a Vietnamese idiom with a similar meaning for an
English idiom or set expression. A good example can be found is the translation for
to carry coals to Newcastle”: “Chở củi về rừng.", which is translated as “ to carry
firewood to the forest.” The meaning here is clearly the same for both idioms- to
bring something to a place that has an abundance of that thing- but the way in
which each language expresses is bound to be the culture of that language. It is far
more cumbersome to translate this idiom literally into Vietnamese with an
explanation that Newcastle is a well-known coal-producing city in England (as was
suggested by some Vietnamese translators), which would unduly interrupt the flow
of the text and greatly diminish the idiom’s impact. By substituting a similar

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Vietnamese idiom, then, the flow and the impact of the source text are retained in
the translation.
2.3 Translating by paraphrasing
When Vietnamese equivalents cannot be found, paraphrasing may be the best way
to deal with an idiom or set expression in English. A good example can be found in
an article on maternal mortality, which includes the sentence, “ But before the new
estimates replace the old as a way of packaging up the problem, it should be said
that a mistake has been made in allowing statistics such as these to slip into easy
language. The expression “packaging up the problem” caused the problems in
translation, as it was misinterpreted to mean “assembling” or “gathering”.
However, even if this phrase were clearly understood, it would be difficult to find a
precise equivalent in Vietnamese. In fact, it would be difficult to restate concisely
in English. This phrase is best dealt with by paraphrasing, which in English could
be understood as something like “summing up the problem by referring to it simply

as a number, which does not reflect its true magnitude or impact.” The expression
“to slip into easy usage” is problematic for the same reasons, and is also best dealt
with by paraphrasing, as a literal translation into Vietnamese would be
meaningless.
2.4 Translating by omission
This strategy could be used when we translate words or phrases that would require
lengthy explanations, awkward paraphrases, or literal and unnatural translation.
This strategy has also be used when we translate phases which has two meanings
one of the meanings may be sacrificed for the other. For instance, a book entitled “
Being Positive-Living with HIV/AIDS” causes problems in translate because of
the double meaning of “ being positive”. The meaning of the phrase could be that a
person is suffering from positive HIV and that s/he should have an optimistic
outlook on life. This may be clear to the translator , who may interpret the phrase
to mean that this book is for and about people who are HIV positive. However, the
double meaning should be made clear through collaboration with the
commissioner, after which a choice must be made between the two meanings, for it
would not be possible to translate both meanings by one Vietnamese phrase. As the
emphasis is on positive outlook on life but not on the fact of being HIV positive,
one translator has suggested the translation: “Hãy Sống Yêu Đời Dù Nhiễm HIV”.

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This translation expresses the notion of being positive about life without
mentioning anything about being HIV positive status.
3. STRATEGY 3 : How to deal with voice, number and person
3.1 Voice
The passive voice is used very often in English and poses some problems in
Vietnamese translation. Passive voice can be translated from English into
Vietnamese in the following ways:

a. English :
Vietnamese:

A is/was/has been done by B
(i)

A được+ động từ+(bởi B)

A được/do+(B)+động từ
(ii)

A bị +động từ + bởi B
A bị +(B) + động từ

Example:
This house was built by Frank in 1930
Ngôi nhà này do Frank xây năm 1930
Tom is given a present by Mary
Tom được Mary tặng một món quà
Tom was attacked by a stranger last night
Tom bị một kẻ lạ mặt tấn công tối hôm qua
b. English :
Vietnamese:

A is/was/has been done.
(i) A được+ động từ
(ii) A bị+ động từ
(iii) Người ta/ai đó + động từ + A

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Example:
Tom has been promoted recently.
Tom mới được đè bạt gần đây.
The CD has been broken.
Chiếc đĩa CD đã bị vỡ/ Ai đó đã làm vỡ chiếc đĩa CD.
The positive and negative connotation is not often conveyed in English, so it is
difficult to know what way used to translate into Vietnamese.
Example:

The children were given injections.

