TOPIC 1:

ALL ABOUT CULTURE

1.1. Pre-interpreting
Find the Vietnamese equivalents to the following phrases or sentences.

Dating
■ a special time for love
■ February twenty-ninth - Leap Year Day
■ a ‘blind date’.
■ to search for love online
■ to take long walks in the woods
■ Dating and establishing a relationship can be hard
work
■ to meet people with similar interests
■ to feel in as much of a hurry to get married as in the past
■ to finish their education and establish themselves
in a profession first
■ to settle down and start a family

Eating betel nut

■ “The Surprising Asians”
■ South-East Asia
■ to learn about their culture and tried their food
■ to capture one’s imagination
■ to travel and see different ways of life
■ One thing that stayed in my memory was the
description of eating betel nut
■ ... stimulated you a little bit like coffee or another
stimulant
■ It was amazing that I put green leaves and white
limestone paste in my mouth and then when I
chewed for awhile, my mouth turned red.

1.2. Interpreting Practice

Discuss and guess the overall meaning of each of the talks based on the notes given.
Then, listen to the talks, use appropriate techniques and do interpretation into
Vietnamese.

1.2.1. Dating is the traditional first step towards marriage. But nowadays, young people
date in different ways. Listen to the following talk about dating in America.
- Another February fourteen, Valentine’s Day, has come and gone.
- a special time for love
- second chance at the end of this month
- Leap Year Day
- But a lot of people are not even close to that point.
- But, in general, young people have grown more independent. They wait longer to get
married. Even then, they still have to find the right person.
- seek help from businesses that try to bring people together
- a ‘blind date’
- single people have to make their own plans.
- But this kind of life is not for everyone.
- Dating and establishing a relationship can be hard work.
- people with similar interests
- someone who shares a common interest in religion or books
- a group of people who like to take long walks in the woods
- dating services
- a company called Great Expectations has been helping to bring people together for
almost thirty years.
- telephone services
- search for love online
- People of all ages do many of the same things …
- young Americans no longer feel in as much of a hurry to get married as in the past.
- establish themselves in a profession first
- to settle down and start a family
1.2.2. Eating betel nut is a common habit which is practised in Southeast Asia. Listen
to an American sharing his experience with betel nut eating.

- When I was about sixteen, in high school in Australia, my teacher gave me a book to
read called, “The Surprising Asians”.
- had a wonderful time and met people from Cambodia and Laos, Thailand and
Vietnam and learned about their culture and tried the food that they ate
- it really captured my imagination
- one thing that stayed in my memory was the description of eating betel nut.
- it was such an interesting thing to eat this nut that made your mouth red and gave
you a feeling of, that stimulated you a little bit like maybe coffee or another stimulant.
- some markets in Bac Ha, near Sa Pa
- her mouth was very red with betel nut juice
- took me down the street to a little shop
- it would be very strange for a Westerner to want to chew betel nut
- she very kindly got the nut and the leaves and the lime and prepared it for me so I
could try it.
- to taste bad in some way
- it really just tasted like leaves
- when I first read about chewing on betel nut

1.3. Vietnamese - English Interpreting

Find the best possible equivalent to the Vietnamese words and phrases given. Listen
to the talk and practise interpreting into English.

VĂN HÓA TRẦU CAU CỦA NGƯỜI VIỆT

- truyền thuyết và thư tịch cổ

- tục ăn trầu / mời trầu
- có từ thời các vua Hùng dựng nước
- biến đổi của đời sống xã hội
- phong tục độc đáo
- được biểu trưng qua các nghi lễ tâm
linh
- vùng nhiệt đới châu Á, khu vực Trung Á, Đông Nam Á và một số quần đảo trên Thái
Bình Dương
- ngôn ngữ của trầu cau
- biểu trưng cho lối ứng xử giao tiếp giữa các mối quan hệ trong xã hội
phương tiện để biểu lộ tình cảm con người với nhau
- miếng trầu là đầu câu chuyện
- lễ vật không thể thiếu trong các nghi thức truyền thống
- nghi thức cưới xin
- món lễ vật quan trọng để đôi trai gái nên duyên vợ chồng
- “ba đồng một mớ trầu cay”
- bị chi phối bởi đẳng cấp giàu nghèo
- dụng cụ ăn trầu
- chất liệu từ cao cấp như vàng, bạc, ngọc, thủy tinh, đồng, gốm cho đến chất liệu bình
dân như sắt, gỗ, vỏ ốc, mây tre, vải…
- nét văn hóa độc đáo, tồn tại xuyên suốt quá trình phát triển của lịch sử dân tộc
- đang dần mai một
(From Vietnam Airlines Inflight Magazine)

Notes:
old legends and documents
the custom of chewing betel leaves and areca nut
betel quids
the Pacific archipelagos
symbol of social relations and means of expressing mutual human affection
folded betel leaf/ white limestone/ a piece of yellow areca nut
cinnamon bark or straw wisps
polyphenol extract/ antibacterial agent
crimson lips and cheeks/ a smile revealing black teeth/ hallmark or symbol of female beauty
offering during religious rituals
betel kits
fading into obscurity

1.4. Home Task

PAIRWORK
With a partner, think of other habits commonly practised in your country which might not be
seen elsewhere in the world.
Now listen to your partner sharing what they know about that habit and practise interpreting.

GROUP WORK
In groups of four or five, decide on a cultural topic/ issue/ story and search information for a
presentation. Design a group presentation (either using visual aids, power point slides or
posters) in Vietnamese or English. Take turn to be the interpreter and practise interpreting the
presentation into the target language.