TOPIC 1: ALL ABOUT CULTURE

1.1. Pre-interpreting

Find the Vietnamese equivalents to the following phrases or sentences.

Wedding

§ the bride family

§ the wedding ceremony
§ bride maids
§ maid of honor
§ the groom
§ the groomsman/ the best man
§ go to the reception
§ newly-wed
§ to set off on their honeymoon

Eating betel nut

§ “The Surprising Asians”

§ South-East Asia
§ to learn about culture and tried 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
§ It was amazing that … green leaves and white
limestone paste … turned red.

UD_UFLS_INTERPRETING 3 ALL ABOUT CULTURE

 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. Wedding in The U.S.

- ethnic groups
- typical customs
- the bride family
- the wedding ceremony
- bride maids
- The head bride maid/maid of honor
- coloured dresses
- The groom
- the groomsman/ the best man
- to be accompanied by
- to go to the reception
- to make toasts
- the newly-wed
- to have the first dance
- to feed each other a bite
- to set off on their honeymoon
- the bouquet

1.2.1. The City that loves Street art

- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- to transform something
- something extraordinary about the city
- to be covered in colorful murals and
bright paintings
- to pass a law allowing something
- to legalize grafiti

UD_UFLS_INTERPRETING 3 ALL ABOUT CULTURE

 - skate parks/ the walls that surround construction sites
- to get permission
- the residents
- special guided street art tours
- The city mayor
- to set up a project
- to join the project
- a street art website
- to paint a new piece of art over an old picture
- a record (of what was there)
- street artists
- art schools
- to paint murals on the walls
- to bring communities
together

1.2.3. Spilling Salt

- today superstitions

- to have their roots in ancient times

- throwing something over the shoulder

- to spill something

- a big deal

- to serve to remind people

- the tradition still survives.

- to bring good luck

1.2.4. Eating betel nut is a common habit which is practised in Southeast Asia. Listen to
an American sharing his experience with betel nut eating.
- a book called “The Surprising Asians”
- had a wonderful time

UD_UFLS_INTERPRETING 3 ALL ABOUT CULTURE

 - Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam
- to try the food
- it really captured my imagination
- one thing that stayed in my memory
- to eat this nut
- limestone paste
- to give you a feeling that stimulated you
- another stimulant
- some markets in Bac Ha, near Sa Pa
- red with betel nut juice
- took me down the street
- a Westerner
- to want to chew betel nut
- the nut and the leaves and the lime
- to taste bad in some way
- to taste like leaves
- when I first read about something

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

- vùng nhiệt đới châu Á, khu vực Trung Á,

Đông Nam Á và một số quần đảo trên Thái Bình Dương

UD_UFLS_INTERPRETING 3 ALL ABOUT CULTURE

 - 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/ antibactria agent
crimson lips and cheeks/ a smile revealing black teeth/ hallmark or symbol of female
beauty
offering during religious rituals
betel kits
fading into obscrunity

UD_UFLS_INTERPRETING 3 ALL ABOUT CULTURE