INTRODUCTION
Rationale
Nowadays, in modern life where technology and the Internet are becoming increasingly popular, people are occupied with their jobs and forget cultural and historical cultures which have passed from generations to generatons I realized that in real life, people should concern about cultural and historical knowledge that is considered as an uniqueness in every country Therefore, I have got into that discover a good source of knowledge, turn to cultural values, and teach us some valuable lessons "Hue: Vietnam's last imperial capital" is such a book, which I encountered by chance while traveling in Hue Not only does the cover look charming, but the content also makes me unable to take my eyes off it, so I chose this book to translate in my graduation paper.
The first thing that I want to mention is how the author revealed the story of Hue by describing about their roots from the prehistoric Dong Son culture subsumed with the Sa Huynh culture This was followed by trade with the Chinese with detailed historical records Last but not least, Hinduism overlaid and became amalgamated with the Cham people's worship of a mother goddess.
Another thing that excites me equally is that the author's explanation of the birth of the last capital of Vietnam began with a Vietnamese proverb:
It is by the trial of misfortune that one recognises a faithful subject.
In addition, the vivid facts about Nguyen Hoang escape these court intrigues, Nguyen Hoang managed to get himself appointed governor of the new, formerly Cham, frontier southern region, Dang Trong Then, becoming Lord Nguyen, as well as the struggle with the Tay Son brothers Lastly, the Tay Son chased the Nguyen army and court further south of Gia Dinh (Saigon) to Vung Tau, where they assassinated the entire Nguyen clan - the method of toppling rulers in those days.
Finally, I hope that the suggested translation will be enjoyable for Vietnamese readers who are interested in this book as well as provide everyone with an analysis of the ways for proper translating and dealing with challenging phrases and structures.
Aims and Objectives
This paper is carried out for the following aims:
Applying the translation theory to translate a text
Demonstrating my ability in translating a document
Having skills to analyze tough points or something that is easy to make misunderstand
Understanding and overcoming the linguistic hurdles existing between the two countries
This paper is performed for the following objectives:
Translating text smoothly and naturally
Analyzing complicated words, phrases, structures, contexts, etc.
Breaking down the language barrier for Vietnamese readers who are interested in this topic.
Providing some solutions to improve the translation skills.
Scope of the Study
This graduation paper is about the book “ Hue: Vietnam's last imperial capital ” , written by Carol Howland However, within the scope of the paper and due to time limitations, this paper only focuses on chapters 1 It is translated from the original version and given the analysis of a suggested translation of the text
Moreover, the paper will also discuss and analyze the challenges with which I encountered during the translation process, such as words and phrases with multi- meaning, how to apply English grammar and syntactic structures as well as word semantics.
The book “ Hue: Vietnam's last imperial capital ” is a work by Southest AsiaTravel Guides Bestselling author Carol Howland published in 2018 This book includes 9 chapters and tells the story of the succession of Nguyen Emperors of Vietnam and their charming garden city of Hue Carol Howland gives us a detailed description of the huge, walled citadel and forbidden Purple City by the Perfume River, built in the early years of the 19th century
As I mentioned above, there are 9 chapters with 286 pages in the book “ Hue:
Vietnam's last imperial capital ” However, I have only translated chapter 1 with about 4,400 words in length due to the time limitation.
The book " Hue: Vietnam's last imperial capital " is divided into 9 chapters and the text which was chosen belongs to chapter 1 The author identifies specific names for each chapter, the content of chapter 1 was briefly described as below:
ROOTS - WHERE DID HUE PEOPLE COME FROM? : about their roots from the prehistoric Dong Son culture subsumed with the Sa Huynh culture This was followed by trade with the Chinese with detailed historical records Finally, Hinduism overlaid and became amalgamated with the Cham people's worship of a mother goddess.
WHO WERE THESE NGUYEN: This is the astonishing story of the succession of Nguyen Emperors of Vietnam and their charming garden city of Hue, walled citadel and forbidden Purple City by the Perfume River, built in the early years of the 19th century The similarities with the old Chinese court is not a coincidence as Vietnam was for long periods ruled by the Chinese.
The text comes from the book “ Hue: Vietnam's last imperial capital ” ,which is written by Southest Asia Travel Guides Bestselling author Carol Howland and first published by Mynah Bird Books Publishers on June 24, 2018 This book is available on the website ht tps://www.amazon.com and is easily accessible for reading and reference.
Method of the Study
Using scanning and skimming skills to comprehend the primary content of the text.
Reading each section of the text carefully to acquire key information.
Discussing with my supervisor to figure out the best solution when I encountered difficulties.
Analyzing sentences in terms of sentence elements and phrases in order to identify the type of sentence.
Studying and analyzing the difficult words, and structures based on translation and grammar theories during the translation process
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Translation Theory
In the Oxford Learner's Dictionaries, translation is defined as “the process of changing something that is written or spoken into another language”.
Meanwhile, Cambridge Dictionary mentions that translation means
"something that is translated, or the process of translating something, from one language to another".
According to the book "A Textbook of Translation" (Newmark, 1988:5), the process of translating a message from one language to another in the manner intended by the author is known as translation.
Moreover, Catford in “A Linguistic Theory of Translation” (1965:20) defines translation as the replacement of a textual material in one language (source language) with comparable textual material in another language (target language).
Besides, the book "The Theory and Practice of Translation" (Nida & Taber, 1982:12) proposes that translating was the reproduction of the closest natural equivalent of a source language message in the receptor language, first in respect of meaning and secondly in respect of style.
