BÀI GIẢNG CÁC CHIẾN LƯỢC DỊCH

SESSION 3: THE STRATEGIES OF
TRANSLATION

1


About language

Words

Talk
unchangeabl
e meaning

Syntax

Idiolect

Respect own
order of
words

- Personal
- Depend on
age, sex,
mood,...

2


About language

Dialects

- Regional variation of a language
- Define a dialects: decide when two tongues are
to be classified as separate language instead of
one being a dialects of the other.
- There is a rule of thumb, which states that two
dialects become different languages when they
are mutually unintelligible, when people of one
language group can no longer understand
members of the other group.

Slang

Creates new forms by combining existing words,
giving new meaning to words or introducing
completely new words into the language.
3


About language

Jargon

Special words and phrases
that are used by particular
group of people, especially
in their work.

Idioms

- Single
or
compound
words
- Can not be inferred by
the individual words


Strategy 1: How to deal with non-equivalence at
word level
Translation by a more specific word
- This strategy might lead to over interpretation of the source language meaning.
- it may be appropriate or necessary to use a more specific word to translate an
English word into Vietnamese.
Eg:
Almost a quarter of people in the UK do not wear sunscreen to
protect
themselves from the sun's rays.
 Gần như một phần tư người dân Anh quốc không thoa kem chống
nắng để bảo vệ làn da khỏi các tia từ mặt trời
During Tet holiday, a number of villages in northern and central Vietnam hold rice
cooking contest.
=> Trong dịp Tết, một số làng ở miền Bắc và miền Trung Việt Nam tổ chức cuộc thi nấu
cơm.

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Strategy 1: How to deal with non-equivalence at
word level
Translation by a more general word.
Using a superordinate is one of the popular strategies for dealing with many types
of non-equivalence. It works equally well in most, if not all, languages, since the
hierarchical structure of semantic fields is not language-specific. Under certain
circumstances, it may be appropriate to use a more general word to translate an
English word with no specific Vietnamese equivalent.
Eg:
- …meaning can not be completely determined within the historical, geographical, and
cultural milieu without consideration of social aspects
= …ngữ nghĩa không thể chính xác nếu người dịch không quan tâm tới các khía cạnh xã
hội mà chỉ dựa trên môi trường lịch sử, địa lí, văn hóa .
- The English words “paw”, “foot”, or “leg” may all be translated by the Vietnamese
word ‘‘chân’’
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Strategy 1: How to deal with non-equivalence at
word level
Translation by cultural substitution.
Each nation's culture is different. However, because of respect for
the original text, translators will often keep its meaning in the
translated text but rarely change according to the culture of the
target language.
Eg: The baby weights 6 pounds -> Em bé nặng 6 cân anh
= Em bé nặng 2,7 kg
=> although the content can be kept, translated text can not be
effectively communicated to the reader. This is a burden of
translators, commissioners and editors. In addition, filed testing of

documents will elicit useful feedback on cultural appropriateness.
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Strategy 1: How to deal with non-equivalence at
word level
Translation using a loan word plus explanation
• Loan English words are familiar to Vietnamese people such
as names of medicines and names of diseases.
Eg: HIV, AIDs, Alzheimer's,....., berberin, cloxite,....
• Because these loanwords are widely used in Vietnam, they
are used without footnotes.
• Less common words include an explanation such as ORS
(muối bù mất nước)

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Strategy 1: How to deal with non-equivalence at
word level
Translation
Translation by
by paraphrase:
paraphrase:

1.
1. Teenagers
Teenagers should
should not
not drink

drink alcohol.
alcohol.
A.
A. Trẻ
Trẻ vị
vị thành
thành niên
niên không
không nên
nên uống
uống rượu
rượu
B.
B. Trẻ
Trẻ vị
vị thành
thành niên
niên không
không nên
nên uống
uống rượu
rượu
bia
bia
C.
C. Trẻ
Trẻ vị
vị thành
thành niên
niên không

không nên
nên uống
uống các
các
chất kích thích

The
The meaning
meaning of
of aa “hot”
“hot” phrase
phrase among
among
Vietnamese
Vietnamese youth:
youth:
What
What importance
importance is
is your
your attitude
attitude ..
++ Raw
Raw translation
translation :: Quan
Quan trọng
trọng là
là thái
thái độ
độ ..

++ Flexible
Flexible paraphase
paraphase :: Quan
Quan trọng
trọng là
là thần
thần
thái
thái ..

Alcohol
Alcohol mentions
mentions both
both beer
beer and
and wine,
wine, so
so
the
the Vietnamese
Vietnamese translator
translator should
should add
add both
both
of
of them
them in
in text
text to

to reflect
reflect all
all clear
clear and
and full
full
the
the meaning
meaning of
of the
the sentence.
sentence.

Attitude
Attitude means
means vibe
vibe and
and atmosphere
atmosphere someone
someone
bring
bring to
to situation,
situation, but
but “thần
“thần thái”
thái” is
is your
your
confidence,

confidence, how
how you
you manage
manage yourself.
yourself.
►
► It
It must
must be
be unpacked
unpacked for
for better
better understanding
understanding
and
and can`t
can`t account
account for
for full
full and
and clear
clear meaning
meaning ..
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* The definition of translation by paraphrase :
Translation by paraphrase is the way to translate an English
word or concept that does not exist in Vietnamese or when the
Vietnamese term does not decribe all the meanings conveyed

by the English term for the same concept.

