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INTRODUCTION
Rationale
In the context of globalization and modernization, English for translation and interpretation has become a crucial part of human civilization, contributing to bringing people together by transcending language and geography barriers As a student of the Faculty of English at Duy Tan University, I have approached and learned various kinds of translation related to different sectors to become a bridge for those who are non-English speakers, including politics, society, or the environment Among those, translating environmental fields is what I find the most interesting; therefore, I decided to opt for the book “Cities and Climate Change: Responding Urgent Agenda” by Daniel Hoornweg et al for my graduation thesis.
Undoubtedly, the development of cities contributes to making people live better lives; however, it is also a double-edged sword because of its serious effects on climate change It cannot be denied that these critical effects are related to cities' GHG emissions, which are centers of economic activity and concentrations of population Additionally, developing countries and vulnerable populations are disproportionately affected by climate change; therefore, adaptation and mitigation efforts play an important role in global efforts to mitigate climate change.
Studying cities and climate change is a great way to gain a deeper understanding of current global issues It’s an intriguing and important subject that places great emphasis on many aspects of people’s lives to raise awareness among each individual about its serious influence People also learn how and why cities, governments, and individuals respond accordingly to such issues Due to the limited research time, limited practical experience, plentiful research issues, and initial familiarity with the research, it is difficult to avoid shortcomings in the article I look forward to the comments of teachers and friends so that I can complete this topic in the best way possible.
Aims and objectives
- Helping everyone understand the harmful effects of climate change - Increasing people’s awareness about environmental issues
- Analyzing the main causes and providing appropriate solutions for this phenomenon
- Improving translation skills through complex grammar structures and vocabulary as well as unfamiliar expressions.
- Translating from the source language into the target language by applying different methods of translation.
- Mastering translating skills to translate more fluently and naturally.
- Acquiring more complicated structures and vocabulary, as well as knowing more about the terms and concepts of plastic waste and the environmental field.
- Avoiding common errors in the translation process.
- Conveying the content of this book as precisely as possible.
The scope of study
In this graduation paper, I would like to offer a suggested translation from the source language in English to the target in Vietnamese of Chapter 1 of the book "Cities and Climate Change: Responding Urgent Agenda” byDaniel Hoornweg et al., 2011 In addition, I also analyzed some difficult vocabulary and grammar structures that I encountered during the process of translating this book.
Chapter 1 of the book " Cities and Climate Change: Responding Urgent Agenda” by Daniel Hoornweg et al., 2011 mainly focus on emphasising the significant challenge posed by climate change, particularly in urban areas.
Additionally, it highlights the vulnerability of developing countries and impoverished populations to the impacts of climate change Despite ongoing efforts for poverty reduction and sustainable development, climate change threatens to undo progress made in these areas.
This book includes 10 chapters with 289 pages, but the time is limited so I have translated only chapter 1 with over 4500 words in length.
“Cities and Climate Change: Responding Urgent Agenda” is a book divided into 10 chapters and the text choosen belongs to chapter 1 of the book The text is divided into many different sections and it is organized as follows:
The Challenge of Cities and Climate Change
The 5th Urban Research Symposium
Cities and Climate Change Mitigation
Cities and Climate Change Adaptation
The book of “CITIES AND CLIMATE CHANGE: Responding to an Urgent Agenda” was written by Daniel Hoornweg, Mila Freire, Marcus J.
Lee, Perinaz Bhada-Tata, and Belinda Yuen, editors and published in 2018.
This book is available on the internet following link: THE WORLD BANK
Methods of the study
I accomplished the translation based on two main methods:
- Scanning and skimming the whole text to get the main content of the text.
- Highlighting ambiguous vocabulary and difficult grammar structures.
- Translating the text and paying attention to highlighted terms, idioms, and structures of the text.
- Discussing with the supervisor and friends as well as searching on the Internet to get the most suitable meanings for those words and structures.
