Luận văn a study on the vietnamese english translation strategies in the series of bilingual handbooks vietnamese culture frequently asked questions published by the the gioi publisher

facilitating international exchanges and cooperation in various fields, one of the most important of which is cullure because culture is the background af every hrman communication, Ther

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, IIANOT UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

PHAM TITU GIANG

A STUDY ON THE VIETNAMESE-ENGLISH TRANSLATION

STRATEGLES LN THE SERIES OF BILINGUAL HANDBOOKS

“VIETNAMESE CULTURE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS"

PUBLISHED BY THE THE GIO] PUBLISHER

Nghiên cứu phương pháp dịch Việt— Ảnh trong b

ách song ngũ “Những câu

hỏi thường gặp về văn hóa Việt Nam” do Nhà xuất bản Thể Giới ấn hành

MLA MINOR PROGRAMME TIIESIS

Ficld: English linguistics

Code: 602215

TTanơi - 2010

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, IIANOT UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

PITAM TIIU GIANG

A STUDY ON THE VIETNAMESE-ENGLISH TRANSLATION STRATEGIES IN THE SERIES OF BILINGUAL HANDBOOKS

“VIETNAMESE CULTURE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS"

PUBLISHED BY THE THE G10] PUBLISHER

Nghiên cứu phương pháp dịch Việt — Anh trong bộ sách song ngữ “Những câu

hỏi thường gặp về văn hóa Việt Nam” do Nhà xuất bản Thể Giới ấn hành

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English linguistics

Code: 602215

Supervisor: Dr Tran Xuan Diép

Tlanai - 2010

Aims of the study

Soups of the study

Methodology of the study

Organization of the study

1.3 Forcign language translation

1.4, Translation of cultural texts

USED IN THE BILINGUAL HANDBOOKS

2 Modified literal translation

2.2 Changes in grammar

2.2.1, Changes in the order of word groups

2.2.2, Changes of grammatical word class

2.3.5, Using different words or phrases

2.4 Transtating culture-bound terms, names and titles, and poems

2.4.1, Translating culturs-bound terms

2.4.2, Translating names and titles

Target language text

"Popular Theale”

"Wedding Customs"

"Spring Festival in Nơrthem Việt Nam"

PART I- INTRODUCTION

4, Rationale

In a globalized world, translation has played an indispensable role in facilitating international exchanges and cooperation in various fields, one of the most important of which is cullure because culture is the background af every hrman communication, There have been a large number of studies on translation methods and strategies but many of which just focus on general techniques supposed to be applied to all pairs of languages in

concerned with s]

the world and few works cific problems in cortain pairs of language, especially those related to culture, Even within one pair of languages, first language translatars and foreign language translators encounter different challenges, While the first Janguage translator can depend mach on their long-built habitual usc of the targel Janguages, the second language translators often work with more awareness than feeling,

“more analysis and reasoning than intuition Therefore, to some extent, foreign language translators are more interested in translations strategies which help them do their work rationally,

For those reasons, the study on the translation strategies in the series of Vietnamese- English handbooks “Vielnamese culinre frequently asked questions” published by the Thé Gidi Publisher has been caried out fiom the perspective of a Vietnamese student The books cover different cultural aspects of Vietnam, therefore demonstrating many interesting transtalion strategies in use, especially those lo deal with culture-specific terms

The study is expected lo offer practical advice for Victnamess-Rnglish translalors with detailed and thorough analysis of the strategies used in the set of the books

2 Aims of the study

‘The study is carried ont with the following aims

- Finding out common strategies used in some books of the series "Vietnamese culture frequently asked questions.”

- Taking a close look at oxpressive power and writing styles of the translations to understand the reasons hidden in the translators’ use of certain strategies

- Drawing out some possible implications of the study results for Vietnamese-English

translatars.

10

3 Scope of the study

More than twenty handbooks on “Victnam

‘been released so far The set of the books prominently features Vietnamese culture with different aspects such as arts, festivals, customs, and architecture and so on, Yet, within the

ulus freq

ently asked questions” have

lirnit of the tesearch, Ihe paper is nol supposed lo cover the whole series of the books The

three small books chosen are “Popular Theatre” (Chée), “Spring Festivals in Northem Viét

Nam” and “Wedding Customs” which are all edited by Hint Ngoc and Lady Berton and

published by Thế Gidi Publisher in 2008

Strategy is a broad term which may refer to global strategies (those dealing with whole texts) and lowal strategies (those dealing with text segments) (Bell, 1998) However, within

the Himsil of the minor thesis, the author would Tike fo focus on local strateg

specitic activities attecting micro-units of the text Translation procedures studied by

‘Vinay, Darbelnet, New Mark, Nida are the main source of reference for the author to carry out het research scisntifically Studies by other experts would also be considered when necessary

It is certainly hard for the author to mention a great number of differences between Vieinamese and Tinglish in har analysis The author would not sindy the alteration in the transfer process related to basic grammatical differences such as the order of nouns and adjectives, the possessions, the verb tenses and so on, Har main concem is the strategies which Iranstators, especially Isarners or novice Iranslalors may wot be aware of in their work, such as omission, addition, alteration and so on

4, Methodology of the study

4.1 Research question

‘The main rescarch question raised in the paper is

What translation strategies were used in the three selected book of the series "Vietnamese culture frequently asked questions” published by the Gioi Publisher?

The answer to the question will help readers to realize some common Victnamesc-Enalish translation strategies used in the bilingual handbooks “Vietnamese culture frequently asked questions” ‘The study may also help sharpen the transfators’ awareness of some outstanding difforsnees belwoou the nalure of English and Vietnamese languagos in use so

‘that they can learn to produce natural-looking texts in their translation

in the Vietnamese culture, The books also offer nseful practice for English native speakers who want to study Vietnamese Thirdly, towist guides and officials of foreign affairs benefit a great deal from the books in their business, Besides, the books are useftl for English tcachors and students with inlctesting contenls and compurativaty simple language The three books, “Popular Theatre”, “Spring Festivals in Northem Viet Nam” and

“Wedding customs”, were chosen with careful thoughts, Chéo, an authentically

‘Vietnamese theatre form, festival and wedding customs are the themes which may involve amany culture-specific terms, conceptions, idioms or allusions which pose considcrabls challenges for the transtators Therefore, the researcher would discover more helpful strategies lo deal with cullure-retated problems which remain very controversial in the arga

of transtation,

‘the "Popular ‘Theatre” covering 99 pages tells stories about chéo with six main parts:

background, popular plays, artists, music, chéo villages, and future development, The

*Wadding Customs" with 83 pages discusses different customs, from the pas! to present,

from the North to the South and some emerging issues i modem wedding sites The

thickest handbook "Spring l'estivals in Norther Viét Nam" with 133 pages describes imany farnaus spring festivals, som of which belong to minority groups such as Tay and

“Thai peoples Over 300 sentence pairs were collected from the three selected handbooks to

examine how and why the strategies are used to produce comprehensible and acceptable

targct language texts

Data analysis:

A mechanical listing of noteworthy and typical examples of translations in the books which, logether, cover a wide range of strategies is done firs The author docs nol solely

depend on the methods and strategies already studied by many researchers presented in the

literature She tries to seek more specific techniques employed by the translators and

discover their particular challenges, especially those related to culture-bound terms, and

how they overcome their challlnges The author altompls lo reason tlie use of the strategies and, in a few cases, adds some evaluation on the results or the effectiveness of the translations Finally, the author draws a conclusion on the strategies in Vietnamese-nglish

translation of the books and then gi

This study is carried out by the combination of the following methods:

- Deductive and inductive methods Deductive method is the important method used in this

research The authar takes the description and intorprctation of the sirategics used in the

es some suggestions for translators and farther studies

translations based on the studies by some famous linguists, translators and other researchers contributing to the field However, the author also needs inductive method to arrive al necessary conehwsions about common stralogics used and Ihe toasons boneath,

- Qualitative and quantitative methods This study is umch more qualitative than quantitative in nature because it heavily depends on the author's own interpretation of translation examples Qualitative method offers the opportunity to gain insight into the translators’ decision-making during their transfer process, thus sccking out the "why" Quantitative method is saraetimes used to add necessary details and figures to the findings + Descriptive and contrastive methods: Descriptive is the main method of this study A detailed description of the translation versions would help the readers acquire profound understanding of the translation strategies For many cases, the author needs to explain the differences between English and Vietnamese lo clarify the translators’ intention hidden in thelr decisionmaking process In other words, the contrastive method helps to explain the effectiveness of the strategies utilized

5, Organization of the study

Part Tis the Introduction which allows the rcadeys to gel the gencral idea of whal the th

is about, It provides the rationale for the study, aims of the study, the scope, the method and the organization of the study

Part His the Development, which consist of threc chapters

Chapter ¡ briefly introduces some necessary theoretical points from different backgrounds

‘the author begins by reviewing different views of translation theories with the focus on trumslation stralogies Following thal a review of forign fanguage translation and

translation of cultural texts is undertaken.

13

Chapter Hf is the main part of the study ‘This chapter providos discnssion on the use of

ted books in terms of modified literal translation,

translation strategies in the thive scl

changes in grammar, choice of vocabulary The author is particularly interested in translations of culture-bound terms, names and titles, This part is ended with some evaluations on the meaning transfer inchiding expressive richness and writing slyte in the target language

Part iif is Conclusion which recapitulates the main ideas and findings of the study, draws

English tunslators, proscnis limitations of

oul some important dmnplications for Vietarnc

the study and lastly, suggests some ideas for further research,

one language into an equivalent text in a different language retaining, as far as possible, the

content of the message, and the formal features and the roles of the original text” (Bell

1991: XII cited by Tloang Van Van, 2005) Nida anid Taber (1982) claim, “Translation consists of reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source

language message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style.” Along the

dine, Wills (1982) extends the above definition with more terms, “Iranslation is the

procedure which Ieads from a wrillen ST text to an eplimally equivalent TT text, and

which requires the syntactic, semantic, stylistic and text pragmatic comprehension by the

translator of the original text.” In general, it can be drawn from the above definitions that tunslation is regarded as an aelion of communication, a yroblem-solving activity, an

intercultural action and a text-processing action, No matter how different the definitions

can be, faithfulness ta the source text is widely considered to be the most important conccr of translators However, translators have difforcnt views on the esscnec of

faithfulness or the application of the idea on their work, which will be discussed in the next

parts of the thesis

1.2 Translation metheds and strategies

1.2.1 Translation methods

‘Translation method refers to the way that particular process is carried out in terms of

{ranstatar’s objcetive that affects the whole tex

Different views on the translation process resullt in different translation approaches which

are mainly related to two main directions: literal and free ‘Che literal approach involves adherence to the form of the original text while the free translation aims at capturing the

sense of'a longer stictch of language (Basil Hatim & Jercrny Munday, 2004).

‘there are few translations which absolutely apply either literal or free method Therefore, Larson (1984) suggests that the methods spread in the continuum from very liEmal, tơ literal, to modified literal, to near idiomatic, idiomatic, and unduly free Similarly,

‘Newmark (1988a) uses eight terms in his classification and puts these methods in the form of a flattemed V diagram,

Semantic translation Communicative translation

Newmark (1981) adds that there are two best methods of translation They are (1) communicative translation to produce the same effect on the ‘I'L readers and (2) semantic

translation to reproduce the previse contextual meaning of the author Bolh Newanark and Larson cruphasize that the sclection of the appropriate methods plays an important role in

making a good translation

1.2.2 Translation strategies

Translation strategies open the way to finding a suitable solution for a translation unit

Jaaskelainen (1999) considers strategy "a series of competencies, a set of steps or

provessas thal favor the acquisition, storage, and/or utilization of information.” Some experts emphasize the consciousness in their discussion of strategies Loescher (1991) defines translation strategy as "a potentially conscious procedure for solving a problem

faced in translating a text, or any segment of it" As it is stated in this definition,

consciousness is a significant clancnt in translators’ decisionmaking process, In this regard, Cohen (1998) asserts that "the element of consciousness is what distinguishes

strategies from these processes that are not strategic."

Furthermore, Boll (1998) differentiates between global (thosc dealing with whole texts) and local (those dealing with text segments) strategies “Local strategy" relates specifically

to the translation of certain grammatical structures and lexical items while global strategy operate at a more general level

lá

As mentioned in the Scope of the Saudy, the main concem of the author is local strategies in transfor process, those which affect the micro-units of the lext

Looking closely at techniques to deal with "local problems", Chesterman (1997) divides

strategies into three categories of grammatical strategies (involving purely syntactic

We can find more detailed description of each “local strategy” through the work by Vinay and Darbelnal (1995) though they use the term "procedure" instead of "stratogy”

‘Vinay and Darbelnet propose seven procedures operating, on three level of style: lexis, distribution, and message, The procedures are classitied as direct and indirect translation Oblique translation occurs when word for word translation is impossible

(2) Calque is used when a forign word or phrase is translated and incorporated into another language It is a special type of berrowing, consisting of borrowing an expression from the source language and translating literally cach clement

(3) Literal translation means the direct transfer of the source text into the target language in

a grammatically and idiomatically proper way ‘this technique is used when it is possible to

transper

obtain a text that is idiomatic

source language mossaye clement by clement inte the target language and

(4) Transposition replaces words from one grammatical word class with another without changing the meaning of the message For example, a verb is ansfated with a noun, a noun with an adjective, an adjective with an adverb and so on

(5) Modulation is a shift in point of view, changing the point of view without changing the meaning of the message Viray and Darbelnel identify different types of modulation, some

of which are abstract for concrete, cause for effect, means for result, a part for the whole, geographical change

(© Faquivatence accounts for the sarc siluation using a completely different phrase IL generally refers to the commonly accepted and used equivalents of idioms, proverbs, idiomatic expression and lexicalized terms

(7) Adaptation selers lo a shift in cultural enviroment, for instance, lo expross the message using a different situation Translators have to adapt a source Ianguage situation when it does not exist in the target language or would be considered inappropriate in the target cutee

Nida (1964) proposes three types of translation stratcgics; additions, subtractions and alterations ‘They are used (1) to adjust the form of the message to the characteristics of the structure of the largel language, (2) la produce semantically equivalent siruelures, Œ) lo generate appropriate stylistic equivalences and (4) to produce an equivalent communicative effect

A translalor makes an addition when he needs to clarify am elliptic expression, to avoid ambiguity in the target language, lo changs a grammatical calogory, to amplify inmplicit

elements or to add connectors

Subtraction refers to the omission of words or phrases if they are not essential to the

ancaning or immpact of Ihe text

Alterations are changes made because of incompatibilities between the two languages due

to structural differences between the two languages such as changes in word order, grammatical catzgorics and scmantic misfits, cspecially with idiomatic expressions

New Mark (1988b) contributes a large number of strategies affecting the micro-units of the text

+ Transference: il is the process of transfering a ST word to @ TT text IL includes

transliteration and it is somewhere called "transciiption.”

