A study of the translation of architecture terms in the architects data neufert between english and vietnamese

TABLE OF CONTENT PART B: DEVELOPMENT I.2.3 Translation strategies, procedures, methods 9 CHAPTER II: CHAPTER II: AN OVERVIEW OF ARCHITECTURE TERMS 14 II.1 Architecture terms possess ty

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

VŨ HẢI YẾN

A STUDY OF THE TRANSLATION OF ARCHITE TEMS IN THE" ARCHITECTS' DATA NEUFERT" BETWEEN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE (NGHIÊN CỨU CÁCH DỊCH CÁC THUẬT NGỮ)

2009

TABLE OF CONTENT

PART B: DEVELOPMENT

I.2.3 Translation strategies, procedures, methods 9

CHAPTER II: CHAPTER II: AN OVERVIEW OF ARCHITECTURE TERMS 14

II.1 Architecture terms possess typical features of terminology 14 II.2 Classification of architecture terms according to their structural patterns 15

III.1 The translation of architecture terms of equivalence group 22

III.1.2 An overview of equivalence relationship in the translation of architecture terms 22

III.1.3 The common strategies and procedures used in translation of Architecture terms of equivalence group 24

III.1.3.1 The translation of single terms-Old words with new senses 24

III.1.3.2 The translation of compound terms by rank shift or transposition 25

III.1.3.3 The translation strategy which involves the deletion of "OF" 27

III.1.4 Concluding remarks 28

III 2 The translation of architecture terms of non-equivalence group 28

III.2 1The source of non-equivalence problem in the translation of Architecture terms 29

III.2.2 The strategies, procedures and methods employed in dealing with non -equivalence problem in the translation of Architecture terms 29

III.2.2.1 Translation of terms with transference procedure (the use of loan word) 29 III.2.2.3The translation of terms by paraphrase 31

III.2.2.4 The translation of terms with communicative method 32

III.2.2.5 Literal translation 34

III.3 Conclusion 35

PART C: CONCLUSION 36

I The groups of terms and translation strategies and procedures used to translate them 36

II Suggestions for the methods, procedures and strategies 37

REFERENCES

APPENDICES

PART A: INTRODUCTION

1 Rationale

English for specific purposes is now one of the greatest needs for students of all majors English for banking, English for tourism, English for law are all mentioned in everyday life of students of each type Although they are very difficult and challenging, they have become popular in Viet Nam There are still many majors that need ESP for their own such as: English for accounting, English for advertising, English for computing and English for building and constructing Building and constructing is not a new major in comparison with other majors like accounting or computing, but English for building and constructing, in contrast, is a completely new for those who work in this field The problems do not lie in English itself, but in the great need for systematically translated terms Vietnamese architects, constructors need systematical materials which are in Vietnamese to help them in their work, however, these materials mainly in English

"Neufert", by Ernst and Peter Neufert, is a valuable English book for architects It is edited by many famous authors Undoubtedly, it provides a lot of useful information in architecture field Therefore, students, teachers or even experienced architects need it In

an effort to bring new knowledge to Vietnamese, many translators have tried to make it in Vietnamese to provide students, architects and constructors an effective tool for their jobs However, translation in architecture field is not an easy task, the problem lies in the sharp differences in English architecture terms and Vietnamese ones Obviously, this will pose a great obstacle to translators due to their insufficient knowledge about the two different sub-cultures of architecture They may have to struggle to convey the true essence of each kind

of architecture terms from English in Vietnamese Though, in Vietnam, translators do not have to translate such architecture terms for clients, they still have to translate a number of popular architecture terms for at least architecture-majored students or for those who work

in this field

Having studied and compared the original and translated version by different translators, I have decided to make a study on how Architecture terms in Neufert are dealt with In the hope that the study, titled”A study on the Translation of architecture Terms in the "Architects' data Neufert" between English and Vietnamese”, may be of some help to those who has been and will do translation, or are teaching in the field

