Unit 7 8 9

Ngô Đoàn Tường Vy 19CNA02

Untranslatability
Untranslatability is among characteristics of translation in one language. When there is no
equivalent text or utterance can be found in another language when translated.
There are two types of untranslatability. Linguistic untranslatability and Cultural
untranslatability.
On the linguistic level, Catford said that untranslatability appears when there is no lexical or
syntactical version in the target language for the source language words, phrases or
sentences. For example, in Vietnamese, the phrase "Trộm vía" is used in front of a
compliment in order to stop it from turning into a bad omen.
On the cultural level, untranslatability occurs when there is an absence of a relevant
situational feature in the target language culture for the source language text. For instance,
the phrase "Valentine's Day" originates from Saint Valentine who is commemorated on the
14th of February annually. He had a beautiful romance story and before being executed, he
sent a love letter to his love with the "From your Valentine" signature. Throughout the
centuries, the date has become Valentine's Day in order to celebrate love and romance
around the world. There is no exact translation for this phrase in Vietnamese, people call it
"Ngày lễ Tình Nhân" but it can be rendered into "Ngày Valentine" where the uniqueness of
the untranslatable word "Valentine" is still kept.

Loss and gain

Loss in translation occurs when translators fail to convey the same meaning or effectiveness
when it is translated into the target language from the source language. Moreover, texts can
become a different one compared to the original through the changes of another language
during translation. For instance, the word "thương" in "Ba thương con." in Vietnamese can
not be translated into an English equivalent. It can be render to "love" but the meaning has
changed if doing so.
Gain in translation occurs when target language is added some words or terms which do not
exist in source language. For example, the English word "littering" can be translated into"xả
rác bừa bãi" in Vietnamese.

Translation methods
There are 8 methods when translating namely word-for-word translation, literal translation,
faithful translation, semantic translation, adaptation, free translation, idiomatic translation,
communicative translation.
In terms of word-for-word translation, the source language word order is preserved. For
example, "I go to school." is translated into "Tôi đi đến trường." in Vietnamese.
Literal translation is similar to word-for-word translation. However, this method changes
grammar structures, so they're converted to their nearest target language equivalents. For
example, the sentence "She is deaf to all his advice." can be translated literally into "Cô ấy
bỏ ngoài tai mọi lời khuyên của anh ấy." in Vietnamese.
Faithful translation is when translators try to keep all meaning and creative sentence
structures of the writers as much as possible. For example, the sentence "He is as fast as a
kangaroo." can be translated into "Anh ấy nhanh nhẹn như con chuột túi." in Vietnamese.
Semantic translation is a flexible translation and sticks closely on source language texts.
This method keeps all of the aesthetic value and beauty of source language texts. It is
usually used for translating religious passages or rules. For example, the phrase "a sunny
smile" can be conveyed into " nụ cười tỏa nắng" in Vietnamses.
Adaptation is the most independent method of tránslation. The only things being kept are the
main points, themes, characters, plots. The cultures of the source language are replace
completely by the cultures of the target language. Another way to describe this method is
that translaters rewrite the target language texts from the source language ones. For
example, the sentence "Bài hát này không thể chê vào đâu được." in Vietnamese can be
rendered into English "This song is beyond any words."
Free translation reproduces the source language texts without keeping grammar structures
or word usages. Translators focus on the contents of the source language texts and render
them into the most comfortable way. Usually, the translation versions are longer than the
origonal ones.
Idiomatic translation reproduces the source language texts more creatively using phrases
and term which are lively, natural and friendly to readers. For example, the idiom “Sai một ly
đi một dặm” can be rendered into English “A miss is as full as a mile.”
Communicative translation is simmilar to semantic translation except it focus on the
readablity for readers, translators need to assure that the messages can be comunicative.
Usually it is used to translate signs. For instance, the phrase "Beware of the dog." can be
rendered into "Nhà có chó dữ." in Vietnamese.