18

- Naturalization: it adapts the SL word first to the normal pronunciation, then to the normal morphology af the TL

- Cultural equivalent: it means replacing a cultural word in the SL with a TL one, however,

“they are not accurate"

+ Functional equivalent iLrequires the use of a culture-neutral word

Descriptive equivalent: in this procedure the meaning of the SLT is explained in several

words,

Componential analysis: i means "comparing an ST word with a TT word which has a

similar meaning but is not an obvious one-to-one equivalent, by demonstrating first their

common and then their differing sense components."

Synonymy: iLis a "near TT, equivalent." Here economy trumps aceunicy

Through-iranslation, it is the literal translation of common collocations, names of organizations and components of compounds It can also be called: calque or Ioan

transladon

Shifts or transpositions: it involves a change in the grammas fiom SL to TL, for instance,

(@) change from singular to plural, (ii) the change required when a specific SL structure does nol exist in the TL, (iii) change of an SL verb to a TL word, change of an SI noun

group to a TL noun and so forth

Modutatiar it occurs when the translator reproduces the message of the original text in the

TL text in conformity with the current norms of the TT., since the SI, and the TT may appear dissimilar in terms of perspective

Recognized translatior it occurs when the translator “normally uses the official or the

generally accepted translation of any institutional term."

Compensation: il oceurs when loss of meaning in one part ofa sentence is compensated m

another part

Paraphrase: in this procedure the meaning of the CBT is explained Here the explanation

is much morc detailed than that of descriptive equrvalent

Couplets: it occurs when the translator combines two different procedures

Notes: notes are additional information in a translation

All the traustalion strategies mentioned above will form a steady background from which

the author will investigate thoroughly transtation techniques in the set of handbooks However, all the above theories just mention the most common strategies supposed fo b=

into the case of Vietnamese-English translation with a view to providing more valuable

information for readers

1.3, Foreign language transtation

‘Translation into a foreign language is usually a big challenge for any translators because

they have to learn to write in the foreign language with an authentic style Stuart Campbell (1998) says, “Jn wanslating into a second language, comprehension of the source text is

te easier aspect, the real difficulty ix in producing a target text in a language in which

composition does not come naturally” It is easy to look up equivalent meanings of certain

words in a dictionary but it is nmch more difficult to produce a target text that sounds

natural to English native readers in terms of word choice, collocation, and sentence

structure and so on The reason is probably that “he second language translators have to

work within the limitations of their second language repertoire, and the stages of

individuals’ language development must be reflected in the quality of their translation.”

(Stuart Campbell, 1998) ‘Iranslation competsnee in the foreign language is somehow

associated with foreign language proficiency Though a good translator certainly has

Janguags proficiency, a good foreign language [camer does nal nccessasily become a good translator A good translation into a foreign language must demonstrate the translator’s sensitivity to both his native language and his foreign language Besides, translators need

to have good backgrommd knowledge of the subject they tackle and understand the role of the translation as well as the target audience,

1.4 Translation of cultural texts

Different cultures have their own eulturc-spceifics; therefore, the issuc of cultural loss is of central concen in translation Newmark defines culture as “the way of life and its

amanifestations that are peculiar to a community that uses a particular language as its means

of expression" (1988a) With rogard to correspondence in translation, Nida attaches cqual importance to both linguistic and cultural differences between the SL and the TL and concludes that “differences between cultures may cause more severe complications for the

thinking Loiman’s theory states that "no language can exist umless it is steeped in the context of culture, and no culture can extst which docs not have al ils centro, the siructurs

of natural language" (1978) Along the line, Bassnett (1980) states that language is “the

‘heart within the body of culture.” thus acknowledging the survival of both aspects being irierdepơndenL

In the ora of globalization, multiculturalism is a present-day phenomenon which is dramatically influenced by the development of technology and the expansion of mass media In this broad context of the modem time, translators certainly gain more opportunitics to experience mare cultures which add valuable benctits to their practical

work as a cross-cultural translator According to Nico Wiersema (2004), cultures are

gelting closer and closer and this is something that he believed translators need Lo lake into account, In the end, it alt depends on what the translator, or more often, the publisher wants

to achieve with a certain translation.

21

CHAPTER H: VIETNAMESE-ENGLISH TRANSLATION STRATEGIES USED

IN TIE BILINGUAL ITANDBOOKS

2.1 Modified literal translation

Literal translation follows closely the form of the source language; therefore, it 1s also kmown as form-based tanslalion According lo Vinay and Darbelnet (1995), filsral translation occurs when there is an exact structural, lexical, even morphological equivalence between two languages Vietnamese and English are two languages of numerous grammatical and toxival difTeranoes; henca, the mulhor could hardly find any ruc literal translation in three selected books However, the meaning of the terminology “literal

translation” is not always Testricted within the strict rule given by Vinay and Darbelnet

above, Many linguists classify the levct of the “literal” depending on how much close the TLT and the SLT are, Newmark (1988) differentiates between word-for-word translation, literal translation, faithful translation and semantic translation which are ail categorized as the methods closest to the SL Larson (1984) divides translation method into two categorics: litcral translation and idiomatic translation, He uses three terms for the scope of

“literal translation” They are very literal, literal and modified literal, He states that very Literal an fiteral translation nonwally have lille conmmumicalive value because the SLT sounds strange and odd to the readership The author finds the term modified literal most suitable to identify the most common strategy in the books According to Larson, modified

lileral sbalegy is a way to inodily order and granunar of the source language in an acceptable sentence structure in the receptor langunge but the lexical items are tamstated literally,

One of the most significant differences between Vietnamese and English is word order in

grammatical rulcs in English The underlined words in the following cxamples are head

nouns

Example 1: “Tuông và chèo là hai joai hình nghệ thuật sân khẩu truyền thẳng của Liệt

Nan.” (PT p12)

Tuéng and chéo are both Vietnamese traditional theatrical art forms, (PT p13)

Example 2: “Cac d6i uyên ương vận những #røng phục giản dị” (WC p16)