In conclusion, the process of comprehending and attempting to grasp the meaning of a text in the source language (SL) and then translating it into the target language (TL) is called translation The translator plays a role of a bridge allowing one language, culture, or society to communicate with another.
There are several types of translation These types of categories can assist us in better comprehending and distinguishing between different translation methods.
We may avoid making mistakes when translating if we properly grasp the different forms of translation.
The categories of translation, according to Catford (1965:21-26), are divided in terms of extent, levels, and ranks Based on the extent, he classifies translation into full translation and partial translation In terms of levels, there are total translation and restricted translation, and translation is differentiated into rank- bound translation and unbounded translation on the ranks.
2.1.2.1 Full vs Partial Translation i Full Translation
In full translation, the entire text is sent to the translation process, which means that every component of the source language text is replaced by target language text material
Happily for us, the Chinese kept detailed historical records, no doubt written from a Chinese point of view and in the case of generals, composed to enhance their military merit in the eyes of their rulers [9]
May mắn thay, người Trung Quốc đã lưu giữ lại một số ghi chép lịch sử chi tiết, mặc dù phần lớn các ghi chép này được viết theo góc nhìn của họ Thậm chí trong một số trường hợp, chúng được biên soạn để nâng cao giá trị về mặt quân sự của người Trung Hoa - phù hợp với quan điểm của các nhà cai trị.
In this example, all the words are translated. ii Partial Translation
In partial translation, some elements of the source language text are left untranslated They are simply copied and pasted into the target language text
Ngược lại, người Việt liên tục tiến xa hơn về phía Nam theo cách họ gọi là phong trào Nam Tiến (Nam nghĩa là hướng Nam, Tiến nghĩa là chạy), vì họ không còn nơi nào khác để đi [9]
Conversely, the Viets were constantly pushing further south in what they called their Nam Tien movement (Nam meaning south, Tien meaning running), as they had nowhere else to go.
In the above example, there still remains the word “Nam Tien” No equivalence of this word can be found in English since it belongs to the cultural term; consequently, it should be maintained when translated into English.
2.1.2.2 Total vs Restricted Translation i Total Translation
The total translation is defined as the replacement of SL grammar and lexis by equivalent TL grammar and lexis with consequential replacement of SL phonology or graphology by non-equivalent TL phonology or graphology
The decline of the species was abrupt; in 1871, a breeding colony was estimated to contain over a hundred million birds, yet the last individual in the species was dead by 1914 [9]
Sự suy giảm của loài là đột ngột; vào năm 1871, một thuộc địa sinh sản được ước tính chứa hơn một trăm triệu con chim, nhưng cá thể cuối cùng trong loài đã chết vào năm 1914.
This form of translation looks to be quite straightforward to realize, especially in the example above; the translation versions can help readers grasp the text more easily for the content is completely obvious. ii Restricted Translation
Restricted translation means the replacement of SL textual material by equivalent TL textual material at only one level Maybe it is performed only at the phonological or graphological level, or at only one of the two levels of grammar and lexis
"Thưa mệ, con mới về!"
In this example, the word “mệ” cannot be transferred from Vietnamese into English for it is constrained by cultural meaning The word “ mệ” is widely used by the Central people in Vietnam to address their female parent; it may be understood as one way of calling mother or mom, with a distinctive feature of a specific dialect.
Phonological Translation : is a type of restricted translation.
In phonological translation, SL phonology is replaced by equivalent TL phonology, but there are no other replacements except such grammatical or lexical changes as may result accidentally from phonological translation.
Examples: cassette → cát-sét guitar → ghi-ta
In phonological translation, sometimes changes in the grammar or lexis may result accidentally: e.g., an English plural, such as birds, may come out as apparently a singular bird in phonological translation into a language that has no final consonant clusters.
2.1.2.3 Rank-bound vs Unbounded Translation
Rank-bound translation means the selection of TL text equivalent is deliberately confined to one rank, such as word-for-word equivalence, morpheme- for-morpheme equivalence, etc.
In contrast, in unbounded translation, it can shift freely up and down the rank scale
I love you to moon and back [1]
Tôi yêu em đến mặt trăng và trở lại (Rank-bound translation)
Tôi yêu em trọn kiếp này (Unbounded translation)
In the above example, it is clear that rank-bound translation seems to be a
"bad" translation because of using TL equivalents that are not appropriate to their location in the TL text, and which are not justified by the interchangeability of SL and TL texts in the situation, while in unbounded translation, the TL text is interchangeable with the SL text and readers understand the text more easily.
Principles and Methods of Translation
In the translation process, it is critical for the translator to abide by all the principles of translation Alan Duff has provided some general principles that are believed to be applicable to all translations in his book "Translation" (1989:10-11).
The meaning of the original text should be faithfully reflected in the translation We should not add or remove anything at random; however, sometimes part of the meaning may be transposed The following questions will be quite beneficial.
Is the meaning of the original text clear? If not, where does the uncertainty lie?
Are any words loaded, that is, are there any underlying implications? (“Correct me if I’m wrong…” suggests “I know I’m right!”)
Is the dictionary meaning of a particular word the most suitable one?
Does anything in the translation sound unnatural or forced?
In the translation, translators must follow the order of words and ideas in order to guarantee that the translation is the closest and most appropriate equivalent in
However, due to the various linguistic structures, translators frequently need to adjust the format and order of the words.
