BASICS OF TRANSLATION - QUESTIONS FOR

REVISION
1. How is a message reproduced in translation? Give
example to illustrate.
Translating must aim primarily at “reproducing the message.”To
reproduce the message the translator must make a good many
grammatical and lexical adjustments.
Ex: -would you like to go to the cinema with me? (cậu đi xem
phim với
mình nha.)
- Finger licking good ( vị ngon trên từng ngón tay )
- Like father, like son - Cha nào con nấy
-Mưa như trút nước- it’s raining cats and dogs
2. Why must the translator strive for equivalence rather
than identity? Give example to illustrate.
Because this is just another way of emphasizing the
reproduction of the
message rather than the conservation of the form of the
utterance, but it
reinforces the need for a radical alteration of a phrase such as ‘I
think’ or ‘in my opinion’ which may be quite meaningless.
Ex: Players are preparing for the match. "players" can be “cầu
thủ”, “người chơi “
Employees are ready to enter the interview -> “Employee” can
be ‘người được phỏng vấn”, can be “ứng viên”
3. What is the significance of meaning in translation? Give
example to illustrate.
-Meaning must be given priority, for it is the content of the
message which is of prime importance in translating.
- The choice of the right word in the receptor language to
translate a word in the source-language text depends more on
the context than upon a fixed system of verbal consistency.
Ex: Vietnam has many sugar-white beaches- trắng như pha lê
)4. What is the importance of culture in translation? Give

example to illustrate.
- Cultural sensitivity:
+They have to take into account the culture of the target
language
+ To avoid misunderstandings, translators have to look out for
the lexical content and syntax, as well as ideologies, value
systems and ways of life in a given culture
- The name of a company or a product, humor, or material
cultures such as names of food, the style of the language and the
target audience, pictures, symbols, colors, gestures, habits,
traditions, as well as cultural references, are important cultural
factors.
Vd: he is a snake : anh ấy là một con rắn -> anh ta rất độc ác
hot potato: vấn đề nóng
a cup of tea: thói quen ,sở thích
việt: nghèo như chị Dậu hoặc nghèo rớt mồng tơi -> nghèo như
chuột trong nhà thờ (As poor as a church mouse)
Vietnam is considered the tiger of Asia -> Vn được ví như con
rồng của Châu Á
5 What is the importance of style in translation? Give
example to illustrate.
-Though the style is secondary to the content, it is nevertheless
important. One should not translate poetry as though it were
prose, nor expository material as though it were straight
narrative.
-Style not only ensures that there is consistency and flow
throughout the document or project, but with multiple texts,
projects, or presentations that may be made in the target
language.
Eg: He died bravely -> Anh ấy đã hy sinh 1 cách anh dũng
6. What are the differences between interpretation and
translation?
Translation Interpretation
+ is written and transferring a + is spoken and conveying a
written text message
+ is a gap and translators often + communication is
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one + interpreters often working in

text a
+ in translation, the translator team, are faced with people
plays the role of a writer +in interpretation, the
+ reading skills and writing interpreter
skills plays the role of an actor
are very important + speaking and listening skills
+editing skills are necessary are
very important
+ memorizing skills, coping
tactics, note taking skills are
necessary

7. Present practical types of translation. Give example to

illustrate
Word-for-word translation( WT):
no worries/ no problems(không sao đâu) - no star where
He is a big liar - anh ta là một kẻ nói dối lớn
Literal translation(LiT): the question: “ can you sit down?”
Can be translated into Vietnamese, but in fact, it is a request
which can be communicatively translated as “anh ngồi xuống
đi”
Faithful translation(FT) a faithful translation of “ học khóa
này phải mất 2 năm” (to do this course takes 2 years) may sound
unnatural to English people ( it takes 2 years to do this course)
He is as fast as a kangaroo: anh ta nhanh như một con kanguru

Semantic translation(SeT) : She has a sunny smile on her

face.=> Cô bé có gương mặt với nụ cười tỏa nắng.
How shall we call the blessed boy -> Đặt tên cậu ấm là gì nào?
Communicative translation(CT): Nhà có chó dữ. (Beware of
the dog.)
Idiomatic translation(IT) “Một giọt máu đào hơn ao nước
lã,”“Blood is thicker than water.”
“Rụng như sung” “To drop like flies,”
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Free translation(FrT) That guy is as poor as a church mouse.