“Couples wore simple clothes” (WC p17}

Example 3: “Chéo va aia rdi nước là hai sản phẩm độc đáo của nền văn mình châu thổ

sông Hồng, nhưng chèo là loại hình nghệ thuật tình tê hơn” (PT p16)

Chéo and water puppetry ate unique products of the Red River Delta civilization,

bul chén is the more refined art farm (PT pl 7)

Example 4: "Mẹ kế phải yêu con riêng của chẳng" (T p18)

Step-mothers must love thep husbands’ children (PT p19)

Resides order changcs in noun phrases, we can see some changes relaled to adjective phrases

Example 5: "Cuộc đi bỏ trở niên mệt mdi han" (WC p76)

"Walking becomes more tiring" (WC p77)

Example 6 : "it gia dinh ef cing eda để chúng lại lề thỏi hién nay." (WC p24)

Few families are bold enough 1o counter curren practice (WC p25) Orders of words in Viemamese and English questions are often different While the question word in English usually appears at the beginning of the sentence, some of the question words in Vietnamese often appear at the end

Example 7: “Thai (rang của cô đầu Hà Nội đã thay d0i shar thd nao?" (WC p52)

How has the fashion of Hanoian brides changed? (WC p53)

Example 8: "Cáo đặc trưng nỗi bật của chào /# gi?" (PT p16)

Lxample 9: “L2 héi néo dimg pháo đất?" (SE p64)

What festivals usc day firccrackers? (SF p63) Exarnple 10: "7øi sơo những người bạn tốt lại hay được vi như Lưu Bình và Dương Lễ

(PT p34)

Why are good friends compared with Lưu Bình and Dương Lễ (PT p36)

‘The translators usually have to add function words, such as prepositions, pronouns, auxiliary verbs and articles and so on, to express acceptable grammatical relationship

within 4

cs of the Tecoplor langtigo Howevor, as tong as he content words are

‘translated literally, the strategy remains modified literal translation

Example 11: "Chéo tiép tue phat triển và đạt đến đính cao vao cuỗi thể kỷ 19" (PT p16)

23

Chéo continued to develop and reached is peak by the end of she nineteenth

century (PT 17)

Example 12: "Những nghỉ lễ cưới xin đã phát triển qua thởi gian như thễ náo?" ŒT.p12)

How have wedding rites evolved over time? (PT p13)

Most of the senlences applying modified lileral translation suategy in the lransfer process definitely have simple grammatical structure and lexical texms with literal meaning Unlike other strategies which will be discussed later, this strategy is detected in almost all pages of

wording Another importanl rsason is (hut the intended audioneg, cithsr Vickumess people

or English speakers interested in language study, would lear litle if the expressions of the

TLT are wo far different from those of the SLT

However, the simplification of the content and language of the source texts could not help erase all difficulties for translators because they Imad to convey cultural elements of a country assumed strange and unfamiliar to the target readers, and language is obviously part of that culture, When serious linguistic gaps or cultural gaps occur, modified literal translation is of little help Many other strategies are used to express shades of meaning, explain cullure-bound terms and achieve effective communication with the larget readers These strategies, which reveal the translators’ language proficiency and creativity, will be discussed thoroughly in the latter sections of the thesis,

2.1 Changes in grammar

3.3.1 Chenyey in the order of ward groups

‘The order of sentence elements are changed mainly because English does not have the

equal grammatical structure of Vietnamese or the translator attempts to create effective

communivation in his or her translation

In many cases, adverb clauses, particularly those expressing time, placed before the main clause of the SL sentence are often changed to be put after the equivalent clause in TL

Example 1: “So véi 10 năm mid, Plt Gidy 4a thay 46i rat nhiều ” (ST pR2)

Thủ Giầy had changed dramatically from ten years (SF p83)

14

Itxample 2: “#>ái qua mầu giai đoạn lịch sứ của dân tộc Việt Nam, chèo cỗ với vôn ãm

c đã có nhiều thay đổi." (PT p72)

nhục đặ

The classical chéo theatrical performance of today, including its specialized music, has undergone many changes over she long course of Viemamese history (PY p73)

Example 3: “Chi Nguyén Thi Xu lăm nghề 8 tráng banh cudn, sav mdi budi tap dém nao

cũng phải thức khuya lảm hàng cho buổi chợ sớm mai.” (PT p78)

Nguyễn Thị Xuất, who sells rice pancakes (bánh cuốn), prepares the cakes for tha

next day's ruarkeL Tate ni night, after she has practiced chéo with the troupe (PT p79)

Changes in the order of the main clauses and the adverb clauses showing cause and effect (marked by "because", "because of", etc.) and opposition (marked by "though", “although”, ele) sometimes oceur

Exampls 4: “Ảnh hướng của văn hóa Pháp đối với văn hóa Việt Nam cũng khả rõ nói dit

*hông sâu đậm như văn hỏa Trung Hoa.” (WC p14)

Tranch inñuence on Vietramese culture aithough not as profound as Chinese was nevertheless deep CWC p15)

Iixample 5: "Đo lịch sử rất lâu đời của châu văn, một số người ở các vùng miền Bắc Việt Tam như .cũng biết chơi đân nguyél va hat chau van.” (SP p78)

Several inhabitants of novthem zegions of Vigt Nam - such as can play din

aiguyét and chau van because of the form's long history (SF p79)

The translators usually have lo modify sentence structures in TT when these in SE are

different from the standard subject-predicate

structure, topic-comment sentences may lack subjects and the topic of the sentence can be

occupied Ly an adverb, an object or simply a word semantically relating to the cormment discussed in the topic In these cases, the translators must change the order of the clauses or the word groups to conform to the acceptable grammatical strneturs in English

Example 6: “D107 chan mii là các thung lũng, đồng lúa, và những dòng suối êm dém.” (Sl!

pas)

Valleys, paddy fields, and calm streams zest at she base of the mountains (SF p47)

In the above example, didi chan nei is “topic” and the rest after “1a” is comment However

“đưới

an ii” cannot be the subject in an English sentence hecause an English subject is

person, place, thing, or idea that is domg or being something Therefore, the translator

amust remove it to the end of the sentence as an adverb clause ‘The following examples iNlustrate similar reasons for shifls in the order of sentence elements

Example 7: “Việc chỉ bao nhiêu là do bô mẹ chủ rễ và cô đâu quyết định.” (WC p20)

‘The couple's parents decide how much 10 spend (WC p21) Example 8: "Tham gia liên haan có trên 700 nghệ sĩ đến lừ 14 đoàn chèo với 15 vỡ (PT

pl2)

Over 700 artists from fourteen chéo companies attended, performing fiftzen plays among them (PT p13)

Order of word groups in other sentences is also upsct becausc of other types of

grammatical differences or the translator’s own intention to translate with best communicative effect on the target readers,

Example 9: “Chi la dién vién dir bi, nhung chi di dign that an tweng thay cho dién viên

chính ôm đột xuất” (PT p64)

The Isad actress suddenly fell il; Thanh Toai performed impressively as an

understudy (PT p65)

Example 10: “Việc người Việt Nam bắt giữ một binh sĩ quân đôi Mông Cố thể kỷ 14 đóng

vai trỏ guan trọng nhất trong su phat triển của chào ”' (PT pL6)