The level of formality in a given context leads to some great differences in languages As a result, the translator must pay must attention to the way the writer or speaker sets the tone in order to distinguish between formal or fixed expressions and personal expressions
Idiomatic expressions - including similes, metaphors, proverbs, sayings, jargon, slang, colloquialisms, and phrasal verbs - are notoriously difficult to translate Unless expressions can be directly translated, try any of the following:
Maintaining the original word, in inverted commas
Preserving the original expression, with a literal explanation in brackets
Using a non-idiomatic or plain prose translation
However, the most important thing is that if the idiom does not work in the target language; do not force it into the translation.
Translators need to retain the original style However, if there are errors or monotonous repetitions that have no implications in the text, the translator can correct the flaws for the benefit of the readers.
There is a large number of translations that do not sound natural This is because the original text has a strong impact on how translators think and choose words An effective approach to eliminate the influence of the source language is to set the text aside and then translate just a few sentences aloud from memory This will suggest a natural thinking pattern in the first language that may not come to mind when looking at the SL text
Peter Newmark mentions in the book "A Textbook of Translation" (1988:45-
47) that there are eight methods of translation.
Word-for-word translation is often illustrated as interlinear translation, with the TL immediately below the SL words The SL word order is retained and the words are translated individually by their most prevalent meanings that do not depend on the context Cultural words are translated literally The TL in the translation is closest to the SL among the eight translation methods maintaining numerous characteristics of the SL and is, of course, unfamiliar to the TL, even making readers difficult to understand Word-for-word translation is often used in the pre-translation process
I want to toilet kiss you
Anh muốn cầu hôn em.
In the above example, the sentence is translated from SL to TL while maintaining the word order and meaning regardless of the context.
This type of translation is also referred to as a pre-translation process The SL grammatical structures are transformed to their closest TL equivalents but the lexical words are again translated separately, out of context
Lá cờ đỏ trắng đang bay trong gió [9]
A red and white flag was flying in the wind.
In the above example, it can be seen that this translation is similar to the word- for-word translation, but there is a rearrangement of the word order to the nearest
A faithful translation attempts to reproduce the accurate contextual meaning of the original within the restrictions of the TL grammatical structures It "transfers" cultural words and keeps the degree of grammatical and lexical "abnormality" (deviation from SL standards) in the translation It endeavors to be totally faithful to the intentions and the text-realization of the SL writer.
He is as fast as a Kangaroo [16]
Anh ấy nhanh như một con căng-gu-ru.
In the above example, when translated into Vietnamese, the word
"Kangaroo" is faithfully translated and preserved since "Kangaroo" is a cultural word for a typical animal found only in Australia.
Semantic translation varies from “faithful translation” primarily in that it must consider the aesthetic value The translator needs to refine the finished version to avoid assonance, word-play, or repetition jars Moreover, it may use the culturally neutral third or functional terms instead of cultural equivalents to translate less significant cultural terminology, and it may make other minor concessions to the readership The difference between "faithful" and "semantic" translation is that the first is rigid and dogmatic, whilst the second is more flexible, admits the creative exception to 100% accuracy, and allows for the translator's intuitive empathy with the original
Bà hai làm nghề nhuộm vải, tôi không tường mặt [16]
His second wife was a cloth dyer, I never set eyes on her
In the above example, semantic translation has reproduced not only the normal content of the text but also the subtle expression and high aesthetic value of the text.
Adaptation translation is the “freest” form of translation and is utilized mainly for plays (comedies) and poetry In the translation, the themes, characters, and plots are usually preserved while the SL culture is converted to the TL culture and the text is rewritten Many terrible adaptations have resulted from the deplorable practice of having a play or poetry literally translated and then rewritten by an established dramatist or poet, but other adaptations have "rescued" period plays. Here is an example.
That thy heart could forget,
Ta bí mật gặp nhau Trong âm thầm tiếc nuối
Dù tim em lãng quên
Dù lòng em lừa dối Nếu anh còn gặp em Sau nghìn trùng xa cách Biết chào em thế nào?
Hay lặng thầm nước mắt.
Looking at the above example, it is obvious that the translator used poetic ideas to rewrite the poem Cultural elements in SL are completely transformed by cultural elements in TL.
In free translation, the content is reproduced without the manner or the form of the original It is usually a paraphrase that may be much longer than the original, a so-called "intralingual translation", often prolix and pretentious, and not translation at all
Toyota tiến tới tương lai
In the above example, the meaningful content is not as important as the message to be conveyed in an advertisement.
Idiomatic translation reproduces the “message” of the source text by using an equivalent in the TL; however, in this translation, we must use idioms in the TL to express the TL This method has a tendency to distort nuances of meaning by favoring colloquialisms and idioms where these do not exist in the original
You can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs [15]
Muốn ăn thì lăn vào bếp.
In the above example, it is clear that the TL translated literally cannot convey all the meaningful content of the SL Therefore, an equivalent or corresponding idiom in TL that can express the symbolic meaning and effectively transfer the cultural message of the idiom in SL is utilized.
SUGGESTED TRANSLATION
CỘI NGUỒN- NGƯỜI HUẾ TỪ ĐÂU ĐẾN?