- Checking for mistakes in suggested translation.
- Analysing difficult vocabulary and grammar structures based on translation and grammar theories after completing translation process;
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
Translation theory
In today’s world, English is the most widely used "second" and
"learning" language in the world, used for international communication in various fields like aviation, business, the internet, science, and technology.
Accordingly, translation and interpretation is an essential and also difficult major, which creates many job opportunities for graduate students However, there are more and more definitions of translation by different authors and each of them have their own thinking about this field Here are some definitions of translation given by some well-known linguistic experts:
According to J C Catford in “A Linguistic Theory of Translation”
(1965), “Translation is the replacement of textual material in one language (the source language) by equivalent textual material in another language (the target language).”
In the book "Translation," Allan Duff (1989) said that “Translation as the process of conveying messages across linguistic and cultural barriers is an eminently communicative activity.”
According to Tudor Ian (1965), “translation consists of translating the meaning of the source language into the receptor language This is done by going from the form of the first language to the form of a second language by way of semantic structure It is the meaning that is being transferred and must be held constant Only the form changes.”
In conclusion, I suppose that translation is the process of obviously exchanging the relationship between at least two languages: the source language (SL) and the target language (TL).
Types of categories
According to JC Carford, in a full translation, the entire text is submitted to the translation process; that is, every part of the source language text is replaced with target language text materials.
For example: "The research findings were published in the prestigious academic journal last month."
Suggested version 1: "Kết quả nghiên cứu đã được công bố trong tạp chí học thuật danh tiếng vào tháng trước”
Suggested version 2: Tạp chí học thuật danh tiếng đã công bố kết quả nghiên cứu vào tháng trước”
It can be seen that all words in a sentence are translated, namely “full translation”:
The research findings -> kết quả nghiên cứu were published -> đã được công bố in the prestigious academic journal -> trong tạp chí học thuật danh tiếng last month -> tháng trước
According to JC Carford, partial translation is some parts of source language text are left untranslated and or incorporated in the target language text.
For example: “Áo dài” là một trong những trang phục truyền thống của phụ nữ Việt Nam
Suggested version: “Ao dai” is one of the traditional costumes of
In the translated version, the term " Ao dai” " is still present Since it represents a cultural concept with no direct English equivalent, it should be preserved in the English rendition."
2.2.3 Total and restricted translation 2.2.3.1 Total translation
Total Translation can best be defined as the replacement of source language grammar and lexis by equivalent target language grammar and lexis with consequential replacement of source language phonology/graphology by (non-equivalent) target language phonology/graphology.
For example: "The early bird catches the worm."
Suggested version: "Con chim sớm thì bắt được giun."
In this example, i have not only translated the words from English to Vietnamese but also preserved the idiomatic expression and meaning of the original text The translated sentence conveys the same message as the original text, which is about the benefits of starting early.
Restricted Translation is replacement of source language textual by equivalent target language textual material, at only one level, that is translation performed only at the phonological or at graphological level, or at only one of the two levels of grammar and lexis.
For example: " Bọn trẻ vô tư đùa nghịch trong sân trường."
Suggested version: "Children play carefreely in the schoolyard.
In this example, the original Vietnamese sentence describes children playing freely and lightheartedly in the schoolyard The suggested translation maintains the essence of the original by conveying the idea of carefree play among children However, it doesn't attempt to translate every word directly.
Instead, it captures the meaning while ensuring readability and cultural relevance in English.
In Phonological Translation Source language phonology is replaced by equivalent target language phonology, but there are no other replacements except such grammatical or lexical changes as many results accidentally from phonological translation
Suggested version: “pi-a-no, ghi-ta”
Source language graphological is replaced with equivalent target one without other considerable replacement Example: zero - dê rô.
Methods and principles of translation
The source language is translated word by word This is often demonstrated as interlinear translation, with the target language immediately below the source language words The source language word-order is preserved and the words translated singly by their most common meanings, out of context.