Most significant in this development was the Viemamese capture of a soldier from the Mongolian army in the fourleenth century (PT pl 7)

2 Changes of grammatical ward class

When literal translation of certain words may not accord with natural usage in the TL or the translator just wants io produce a smoother flow of words, he or she needs to make changes in word class A grammatical item is replaced with another grammatical item, for cxample, a noun may be translated with an adjcotive, a verb with a noun, an adverb with an adjective, and a noun with an adverb and so on, Vinay and Darbelnet (1995) consider this

a verb with a noun and a noun with an adjective respectively

Example 1: "Không ai biết cbứz xác côi nguồn của chèo làng Khuốc." (PT p83)

"No one knows the exact origins of Khudc chéo" (PT p83)

Gidng is a legendary hero who defeated northern invaders (SF p105)

‘This strategy is considered a common one which helps translators avoid awkward

Example 1: “Thi 48 nghi néi lại tình nghĩa vợ chẳng, nhưng Chu Mãi Thân ¿ở chổi” (PT

p38)

She asks for renewal of their conjugal ties but Chu Mat Thin does not accept her

hack (PT p39)

Example 2 : “Hiện giỏ, chị không còn quả vất vả như những năm 1880 ” (PT, pod)

Her personal life is much easier now than in the 1980s (PT p65)

rét hành ha.” (NC p72)

Example 3: © ching ti thong xuyén hé bank s

ztalarta tormenied us WC p73)

Example 4: °O nha, Xty Van di fim thuê cho một người đản bà lùa lọc” (PT p38)

al home, Kiy Vin is Aired by ä porfidiaus wăemam (PT, p39) Modulation is an effzetive tool for the translator to alter their perspective without changing,

‘the meaning or creating a sense of awkwardness in the readers of the TL

2.2.4, Sentences split or merged

During the process of translation, the translator may combine sentences, usnally two, ta make a complete sentence or divide the sentence into two other oncs without changing the meanings,

Firstly, senfences are merged for many reasons With reference to grammatical perspective, the translator may combine two sentences making use of relative pronouns which are quite favourable in the TL communication

L'xample 1: “Xúy Vân cập kè với Trần Phương, một tay lái buôn anit chữ nhưng giàu có

"Tay lài buôn nhanh chóng chân, đuổi Xúy Van di.” (PT p40)

She takes up with Trin Phuong, an illiterate but rich merchant, who soon tires of her and sends her off (PY pal)

In Victnamnese language, il is not natural t¢ combine the Iwo senlenecs with pronoun

“ngudi ma” ot “ma” like the equivalent “who” in English because the combination would make the new sentence sound awkward and wordy Why relative pronoun are widely used

im writion English, the words “người mà” “cái ma” or “na” could generate a sense of

“Jengthy” and they are only commonly used in Vietnamese spoken language

Sometimes, sentence merge is a good choice to avoid producing choppy sentences which arc nol recommended in English wrillon language

Example 2; “The thuéng cé bai về, bốn cẩu, Cáo tỉnh cách có cách ngâm riêng.” (PT, p24)

Poems often have two parts and four sentenees, with characters displaying their own way of reciting lines (PT p25)

28

Uesides, the translator combines sentences in his or her effort to achieve conciseness strongly recotumended in the TI

Exampls 3: “Trảo lộng trong chéo luôn gắn với trữ tỉnh Trữ tỉnh cũng là một đặc trưng,

quan trọng khác của chảo ” (PT p22)

Salire in chéo is always Hnksd lo rornance, another sigmí icarl [sature (PT p23)

‘The combination helps the translator avoid repetition of the word “romance*

Example 4: "Những chiếc thuyền khác trước mặt, đăng san, hai bên lướt nhẹ theo ding

uốn lượn Khi sương rnủ đang lan đân, nữ nơn lớm chởnn hiện ra ." (SF p50)

Other boats in front, behind, and on both sides of us glided along the winding stream as the gradually melting fog revealed the rugged face of the mountain (PI p51)

he or she has to split the SL sentence into two

Example 5: "Do không được triều đỉnh ũng hô, chèo trở về với những người hãm mmộ ban dau là nông đân, kịch bản lây từ truyện viết bằng chữ nôm." (PT p16)

Withont royal patronage, chéo retumed to its original supporters, the farmers It

drew on 26m stories, which were Vietnamese verse narratives written in modified Chinese

characters (PT p17)

Example 6: "Trong chéo hiện đại, có sứ dụng thêm các nhạc cụ khác để làm phong phủ

thém phần đệm như thập lục, tam thập lục, nguyệt, tiêu " (PT p76)

fa modem chèo, oiher musical inslrumnenis crưích the background music The sixteen-stringed =ther (thập lục), hammer đuleuner (tam thập lục), double-stringed hae

‘nguyét), and the flute (tiêu) add their harmonious influences (PT p77)

The division actually offers the translator opportunitics to clarify and improve the expressive power of the message in the TL

Example 7: “Chú rễ mặc áo khoác ngoài màu đen hoặc xanh thẩm và đồi một khăn quấn mim den edn quan và giáy thì theo kiểu châu Âu thông thường." (WC pổ2)

As for the groom, he wore a black ot dark blue tunic and a black turban His slacks and shoes were the usual Western style that most men had already adopted (WC p63)

29

I'xample 8: "Dân làng đứng thành hàng và thanh vàng tròn tái hiện "ngọn lửa hồng” bằng

cách đốt những bửi xo đã tâm dẫu, như thế 1à để gợi lại hình ãnh một cơn tằng đăng khạc Tửa khi nó bố nhào vào quân thủ." (SE p44)

Villages in lines and circles re-enact the "dragon lights" by igniting oil-soaked straw cords The overall effect is vemniniscent af a dragon belching fire as it pounces ou its enemy (SF p45)

Statistically, cases of sentences combination (twelve examples detected) considerably

outvumber those of split sentences (four cxamples detected) The translalors' profarenee for

combination demonstrates their faith in TL concise writing which uses the most effective words and avoids weak or unnecessary ones ‘The information which does not require a fall sontuneg is insurlad inlo another sertonee withoul losing any of ils value, Coneiscness in English waiting style will be discussed more thoroughly in the latter part

2.3 Choice of vocabulary

2.3.2 Using words of more general meaning

This is a common siralegy whieh requires the use of more general words or less expressive words on tianstating when the TL has no direct equivalent for a word which occurs in the SLT

Lxample 1: "_.cac nghé si chéo duce phép tu do é (àn, sắn điệu đễ thê hiện cảm xúc của

30

unnecessarily wordy with explanations In the third example, the word "ta ơn” is a formal word showing the speaker's deep gratitude to the hencfautor wha is usually older or af superior social/religious position than him, However, because of lexical gap, the translator must use a more general word "thank" in translation, or most of the cases, though the words of broader meaning do not change the message, it may fail 10 convey the feeling hidden in the surface of the SL words

original meaning of the SLT even though the TLT may be much longer

Example 1: "Gà màu tia thường khỏe, can đám, đá hay, mhung dé pha lin me noi, cha tut.”