[P1] A nation is bound not by the real past, but by the stories it tells itself, by what it remembers, and what it forgets - French philosopher, Ernest
That the people of Hue are distinctly different from other Vietnamese is in part due to their roots Since prehistoric times, central Vietnam, midway along
Vietnam's twelve hundred-mile (2,000 km) coastline, has been a melting pot of peoples This ethnic melange is one of the reasons why Hue people are so singularly distinctive, linguistically and perhaps philosophically.
The area around Hue was where the prehistoric Dong Son culture of the
North met the prehistoric Sa Huynh culture of the South The northern
Dong Son people left no architectural relics, only fine bronze jewelry and enormous, intricately decorated, bronze drums.
[P1] Một quốc gia không bị ràng buộc bởi quá khứ thực sự, nhưng bằng những câu chuyện nó tự kể, bởi những gì nó nhớ, và những gì nó quên.
- Triết gia người Pháp, Ernest Renan Người Huế khác hẳn với những người Việt Nam khác một phần là do cội nguồn của họ Kể từ thời tiền sử, miền Trung Việt Nam, nằm giữa đường bờ biển dài 2.000 km của Việt Nam, đã là nơi hội tụ của nhiều dân tộc Sự pha trộn sắc tộc này là một trong những lý do tại sao người Huế rất đặc biệt, về mặt ngôn ngữ và có lẽ cả về mặt triết học.
Khu vực xung quanh Huế là nơi văn hóa Đông Sơn tiền sử của miền Bắc giao thoa với văn hóa Sa Huỳnh tiền sử của miền Nam Người Đông Sơn phía bắc không để lại di tích kiến trúc nào,chỉ có đồ trang sức bằng đồng và những chiếc trống đồng khổng lồ được trang trí tinh xảo.
[P2] To place them in historic context, the prehistoric Dong Son-Viet tribes living north of present-day Hanoi were defeated by the Chinese - in 179 BC.
The Chinese established three administrative trading districts that extended deep into central Vietnam, their borders unknown The Han dynasty succeeded the Qin in 111 BC.
Chinese domination - and cultural influence - endured over the northern half of what is now Vietnam for a thousand years.
Happily for us, the Chinese kept detailed historical records, no doubt written from a Chinese point of view and in the case of generals, composed to enhance their military merit in the eyes of their rulers Though archaeologists treat these Chinese records with a measure of skepticism, they do give some indication of what happened, how, when and where.
[P2] Đặt trong bối cảnh lịch sử năm
179 TCN, Người Trung Quốc sau khi đánh bại các bộ lạc Đông Sơn-Việt thời tiền sử - sống ở phía bắc Hà Nội ngày nay, họ đã thành lập ba quận giao thương hành chính không rõ biên giới kéo dài tận vào miền Trung Việt Nam.
Do vậy, sự thống trị của Trung Quốc - và ảnh hưởng văn hóa - đã tồn tại ở nửa phía bắc của Việt Nam ngày nay trong một nghìn năm.
May mắn thay, người Trung Quốc đã lưu giữ lại một số ghi chép lịch sử chi tiết, mặc dù phần lớn các ghi chép này được viết theo góc nhìn của họ Thậm chí trong một số trường hợp, chúng được biên soạn để nâng cao giá trị về mặt quân sự của người Trung Quốc - phù hợp với quan điểm của các nhà cai trị Các nhà khảo cổ học đã có cái nhìn đầy hoài nghi với những ghi chép của Trung Quốc, mặc dù họ đã đưa ra những bằng chứng về những gì đã xảy ra, nó diễn ra như thế nào, khi nào và ở đâu.
[P3] Having conquered Nan Yue, the three early trading districts, the later
[P3] Sau khi chinh phục Nam Việt, ba quận giao thương đầu tiên được triều
Han dynasty renamed their southernmost trading district, Rinan, which included part of central Vietnam occupied by the Sa Huynh people.
Rinan, which means South of the Sun, is thought to have included the coastal area south of the Ngang Pass (a bit more than halfway between Hanoi and
Hue), although Rinan's borders remain unknown.
Incredibly, the bureaucratic Chinese conducted a census of Rinan in the year 2 AD, recording a population of
69,485 people from 15,460 households, according to British archaeologist Ian
Glover. đại nhà Hán sau này đổi tên thành Nhật Nam, bao gồm một phần miền Trung Việt Nam do người Sa Huỳnh chiếm đóng Nhật Nam, có nghĩa là mặt trời ở phía Nam, được cho là bao gồm khu vực ven biển phía nam Đèo Ngang (nằm hơn nửa đường giữa Hà Nội và Huế), mặc dù biên giới của Nhật Nam đến nay vẫn chưa được xác định
Theo tiết lộ đáng kinh ngạc của nhà khảo cổ học người Anh Ian Glover, bộ máy hành chính Trung Quốc đã tiến hành một cuộc điều tra dân số ở Nhật Nam vào năm thứ 2 sau Công nguyên, ghi nhận dân số của khu vực này là 69.485 người từ 15.460 hộ gia đình.
[P4] In central and southern Vietnam, the Sa Huynh people, who lived along the river banks, were so-called because the huge burial jars of these seafaring, trading people were first discovered by archaeologists at a place called Sa
Huynh (south of Hue, Danang and Hoi
An) Like the Dong Son, they left no architectural legacy, but beautiful jewellery made of semi-precious stones, glass and gold, hidden away in their huge jars, buried along the banks of the rivers.
