THE TRANSLATION OF ENGLISH CULTURAL TERMS

(A summary of a number of translations of cultural terms)

1. RETENTION OF CUTURAL TERMS= giu nguyen tu co

YTVH

Examples:
 Jacket : áo jacket
 Hotdog : bánh mì hotdog
 Sandwich : bánh sandwich
 Piano : đàn piano
 Guitar : đàn guitar
 Clarinet : kèn clarinet
 Festival/laptop/TV/ computer/
marketing/liveshow/dancing/wushu/pancatsilat/Judo/gall
on
 Names of countries/foods/musical
instruments/sports/customs/ traditions/festivities…( the
culture of Cong Chieng (gongs); vu dieu Lambada.; Mua
Bale; lam liveshow,


2. USE OF VIETNAMESE TRANSCRIPTION

Examples:
 Mandolin : đàn măng-đô-lin
 Whisky : rượu uýtxki
 Dollar : đô la
 Beret : mũ bêrê
 Pudding : bánh put-đinh
 Soup : món xúp
 Mustard : mù-tạt
 Cigar : thuốc xì gà
 Canteen : căng tin
 Scotland : Xcốt-len
 Newyork : Niu-óoc
 Washington: Oa-sinh-ton
 Robert =Robe/Ro-bot
 Harley------Ha-Lay
 Banh pi-za
 Disadvantage :He thong phien am khong the ton tai trong
he thong chu viet
1
  Bejing/kimono/tuktuk
 Xa-phong
 Pin…vespa…


3. USE OF SINO-VIETNAMESE( tu Han Viet)= not so

popular

Examples:
 Guitar : tây ban cầm
 Piano : dương cầm
 Violin : vĩ cầm
 Harmonica : khẩu cầm
 Duke : Công tước
 Duchess : nữ Công tước
 Marquis : Hầu tước
 Baron : Nam tước
 Knight : hiệp sĩ
 Archbishop : Tổng giám mục
 Christmas : Giáng sinh
 Switzerland : Thụy Sĩ
 Brazil : Ba Tây
 Washington : Hoa Thịnh Đốn
 Newyork : Nữu Ước
 Moscow : Mạc Tư Khoa
 San Francisco : Cuu kim son
 California ???
 California ???
 Czechslovakia: Tiep(khac)

 Czech
 Slovakia
 Yughoslavia: Nam Tu

4. USE OF FRENCH BORROWINGS

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Examples:
 Ham : giăm bông (jambon)
 Butter : bơ (beurre)
 Roast : rô-ti ( rôti)
 Shirt : áo sơ mi ( chemise)
 Tie : cà vạt (caravate)
 Omelette : ốp-la (oeuf au plat)
 Cheese : pho mát (fromage)
 Briefcase : vali (valise)

5. USE OF VIETNAMESE BORROWINGS

Examples:
 Mile : dặm ( khoảng 135 trượng/khoảng 4 cây số)
 Acre : mẫu Anh (4,050 m2)
 Pound : đồng bảng Anh
 Dime : hào
 Cent : xu
 Bushel : giạ

6. EXPLANATION & DESCRIPTION

Examples:
 The English Channel : Eo biển Anh-Pháp
 Cafeteria : quán ăn tự phục vụ
 A butter-and-bread letter : thư cám ơn chủ nhà về lòng
mến khách
 Igloo : lều tuyết
 Opera : nhạc kịch
 Picnic : chuyến đi chơi ngoài trời
 Valentine’s Day : ngày tình nhân
 April Fool’s Day : ngày cá tháng tư (1/4)
 Thanksgiving Day : ngày lễ tạ ơn
 Claret : rượu vang đỏ Pháp

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Ao dai = A long, close-fitting blouse
Xe loi = a wagon pulled by a motorbike
Lau= hot pot

Xe tho=A taxi motorbike/bike

A taxi truck= xe tai cho hang thue

Thuyen thung= A small basket-shaped boat

Ghe=a small boat

Van hoa Cong Chieng= The culture of ‘Cong Chieng’(gongs)
The poem “Tinh hoai huong”(Nostalgia)
Nostalgia(=Tinh yeu/nho que huong/toquoc)=love for one’s
country

Doi moi(Renovation)
Pho cap giao duc ( popularization of education)

Viet Kieu
 Oversea Vietnamese
 Vietnamese residents in foreign countries
 Viet kieu
Marketing= tiep thi
Marketing

Xong dat= the luck(good or bad) that a family has after a person’s
visit on the first three days of the Lunar New Year.

Banh chung : a square cake wrapped in banana leaves and tied with
flexible bamboo slivers. Its filling is made of bean paste with both
fat and lean pork and pressed between two layers of glutinous rice.
Especially, it is served on Lunar New Year’s days.