For example: “Hôm nay trời nắng, tôi đi công viên cùng bạn bè”
Suggested version: “Today sky sunny, I go park together friends”
In this example, each word from the original Vietnamese sentence is translated directly into English and the word order of the original language is preserved.
The source language's grammatical structures are converted to the target language's closest structure, but the words are translated singly in the most common sense and out of context For example: “This program is sponsored by Walls.”
For example: “Our country is developing at a rapid pace”
Suggested version: “Đất nước chúng ta đang phát triển với tốc độ nhanh chóng.”
A faithful translation attempts to reproduce the precise contextual meaning of the original meaning within the constraints of the Target language grammatical structures It "transfers” cultural words and preserves the degree of grammatical and lexical "abnormality" in the translation It attempts to be completely faithful to the intentions and the text realisation of the Source language writer.
For example: “Tình bạn là một kho báu vô giá”
Suggested version: “Friendship is a priceless treasure.”
It reproduces the matter without the manner or the content without the form of the original Usually, it is a paraphrase much longer than the original.
For example: “Business is business.”
Suggested version: “Công việc là công việc, tình cảm là tình cảm, không lẫn lộn được.”
This method reproduces the “message” of the original again but tends to distort the nuances of meaning by preferring colloquialisms and idioms where these do not exist in the original.
For example: “Nước chảy đá mòn.”
Suggested version: “Constant dripping wears away stone.”
In this example, translation by using idioms with dissimilar form but similar meaning.
For example: “All that glitters are not gold.”
Suggested version: “Lấp lánh chưa chắc là vàng.”
In this example, translation by using an idiom with similar form and meaning in the target language.
Communicative translation is an accurate translation of the contextual meaning of the original text that the reader can easily accept and understand both the content and the language of it.
For example: “Get the raincoat or you’ll get a cold.”
Suggested version: “Mặc áo mưa vào không là bị cảm đó.”
In this example, it has the appropriate content and language, helping readers understand the meaning and not think wandering.
Adaptation translation is a free form of translation and is used mainly for plays (comedies) and poetry The text is culturally re-completed in the source language and then transformed into the target language culture while keeping the elements related to the characters, themes, and contexts intact.
“My love is as a fever, longing still For that which longer nurseth the disease;
Feeding on that which doth preserve the sill, The uncertain sickly appetite to please.”
“Tình yêu tôi là cơn đau vật vã, Cần chữa nhanh, đang nhức nhối đêm ngày.
Thuốc chữa nó không phải gì xa lạ:
Chình là điều làm khổ có lâu nay.”.
Semantic translation differs “faithful translation” only in as far as it must take more account of the aesthetic value (that is, the beautiful and natural sound) of the source language text, compromising on ‘meaning’ where appropriate so that no assonance, word-play or repetition jars in the finished version Further, it may translate less important cultural words by culturally neutral third or functional terms but not by cultural equivalents The distinction between ‘faithful’ and ‘semantic’ translation is that the first is uncompromising and dogmatic, while the second is more flexible, admits the creative exception to 100% fidelity and allows for the translator’s intuitive empathy with the original.
For example: “We hope you will enjoy your staying with us.”
Suggested version: “Chúng tôi hy vọng ngài sẽ có một kỳ nghỉ tuyệt vời tại khách sạn này.”
Here are some general principles of translation mentioned in the book
“Translation” (1989) by Alan Duff These principles will help the students as well as the translator translate better.
“The translation should accurately reflect the meaning of the original text Nothing should be arbitrarily added or removed, though occasionally part of the meaning can be transposed.”
For example: “Điều quan trọng không phải là đích đến mà là chính cuộc hành trình.”
Suggested version: “The important thing is not the destination but the journey itself.”
The ordering of words and ideas in the translation should match the original as closely as possible (This is particular in the form and order of words This is also probably essential in translating legal documents, guarantees, contracts, and etc.) However, the difference in the structure of the language often requires the translators to change the form and order of the word.