[P4] Ở miền Trung và miền Nam Việt
Nam, người Sa Huỳnh sống dọc theo các bờ sông Sở dĩ có thể nói như vậy vì những chiếc chum chôn cất khổng lồ của những ngư dân và buôn bán ở đây lần đầu tiên được các nhà khảo cổ học phát hiện tại một địa điểm có tên là Sa Huỳnh (phía nam Huế, Đà Nẵng và Hội An) Giống như người Đông Sơn, họ không để lại di sản kiến trúc nào, mà chỉ để lại những đồ trang sức tuyệt đẹp làm bằng đá bán quý, thủy tinh và vàng, được cất giấu trong những chiếc chum khổng lồ của họ, được chôn dọc theo bờ sông.
[P5] The Sa Huynh disappeared mysteriously, sometime towards the end of the first century AD, almost suddenly, without explanation widely accepted by historians and archaeologists to this day.
The Sa Huynh were replaced, followed, overcome, or subsumed by another seafaring people, who arrived and settled along these very same rivers in central and southern Vietnam, sometime around 200 BC, people who eventually became known as the
The Chinese first traded with the Sa
Huynh people and later, with the
Chams According to lan Glover,
Chinese annuls tell us that their only trading partners in mainland South East
Asia during the first millennium AD were the Chams.
[P5] Vào khoảng cuối thế kỷ thứ nhất sau Công nguyên, Người Sa Huỳnh biến mất một cách bí ẩn, gần như đột ngột mà mà cho đến ngày nay, các nhà khoa học và sử học vẫn chưa thể đưa ra lời giải thích thỏa đáng nào.
Người Sa Huỳnh có thể đã bị thay thế, tiếp nối, đánh bại hoặc hòa lẫn bởi những người đi biển khác, những người đã đến và định cư dọc theo chính những con sông này ở Trung và Nam Việt, vào khoảng năm 200 trước Công nguyên, những người mà cuối cùng được biết đến là người Chăm.
ANALYSIS
Vocabulary
Using a dictionary throughout the translation process is incredibly necessary and advantageous for translators In some cases, however, there is no Vietnamese equivalent for some English words or phrases used in the original text As a result, we must choose the most appropriate interpretation based on the context in which the words appear in order to generate the most accurate and acceptable meaning. Furthermore, we must occasionally employ the free translation method to convert specific terms to the nearest target language equivalent The following are some of the challenging kinds of words and phrases that I encountered when translating.
4.1.1 Words and Phrases with Multi-Meaning
Multi-meaning words are words that have more than one definition in the dictionary and may be understood in a variety of ways depending on the context or certain sentence If translators do not have a full comprehension of the concepts as well as the context of the original language, these words usually lead them to convert erroneously.
I occasionally struggled to determine the precise meaning of these multi- meaning words However, I typically reread the original language to identify the most relevant meaning.
Example 1: “Hinduism overlaid and became amalgamated with the Cham people's worship of a mother goddess, Yang Po Ino Nagar, also known as Uma and Uroja (she had numerous names).” [P8] According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the word “overlay” in the sentence has several meanings:
[1] to cover something with a layer of something
[3] to add information, data, ideas, et c to existing information
[4] something such as a transparent layer or image that can be put over something else, for example to add information or show a relationship between two things
[5] Something that is overlaid with something has a particular quality added to it that influences its character
It seems that the fifth meaning is the most suitable Besides, in the Soha Tratu Dictionary, “overlay” is like “phủ lên, che, phủ, vật phủ, khăn trải bàn nhỏ”. However, in this situation, I think the most suitable meaning is “du nhập”
Suggested version: “Ấn Độ giáo đã du nhập và đồng nhất với tín ngưỡng thờ mẫu của người Chăm, Yang Po Ino Nagar, còn được gọi là Uma và Uroja (bà có rất nhiều tên).”
Example 2: “Though archaeologists treat these Chinese records with a measure of skepticism, they do give some indication of what happened, how, when and where.” [P2]
In the sentence, in the Oxford Dictionary, “treat” is defined:
[1] to behave in a particular way towards somebody/something
[2] to consider something in a particular way
[3] to deal with or discuss something in a particular way
[4] to give medical care or attention to a person, an illness, an injury, etc.
[5] to use a chemical substance or process to clean, protect, preserve, etc.
[6] to pay for something that somebody/you will enjoy and that you do not usually have or do
In this context, the third meaning is considered to be more appropriate It is like “cái nhìn, đánh giá, xem xét” in the Soha Tratu Dictionary Therefore, I chose this meaning for the translation which is translated as “cái nhìn” in Vietnamese.
Suggested version: " Các nhà khảo cổ học đã có cái nhìn đầy hoài nghi với những ghi chép của Trung Quốc, mặc dù họ đã đưa ra những bằng chứng về những gì đã xảy ra, nó diễn ra như thế nào, khi nào và ở đâu."
Example 3: In the sentence “Archaeologists insist that there is absolutely no archaeological evidence to support the premise, but I cannot help but wonder, if those same Indian traders who delivered the Hindu priests to the Chams.” [P7], we should pay much attention to the word “deliver” The word “deliver” is defined in the Cambridge Dictionary as follow:
[1] to take goods, letters, parcels, etc to people's houses or places of work
[2] to give, direct, or aim something
[3] to achieve or produce something that has been promised
[4] to (help) give birth to a baby
[5] to save someone from a painful or bad experience
There are a lot of meanings for “deliver” in the dictionary Depending on the meaning of the whole sentence, the second meaning is suitable to translate, and it means "mang đến" in Vietnamese Therefore, I chose “mang đến” to convert this word.