Vietnamese translation : “Các cháu được tiêm.”, or “Các cháu bị tiêm.”
depending on whether the receiving injection is considered a positive or negative
experience. On the other hand, when the positive or negative connotation of the
sentence is clear it is more appropriate to retain the passive voice in Vietnamese.
In Vietnamese, there are some cases where one can see the words được/bị but they
are not translated into English passive sentences at all.
3.2 Number
Though both languages have similar notions of number and countability, each
language has its own way to express these notions. In English, number is expressed
as a grammar category; that is, there are different grammatical forms for singular
and plural nouns. In Vietnamese, however, no such distinction is grammatically
made.
Example : Phụ nữ: can mean either woman or women
In Vietnamese, some plural markers such as “các”, “những”, tất cả”, “mọi" ,”mỗi”
can be used in addition to the noun. “các” generally means all of the given
category of things, whereas “những” refers only to some of the total number of
things being discussed. “Mỗi” emphasizes the identity of the individual member of

the category without indicating anything of their totality; “mọi” expresses both the
individuality of the items and the totality of the category. If it is clear from the

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English context which of these plural markers should be used in the Vietnamese,
then the translator should choose accordingly.
3.3 Person
Participants’ roles and forms of address are expressed in Vietnamese through a
very complicated system of personal pronouns based largely on kinship terms.
Unlike English pronouns, Vietnamese pronouns bear a number of semantic
components depending on the relationship within a family, age, sex, familiarity,
social status, and even one’s particular mood or attitude in a given situation. These
distinctions are not always explicitly expressed in English and can usually be
determined by the context in which the language operates. If it is not possible to
determine the distinctions of the English pronouns, the attention should be focused
on the tone and the overall purpose of the text to be translated.
Example: A book on health-care contains many sections written especially for
children and adults. In the sections for children the pronoun “you” is translated as
“em” or “các em”. In the sections for adults, “you” should be translated as “chúng
ta” .
4. STRATEGY 4 :

How to deal with non-subject sentences

(Vietnamese- English translation)
The following techniques could be used to translate the non-subject sentences in
Vietnamese texts:
4.1. Passive voice

4.2. It + to be + Adj + to infinitive
4.3. There + to be...
4.4. Use the subject that is found in the previous sentence(s)
Example:
Cần đảy mạnh công nghiệp hóa, hiện đại hóa.
Industrialization and modernization should be promoted.

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Or:

It is necessary to promote industrialization and modernization
Vẫn chưa có cách chữa khỏi bệnh AIDS.

There has been no cure for AIDS.
5. STRATEGY 5 : How to deal with newspaper headlines
Some main characteristics of newspaper headlines are as follows.
5.1. Present tense = past events
5.2. Present participle = event in progress
5.3. To infinitive = future events
5.4. Past participle = passive voice
5.5. Nouns
5.6. Verb + noun
Example:
1. Chinese Professors Turn To Business
Các giáo sư Trung Quốc chuyển sang kinh doanh
2. US President Visiting Vietnam
Tổng thống Hoa Kỳ đang thăm Việt Nam
3. Oil Price To Rise?

Giá dầu sẽ tăng
4. Three More Investment Projects Licensed This Year
Thêm ba dự án đầu tư nữa được cấp giấy phép trong năm nay
5. Investment Boom
Bùng nổ đầu tư