2 Scope of the study

The study mainly focuses on the Architecture terms in the material “Neufert” The

major aspects to be considered are their:

 classification of equivalence relationships

 structural patterns of AT in English

 their translation

3 Aims of the study

 To work out the similarities and differences between English and their Vietnamese

equivalents

 To draw out the strategies, procedures and methods that may apply to the translation of architecture terms (especially to the translation of non-equivalence

terms in the English architecture terms into Vietnamese)

4 Method of the study

4.1 Research questions:

a) What are the similarities and differences between English terms and their Vietnamese equivalent?

b) What are strategies, procedures, methods that are appropriate to the translation of

English architecture terms in Neufert?

4.2 Research methods:

To carry out the thesis the author went through the following steps:

 Collecting and grouping English architecture terms in Neufert and their Vietnamese

equivalents for description, analysis and induction

 Draw out strategies, procedures and methods in translation of architecture terms

4.3 Data collection:

The English architecture terms studied are taken from “Neufert”, “English for

building and constructing” and their equivalents are picked out from the translation by Vietnamese translators those who are architects and teachers in this field

5 Design of the study:

The study consists of three main parts, references and appendixes as follows:

+ Part A: Introduction

The rationale for the study, scope, aims, methods and design of the study are orderly presented in this part

+ Part B: Development

There are three chapters in this part:

Chapter I: Theoretical background

The theory of translation and terminology will be dealt with in this chapter

Chapter II: An over view of architecture terms

Chapter III: The translation of architecture terms of architecture terms

 The translation of architecture terms of equivalence group

This chapter gives out an investigation into the equivalence between English and

Vietnamese translation of architecture terms in the Neufert Accordingly, the research focuses on the two main questions: the first one is how architecture terms in the Neufert are

currently translated and the second one what strategies, procedures, methods are employed

 The translation of architecture terms of non-equivalence group

This chapter finds out how non-equivalence problems in the translation of

architecture terms in the Neufert are solved by available translation strategies, procedures,

methods

+ Part C: Conclusion

The conclusion summarizes the strategies, procedures and methods of translation,

as well as, makes relevant suggestions

The appendixes give more examples of different groups of architecture terms

PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

I.1 Terminology

I.1.1 Definition:

Terminology has been defined by many different linguists to establish its structure and meaning According to Mr Do Huu Chau (1981) "Terms are specialist word used within a scientific field, a profession or any technological field" To identify technical terms he also states: " Scientific and technical terminology consists of lexical units used to denote phenomenal objects, activities in industrial technologies and natural or social sciences" Sharing the same points of view about some common features in content with the definition by Mr Do Huu Chau, Mr Nguyen Thien Giap (1998) proposed a different definition "Terminology, understood as a special linguistic unit of languages, consist of word and fixed phrase that provides precise definition and objectives that belong to particular scientific area"

These definitions, though, are at different time and by different people, all show that there exist "special words in specialized fields or braches of human knowledge" Therefore, there must be terms for mathematics, business, medicine which should be distinguished from ordinary words Indeed, Baker (1998: 261) says that: "Terms differ from words in that they are endowed with a special form of reference, namely that they refer to discrete conceptual entities properties, activities or relations which constitute the knowledge space of particular subject field

Further important differences between terms and words are:

1 Terms have special reference within a particular discipline whereas words function in general reference over a variety of subject fields

2 Terms keep their lives and meanings only for as long as they serve the system of knowledge that gave rise to them

In other words, terms together with words and proper names constitute the general class of lexical items Names refer individually to object and people; words refer arbitrarily

to general concepts while terms refer deliberately to specific concepts However, the boundary between terms and words is not a clear cut i.e many terms become ordinary words when they are closed to daily life and used with high frequency, and many words become terms when they are used in specialized field

I.1.2 General features of terminology

Terms and words obviously are different in that terms have special reference within

a particular discipline and surely they are not allowed to carry the speakers’ attitude, figurative sense, compliment or criticism, then it should possess the following qualities: accurateness, systematicism, internationalism, popularity and nationality as proposed by Nguyen Thien Giap (1998), Do Huu Chau (1981)