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Strategy 1: How to deal with non-equivalence at
word level

Translation by omission
Omission
Omission :: It
It is
is the
the way
way to
to reduce
reduce the
the
redundancy
redundancy of
of the
the text
text by
by omitting
omitting
words
words that
that are
are not
not essential

essential to
to the
the
meaning
meaning or
or impact
impact of
of the
the text
text (( such
such as
as ::
flow
flow and
and overall
overall meaning
meaning ).
).

Example
Example
-- As
As new
new students,
students, we
we must
must study
study lessons
lessons
before

before class.
class.
=
= Với
Với tư
tư cách
cách là
là những
những sinh
sinh viên
viên mới,
mới,
chúng
chúng ta
ta phải
phải học
học bài
bài trước
trước khi đến lớp
khi đến lớp
học.
học.
►
► The
The verb
verb “đến”
“đến” was
was omitted
omitted to
to convey

convey a
a
concise
concise verison
verison in
in the
the target
target language.
language.
-- “...
“... and
and he
he bent
bent down over
down over the
the bed and
bed and
took
took his
his wife’s
wife’s hand
hand and began to
and began to caress
caress
her
her forehead
forehead ”
” ..
 = ...
 = ... rồi

rồi anh
anh cúi
cúi xuống
xuống cầm
cầm tay
tay vợ
vợ và
và vuốt
vuốt
ve
ve trán
trán nàng”.
nàng”.
►
►  “over
 “over the
the bed”
bed” and
and “began”
“began” were
were
omitted
omitted to
to make
make the
the version
version more
more concise.
concise.

11


Strategy 2: How to deal with idioms and fixed
expression
Using an idiom or fixed expression of similar
meaning and form
- It is sometimes possible to find a Vietnamese idiom
or examples with a similar meaning to an English
idiom or expression, and which is expressed in the
same way.
Eg: To fight like cats and dogs = cãi nhau như chó với
mèo
Matter of life and death = vấn đề sống chết.
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Strategy 2: How to deal with idioms and fixed
expression
Using an idiom or fixed expression of similar meaning but dissimilar form
- It’s usually easier to find a Vietnamese idiom with a similar meaning to an
English idiom, but which is expressed differently.
Eg: to carry coals to Newcastle = to carry firewood to the forest
- By substituting similar Vietnamese idiom, then, the flow and the impact of the
original text are retained in the translation.
Eg:
A poor as a church mouse/ hungry as a church mouse => Nghèo rớt mùng tơi
To sell like hot cakes =>Bán đắt như tôm tươi
As the crow flies => Theo đường chim bay.

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Strategy 2: How to deal with idioms and fixed
expression
Translation by paraphrase
- Paraphrase is representing ideas and necessary information in a different form by using your own
words, often to clarify meaning without changing it.
- Translation by paraphrase is the most preferred strategies in translating English idioms and fixed
expressions into non-idiomatic expression in Vietnamese.
Eg:
Maybe he had always been shielded by his grandmother, since he was the apple of her eye.”
 Có lẽ anh ấy luôn được bà che chở, vì là người cháu yêu quý nhất của bà.
 When translating from Vietnamese to English, due to cultural differences, sometimes it is difficult
to find a suitable equivalent idiom so using paraphrase is still a popular strategy.
Eg:
“Liệu cơm gắp mắm” => One has to match his spending to his income.
“An cư lạc nghiệp” => You’ll never flourish in your trade until you have a secure home

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Strategy 2: How to deal with idioms and fixed
expression
Translation by omission
- In certain situations, idioms may be omitted from the target text. The reason
may be that they cannot be easily paraphrased, they do not have a close
match in the target language, or because of stylistic considerations.
- The use of this strategy may be considered reasonablely, if omission is to
avoid lengthy explanations and the omission of idioms does not affect the full

meaning of the text.
 This is the least used strategy.
Eg:
Now Rachel was absentmindedly rubbing her index finger back and forth over
her upper lip, her brow slightly furrowed.”
= Bây giờ Rachel vô thức xoa ngón trỏ qua môi trên, lông mày cô ta hơi nhíu
lại.