Suggested Version: ''Các nhà khảo cổ học nhấn mạnh rằng chắc chắn không có bằng chứng khảo cổ nào chứng minh cho tiền đề đó, nhưng tôi không thể không tự hỏi, liệu chính những thương nhân Ấn Độ đã mang những vị tu sĩ Ấn Độ giáo đến với người Chăm."
4.1.2 Idioms, expressions, and phrasal verbs
One of the most challenging aspects of translating is idioms and expressions.
We cannot translate idioms and expressions word for word, but we must grasp the entire phrase Many times, the meaning of idioms and expressions differs from the meaning of each word in the phrase, so in order to accurately translate idioms and expressions, we must first thoroughly comprehend the verb and all things linked to it.
Example 4: “As the Indian trading post at Oc Eo near the Cambodian border of Funan had been set up expressly for that purpose - to find produce to trade for gold in Java!” [P7]
In the Cambridge Dictionary, the phrasal verb “set up” is defined as
“to formally establish a new company, organization, system, way of working, etc.”, and it means “thiết lập” in Vietnamese Thus, I had a suggested version as below:
Suggested Version: " Vì trạm mậu dịch của Ấn Độ tại Óc Eo gần biên giới Phù Nam với Campuchia đã được thiết lập rõ ràng cho mục đích đó - tìm nguồn nô lệ để đổi lấy vàng ở Java!"
Example 5: “The original Nguyen lord, Nguyen Hoang, quietly worked away as governor, ostensibly to develop Dang Trong, the southern region, gradually building up his own military power and establishing an administrative structure mirroring the royal court in Thang Long, on the face of it, still supporting the weak
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the expression "on the face of it" is
" used when you are describing how a situation seems on the surface ", and it means "bề mặt, một mặt của vấn đề" in Vietnamese However, to make the suggested sentence smoother and more suitable for the context, I converted it into
Challenging Structures
When translating a text, the structure is crucial to the meaning of the phrase.
As there are several methods to structure words into sentences, translators become perplexed throughout the translation process Furthermore, there are certain differences between Vietnamese and English grammar Some structures, like as passive voice, dummy subject, etc., are uncommon in Vietnamese As a result, translators must have a deep understanding of the grammatical patterns of the source language in order to correctly translate the text's meaning into the target language During the translation process, I encountered numerous difficult structures that required detailed analysis in order to properly convey the message into Vietnamese.
A compound sentence is a sentence that has at least two independent clauses joined by one of the types:
A comma and a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
A semicolon, a conjunctive adverb, and a comma
Each of the clauses is important and could stand alone.
However, in this section, I just analyze compound structures with coordinating conjunction.
Example 8: "By 1780 Nguyen Anh had rallied enough of an army to capture Gia Dinh (Saigon) from the Tay Son, but only two years later in 1782, the Tay Son retook Gia Dinh and Nguyen Anh again was forced to flee to Pulo Wai (Phu Quoc) island." [P37]
This sentence consists of two independent clauses connected by the coordinating conjunction "but" , including "By 1780 Nguyen Anh had rallied enough of an army to capture Gia Dinh (Saigon) from the Tay Son " and " only two years later in 1782, the Tay Son retook Gia Dinh and Nguyen Anh again was forced to flee to Pulo Wai (Phu Quoc) island." in order
Suggested version: “Đến năm 1780, Nguyễn Ánh đã tập hợp đủ binh lực để đánh chiếm thành Gia Định (Sài Gòn) từ quân đội Tây Sơn, nhưng chỉ hai năm sau đó ,1782, Tây Sơn đã chiếm lại thành Gia Định và Nguyễn Ánh một lần nữa buộc phải chạy trốn ra đảo Pulo Wai (Phú Quốc).”
Example 9: " In Thang Long (Hanoi), the weak Le king remained at least nominally a vassal of China, so following the first engagement, he fled north to seek military assistance from the emperor of China." [P31]
This sentence contains two independent clauses linked by the coordinating conjunction "so" The first one is " the weak Le king remained at least nominally a vassal of China ", and the second one is " following the first engagement, he fled north to seek military assistance from the emperor of China "
Suggested version: “Tại Thăng Long (Hà Nội), vua Lê bù nhìn trên danh nghĩa vẫn là một chư hầu của Trung Quốc, vì vậy sau cuộc giao chiến đầu tiên, ông đã chạy trốn lên phía bắc để tìm kiếm sự viện trợ quân sự từ hoàng đế Trung Hoa.”
Example 10: " This gave him even more land and he busily settled more, who either volunteered or as often as not, were forced to move to the new territories." [P28]
This sentence contains two independent clauses linked by the coordinating conjunction "and" They are " This gave him even more land " and " he busily settled more emigrants, who either volunteered or as often as not, were forced to move to the new territories." in order I offered a suggested version as follow:
Suggested version: “Thậm chí điều này còn mang lại cho ông ta ta nhiều đất đai và chúa Nguyễn chiêu mộ nhiều người di cư đến hơn, những người tình nguyện hoặc thường thì buộc phải chuyển đến các vùng đất mới.”
A complex sentence is one that has one independent clause and at least one dependent clause It is frequently used to indicate which ideas are the most important and which are subordinate Therefore, if we lack sound grammatical understanding and do not thoroughly evaluate the text, we are highly likely to translate it incorrectly Noun clauses, adjective clauses, or adverbial clauses are common components of a complex structure.