I.1.2.1 Accurateness

A term needs to be accurate and clear because basically it reflects an exact concept

of a science If a term is of absolute accuracy, people never mistake one concept for another Once a word has become term, it no longer has connotational, emotional meaning;

it also loses its polysemouness, synonymousness and antonymousness In short, terminology necessarily works on the principle that “once concept has only one term for it, and one term indicates only one concept” This relationship is called the one-to-one equivalent between a concept and a term

I.1.2.2 Systematicism

Any field of sciences has its own limited system of concepts, which are named by a system of terms Therefore, each term has its own position in the system of concepts and belongs to a terminological system The value of ech term is determined by its relationships with other terms in the same system As a result, a term loses its value when isolated from its system In short, a term has to be a dependent member of its system

I.1.2.3 Internationality

Terms are used internationally because they are special words expressing common scientific concepts to people of different languages Therefore, it is useful to agree on terms to be used among languages in order to push up the development of science The international links in science result in a number of terms presented in many different languages For example, video, radio, telephone… are found in French, German, English and Vietnamese… with little difference in form

I.1.2.4 Popularity

Terms need to be popular in the sense that they should be close to the language of the masses, which is to say easy-to-remember, easy-to-understand and easy-to-understand, because they will help to bring knowledge to and benefit men of all aspects of life

I.1.2.5 Nationality

Though terms are special words used in specialized fields, they are surely part of the national language They, therefore, possess the colors, the characteristics of the national language In other words, they should be made from materials of the national language in terms of lexicology, form and grammar

I.1.3 Term creation

Terms are used to name the concepts, so whenever a concept appears, is made in a culture, or translated to a new culture, it involves the creation of a new term to name it

I.1.3.1 Primary and secondary term creation

Primary and secondary term formation is governed by different influences:

+ Primary term formation occurs when a newly created concept has to be named while secondary term formation occurs as result of either (1) the monolingual revision of given terminology, for example, the purpose of producing a standard document, or (2) a transfer of technology to another linguistic community-a process which requires the creation of new term in the target language

+ Another fundamental differences between the two formation methods lies in the fact that in primary term formation, there is no linguistic precedent although there are rules for forming appropriate terms On the contrary, in secondary term formation, there is always the precedent of an already existing term formation in another language with its own motivation

+ Secondary term formation is more often subject to guidelines than primary term formation which are on the basis of patterns terms and words formation already prevalent

in the subject field and natural language in question

I.1.3.2 Term formation in technology:

One important feature of vocabulary in technology and in industrial application is that they are relatively controlled and controllable A large and heterogeneous population

is involved in technology and the terminology used also occurs in general speech situation

Another important feature of technological terminology is its volatility (unlike the relatively stable terminology of science) This instability is caused by changes in materials, methods of production, design… and it is further accentuated in secondary term formation where knowledge is transferred from one linguistic community to another and, therefore, new terms are created in the target language

Both primary and secondary term formation in technology suffer from a heavy proliferation of variants and synonyms which appear either because of parallel industrial development or in response to the need for popular versions of scientific terms and product differentiation

There is a co-existence of several methods of secondary interlingual term formation including borrowing, loan translation, paraphrase, parallel translation, adaptation and complete new creation These methods may be used sequentially or simultaneously and often give rise to several alternatives or competing new terms

I.1.3.3 Guidance on the creation of term

+ Terms should consistently reflect some key features of the concepts they are

linked to in order to facilitate precise reference At the same time, they should be as economical as possible without giving rise to homonymy

+ Terms should be lexically systematic and should conform to the phonological and morphological rules of the language

+ Terms must conform to the general rules of word-formation of the language that

is they should allow composition and derivation where appropriate

+ The meaning of the term should be recognizable independently of any specific context

Those advices from International Organization for Standardization (ISO 1988) (cited in Bac, N.T, 2003)