For example: “In this important meeting, we will discuss economic issues and identify necessary measures to address them.”
Suggested version: “Trong cuộc họp quan trọng này, chúng tôi sẽ thảo luận về các vấn đề kinh tế và xác định các biện pháp cần thiết để giải quyết chúng.”
Languages often differ greatly in their level of formality in a specific context To resolve these differences, the translator must distinguish between formal or fixed expressions and personal expressions in which the writer and speaker sets the tone.
In general, the translator should not change the style of the original text, but if the original text is written incorrectly or negligently, or repeatedly, the translator can correct the translation to slightly change the defects for the benefit of the reader
For example: “Bãi biển này vừa đẹp, vừa thơ mộng và lãng mạn.”
Suggested version: “This beach is beautiful, poetic, and romantic.”
Idiomatic expressions - including similes, metaphors, proverbs, saying, jargon, slang, colloquialisms, and phrasal verbs – are commonly hard to translate To solve this problem, try any of the following: keep the original word between inverted commas, keep the original expression, with a literal explanation in brackets, use a close equivalent, and use a non-idiomatic or plain prose translation.
For example: “Out of sight, out of mind.”
Suggested version: “Xa mặt cách lòng.”
One of the most frequent criticisms of translation is that “It does not sound natural” This is the overwhelming impact of the original text on the translator's mindset A good way to avoid this mistake is to temporarily ignore the original text and translate a few sentences from memory to get natural thinking in the target language.
For example: “She has had her car fixed.”
Suggested version: “Cô ấy đã nhờ sửa chiếc xe hơi của mình ”
SUGGESTED TRANSLATION
(Paragraph 1) The Challenge of Cities and Climate Change
Climate change is among the most pressing challenges that the world faces today Given current atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs), the world is already committed to significant warming This is a serious challenge, given the wide range of expected climate impacts on natural systems, as well as on human societies, as assessed in the most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2007).
Thách thức của các thành phố và biến đổi khí hậu
Ngày nay, biến đổi khí hậu vẫn là một trong những thách thức cấp bách nhất mà thế giới đang phải đối mặt Hiện tượng nóng lên toàn cầu đã được cảnh báo với nồng độ khí nhà kính (GHGs) trong bầu khí quyển Đây là một thách thức nghiêm trọng, do khí hậu sẽ tác động lớn tới các hệ thống tự nhiên cũng như xã hội loài người, như được đánh giá trong báo cáo gần đây nhất của Ủy ban liên chính phủ về biến đổi khí hậu (IPCC 2007).
(Paragraph 2) The severity of these impacts will depend in part on the outcomes of global efforts to mitigate climate change Yet developing countries and poor populations everywhere remain the most vulnerable to the impacts of
Những ảnh hưởng nghiêm trọng này sẽ phần nào phụ thuộc vào kết quả của nỗ lực toàn cầu trong việc giảm thiểu biến đổi khí hậu Tuy nhiên,các quốc gia đang phát triển và người dân nghèo trên toàn cầu vẫn là đối tượng chịu ảnh hưởng nhất bởi climate change những tác động của biến đổi khí hậu.
(Paragraph 3) Even as poverty reduction and sustainable development remain at the core of the global agenda - as emphasized in the World Development Report 2010: Development and Climate Change - climate change threatens to undermine the progress that has been achieved to date (World Bank 2010a).
Mặc dù việc giảm nghèo và phát triển bền vững vẫn là ưu tiên hàng đầu trong chính sách toàn cầu - được nhấn mạnh trong Báo cáo Phát triển Thế giới 2010: Phát triển và Biến đổi Khí hậu – nhưng biến đổi khí hậu đang đe dọa làm suy giảm tiến bộ đã đạt được cho đến nay (Ngân hàng Thế giới 2010a).