(“Anh ta nghèo như con chuột ở nhà thờ”) =>Anh ta nghèo rớt
mồng tơi.
Adaptation translation(AT) Jack always does weight-lifting
and body-building; he’s as strong as an ox.
- As atrong as an ox: khỏe như bò mộng, khỏe như trâu mộng,
khỏe
như voi.
=> Jack thường xuyên tập tạ và tập thể hình. Cậu ấy khỏe như
con bò mộng vậy.
Gist translation(GT) - The Scarlet Letter -> Nét Chữ Ô Nhục
(tên tiểu thuyết)
8. How can parts of speech be transformed in translation?
Give example to illustrate.
Adjectives can be replaced by adverbs, verbs by nouns,
possessive adjectives by personal pronouns, ... and vice versa
Ví dụ : - He speaks good English (Cậu ấy nói tiếng Anh rất tốt).
She sings beautifully: cô ấy hát rất hay.
9. How can phrases be transformed in translation? Give
example to illustrate.
-A multi-word phrase in English can be rendered as a single-
word phrase in Vietnamese and can be changed in the number of
words in the phrase and vice versa
+Within a verb phrase (VP), verbs can be preceded by auxiliary
verbs.-
+Within an adjective phrase (AdjP), the adjective as the head of
the phrase can be modified either by an adverb.
+With prepositional phrases (PrepP), the preposition, as the
prefix of the word “pre-position” indicates, is always followed
by a noun phrase
+On sentence function: a phrase can become a clause.
Ví dụ : Những nhà hoạt động về môi trường: environmentalists
Các nhà sinh vật học : biologists
- A phrase in English can be rendered as a clause in Vnese and
vice versa:
Eg: I do not understand his method ( Toi khong hieu phương
pháp anh ta làm)
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10. How can clauses be transformed in translation? Give

example to illustrate.
1. A clause in English can be rendered as a phrase in Vnese and
vice versa:
Eg: I do not understand how he do it ( Toi khong hieu cach lam
cua anh ta)
2. A finite clause can be rendered as a non-finite clause in
English and vice versa
Eg: một bà thấy mình khó chịu nên đã tìm đến bác sĩ (a woman
was having some trouble with heart so we went to see the
doctor)
3. A subordinate clause can be rendered as a main clause in
English and vice versa:
Eg: khi tôi về đến nhà trời bắt đầu đổ mưa ( I got home when it
began to rain )
4. A clause can be translated into a sentence
Eg: Anh ta không nói được tiếng Anh nên cô phải phiên dịch
giúp họ ( he couldn't speak English therefore she had to
interpret for them)
5. 5.A non-fining clause can be rendered as a defining clause in
English and vice versa:
6. Eg: I got a female friend who lives and works in Singapore
(tôi có một cô bạn cô ấy sống ở Singapore)

11. How can cultural words be translated? Give example to

illustrate
Cultural words can be translated :
+By the mean of transference: the SL word is brought into the
target language text (TLT)
+By cultural equivalent: this is an approximate translation where
an SL cultural word is translated by a TL cultural word.
+By using componential analysis: the SL word is replaced with
a more general TL word.
+By using recognized translation: the SL word is replaced with
the
previously recognized translation of the SL word in the TL.
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+By Addition and note: An addition or note is added after the