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UNIT 3

ERRORS IN TRANSLATION

1. Lexical errors
E.g. in English “to cook an account” translated as “nấu sổ sách” is meanigless and
it must be translated as “giả mạo sổ sách”. Lexical interference is very dangerous
because it can distort the meaning of a sentence.
1.1 Context
The context itself determines the meaning of words. Therefore, their meaning
should be solved in the context. It is commonly known that a word may have
equivalents and accordingly the analysis of its meaning has to be made carefully in
order to pick out the most appropriate word.
When translators are asked to translate these sentences into English
a. Kha Luân Bố đã tìm ra Tân thế giới vào năm 1842.
b. Tôi đang tìm cuốn sách.
c. Michael Faraday đã tìm ra máy phát điện.
Obviously, there are many equivalents in English for the word “tìm” such as
“seek”, “look for”, “search for”, “find”, “find out”. In addition, there are two more
words related to this meaning: “to invent” and “ to discover”. However, in sentence
(1) the word “tìm” has an equivalent in English as “discover”. In sentence (2) the

word “tìm” is understood as “look for”, search for” or “seek”. In sentence (3) the
word “tìm” has an equivalent as “invent”.
The three above-mentioned sentences can be translated as follows.
1. The New World was discovered by Christopher.
2. I am looking for my book.
3. Michael Faraday invented the generator.
It is characteristic of word that a single lexical item may have several meanings.
For example, the word “head” in isolation means something like” the upper part of
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the body”. But the same word used in the context of talking about a company or an
organization has nothing to do with the human body though the idea of the upper
position of something still remains.
Example:
1. He is the former head of the Chemistry Section of the Australian Atomic
Energy Commission. (leader)
2. Although he is the head of the company, he has no head. (leader-intelligence)
The following examples show that the translators do not treat words in context but
rely on the meaning in dictionary:
1. “In 1999, some major commodities were stockpiled because of poor quality.” It
is not accurate at all when “stockpiled” was translated “lưu trữ”. Therefore, the
sentence should be translated as “Năm 1999 một số mặt hàng chủ yếu bị tồn kho
do chất lượng kém.”
2. “The Prime Minister has also assigned relevant agencies to formulate a law on
industrial zones to provide a complete legal background/frame for the operation of
Izs and EPZs in Vietnam.” was translated “Thủ tướng đã bổ nhiệm những chính
sách thích hợp để đưa ra luật về khu công nghiệp để cung cấp một bối cảnh hoàn
toàn hợp pháp cho các hoạt động của khu công nghiệp, khu chế xuất Việt Nam. ”.
This translation is quite vague in Vietnamese.

In fact, a word in source language has many equivalents in target language. The
word “ assign” is equivalent with “phân công/ bổ nhiệm”; “ relevant with “thích
đáng, thích hợp, có liên quan”; “ agency” with “ đại lý, cơ quan, chi nhánh”;
“foundation” “nền móng, nền tảng, cơ sở”.
For this reason, in this context it should be chosen the most appropriate equivalents
to create an idiomatic translation: “ Thủ tướng đã giao cho các cơ quan có liên
quan ban hành bộ luật về khu công nghiệp nhằm cung cấp một số cơ sở pháp lý
hoàn chỉnh cho việc hoạt động của khu công nghiệp và khu chế xuất ở Việt Nam.”
1.2 Word collocation
Each of language has its own principle in word collocation. For example, the word
“pretty” often goes with girls and women, while the word “handsome” often goes
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with boys or men. Some translators do not realize this, which leads to wrong and
funny collocation. For instance, in Vietnamese the word “uống” (drink) can go
with many different kinds of liquid including water, beer, alcohol, medicine and
even poison. However, in English these are clear distinction as follows:
Drink beer/ water/ wine/ coffee.
Take medicine/ poison.
Another example indicates that in Vietnamese the word “nói” (say) can be
collocated with “lời tạm biệt” “goodbye”, “lời chào hỏi” “hello”, “dối” “a lie”, “sự
thật” “ the truth”, “tiếng Pháp” “French”. However, in English it is quite different.
Say hello/ goodbye/ yes/ no.
Tell a lie/ the truth/ a story.
Speak English/ French/ Chinese.
In Vietnamese, the word “đàn” can be collocated with many different nouns such
as “cá”(fish) “chim” ( bird), “sư tử” (lion), “gia súc” (cattle). On the contrary, in
English there are many words meaning “đàn” as follows.
A flock of birds/ sheep: Đàn chim/ cừu