(SF pl22y

Purple-feathered cocks arc usually strong and brave with good fighting abilities but may have been crossbred between @ pure-bred fighting-cock hen and a normal rooster

raised for meat (ST p123)

Example 2: "Người thắng cuộc được công kênh quanh sân đình ba lần trước khi vào dân tạ

ơn thần linh " (SE p94)

"The winner is carried solemnly around the temple yard three tines before he

" (SF p95)

Many Sino-Vietnamese words, Vietnamese words of Chinese origin, need to be translated with description

enters the temple Lo thank the deitic:

Example 3:"Hai người là bạn đẳng mân." (PT p34)

They study with the same teacher, (PT p35)

Example 4: "Dan lang Khuốc sự 6iên zự điễn rất nhiều vỏ." (PT p84)

Khuse villagers have staged many chéo plays they themselves wrote (PT p85)

Example 5: "Nếu người chồng ngất đi trong dém tân hôn " (WO p38)

Ế the husband swooned ơn (he first night af conjugal life (WC p39)

However, expressive oquivalent does not always mean the TL oxprossions must inchids more words than the SL ones When the SL sentence uses figurative language, the translator may replace it with literal meaning,

31

Lxample 6: "Nhiéu gia dinh cé t6i ba, bén thé hé zrêm cừng chiểu chèa" (PL p4)

In many familics, thee or even four gencralions perform together (PT p85)

The metonymy phrase "trên cùng chiếu chèo" (on the same chéo sedge mat) is translated with direct expression "perform together" because Literal translation may make the message sound vague and obscure

When the meaning of the SL word groups is created with a specific structure unique to the

SL culture, the translator could hardly adhere to that structure and has to convey the Troaning with a normal struolure in the TH

Example 7 "Đạo diễn kịch hát dân tộc, những người chịu trách nhiệm về việc đuổng phải

ra tuẳng, chèo ra chèo, cái lương ra củi lương, càng ngày càng thiếu trằm trọng." (PT PBR)

Traditional opera directors responsible for keeping hưng, chèo, or côi lưỡng opergs true to their origins are also growing scarcer (PT p89)

Txample 8 “ một bả to béo cầu xin bardn to bdst fon.” (SP p58)

8 fat woman wanted grew! profits in businsss (SE p59)

Lxpressive equivalent is a common translation technique to bridge lexical gaps between the SI and the TT The most important role of this technique is lo convey the full meaning

Despite her busy schedule, Diễm Lộc tries to attend all sessions of the Club (PT ps7)

The translator replaces the adjeetive "bin r6n" (busy) with a noun phrase of two more words “her busy schedule" to conform to the natural sentence structure in Linglish -

“despite” must be followed by a noun phrase

Lxample 2: "Cáo nghệ sỉ chèo thường ứng điễn" (PT p24)

Rather, chao antisl frequently improvised during thetr performance (PT p25)

Because literal translation may result ina choppy sentence, the translator adds more words not only to clarify the meaning but more importantly to make the sentence sound smooth and natural Besides, the word “rather” is a cohesive devise fo crzale a fine connection with

the previous sentence

‘The above explanations are somehow subjective to the author of the research Actually, transtwiors aflcn use a stralegy intuitively deponding on their long-built language abilily without their awareness of how a strategy is The following examples also illustrate that the added words do not add important meaning but refine the flow of words in the sentences to the acceptable receptor language

Example 3: “Ching tai chặt con gả luộc ban nãy vừa củng Thần linh " (SF p58)

We chopped the boiled chicken we had offered to đeities mưa pieces (SF, p59)

Example 4: “IIo cung eap son phân, kiểu tóc, váy cưới cho thuê và hoa cưới " (WC p66)

They provide make-up and hair styling, gowns for rent, and bouquets 40 order

(WC p67)

Addition is sometimes used to clarily the meaning ar provide the context of the message

Example 5 “ con quan va giay thi theo kigu chau Âu thông thường." (WC p62)

His slacks and shoes were the usual Wester style that most men had already adopted (WC p63)

Most notiecably, the translator adds certain words to original sentences lo improve the expressive value without changing the main meaning

Example 6: "Lrên đường về nhà, Thiệt Thê trồng thấy đám rước một vị tân khoa vừa đỗ thì đình " (PT p38)

On her way home, Thiét Thé sees a glorious procession of a new laureate from the

court exams (PT p39)

Examplc 7: “Rồi ông nhấc tới người thảy cũ của ông là Lông Chương ” (PT p70)

He also fondly recalis his former teacher, Lông Chương (PT p71)

Addition is a valuable strategy that many foreign language translators, especially

beginners, fail to realize its importance becausc they are probably too abscascd by meaning

faithfulness As what the above examples illustrate, addition not only helps the translators produce natural and smooth LT but also clarify or even enrich the original meaning

33

2.3.4, Subtraction

Subtraction mcans dropping a word or words from the SLT whitc translating Subtraction has a similar role as addition because it is also used to create a natural and smooth writing style in the I'L Words omitted are often those which have weak meaning and may cause the sense of "wordiness" in fhe TL receptors

Example 1: "Mỗi béng 06 bay bode tam canh, 6a rø mùi hương quyền rũ." (SE p60)

Each flower has seven or eight petals and a charming fragrance (SF p61)

Example 2: "Loi bai hal xoan rất đẹp, vấn phong trau chuỗt." (SF p108)

Xoan lyrics are beautiful and polished (SF p109)

Words are sometimes omitted because no equivalents are found in the TL and the subtraction docs not cause important nearing loss

Example 3: " một nàng công chủa tên là Bà Chủa Ba đã tư hành 9 năm 6 day va die dao

hành Dức Quan Thế Âm Bê Tát." (SE p54)

a princess named Ba, who led a monastic life for nine years there and became the

Bodhisattva, Quan Am (Kouan Yin) (SF p55)

Example 4: "Cac dign gid doc tham luận kế lại việc Lý Công Uẫn đã bảo vệ đất nước, khôi

thục nên kinh tế, làm phong phủ nền văn hóa và chăm lo đời sống người dân như thé nao”

(SF p98)

Speakers recall how King Ly Céng U4n defended the country, revived its economy,

enriched its culture, and cared for the peaple's well-being (SP p99)

Loss of mearing is the risk thal this stratogy may take In the following examples, though the main message is preserved, the expressive value is affected with omission of some descriptive words

Example 5: " chèo thể hiện một cách thẩm thất nhữmg xúc cảm và lĩnh cảm cả nhân của con người, phản ảnh mối quan tâm chang của nhân loại " (PT p22)

it expresses people's individual emotions and feelings and reflects the common concems of all people (PT p23)

Example 6: "Chị vẫn miệt mái đi hát, thu băng và giảng đạy chèo ở các trường nghệ thuật."