4.2.2.1 Complex Sentence with Noun Clause
It is difficult to translate sentences with noun clauses A noun clause is a challenging part of English grammar to grasp since it frequently causes us to misunderstand the meaning of the sentence if we wrongly define the noun clause as well as its function Here are several examples of the noun clause, and my suggested versions.
Example 11: “Invaded by the Chinese, who thought they had detected a moment of weakness after the defeat of the Trinh, the battle culminated in the Tay Son army vanquishing the Chinese army in the Dong Da district of the capital, Thang Long.” [P32]
In this sentence, the embedded clause “they had detected a moment of weakness after the defeat of the Trinh, the battle culminated in the Tay Son army vanquishing the Chinese army in the Dong Da district of the capital, Thang Long.”
– whose the subordinator “that” is omitted - is a noun clause standing for the direct object of the sentence Depending on the analysis, I simply translated it.
Suggested version: "Đất nước bị xâm lược, người Trung Quốc nghĩ rằng họ đã phát hiện ra được điểm yếu sau thất bại của họ Trịnh, trận chiến lên đến đỉnh điểm khi quân đội Tây Sơn đánh bại quân đội Trung Quốc tại quận Đống Đa của thủ đô Thăng Long."
Example 12: " Chinese domination - and cultural influence - endured over the northern half of what is now Vietnam for a thousand years." [P2]
This sentence contains the noun clause "what is now Vietnam for a thousand years" used as preposition complement.
Suggested version: " Sự thống trị của Trung Quốc - và ảnh hưởng văn hóa - đã tồn tại ở nửa phía bắc của Việt Nam ngày nay trong một nghìn năm."
Example 13: " Conversely, the Viets were constantly pushing further south in what they called their Nam Tien movement (Nam meaning south, Tien meaning running), as they had nowhere else to go." [P14]
In this sentence, the noun clause “what they called their Nam Tien movement
(Nam meaning south, Tien meaning running)” plays a role as an object of the preposition "in" and I had the suggested version below.
Difficulties
Translating is about conveying intents, sentiments, and implicit messages while remaining sensitive to the subtleties, idiosyncrasies, and natural beauty of a language However, it is clear that translation is not always easy, especially since each language has its own cultural and linguistic subtleties Furthermore, the grammar, lexis, syntax, or terminology all have an effect on the quality of the suggested version Translators are necessary to have a deep particular understanding of the topic they are translating as well as a comprehension of the structure and lexis used in the text in order to achieve correct, natural, and smooth suggested versions. Translation is also a challenge since the translator must rebuild the original text in the form of SL to TL, which is a succinct and accurate translated version that is easier to grasp for the reader As a result, as an amateur translator, I met several issues during the translation process.
The first issue I faced was a lack of vocabulary Throughout the translation process, I encountered a number of strange words and phrases that I had never seen before In addition, there are many words and phrases with several meanings, making me confused about determining the most precise meaning, and I end up translating the incorrect one I occasionally met some words whose meanings had not been translated in the dictionary, and I could not always figure out what these phrases meant, or whether meanings were inappropriate for the situations.
Furthermore, idioms and phrasing make translation more challenging for me. They describe things using unusual instances or figures of speech And most significantly, the meanings of these peculiar terms cannot be foretold by the literal meanings of the words it contains.
Next, grammar is one of the tough aspects to cope with since grammar differs between languages Many structures in English are less common or even do not exist in Vietnamese, for example, passive sentences, dummy subject structures, and existing sentences As a result, we must first understand the author's ideas before expressing them in Vietnamese using a different framework; otherwise, the sentence will be very rigid and unnatural.
Besides, in the translation process, complicated structures such as relative clauses, noun clauses, and so on also frequently perplexed me, necessitating a thorough grasp of grammar in order to convey the author's ideas.
In conclusion, it is difficult to translate a document successfully Translators must have an extensive understanding of not only the field into which they are translating but also the structure and lexis of both languages in order to generate the exact suggested version.
Solutions
It is inescapable to encounter issues during the translation process However, I have my own method to solve these problems based on translation skills through theoretical as well as practical subjects I had been taught at university.
Firstly, I read the entire original text to understand the author's main idea before translating so that I could cover the content and have a general overview of the text During this process, I also concentrated on and noted all of the challenging words and phrases that I found it hard to translate, as well as highlighting the structures that confused me or were not easy to understand Then I would analyze them thoroughly and do my best to translate them If I am doubtful about the correctness of my translation, I will ask for assistance from my supervisor or friends Therefore, I will solve problematic structures or determine the most appropriate meaning for difficult terms In addition, I also read the materials in the library as well as discovering information on the Internet, which are quite helpful in deciphering some complex terms, such as technical terms.
Secondly, I studied a variety of dictionaries, including the Glosbe Dictionary,Soha Tra Tu Dictionary, Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Free Dictionary,Cambridge Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, etc to identify the most appropriate meanings Besides, I searched concepts or places I did not recognize on the Internet to determine what they were However, in some circumstances, with terms I could not look up their definitions, I place them into correct contexts and get proper meanings depending on the context.
Thirdly, the challenged structures would be carefully analyzed to determine their elements It was really beneficial to thoroughly understand the sentence forms in order to avoid confusion If there were any structures that I was not sure about or did not remember, I would review them to appropriately evaluate and translate. Additionally, to translate effectively and correctly, knowledge of the target language is also required and we must rely on the context while translating the text.