A herd of cattle/ buffaloes: Đàn gia súc/ trâu
A pack of dogs/ calves: Đàn chó/ bê
A school of fish/ chickens: Đàn cá/ gà
A pride of lions/ deer : Đàn sư tử/ nai
Similarly, the word “decision” can be collocated with many word such as “to
make/ to reach/ to arrive at/ to come to... a decision”. The following examples
show the wrong collocations of some translators:
1. Chính phủ đã tiến thực hiện nhiều biện pháp nhằm ngăn chặn việc buôn lậu ma
túy.
(The government has made many measures to stop the drug smuggling.)

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2. Chúng tôi phải hoàn thành nhiệm vụ trước khi tổ kiểm tra chất lượng sản phẩm.
(We have to complete our duty before the investigators control the product
quality.)
3. Sau khi nghiên cứu thị trường, chúng tôi quyết định đưa ra thị trường một sản
phẩm gây ấn tượng có sức cạnh tranh với hàng ngoại nhập.
(After making a market research, we decided to launch an impressive product
which can compete against the imported ones.)
4. Từ khi Mỹ bỏ lệnh cấm vận Viẹt Nam, nhiều nước trên thế giới đx đầu tư vào
các lĩnh vực khác nhau.
(Since the USA abolished the embargo against Vietnam many foreign countries
have been investing in many different fields.)
It is the mother tongue interference that leads to the mechanic collocation which is
unacceptable in target language. In fact, each language has its own principles of
word collocation. Neither English nor Vietnamese is an exception. As a result, the
above-mentioned examples should be translated more accurately and idiomatically
as follows.

1. “The government has made many measures to stop the drug smuggling.” should
be corrected as “The government has taken many measures to stop the drug
smuggling.”
2. “We have to complete our duty before the investigators control the product
quality.” should be corrected “We have to fulfill our duty before the investigators
control the product quality.”
3. “After making a market research, we decided to launch an impressive product
which can compete against the imported ones.” should be corrected “After doing a
market research, we decided to launch an impressive product which can compete
against the imported ones.”
4. “Since the USA abolished the embargo against Vietnam many foreign countries
have been investing in many different fields.” should be corrected “Since the USA
lifted the embargo against Vietnam many foreign countries have been investing in
many different fields.”
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In a word, it is inevitable for the translators to obey the principles of English and
Vietnamese word collocations. In order to avoid this type of errors, the translator
should read as many English books and magazines to take notes of collocated
words under the English standard.
1.3 Misuse of personal pronouns and prepositions
In Vietnamese, there are many ways to express the thoughts and feelings or
attitude which differ from those in English. The social status, age, sex, and the
family order are distinguished clearly and systematically. This is reflected in a
distinguished clearly and systematically. This is reflected in a number of words for
addressing such as “cụ, ông, bà, bác, cô, chú, thím, dì, dượng, cậu, anh, chị, ngài,
quí vị, mày, em, ..” such words are generally expressed by English people in one
word “you”.
a talk on history :

một cuộc nói chuyện về lịch sử

be disappointed in :

thất vọng về

be interested in :

quan tâm về

lay emphasis/ stress on :

nhấn mạnh về

be worried about :

lo lắng về

be proud of/ take pride in :

tự hào về

be famous for :

nổi tiếng về

instead of “disappointed about”, “ proud about”, “famous about” as the translator
may use.
These are the typical errors made by the translators:

1. “According to Mr Thien, his plant currently produces lubricants under the API
(American Petroleum Institute) standards”
(Theo ông Thiện thì hiện nay nhà máy của ông đang sản xuất dầu nhờn dưới tiêu
chuẩn của
Viện xăng dầu Mỹ.)