(PL p64)

Her othor activitics are singing, recording and leaching chéo al art schools (PT p65)

omitted without changing important meanings However, omission is an effective strategy

to achieve conciseness higtity recommended in Fngtish written tanguage

23.5 Using different words or phrases

Because of grammatical, lexical or stylistic gaps, the translator may use different

vocabulary, which may lead to a different stmeture as well, im ordor to topraduce the aueaning of the SL in the natural form of the receptor language This strategy is associated with several theoretical terms such as "equivalence procedure" defined by Vinay and Darbelnet (1995), “idiomatic method" pul forward by Larson (198d) and “communicative translation" in Newmark’s V diagram classification (1988a)

Theorists often emphasize the importance of this technique in translating idioms and proverbs but this technique is detected in many translations of normal sentences in the

books Just like many other techniques, the translator uses different expressions to cnhancz

the readability of the TLY

Txample 1: “Cac badi biéu dién chéo thuimg khdng cé khdn gta." (PT pl 2)

Chéo performances in the cities have often played to empty houses (PT p13)

Example 2: " con trai và con gái còn bị cẩm gặp gỡ công khai " (WC p36)

men and women were forbidden lo mix socially (WC p37)

Example 3: “Ap sé ching bao gid tir chat cho ban & nhé qua dém." (SF p82)

‘They will never refuse you a bed for the night (SF p83)

‘The translator sometimes bravely and intelligently integrates a different idea to convey the original meaning,

Example 4; "Mot dim cuéi Viet Nam hiên đại mang những điểm chung giống đảm cưới trước đây nhưng cũng pha một số nét mới phức tạp như là áo cưới phương Tây." (WC

„19

Neverheless, œ vivitor Jfom the past would recognize a modem Vietnamese ceremony as a wedding yet find some attbutes, such as a Westem wedding gown, perptexing

While the original sentence expresses the writer's idea of his own, the translated version unfolds the tessage through a third person’s angle, a visitor from the past Accordingly, the whole expression is considerably altered in terms of sentence structure and vocabulary Another common reason for the use of different expressions is that the TTL Jack certain

equivalents, so the translator has le seek another way to convey [he nessage

Example 5; " Bảm thượng quan, đểu ni clay by ép dhayén nén dé ban tự xin cit toc dt tn"

(PL p44)

Your Highnass, the young Buddhist nun decided to follow a religions life at my

pagoda to escape her destructive marriage (PT p43)

‘The two words "ép duyên" and “di tu" cannot be replaced with any equally semantic words int English, In order to surpass the Texical berricr, the translator uso expressive equivalent

“follow a religious life" to explains “di tu" and uses "destructive mariage” to convey the idea of "ép duydn", Though "destructive marriage" is semantically different ftom “ép duyên" (be forced to an arranged marriage), the two words both implicate unhappy marital life, As the above example illustrates, loss of meaning to some extent is what translators must consider thoroughly before deciding to use the strategy

Resides, the translalor takes TL wriling siyle into account when decides 1o use another way

of expression For example, "there is", "there are", "this is" or “these are” and similar constructions are discouraged in written English for the sake of conciseness When literal translation may lzad to the appearance of one of those structures, the ranslaior secks a differen! wording

Example 6: “Đây lẻ những động tác cơ bản trong chéo." (PT p30)

All these constitute the basic cho movements (PY p31)

While many other sirategics may be used intuitively, depending on the translator's long habitual use of the TL, this strategy requires highly individual creativity and flexibility

‘The translator should have a good command of ths target language and the target culture if

he or she intends to apply this strategy

36

2.4, Translating culture-bound terms, names and titles, and poms

2.41 Translating culiure-bound terms:

Admittedly, most of the lexical, grammatical or stylistic gaps between two languages appearing during translation are the result of cultural differences because language is

recogni

as part of cullure Towever, culiure-bound terms, wilhin the Fimil of this part, are restricted to those related to customs, manners, belief, games and arts of the Vietnamese culture which are unfamiliar to English people

For most of the cas , the translator repeats the terms in the ST followed by so explanations, which are marked by dashes, commas or brackets

Example 1: "Chéo bat nguén tir am nhac và múa dân gian, nhất là #2 nhại, từ thể kỷ thứ

10.” ŒT p14)

Chéo originated in the tenth century fiom folk music and dance, specially trở nhợi simple mimetic skits (PT p15)

xample 2: " kịch bản lẫy từ truyện viết bằng chí Mớm " (PT p16)

it drew on ndm stories, which were Vietnamese verse narratives written in modified

Chinese characters, (PY p17)

Tixample 3: “Từ nhỏ, cô bé đã hát được nhiên làn điệu chào, auẳng, cải lương." (PT p48)

From the time she was little, she could sing many styles of umsic such as chéo

‘popular opera), tuéng (classicel opera), and cdi trang ‘amateur musicals) (PT p49)

The extent of sufficiency in explanations not only depends on the translator's knowledg bat probably the importance of the information in context and the possibility of a brief paraphrase While the term "ném" can be satisfactorily explained with a brief parenthesis, the three terms "chéo", "tudng” and "cdi lnong” could hardly be fully understood with the three equivalent terms “popular opera”, "classical opera" and "amateur musicals", bul thorough explanations here are obviously unnecessary

‘The translator even ignores explanations for the cultural terms appearing in the following

cxampicd

Example 4: "Ngoài chẻo ra, chị còn hát ez writ, chau van, xdim, quan ho.” (PY, p64)

She also sings other forms of traditional music such a8 ea ##, cẩu văn, xẩm, and

quan ho (PT p65)

Interestingly, the translators sometimes attempts to seek equivalents or at least expressive

The percussion also plays a major role and includes @ small drum (rény con}, large

dran (tréng cdi), the hortzontal evlindertike drum (téng com), gong (thanh la), and the wooden tocsin (ma)

‘The insertion of the cultural terms in its native language on translating is particularly usefil for the readers who want to search for more information about the terms beyond the brief explanation provided However, the translator nay choosz not to inscrt the original probably because the explanation is sufficient enough or the expressive equivalent is satisfactorily adequate

Example 6: “IIo ban 46 4n, 43 ung, qua lun niém hoặc viết só." (SE pR4)

They sell food, drinks, sourvenirs, or sacred pleas in Chinese characters (SF p85)

Example 7: "Ong Vương đang mời khách qua lại viết câu đối déi lai." (WC p24)

Wang was inviting passers-by to cteale a pair of perfect parallel sentences by

writng a second sentence to match (WC p25)

Example 8: "CAc rd vii khic gồm co Ait mat bat dé," (SF p102)

Other entertainments inchide blind man's buff (SF 103)

Fxainple 8 rominds us of the procedure "equivalenc

c" suggesled by Vinay and Darbeinel (1995), in which the TLT uses different words or phrases as an equivalent widely

acceptable in the target culture while preserving the meaning Fortunately, Vietnamese and

English culture, in this casc, share the same game though they call it diferent names,

According to what the translations in the three books illustrate, explanation with the insertion of the original is the most common strategy that the translator uses when translating culturc-bound forms Cultuc-bound tems arc usually associated with a large amount of knowledge shaping them and a few words could hardly bridge the cultural gap; therefore, the insertion of the terms in SL provides extremely valuable information for those particularly interested in the-torms,

pronunciation in the TL Many translators omit tone diacritics on translating Vietnamese

names but the translators of the selected books always preserve the tone diacritics