I.2 Translation theory

I.2.1 Definition of translation

Translation has been defined variously by different linguists through times Followings are some typical definitions:

According to Marlone (1988), “Translation is the expression in another language (or target language) of what has been expressed in another, (source language) preserving semantic and stylistic equivalences” Bell (1991) says that “Translation is basically a change of from In translation the form of the source language is replaced by the form of the receptor (target) language”.While Carford (1965) defines translation as “The replacement of a text in one language (SL) by an equivalent text in another language (TL)” Hatim & Mason (1990), however, claim “Translating consists of producing in the

rendering of a written text into another language in the way the author intended in the text”

Those five definitions, in spite of slight differences in the expressions, share common features that they all emphasize the importance of finding the closest equivalence

in meaning by the choice of appropriate target language’s lexical and grammatical structures, communication situation and culture context

I.2.2 Translation equivalence

Equivalence can be considered a central concept in translation theory Therefore, it

is understandable that several linguists has made a great attempt in defining equivalence or translation in terms of equivalence as Pym (1992) who has pointed to its circularity: equivalence is supposed to define translation, in turn, defines equivalence The followings are some elaborate approaches to translation equivalence:

Nida (1964) distinguishes formal equivalence and dynamic translation as basic orientations rather than as a binary choice:

- Formal equivalence is achieved when SL and TL words have he closest possible match of from and content

- Dynamic equivalence is achieved when the SL and TL words have the same effect

on their effective readers

Newmark (1995: 48) sates: “The overriding purpose of any translation should be to achieve “equivalence effect”, i.e to produce the same effect (or one as close as possible)

on the readership of translation as was obtained on the readership of the original” According to him, equivalence effect is regarded as the desirable result rather than the aim

of any translation except for two cases: (a) If the purpose of the SL text is to affect and the

TL translation is to inform or vice versa; (b) If there is a pronounced cultural gap between the SL and the TL text

Koller (1979) considers five types of equivalence:

 Denotative equivalence: the SL and the TL words refer to the same thing in the real world

 Connotative equivalence: this type of equivalence provides additional values besides denotative value and is achieved by the translator’s choice or synonymous words

or expressions

 Text-normative equivalence: The SL and the TL words are used in the same or similar context in their respective languages

 Pragmatic equivalence: With readership orientation, the SL and the TL words have same effect on the respective readers

 Formal equivalence: This type of equivalence produces an analogy of form in the translation by their exploiting formal possibilities of TL, or creating new forms in TL

Kade (1968) and other writers on lexical equivalence, in particular in the area of terminology, categorize equivalence relationships as follows:

 One-to-one: There is single expression in the TL for a single expression in the

SL

 One-to-many: There is more than one expression in the TL for a single SL one

 Many-to-one: There is more than one expression in the SL, but there is only a single expression in the TL that is equivalent to them

 Many-to-many: There is more than one expression in the SL and they are equivalent to more than one in TL

 Whole-to-part/ Part-to-whole: A TL expression is only equivalent to part of the concept designated by a single expression in the SL, or the equivalent in the TL has broader meaning than the concept in the SL

 One-to-zero: There is no expression in the TL for a single expression in the SL The one-to-zero or nil equivalence problem has always been a big challenge to even experienced translators in every field

I.2.3Translation strategies, procedures, methods

In this part, we will present only translation methods, procedures and strategies that match the content of the study, or can serve the aim of the research

I.2.3.1 Literal translation

In order to have a deep understanding of what Literal translation is, it is useful to have a look at what is word-for-word translation According to Newmark (1995: 69),

“word-for-word translation transfers SL grammar and word order, as well as the primary meanings of all the SL words into the translation” This kind of translation is supposed to

be effective only for brief simple neutral sentence While literal translation ranges from one word to one word (hall-salle) through group to group (a beautiful garden-un beau jardin), collocation to collocation (make a speech-fair un discour), clause to clause (when that was done-quand cela fut fair) to sentence to sentence (The man is in the street-L’home