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2. “It is so easy to be misunderstood when talking on the phone.”
( Nói chuyện trên diện thoại thì dễ bị hiểu nhầm.)
3. “Tòa án Nhân Dân quyết định kết án chúng 15 năm về tội buôn lậu ma túy.”
(The People’s Court decided to condemn them to 15 years imprisonment about
the drug
smuggling.)
4. “Là giáo viên ưu tú trong nhiều năm, ông Nam có nhiều kinh nghiệm về việc
giảng dạy học sinh.”
(As a qualified teacher for many years, Mr. Nam is experienced about educating
and teaching the pupils.”
5. “Chúng tôi thành thật chia buồn về việc ra đi của bố bạn.”
(We really condole with you about the loss of your father.”
As can be seen from the above-mentioned examples, the translators tended to
choose the English prepositions basing on Vietnamese meanings without paying
attention to their variations. These errors could be corrected as follows.
1. “According to Mr Thien, his plant currently produces lubricants under the API (
American Petroleum Institute) standards” should be translated (Theo ông Thiện thì
hiện nay nhà máy của ông đang sản xuất dầu nhờn theo tiêu chuẩn của Viện xăng
dầu Mỹ.)
2. “It is so easy to be misunderstood when talking on the phone.” is equivalent
with (Nói chuyện qua điện thoại thì dễ bị hiểu nhầm.)

3. “Tòa án Nhân Dân quyết định kết án chúng 15 năm về tội buôn lậu ma túy.”
should be translated (The People’s Court decided to condemn them to 15 years
imprisonment for the drug smuggling.)
4. “Là giáo viên ưu tú trong nhiều năm, ông Nam có nhiều kinh nghiệm về việc
giảng dạy học sinh.” should be translated (As a qualified teacher for many years,
Mr Nam is experienced in educating and teaching the pupils.”

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5. “Chúng tôi thành thật chia buồn về việc ra đi của bố bạn.” should be translated
(We really condole with you for the loss of your father.”
1.4 Misuse of synonyms
Some translators depend largely on the meaning in dictionary picking out the
synonyms without paying much to the context. In fact, the pairs of synonyms share
at least one sense in common but do not share all their senses. To some extent, they
can hardly substitute for each other. The misuse of synonyms makes the meaning
of one of the following sentences unacceptable.
“ You have my deep/ profound sympathy.( acceptable)
“ The river is deep.”( acceptable)
“ The river is very profound.” (unacceptable)
Another example shows that some translators do not realize the connotational
meaning, which leads to the distorting of the meaning of the sentence. Take
“famous”(nổi tiếng) and “notorious” (khét tiếng) as an example. While “famous”
means “well-known/ celebrated”, and therefore contains some features of positive
meaning, “notorious” means “well-known” especially for unfavorable reason &
negative meaning.
The following can be seen as the misuse of the synonyms by some of the
inexperienced translators.
1. “Cậu bé này rất bướng bỉnh.”

(This boy is very stubborn/unyielding.) ( right)
2. “Người Việt Nam có tinh thần bất khuất.”
(The Vietnamese people are really stubborn.) (wrong)
In Example 1 “stubborn” synonymous to “unyielding” means “cứng đầu/bướng
bỉnh” in Vietnamese.
In Example 2 “stubborn” fails to evoke the features of positive meaning which
praises the Vietnamese people on their heroism expressing the speaker’s
admiration. In contrast, it expresses the speaker’s anger and discontent.
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1.5 Idioms & terminologies
The meanings of idioms are not definitely related to grammatical rules or the
lexical meaning of each word because they feature the metaphor and figures of
speech. For example, “ wet blanket” should be translated “người rầu rĩ” instead of
“cái chăn ướt” or “to read one’s palm” translated as “xem chỉ tay” instead of “đọc
cái gì ở lòng bàn tay”.
In fact, idioms can be translated satisfactorily by considering the context, if not, it
is difficult to find the exact meaning. An English idiom must be translated into
Vietnamese by an equivalent one. It is very important to be aware that we must not
choose the equivalents of every word forming the idiom but we do find the
equivalent ways of expression which exist in both languages. If we stick to each
word, the meaning becomes strange, unnatural and funny. For instance, “to sell
like a hot cake” is usually translated as “bán đắt như tôm tươi.” Instead of “bán
như bánh nóng”. “ There is no time like present.” is usually translated as “việc hôm
nay chớ để ngày mai” instead of “không có thời gian như bây giờ”. “Live and
learn” is usually translated as “còn sống còn học” instead of “sống và học”.
The following errors were found in some of the translated texts and should be
corrected.
1. “Every time, we have our children’s birth certificates signed at the local