translation
of the TL word or phrase(put in the text in brackets, at the
bottom of the page, or at the end of the text).
Example : Tokyo: Tokyo ; kim bap: kim báp
Night club: hộp đêm ; nước mắm: fish sauce
Hai phở bò : two pho
12 How can a proper name be translated? Give example to
illustrate
PNs can be treated in a number of ways in translation:
1. They can be imported unchanged from the SL text: Canada >
Canada;
2. They can be modified to fit the phonological/graphological
system of the TL by means of :
 (a)Transliteration: (a name is shifted to conform to the phonic
or graphicrules of the TL: Beijing > Bắc Kinh, Moscow
> Maxcơva)
 (b) Transcription: (a name is transcribed in the equivalent
characters of the TL. in order to keep the readability of the
TT: Canberra > Can-bơ-rơ, Myanma > My-an-ma.
Note that transliteration is opposed to transcription, which
specifically maps the sounds of one language to the best
matching script of another language.
3. They can be expanded with a gloss/note to make up for the
TL reader’s lack of world knowledge in the target culture either
within the text or at the bottom of the page.
4. Re-creation: In some cases, a newly-created name in the ST is
recreated in the TT so that it reproduces similar effects in the TL
such as Mr. Ollivander that is translated to Sr. Olivares.
5. Substitution: A TL name replaces the SL name, although they
are formally and/or semantically unrelated.
6. On occasion, they might be omitted altogether (perhaps
replaced with a paraphrase) if considered peripheral in terms of
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the central message of the text or if retaining them would be

more likely to cause the reader to pause in puzzlement.
True, this would be more likely to happen
13. What is modulation in translation? Give example to
illustrate.
-Modulation consists of using a phrase that is different in the
source and target languages to convey the same idea. The
translator generates a change in the point of view of the message
from SL to TL when the context requires without altering the
meaning and without generating a sense of awkwardness.
Ví dụ : business is business : công việc là công việc, không xen
lẫn tình cảm cá nhân .
For staff only : chỉ dành cho nhân viên, không phận sự miễn
vào.
Get this straight :- nói thẳng đi
Don’t delay- nhanh cái chân lên
14. What is the reformulation in translation? Give example
to illustrate.
-Reformulating means formulating differently. You can match
the primary meaning of certain words in the SL against
linguistic, situational and cultural contexts in TL to find the
connoted meaning and then choose the suitable equivalent
expressions in TL.
-When a sentence is grammatical but does not appear to make
sense even though the meaning of every word in it is clear.
Ví dụ :
 chicken soup for soul : hạt giống tâm hồn.
 Frozen: nữ hoàng băng giá
 bãi biển cát trắng phau : a sugar-white beach
 Care kills the cat (Lo bạc râu sầu bạc tóc).
 An empty stomach has no ears (Bụng đói tai điếc).
 Soon hot , soon cool ( cả thèm chóng chán )
 Out of sight, out of mind( xa mặt cách lòng )
15. Present process of translation.
Step 1: approaching a text
- The first thing to do is a preliminary analysis.
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- Next, examine the reasons for choosing the text.

When analyzing the text for translation for the first time, the
translator
needs to find answers to these questions:
1 whether or not the source text needs editing
2What? (what is the theme/topic the text is about?).
2 Why? (what is the purpose of the text writer: to tell, to
entertain, or
to
persuade the reader?).
3 why? ( what is the purpose of the text writer: to tell, to
entertain, or to
persuade the reader)
4Who? refers to the reader of the translated text
5 How? refers to whether the text is written in a formal or
informal way
Step 2: interpreting the source text
+Read the text several times
+ Analyse the words (especially keywords), and the lexico-
grammatical relations within the sentences.
+ When necessary, resolve ambiguity, identify implicit
information, and interpret figurative senses.
Step 3: formulating the translated text(initial draft)
+ The translator begins drafting the translation piece by piece,
section by using the lexis and structures that would make
meaningful sentences function in a narrow context as elements
of a well-structured text in the target language.
+ Remember that all verbalizing must be done in the target
language.
+ Reformulates the translation according to the grammar rules,
word usage, and cultural norms in the target language
Step 4: review and comparison
+ Revise it rarely fewer than three times
+ It is at this stage that the translation is measured and compared
with the original to make sure if:
  The message of the translation is equivalent to that of the
original
  The form of the translation is easy to read and natural in
the RL
grammar and style
  The larger context of culture goes well with the related
subcontexts of language and rhetorical tradition in the target
language
 The translation meets the audience’s needs or intended text
functions
  There is any place where information has been added,
omitted, or
subtracted
Step 5: editing the translated text/ final draft
+Takes the form of careful last-minute checking and correcting
of possible mistakes or other inaccuracies.
+ The translator needs to revise the draft based on the feedback
received from those people who may have suggested many
rewordings, changes, additions, or omissions to the translator.