I.2.3.2 Communicative translation

Communicative translation tries to render the exact contextual meaning of original

in such a way that both content and language are readily acceptable and comprehensible to the readership Newmark (1995: 42) says that in communicative translation, the translator has the right to correct or improve the logic; to replace clumsy with elegant, or at least functional, syntactic structure; to remove obscurities; to eliminate repetition and tautology;

to exclude the less likely interpretation of an ambiguity; to modify and clarify jargon, and

to normalized bizarreries of idiolect, i.e wayward uses of language In addition, one has the right to correct mistakes of fact and slips, normally stating what one has done in a footnote

I.2.3.4 Shifts or transpositions

A “shift” (Catford’s term) or “transposition” (Vinay and Darbelnet) is a translation procedure involving a change in the grammar from SL to TL Newmark (1995: 85) mention four sub-types of shifts: (1) the change from singular to plural or in position of the adjective; (2) the change when a SL grammatical structure does not exist in the TL; (3) the change where literal translation is grammatically possible but may not accord with natural usage in the TL; (4) the replacement of a virtual lexical gap by a grammatical structure

I.2.4 Technical translation

Sofer (1991, cited in Bac,N.T.2003) approaches technical translation by distinguishing it from literary translation “ The main division in the translation field is between literary and technical translation” and “the translation of a text may be called technical when it requires specialized terms in a particular field” According to him, literal translation covers such areas as fiction, poetry, drama and humanities in general and is done by writers of the same kind in the TL, or at least by translators with the required literary aptitude Meanwhile, technical translation is done by a much greater number of practitioners and is an ever-growing and expanding field excellent opportunities

Newmark (1995: 151) differently distinguishes technical translation from institutional translation “Technical translation is one part of specialized translation; potentially non-cultural, therefore, universal” He suggests that technical translation is potentially non-cultural and universal because the benefits of technology are not confined

to one speech community The term technical translation, therefore, should be translated

In the contrary, institutional translation is cultural, so, in principle, the terms are transferred unless they are concerned with international organization Though having different approaches to technical translation, the two authors both view it as specialized translation with its essential element “specialized terms”

I.3 Translation of terminology

I.3.1 Definition of neologisms

According to Newmark (1995:140) “Neologisms can be defined as newly coined lexical units existing lexical units that acquire a new sense” Neologisms are perhaps the non-literary and the professional translator’s biggest problem According to him, since they usually arise first in response to a particular need, a majority of them have a single meaning and can therefore be translated out of context, but many of them soon acquire new meanings in the TL Newmark (1995) also proposes twelve types of neologism ( Old words with new senses; New coinages; Derived words; Abbreviations; Collocations; Eponyms; Phrasal words; Transferred words; Acronyms; Pseudo-neologism; and The creation of neologism) and the way to deal with each but only the ones relevant to the study are presented below:

I.3.2 The translation of neologisms

I.3.2.1 Old words with new senses

These words, as claimed by Newmark (1995), do not normally refer to new objects and processes, therefore, they are non-cultural and non-technical They are usually translated either by that already exists in the TL, or by a brief functional or descriptive terms, for example, “structural support - đỡ kết cấu” or “canopy – mái che cửa ra vào”

Existing collocations with new sense are a translator’s trap They may be cultural or non-cultural; if the referent (concept or object) exists in the TL, there is usually a recognized translation or through translation If the concept does not exist or the TL speakers are not aware of it, an economical descriptive equivalent has to be given

I.3.2.3 Acronyms

Newmark (1995:200) defines an acronym as “the initial letters of words that form a group pf words used (vertiginously) for denoting and object, institution or procedure” Sometimes, the acronym can be specially coined for the text and can be found there, so it would be a waste of time if one tries to look for it in the numerous reference books Besides, there are many cultural reasons why the acronym may or may not be worth transferring (depending on the standard contextual factors as readership, translation, prospects…) In sciences, the letters are occasionally joined up and become internationalisms, e.g, “laser”, “master” and analysis is required only for a less educated