Example 1: "Xúy Vân trong vũ Kbm Nham có chồng xa nhà." (PT p18)

“Ty Vân in the play Kim Nham has a husband who is a long way from home (PT

ply)

However, the challenge omerges when the trauslalor has (o translafe a name of Chinese origin The translator may need help fiom another translator understanding Chinese to seek

a version directly transferred trom Chinese to English

Txample 2: "Các học giả đã ghỉ nhận người có công giới thiệu nghỉ lễ hôn nhân cho Việt Nam là Niôn Điêu, một thái thủ Trưng Hoa, người cái trị Cửu Chân từ năm 29 dén nim

33 sau công nguyên." (WC pI2)

Scholars crediL em Yan, a Chủnese govemer who ruled, jzhen from 29 1o 33 A.T).,

with introducing Chinese nuptial rituals to Vigt Nam (WC p13)

Am Bé Tat” is translated with

Noticeably, the famous religious figure "Dire Quan T

even Lwo names, ane of Sanskril Lranstiteralion and the other of Chinese lranstiteralion why

the nano in Vietnamese is stitl inserted

Example 3: " một nàng công chủa tên lá Bà Chủa Ba đã tu hành 9 năm ở đây và đắc đạo

thành Đức Quan Thể Am BB Tat" (Sl p54)

a princess named Ra, who fed a monastic life for wine yours there and bear the Bodhisattva, Quan Am (Kouan Yin) (SF p55)

With regard to translating titles, the original title is repeated if the title is the name of a

character in the story or replaced by a translated version if possible For most of the cascs,

the translator inserts the original into the translation, whether he or she translates it or not Example 4: "Ó đó, bà đóng nhiều vai chính trong những vở chèo cổ, chèo hiện đạt như Thị

3" chi Ba Đẹp trong "Lo mước dhẩn," Dương Vân Nga trong "Thái Hậu Dương Vân Nga," Tâm trong

"Tấm Cam," ." (BY p54)

Mau trong "Quan 4m Thi Kink," Chiu Long trong “Fu Bình - Dương

39

she played the principal characters in numerous chéo plays, both classical and

modern: Thi Mau in "Thi Kinh, the Goddess of Mercy," (Quan Am Thi Kinh}, Chau Long,

in "Lint Binh and Duong Lé," Miss Ba Dep (Beautiful Ba) in "The Queen Mother Dương

âm in "Tấm and Cam" (PT p55) When the title of the story is the name of a famous figure, the translator adds brief

Van Nga" (thai Hu Duong Van Nga)

information about the figure

Example 5: " hai kịch bản "Quán ba cô” và "L4 Quy Đân" của ông đã đoại Giải Nhật và Giải Nhì (PT 70)

His scripts, The Three Sisters' Restaurant (Quan Ba C6) and Lé Quy Dén (the name

af a celebrated Viemamese scholar), won the first and second prizes respectively (PF

+”)

While translating the title of a book written by a foreigner, the translator applies the same sule as translating names of a different language origin

Example 6: " thea cuén ”

hoe Alexandre dc Rhodes " (VC p48)

and Histoire du royaume de Tonkin (History of the Royalty of Tonkin) by the

ich sit hoang téc Bée ky" cha nha tuyén giáo và nhà ngôn ngữ

arissiomary and Fnguis Alexandre de Rhodes (WC p49)

‘The transtator inserts the original name in French and the translated version in English is only put in bracket I'he above examples prove that fidelity to the original is the top priority in translating names and tiles

2.4.3 Translating poems

Litcray translation in general and pocuy translation in particular may be the most challenging task for translators because the original meaning is not only expressed through single words but also the arrangement of words forming the poetic rhythm However, as poeiry is nol the main part of the books and the translalors are nol professional poets, afl poems are translated with the faithful approach in which the translators try to preserve closely the meaning of the SLIT

Exampte |

‘Trai du gối hạc khom khom cat The boy bends his knees

Gai uén Img ong ngita ngita long The girl bends her back

Bến mảnh quần hỏng hay phap phới — The four red panels of her skirt fly in the ait

Hai hing chân ngọc dudi song song Two paraltel Fines of stretched lags

40

‘though the translated version is faithful to the original meaning, the rendering is unable to create aesthetic effect as what the original pocrm could do with reduplicative words, a special literal device in Vietnamese language,

“The length of the I'L versions mostly depends on the richness of the content interpreted by the translator The translator has to accepl stylistic loss and he or she may use veduction or expansion techniques in translating,

Example 2:

Dao phay chin ngon em bat chan e6 mét 1 would rather die by the swerd

Tiiễn buông tỉnh em không buông,

(WC pad)

Example 3:

Dù ai di ngược vẻ xuôi Wherever you may go, to the south or the

"Nhớ ngày giỗ Tổ mông mười thang ba nonh,

(SE p20) Remember the anniversary of Viet Nam's

incanings of mast scnlences arc filly conveyed with the use of different strategies as presented in the above parts Semantic fidelity to the SLT is the most important aim easily seen throughout the translations of the three books 'Phis approach is widely considered the most commonly accepted and fundamental in translation, We can Gind many examples of relevant cquivalents in meaning an every single page of the books

Example 1: "Nhưng họ đã phải kinh ngạc” (PT, p14)

They were in [or ä big surprise (PT p15) Example 2: “Rô rang, chế độ phong kiến đã hạ thấp giả trị người phụ nữ và buộc họ phải

phụ thuộc vào chẳng vã gia đình nhà chẳng ” (WC p42)

The occurrence of proverbs, idioms or allusions, which are culture-specific portion of the

SLY, always poses a great challenge for tanslators ‘The translators sometime have to

accept TL equivalents of poorer meaning when no relevant ones are found in the TL and lengthy explanations may be inappropriate They choose to use much less expressive words to convey the main meaning and omit the connotation o implication of the SLT

Tixample 1: “Xem họ tiểu điễn, ít ai nghĩ rằng các điển viên trên sân khẩn ban đêm lại là

nông đân, ban ngày chân lẫm ty bùm ngoài đồng,” (PT, p78)

Watching their skilful performance, one can hardly believe the artists on the stage

al inght are Fariuers who work in the rice paddies by day (PT p79)

Example 2: “ nhịp điệu êm dịu va #eig dhding cua tiéng hat chau văn hỏa trộn với tiếng

đàn nguyệt khi lắng khá sắm ð cũng bậc thấp, lie lanh; lãnh ớ cụng bậc cao ” (SE, p72)

the tender and sfow rhythms of the chin van verses mingled with the rising and falling tones of the din nguyél (SF p73)

The phrase “chin lim tay bin” is an idiom referred to farmers’ hard werk while the equivalent verb “work” carries no implication of the nature of the work The word “thing thang” means such morc than “slow” beeause if implies an unoccupied and calm mind Similarly, “falling” and “rising” are unable to fully transpose “ling”, “trim” and “lanh lánh”

Example 1; “Duong L3 thi dd va ra lam quan.” (PT p34)

“Duong Lé passes the examination and prospers as a mandarin.” (PT p35)