Trans of theory present 18 12

TOPIC 1
I. The concept of translation
II. A new concept of translation
1. The old focus and the new focus on translation
2. New attitudes with respect to receptor language
III. Principles of translation

1.

Vũ Phương Thảo

2.

Nguyễn Thị Hồng Liên


IV. Principles of translation



1. Meaning



2. Form



3. Register



4. Source language influence



5. Style and clarity



6.Idioms


1. Meaning



The translation should reflect accurately the meaning of the original text



Nothing should be arbitrarily added or removed, though sometimes part of the meaning can be transposed.

Eg: «There is a legend about a bird which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other
creature on the face of the earth.»
«Có một truyền thuyết về con chim chỉ hót một lần trong đời, nhưng hót hay nhất thế gian.»




As we have seen:

-1 form may express a variety of meanings
- 1 meaning can be expressed in a great number of forms.

E.g. 1

Break a leg!

Blow them away!

You’ll do great!

E.g. 2

-Thanks for thinking of me but I can’t
-No thanks, I have another commitment
-I’m not really into it, but thanks for asking!
-I’m not taking on anything else right now.

Fingers crossed!
(Ways To Say “No” to People)
Good luck!

( Wish the best of luck to someone)


-1 form may express a variety of meanings

For example:
We should be discussing violence on TV

Interpretations

-

We should be discussing violence on TV
We should be discussing violence on TV


2) Form :
Clauses

Phrases

Words

Sentences

Lexicon

Surface
structure
Paragraphs

Form

Word order

Grammar

- The ordering of words and ideas in the translation should match the original as closely as possible. This is particularly
important in translating legal documents, guarantees, contracts, etc. But differences in language structure often require
changes in the form and order of words.
E.g.
1. He regularly sees me on Tuesdays <stress on regularly>
2. He sees me regularly on Tuesdays <no stress >
3. On Tuesdays he sees me regularly <stress on Tuesdays>

- Grammar:
No sooner had I got up than my phone rang = As soon as I got up, my phone rang.
(Ngay khi tơi thức dậy thì điện thoại đổ chng.)


In translation, the form of the source language is replaced by
the form of the target language



Cho đến nay chưa 1 chi tiết nào về các cuộc thảo luận của họ được tiết lộ



No details

of

Chưa 1 chi tiết / của /

their
của họ /

discussions
thảo luận /

have been released
được tiết lộ /

so far
cho đến nay


The same meaning can be expressed in several surface lexical
items.


For example: canine, dog, hound, pooch, bitch, mutt, cur, puppy…

Dog(male)

Bitch( female)

CANINE
Puppy

Hound


The English phrase: “my house”
-The house I live in
- The house I built

-The house I own
-The house I rent
-The house for which I drew up the plan


3) Register
The term register is used in the same way as “style” in the field of language learning and teaching.



-Languages often differ greatly in the levels of formality in a given context.



-Interpreter must distinguish between formal/informal or fixed expressions and personal expressions.



For example:

Informal: Can you help me?
Formal: I would appreciate it if you could please help me.
‘Kindly use the plastic bags provided for rubbish disposal’ => ‘You must use…’
‘It would be appreciated if residents would not park in the entrance road’ => ‘Parking is forbidden …’


-Expressing reminder/anger
“Why did you believe him when he said he wasn’t married?” asked Mary.
“Because”, replied Pamela, “he was so good - looking and well - dressed, and had such a nice
voice.”

“All that glitters is not gold”, Mary reminded her.


The interpreter must find out the intention of the speaker( to persuade…)

Dissuade

Persuade

apologize

Intention
of the
speaker
Criticize

Suggest


E.g.
-Can you help me?( request)
-How about watching TV?( suggestion)
-Sorry, I’m late( apologizing)
- A: Cậu có đi chơi khơng?
B: Giờ tớ còn làm bài.
-A: Bác đang ăn cơm à?


4) Source language influence :
If translation does not sound natural. This is because the translator's thoughts and choice of words are

too strongly influenced by the original text.
E.g.
“ But one day a lonely pilgrim, whose heart burned with the pure flame of faith, felt so deeply grieved
at seeing the desecreation and decay of this place” -The Way of the White=> Thế rồi 1 hơm kia có 1 hành giả cơ độc, lịng cháy bỏng ngọn lửa tín tâm, buồn sâu sắc khi thấy
sự báng bổ và tàn tạ của vùng đất này.


5) Style and clarity :
The translator should not change the style of the original. But if the text is sloppily written, or full of tedious repetitions, the translator may correct the
defects



For example:

-“ Tăng trưởng kinh tế của quốc gia đó khơng đi đôi được với sự gia tăng dân số”

⇒

The economic growth of that country failed to match the increase in population.

-Việc xây dựng chiếc cầu đó đã bắt đầu vào tháng 9 năm 1994 và mọi phí tổn sẽ do ngân sách Nhà nước cáng đáng
=> The construction of that bridge began in September 1994 with all costs supported by the National Budget.


6) Idiom :
Idiomatic expressions are notoriously untranslatable. These include similes, metaphors, proverbs and sayings, jargon, slang,
and colloquialisms and phrasal verbs.

’’WABI-SABI’’

’’WABI-SABI’’


If the expressions cannot be directly translated, try any of the following :

a. retain the original word, in inverted commas: ‘phở’, ‘chèo’

b. retain the original expression, with a literal explanation in brackets: 'áo dài' (a long
close-fitting blouse), 'thồ' (a taxi bike or a taxi motorbike)

c. use a close equivalent: talk of the devil= the wolf at the door (literally)

d.use a non-idiomatic or plain prose translation .


The golden rule is: if the idiom does not work in the L1, do
not force it into the translation.


should be

ACCURATE,

•Reproducing as exactly as possible the meaning of the source text.
BEAUTIFUL,

•Using natural forms of the receptor language (TL) in a way that is appropriate to the kind of text being translated.
COMMUNICATIVE,

•Expressing all aspects of the meaning in a way that is really understandable to the intended audience.