TL readership In translation, the importance of the acronyms decides on the way they are translated It can be transferred if they stand for institutions or names of companies When

a political or social organization become important, it is common to transfer its acronym and translate its name The acronyms can be translated by a standard equivalent term, or a descriptive term if the standard does not yet exist

I.4 Chapter conclusion

We have finished reviewing the theoretical background on terminology, its general features and translation of terminology The translation theory, especially a variety of relevant translation strategies and procedures also has been reviewed so that it can show us how architecture terms are currently translated

CHAPTER II: AN OVERVIEW OF ARCHITECTURE

Or the term “Hygrometer” (ẩm kế) refers to the only one concept that denotes An instrument for measuring the degree of moisture of the atmosphere

Similarly, there are enless examples of single meaning terms such as

“Thermometer” (nhiệt kế); “sound pressure meter” (đồng hồ đo áp suất âm thanh)… that respectively refer to a single concept

II.1.2 Systematicism:

An architecture terms take on a different meaning in the field of architecture This meaning is decided by its relations with other terms in the same system or by its position in the system

Example:

The term “section” means (mặt cắt) (not đoạn) when it is used in the field of architecture terms; or the term “plan” means (mặt bằng) (not kế hoạch) in its relation with the phrase “plan of stanchions” (mặt bằng cột)

Architecture kiến trúc architecte

Many architecture terms have become so popular that they are no longer regarded

as technical terms but ordinary words in daily life of the user

Example:

Floor (sàn)

Wall (tường)

II.2 Classification of architecture terms according to their structural patterns

Architecture terms are divided into two sub-groups according to their structural features: single terms and compound terms

II.2.1 Single term

II.2.1.1 Single term in form of a verb

Fix Fixation Sự cố định

Another important feature of these verbs is that each verb usually goes with (in collocation) one or two certain nouns The followings are examples of verbs and nouns that

go together:

Construct the concrete foundations Xây dựng móng bê tông

Fix the column base plates Cố định tấm đế chân cột

Erect the steel columns Lắp dựng các cột thép

II.2.1.2 Single term in form of a noun

The terms that are nouns (also including those deriving from verbs) can be divided into subgroup as follows:

Sub-architecture terms

Many architecture terms are ordinary words that lose their normal sense and take

on the specialist meaning, e.g the normal sense of “section” is “a part separated from something; a division; a portion; a slice” (phần) While its specialist meaning is one of the most important designs in constructing a building or a house (mặt cắt).Below are other examples:

High-architecture terms

Obviously, every subject has its own set of highly technical terms, which is an intrinsic part of the learning of the discipline itself Without background knowledge of the field, it would be difficult for the users to understand these terms For examples:

These highly architecture terms can be really problematic if the users are equipped with little knowledge of both their subject discipline and of English

II.2.1.3 Single term in form of an adjective

Unlike technical terms in the form of a verb, almost all the terms in the form of an adjective do not have their nouns to be used as alternatives:

One important feature of these adjectives is that all of them usually collate with one

or two certain nouns to form collocations:

We have studied single architecture terms that account for significant proportion of the collected terms

II.2.2 Compound terms

These are terms which are composed of two words or more; these words, which are

II.2.2.1 The nominal group

Before examining the terms, which appear in the form of nominal groups, we would like to go through a brief investigation of the experiential structure of the nominal group

According to Halliday (1985: 180), the nominal group structure comprises the Thing, commonly called head noun, preceded by various items including Deictic, Numerative, Epithet, Classifier, and followed by Qualifier The following table will exactly illustrate structure:

Deictic Numerative Epithet Epithet Classifier Thing Qualifier

pantographs All these items functioning as pre-modifier and post-modifier will be briefly presented in the following table:

Numerative

The Numerative element indicates some numerical feature of the subset: either (1) quantity or (2) order, either exact or inexact