People’s committee, we have to go though a lot of red tape.” was translated as
“Mỗi khi nhờ họ ký giấy khai sinh tại ủy ban nhân dân phường, chúng tôi phải đi
qua nhiều băng đỏ.”

2. “At first we intended to stay at home. On the second thought, we decided to go
out.” was translated as “Thoạt đầu chúng tôi có ý định ở nhà. Trong lần suy nghĩ
thứ hai chúng tôi quyết định đi ra ngoài.”
3. “ She rarely saves her time to do her homework. She often lets the grass grow
under her feet.” was translated as “Cô ấy hiếm khi tiết kiệm thời gian để làm bài
tập ở nhà. Cô thường để cỏ mọc dưối chân.”
2. Sentence Errors ----Structural problems

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1 Dangling participles
The dangling participle is the most bizarre and comical of all sentence
errors. Because it is such a glaring error, it stops readers dead in their tracks.
The sentence lacks clarity, and the reader must take a moment to determine
the writer’s intention.
N.

I saw fish sitting on a bench by the brook.

Y:

I saw a fish while I was sitting on a bench by the brook.

N:

I saw two stores and a move theater walking down the stess

Y:

Walking down the stress, I saw two stores and a movie theater.

N:

Harold watched the painter gaping in astonishment.

Y:

Harold watched the painter and gaped in astonishment.

N:

You can see the moon standing in the front yard.

Y:

If you stand in the front yard, you can see the moon.

N:

Sheila hung the towels dripping wet.

Y:

Sheila hung the dripping wet towels.

N:

He found a nest of tiny birds mowing the law.

Y:

He found a nest of tiny birds while mowing the lawn.

N.

Andy saw the ferryboat pulling into his parking space.

Y:

Andy was pulling into his parking space when he saw the ferryboat.

N:

No one noticed the danger, playing so enthusiastically.

N: No onr noticed the danger, because everyone was playing so
enthusiastically.
2

Lack off Parallel Structure
When ideas are similar, they should be expressed in similar forms. When
elements of a sentence are similar, they too should appear in similar form.

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N:

She likes sun, the sand, and the sea.

Y:

She likes the sun, the sand, and the sea.

N: The instructor explained the problem, method, and the tools that
we wera to use.
Y: The instructor explained the problem, method, and tools that we
wera to use.
N: George is alway singing, drumming, or he will play the guitar.
Y:

George is alway singing, drumming, or playing the guitar.

N:

Charlene’s car skidded, turned sideways, then comes to a stop.

Y: Charlene’s car skidded, turned sideways, and came to a stop.
N: The janitor stopped, listened a moment, then he locked the door.
Y:

The janitor stopped, listened a moment, then lockes the door.

N:

Why did you make Carl feel useless and as if he was

unimportant?
Y: Why did you make Carl feel useless and unimportant?
3. Errors to Avoid in Agreement
Do not be distracted by words that come between the subject and the verb.
Remember to always make the verb agree with the subject of the sentence.
N: The arrival of many friends promise good times
Y: The arrival of many friends promises good times
N: All the Democrats, including John, hopes Murray wins.
Y: All the Democrats, including John, hope Murray wins.
N: Every one of you know your subject well.
Y: Every one of you knows your subject well.
N: Mary, as well as the Joneses, are coming along.
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