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Strategy 3: How to deal with voice, numbers,
person
VOICE: The passive voice is used very frequently in English
and poses some problem for translation into Vietnamese.
Passive voice can be translated from English into
Vietnamese in the following aways

English :
A to be done (by B)
Vietnamese: (i) A được + V + (bởi B) (positive
meaning)
(ii) A bị + V( bởi B) (negative meaning
A bị + (B) + V
English :
A to be done
Vietnamese: (i) A được + V (positive meaning)
(ii) A bị + V (negative meaning)
(iii) Người ta/ ai đó + V + A

Examples
- He was found in the forest by the police.
Anh ấy được cảnh sát tìm thấy ở trong rừng.
- Tom was attacked by a stranger last night.
Tom bị một kẻ lạ mặt tấn công tối hôm qua.
- Tom has been promoted recently.
Tom mới được đề bạt gần đây.
- The bank robbers are caught.
Những kẻ cướp ngân hàng đã bị bắt.
- The CD has been broken.
Ai đó đã làm vỡ chiếc CD rồi.
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Strategy 3: How to deal with voice, numbers,
person
NUMBER

- Though both languages have similar notions of number and countability, each language
expresses this in very different ways. In Vietnamese, number is often not expressed at all.
In English, number is expressed as a grammartical category, that is, there were different
grammartical forms for the singular and pural nouns. In Vietnames, no such distinction is
made grammartically.
Eg: Phụ nữ = can mean either woman or women.
- In Vietnamese, some plural makers such as “các”, “những”, “tất cả”, “mọi”, “mỗi”… can
be used in addition to be noun.
Note: Some word that can be countable in Vietnamese but are uncountalbe in English.
For example: Information, equipment, furniture, advice, potential…

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Strategy 3: How to deal with voice, numbers,
person
PERSON

Participants roles and forms of address are expressed in Vienamese through a very complicated
system of personal pronouns based largely on kinship terms. Unlike their English counterparts,
Vietnamese pronouns convey many different distinctions, depending on relationship within the
family, familiarity, social status and even one’s paricular mood or attitude in a given situation.
Eg: A manual on health care contains sections written specifically for children and adults. In the
section for children, “you” is translated as “em” or “cac em”. In the section for adults, “you” should
be translated as “chúng ta”, which is the inclusive “we” – that is, the speaker is including the listen in
a group with him/herself, and in different contexts, “we” can be translated as “chúng tôi” meaning “
other people and I, but not you or “ chúng ta” meaning “you and I”.
+ Note: In English, age is often not important in the addressing system. And there is no distinction
between the relatives of mother’s side or father’s side.
Hai anh em = two brother
Hai chị em = two sisters 

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Strategy 4: How to deal with proper names
A proper name is a noun or noun phrase that
designates a particular person, place or object.

Personal name

Geographical

names

Names of
unique objects

Names of
unique animals

Names of institutions
and facilities

Names of books,
musical pieces,
paintings or sculptures

Names of newspapers,
magazines and their
headlines

Names of single
events

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Strategy 4: How to deal with proper
names
Geographical
terms

Names of
organizations

- Translate into another word in Vietnamese.
- Translate phonologically (“s” becomes “x”).
- Remaine unchanged.

Singapore = singapore/Xingapore
Australia = Ốt-strây-li-a
Socialist = Xã hội chủ nghĩa
Indonasia = Inđônêysia
People’s = Nhân dân

- Translate into Vietnamese or unchanged
- Translate only translatable parts are translated.
- Add the words “Công ty”, “Hãng”, “Tổ chức”...

ABC company = công ty ABC
The Beatles = nhóm nhạc the
beatles
UNESCO = tổ chức UNESCO
Oxford dictionary = Từ điển Oxford

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Strategy 4: How to deal with proper names

Vietnamese to
English

- Often using the reverse order or adjective + noun
or noun + preposition + noun.
“Bộ”, “Sở” = Ministry of …, Department of…
“Ngân hàng” = Bank for …, or Adjective + Bank
“Tổng công ty” = Corporation

In medical texts

- Tests, symptoms, diseases, syndromes, parts of the
body are named after one 'scientist' in one language
community and a different one, are given a more
general term, in another. Check the spelling of all
proper names - this is where misprints are most
common.
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Strategy 5: How to deal with non-subject
sentences
In Vietnamese-written passages, some non-subject sentences are
In Vietnamese-written passages, some non-subject sentences are
often come across. In this case, the following techniques of translation
often come across. In this case, the following techniques of translation
can be used:
can be used:
- Passive voice
- Passive voice
- It + to be + adjective + to do somthing
- It + to be + adjective + to do somthing

- Therer is/ are
- Therer is/ are
- V-ing (s) + V + O
- V-ing (s) + V + O
- Put in the real subject that is often found in the previous sentence(s)
- Put in the real subject that is often found in the previous sentence(s)

Examples
Examples

- Không có cách nào thoát khỏi ngôi nhà kinh dị
ấy.
 There is no way to escape that horror house.
- Tập thể dục rất quan trọng.
 It’s important to do exercise
 Doing exercise is important

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Strategy 6: How to deal with newspaper
headlines
Some main characteristics of newspaper headlines:
- Present tense = past tense
Eg: The forest fire in Australia = một vụ cháy rừng đã xảy ra ở Austraylia.
- Present participle = event in progress
Eg: Goverment improving people’s living standard = Chính phủ đang nâng cao đời sống của người
dân
- To + infinitive = future events
Eg: Stranger star to crush? = Hành tinh lạ sẽ va chạm

- Past participle = passive voice
Eg: The Monalisa portrait stole last night = Bức họa Monalisa bị đáng cắp đêm qua
- Nouns:
Eg: oil industry = ngành dầu khí
- Verb + Noun
Eg: take care your children = chăm sóc lũ trẻ của bạn
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s
e
m
i
t
e
Practis

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