Trans of theory present 18 12

TOPIC 1I. The concept of translationII. A new concept of translation 1. The old focus and the new focus on translation 2. New attitudes with respect to receptor language III. Principles of translationIV. Principles of translation1. Meaning 2. Form 3. Register 4. Source language influence 5. Style and clarity 6.Idioms

TOPIC 1

I The concept of translation

II A new concept of translation

1 The old focus and the new focus on translation

2 New attitudes with respect to receptor language III Principles of translation

1. Vũ Phương Thảo

2. Nguyễn Thị Hồng Liên

IV Principles of translation

 1 Meaning

 2 Form

 3 Register

 4 Source language influence

 5 Style and clarity

 6.Idioms

1 Meaning

 The translation should reflect accurately the meaning of the original text

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

Eg: «There is a legend about a bird which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth.»

«Có một truyền thuyết về con chim chỉ hót một lần trong đời, nhưng hót hay nhất thế gian.»

 As we have seen:

-1 form may express a variety of meanings

- 1 meaning can be expressed in a great number of forms.

-Thanks for thinking of me but I can’t

-No thanks, I have another commitment

-I’m not really into it, but thanks for asking!

-I’m not taking on anything else right now.

(Ways To Say “No” to People)

-1 form may express a variety of meanings

For example:

We should be discussing violence on TV Interpretations

- We should be discussing violence on TV

- We should be discussing violence on TV

Form

Lexicon

GrammarWord order

- The ordering of words and ideas in the translation should match the original as closely as possible This is particularly important in translating legal documents, guarantees, contracts, etc But differences in language structure often require changes in the form and order of words

E.g.

1 He regularly sees me on Tuesdays <stress on regularly>

2 He sees me regularly on Tuesdays <no stress >

3 On Tuesdays he sees me regularly <stress on Tuesdays>

- Grammar:

No sooner had I got up than my phone rang = As soon as I got up, my phone rang

(Ngay khi tôi thức dậy thì điện thoại đổ chuông.)

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

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

 No details of their discussions have been released so far

Chưa 1 chi tiết / của / của họ / thảo luận / được tiết lộ / cho đến nay

The English phrase: “my house”

-The house I live in

- The house I built

-The house I own

-The house I rent

-The house for which I drew up the plan

3) Register

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

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

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

 For example:

Informal: Can you help me?

Formal: I would appreciate it if you could please help me

‘Kindly use the plastic bags provided for rubbish disposal’ => ‘You must use…’

‘It would be appreciated if residents would not park in the entrance road’ => ‘Parking is forbidden …’

-Expressing reminder/anger

“Why did you believe him when he said he wasn’t married?” asked Mary

“Because”, replied Pamela, “he was so good - looking and well - dressed, and had such a nice voice.”

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

Intention

of the speaker

-Can you help me?( request)

-How about watching TV?( suggestion) -Sorry, I’m late( apologizing)

- A: Cậu có đi chơi không?

B: Giờ tớ còn làm bài.

-A: Bác đang ăn cơm à?

4) Source language influence :

If translation does not sound natural This is because the translator's thoughts and choice of words are too strongly influenced by the original text.

E.g.

“ But one day a lonely pilgrim, whose heart burned with the pure flame of faith, felt so deeply grieved

at seeing the desecreation and decay of this place” -The Way of the

White-=> Thế rồi 1 hôm kia có 1 hành giả cô độc, lòng cháy bỏng ngọn lửa tín tâm, buồn sâu sắc khi thấy

sự báng bổ và tàn tạ của vùng đất này.

The translator should not change the style of the original But if the text is sloppily written, or full of tedious repetitions, the translator may correct the defects

 For example:

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

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

-Việc xây dựng chiếc cầu đó đã bắt đầu vào tháng 9 năm 1994 và mọi phí tổn sẽ do ngân sách Nhà nước cáng đáng

=> The construction of that bridge began in September 1994 with all costs supported by the National Budget

5) Style and clarity :

6) Idiom :

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

’’WABI-SABI’’

’’WABI-SABI’’

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

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

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

d.use a non-idiomatic or plain prose translation

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

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