(Paragraph 4) Urbanization is a defining phenomenon of this century Developing countries are at the locus of this transformation, as highlighted in the World Bank’s 2009 Urban Strategy It is often repeated that more than half of the world’s population is now urban.
Most of the population of industrialized countries is urban, with numerous developing countries, particularly in Latin America, also highly urbanized (UN 2010) Đô thị hóa là hiện tượng đặc trưng của thế kỷ này Các nước đang phát triển đang là tâm điểm của sự chuyển đổi đó, điều này được nhấn mạnh trong Chiến lược đô thị năm 2009 của Ngân hàng Thế giới Rõ ràng rằng, hơn một nửa dân số thế giới hiện nay là người thành thị Hầu hết người dân của những quốc gia công nghiệp hóa sống ở thành phố, với nhiều nước đang phát triển, đặc biệt là ở Mỹ Latinh, cũng có mức độ đô thị hóa cao (UN 2010)
(Paragraph 5) Many developing countries in other regions of the world are following the same path.
Nhiều quốc gia đang phát triển ở những khu vực khác trên thế giới đều đang theo đuổi hướng phát triển tương tự Sự thay đổi này không chỉ challenge, but also a huge opportunity The World
Reshaping Economic Geography (World Bank 2009) framed this in a new paradigm: to harness the growth and development benefits of urbanization while proactively managing its negative effects. là một thách thức mà còn là một cơ hội lớn Báo cáo Phát triển Thế giới 2009: định hình lại Địa lý Kinh tế (Ngân hàng Thế giới 2009) đã đưa ra một khung cảnh mới: tận dụng các lợi ích về tăng trưởng và phát triển từ quá trình đô thị hóa, đồng thời tích cực quản lý các ảnh hưởng tiêu cực phát sinh.
(Paragraph 6) Cities concentrate wealth, people, and productivity, but they also concentrate vulnerability to natural disasters and to long-term changes in climate Rising sea levels will affect millions of people living in coastal cities Similarly, migration, changes in land use, and spatial development are likely to increase the vulnerability of populations to changes in weather and climatic conditions.
Thành phố không chỉ tập trung vào của cải, con người và sản xuất, mà còn quan tâm tới những bất lợi về thiên tai và biến đổi khí hậu Mực nước biển dâng cao sẽ ảnh hưởng đến hàng triệu người sống ở các thành phố ven biển Đồng thời, sự di cư, những thay đổi trong việc sử dụng đất và phát triển không gian là nguy cơ phát sinh những bất lợi tới người dân trước những thay đổi về điều kiện thời tiết và khí hậu.
(Paragraph 7) Adaptation to climate change is therefore an imperative for cities, as it is for the world at large The urgency of this challenge is also evident when considering the massive investments
Cho nên, việc thích nghi với biến đổi khí hậu là điều bắt buộc đối với các thành phố nói riêng và thế giới nói chung Sự cấp bách của thách thức này cũng được cân nhắc khi các khoản đầu tư khổng lồ vào các cơ sở in buildings and infrastructure that cities in developing countries will undertake in the coming years, which will lock in urban form and structure for many decades thereafter. hạ tầng mà các thành phố ở những nước đang phát triển sẽ tiến hành trong những năm tới, điều này sẽ gắn kết hình thức và cấu trúc đô thị trong nhiều thập kỷ tới.
(Paragraph 8) The 5th Urban Research Symposium
The links between cities and climate change were the subject of the 5th Urban Research Symposium held in Marseille in June 2009 Under the main theme, Cities and Climate Change—Responding to an Urgent Agenda, the symposium aimed to advance the state of knowledge on cities and climate change from an applied research perspective
Hội thảo nghiên cứu đô thị lần thứ 5
ANALYSIS
Words and phrases with multiple meanings in dictionary
It is clear that "words and phrases with multiple meanings" in a dictionary typically refer to lexical items that possess more than one interpretation or sense These words or phrases can be contextually ambiguous, presenting different meanings depending on the context in which they are used
Example 1: The use of energy pricing based on carbon content would promote both of these changes (Paragraph 39)
According to The Oxford Dictionary, “content” is defined as:
[1] the things that are contained in something.