To summarize, I faced several problems during the translation process;however, I tried my best to figure out solutions and provide the best-recommended version.
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS
Conclusion
Throughout four years at the Faculty of English, I was provided with a wealth of knowledge and skills to help me become a proficient translator However, while completing my graduation paper, I found that I had a number of drawbacks This paper enabled me to enhance my analysis and expression abilities Furthermore, I got plenty of experience during the analysis process.
To begin with, during the translation process, I realized that I had a limited vocabulary in both SL and TL There were several words that I did not know their meanings, making them difficult to translate Moreover, the shortage of Vietnamese lexis also led to poorly conveying an idea in Vietnamese, even if I understood the author's expression As a result, it is absolutely necessary to expand the vocabulary. Next, my grammar was displayed in this graduation paper I assessed a handful of phrases inaccurately due to a lack of grammar and syntactic understanding I got the chance to detect weaknesses and enhance my understanding through this paper.
Furthermore, my translation skills have increased as a result of translating and analyzing this graduation paper Now I know how to solve the problems in the original text in order to create a well-recommended version I regularly find myself unable to transfer concepts or phrases that do not have definitions in dictionaries; however, I have recently studied how to infer these meanings from context
In addition, I learned how to communicate an idea in TL by employing an equivalent I was also able to swiftly analyze challenging structures in order to get the best results now.
In short, I am aware that I have many shortcomings in translation As a result, in order to become an effective translator, I must always endeavor to study and develop my knowledge and skills, as well as getting more practice.
Suggestions
After finishing my graduation thesis, I have some suggestions for the English
Translation and Interpretation students and the Faculty of English.
Firstly, students must broaden their knowledge in many fields since they will encounter several documents from diverse topics in the future Furthermore, understanding the language's structure, grammar, semantics, and other elements will help students grasp the author's idea more easily, decreasing confusion and errors throughout the translation process.
Secondly, in order to become good translators, students need to focus on their mother tongue along with improving their English By reading more books, novels, and magazines, watching videos, or listening to songs, they can not only accumulate more useful knowledge but also extend their vocabulary In many circumstances, students are able to understand all of the author's ideas, but they are unable to convey their thoughts in their mother tongue due to a lack of vocabulary. Developing their native language will allow them to translate more naturally, and smoothly
Finally, students have to fully grasp translation theory, which helps them analyze and translate the text rapidly Moreover, they should develop their reading comprehension skills These abilities allow them to fully understand the topic mentioned by the author to prevent blunders as well as guessing difficult words effectively in the translation process.
Firstly, I think that the teachers should give students more opportunities to improve their translation analysis skills It is very common for students to be able to translate a sentence but they cannot analyze the elements of the statement
Secondly, teachers should provide students with additional knowledge about the cultural characteristics of different countries in their lessons Translating will be easier if students are familiar with the culture of the country in which the author lives since culture has a great influence on the style of writing and the use of words.Finally, the Faculty of English should establish practice rooms that are fully equipped with computers and headphones in order to improve the effectiveness of translation classes Furthermore, additional extracurricular activities, as well asEnglish clubs, are required to create an environment in which students can exchange knowledge and assist others in improving.
[1] Catford, J.C (1965) A Linguistic Theory of Translation Oxford: Oxford
[2] Duff, A (1989) Translation Oxford: Oxford University Press
[3] Newmark, P (1988) A Textbook of Translation New York: Prentice Hall
[4] Nida, E., & Taber, C (1982) The Theory and Practice of Translation Leiden:
[5] Albasyouni, Z (2016, May 18) Catford Translation Theory Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/zee_albasyouni/catford-62139024? fbclid=IwAR3H_qivv-
[6] Bailey, T (2021, July 14) It Happened One Summer Retrieved from https://www.reader2u.com/book/2057.html
[7] Cambridge Dictionary Retrieved from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
[8] Chương, H.N (2012, February 25) Khi chúng ta chia tay Retrieved from http://thohoangnguyenchuong.weebly.com/th417anh/category/lord%20byron? fbclid=IwAR0pKITJz8IrYPl5tiI4t8XkWw_4iHENwd8h0hJMeUxh4YUYUFCNw
[9] Glosbe Dictionary Retrieved from https://vi.glosbe.com/
[10] Merriam-Webster Dictionary Retrieved from https://www.merriam- webster.com/
[11] Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Retrieved from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/
[12] Quynh, D (2020) Comparative Study of Titles in English Pop Songs and
Those in Their Translated Versions Based on Newmark’s Model VNU Journal of
[13] Soha Tra Tu Dictionary Retrieved from http://tratu.soha.vn/
[14] The Free Dictionary Retrieved from https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/
[15] Tiên, T (2021, April 20) Tổng hợp câu tục ngữ tiếng Anh hay về con người và xã hội cuộc sống Retrieved from https://thanhtay.edu.vn/cau-tuc-ngu-tieng-anh- hay/
[16] Tiến, L.H (2007) Vấn đề phương pháp trong dịch thuật Anh Việt VNU
Journal of Foreign Studies, 23(1) Retrieved from https://js.vnu.edu.vn/FS/article/view/3092
[17] Vanilla (2010, April 9) Kinds of Translation Retrieved from https://transvanilla.blogspot.com/2010/04/kinds-of-translation.html? fbclid=IwAR1BdJEZdjqe7mAJUSecr1fQal3CW2 WBjs70h7TJ-