(1) Old, short, heavy … (2)Wonderful, splendid, silly …

Classifier

The Classifier indicates a particular subclass of the thing in the question It can be (1) an adjective or (2) a noun

(1) Structural support (2) Frame construction

Thing

The Thing is the semantic core of the nominal group, which may be common noun, proper noun, or personal noun

Qualifier This element follows the Thing and Hard water occurs in

characterized it It can be a relative clause or a prepositional phrase

areas which have soluble salts in the ground

As far as Classifier concern, it needs more discussion, because apart from

adjectives and nouns which serve as classifier; verbs also enter into the nominal group, functioning as Epithet or Classifier in one of the two forms:

(1) present (active) participle, V-ing, e.g insulating, as in insulating roof

(2) past (passive, or intransitive active) participle, V-en, e.g rolled, as in rolled

metal sheet

When functioning as Epithet, these forms usually have the sense of the finite tense

to which they are most closely related: the present participle means “which is (was/will be)… ing”, the past participle means “which has (had/will have) been …ed”

Examples:

An insulating roof (a roof which is insulating)

Rolled metal sheet (a mental sheet which has been rolled)

When these form function as Classifier, they typically have the sense of a simple present, active or passive: present (active) “which…s”, past (passive) “which …ed”

Examples:

Tapering column (a column that tapers)

Covered porch (a porch that is covered)

Often the participle itself further modified, as in an architect-designed house, existing condition, a fast-moving train, a fund-raising activity

pre-Sometimes, the same word may function as either Epithet or Classifier, with different meaning

Example:

Fast in fast trains: fast serves as Epithet in the sense that it means “trains that go fast”, and functions as Classifier since it classifies as subtype of train, that is “expresses train”

It is noted that usually several classifiers cluster around a thing to indicate subclasses of more concreteness Nouns, adjectives, participles, positioned near the Thing, are most common classifier in English

Classifier (Cs) Cs thing

II.2.2.2 Architecture terms in the form of nominal group

A number of high-frequency nominal groups have been found among terms collected for this study

II.2.2.2.1 Term consisting of Classifier (noun) + Thing

These terms consist of two nouns with the first one functioning as Classifier It distinguishes the Thing (the second noun) form the other concept of the same group For

example, roof in “roof beam” (dầm mái) helps to distinguish this type of beam from other types such as “floor beam”(dầm sàn), “steel beam” (dầm thép), “concrete beam” (dầm bê

tông) Other examples of this group are:

Frame construction (Xây dựng khung)

Plannar construction (Xây dựng tấm phẳng)

Mass construction (Xây dựng khối)

II.2.2.2.2 Terms consisting of Classifier (adjective) + Thing

A term of this group is formed by an adjective that serves as Classifier and the Thing (the head noun)

Examples:

Uneven/ flat surface Bề mặt không phẳng/ phẳng

The Classifier as mentioned in (II.2.2.1), can be further modified by another classifier that takes on the form of a noun or an adjective:

sub-Rolled metal sheet Tấm kim loại cán

Mental roof decking Mái kim loại

External fire escapes Lối thoát hoả hoạn bên ngoài

And several classifiers cluster around a Thing to indicate subclasses of more concreteness like the followings:

II.2.2.2.3 Term consisting of Classifier/Epithet (present participle + thing)

In this group, some V-ing function as (1) Epithet and some as (2) Classifier:

(1) Vertical cladding panels are fixed (Cố định các tấm tường bao đứng) In this example, cladding panels means the panels which is cladding vertically

(2) Load bearing corner unit (chit tiết góc chịu lực) = the corner unit which bears

load

However, there are some others can be either Classifier or Epithet when they are interpreted in different situations:

Tapering column Cột tường tiết diện thu hẹp

II.2.2.2.4 Term consisting of Classifier/Epithet (past participle + thing)

Like V-ing participle, some V-ed function as either Classifier or Epithet, and when

it serves the role of Classifier or Epithet depends on different situations:

Deposited materials Vật liệu đóng cặn

II.2.2.2.5 Term consisting of Thing + Qualifier

The Qualifier in this group is usually “of noun phrase”:

Back of the building Tường hậu của toà nhà

Long axis of the building Trục dài của toà nhà

Blocks of materials Khối vật liệu

II.3 Conclusion:

We have studied the structural patterns of the nominal group in English in general and of architecture terms in the form of nominal group in particular We also have tried to classify and dividing them into groups namely “single terms” and “compound terms” Single terms are further grouped into sub-architecture terms and high-architecture terms, and there are also some subgroups of terms under the head “compound terms”

In the next part, we will study the translation strategies and procedures have been used currently to translate architecture terms and then draw out the ones that may be best applicable

CHAPTER III: THE TRANSLATION OF ARCHITECTURE TERMS

III.1 THE TRANSLATION OF ARCHITECTURE TERMS OF EQUIVALENCE GROUP

III.1.2 An overview of equivalence relationship in the translation of architecture terms

From collected data we can group equivalence relationship into four categories, excluding the one-to-zero which will be studied in chapter III:

Total Floor area

Gross Floor area

Tổng diện tích sàn xây dựng

Two- leaves door

Two- wings door

Cửa đi 2 cánh

Many-to-many

Detailed Design Drawings

Conceptual Design Drawings

Shop Drawings

As –built Drawings

Perspective Drawing

Bản vẽ TK chi tiết Bản vẽ thiết kế cơ bản Bản vẽ Thi công chi tiết Bản vẽ hoàn công Bản vẽ phối cảnh Flat roof

Slope Roof

Metal sheet Roof

Mái bằng Mái dốc Mái tôn Center-to center dimension

or who have never met the term For example, "Elevation" in general English it is the act

of raising from a lower place, condition, or quality to a higher but in architecture filed it possesses a completely different meaning Therefore, to have a good translated version a basic know ledge of the subject is necessary even with one-to-one equivalence

Another problem occurs when there exist two or more competing terms for the same concept in the Vietnamese version The one-to-many equivalence relationship serves

version for a particular readership Take "Section" as an example, as seen in the table, it

has two equivalents in Vietnamese, hence the translator has to decide which is the most suitable equivalent in a specific context

As far as many-to-one equivalence relationship is concerned, it causes no problem

to translator in the sense that the context in which the term is used can give the translator a clue to find out its meaning And it appears that among more than one terms referring to a same concept in the SL, there must be one which is more widely used than others The likelihood of encountering a completely new term used to express a common concept, therefore, may be minimized

Many-to-many equivalence relationship, as implied by its name, refers to the situation in which there are more than one SL expressions which are equal to more than one equivalent in the TL Though the translator does not have to struggle as hard as he has

to do with non-equivalence problem, he still has to put some thoughts into choosing the most comprehensible and appropriate equivalent to specific readership when it comes to a specific situation

III.1.3 The common strategies and procedures used in translation of Architecture terms of equivalence group

III.1.3.1 The translation of single terms-Old words with new senses

There are a number of architecture single-terms in English, both sub-architecture and high-architecture ones, which take a significant proportion in comparison with compound terms They, therefore, cause a certain trouble to translators Almost all these

terms can be grouped under the heading “Old words with new sense” These terms already

exist in the language and are commonly used with their basic meaning However, when they are used in a specialized field, they acquire new typical meaning of the field as analyzed in (II.3.1.2)

It should be noted that with regard to equivalence in form, not all Vietnamese terms can be seen as equivalents for the single terms in English in quite a few cases This discernible difference can be detected with ease For example, the term “combustibility”,

surely it is a term in the form of a single word When it is rendered into Vietnamese as “độ

bắt lửa của vật liệu”, it is no longer a single word Indeed, it is a noun phrase and has the

form of “head noun (độ bắt lửa) + of (của) + postmodifier (vật liệu)” The followings are

more examples:

English terms (single word) Vietnamese terms (compounds)