[2] the different sections that are contained in a book.
[3] the subject matter of a book, speech, programme, etc.
[4] the amount of a substance that is contained in something else.
[5] the information or other material contained on a website or other digital media
Although the word "content” has a number of meanings in the Oxford Dictionary, I suppose that the fourth meaning is the most appropriate in this context, and it makes sense of the coherence of the sentence’s meaning.
Therefore, I chose “hàm lượng” in Vietnamese to maintain the idea of this sentence.
Suggested version: Việc sử dụng định giá năng lượng dựa trên hàm lượng carbon sẽ thúc đẩy cả hai thay đổi này.
Example 2: The expected impacts of climate change pose a massive challenge to cities (Paragraph 51)
According to The Oxford Dictionary, “pose” is defined as:
[1] pose something to create a threat, problem, etc that has to be dealt with
[2] pose a question (formal) to ask a question, especially one that needs serious thought
[3] pose (for somebody/something) to sit or stand in a particular position in order to be painted, drawn or photographed
[4] pose as somebody to pretend to be somebody in order to trick other people.
There are a lot of meanings for “pose” in the oxford dictionary.
However, I choose the first meaning and can be comprehend as “đặt ra” in the Vietnamese to transfer the word, because it is appropriate for this context.
Suggested version: Những tác động của biến đổi khí hậu trong tương lai đặt ra thách thức lớn cho các thành phố.
Example 3: In “Urban Heat Islands: Sensitivity of Urban
Temperatures to Climate Change and Heat Release in Four European Cities,” McCarthy and Sanderson show how urban areas can be included in regional climate models, using the cases of Athens, Cairo, London, and Moscow (Paragraph 61)
According to The Oxford Dictionary, “Sensitivity” is defined as:
[1] sensitivity (to something) the ability to understand other people’s feelings
[2] the ability to understand art, music and literature and to express yourself through them
[3] the fact of being easily offended or upset by something
[4] the fact of needing to be treated very carefully because it may offend or upset people
[5] the fact of reacting quickly or more than usual to something [6] the ability to measure very small changes
For the consistency of the sentence’s meaning, I suppose that the sixth meaning is the most suitable, following its context And it can be understood as “Độ nhạy” in Vietnamese.
Suggested version: Trong “Đảo nhiệt đô thị: Độ nhạy của nhiệt độ đô thị với biến đổi khí hậu và giải phóng nhiệt ở bốn thành phố châu Âu”, McCarthy và Sanderson chỉ ra cách mà các khu vực đô thị có thể được đưa vào mô hình khí hậu khu vực, chẳng hạn như Athens, Cairo, London và Moscow.
Example 4: Greater assets (both intellectual and physical) reduce vulnerability and improve the capacity of the individual and community to react and adapt to disasters, including post-disaster reconstruction.
According to The Oxford Dictionary, “capacity” is defined as:
[1] the number of things or people that a container or space can hold [2] the ability to understand or to do something
[3] the official position or function that somebody has [4] the quantity that a factory, machine, etc can produce [5] the size or power of a piece of equipment, especially the engine of a vehicle
Obviously, the fifth meaning is the most suitable for the context and I advocate that the meaning of it is “năng lực” in Vietnamese.
Suggested version: Tài sản lớn hơn (cả trí tuệ và vật chất) làm giảm tính dễ bị tổn thương và nâng cao năng lực của cá nhân và cộng đồng trong việc ứng phó và thích ứng với thảm họa, bao gồm cả hoạt động tái thiết sau thảm họa.
Example 5: An emerging conclusion is that the key to adaptation among the urban poor is to continue to address the basic poverty reduction and sustainable development agenda in cities to improve the livelihoods and resilience of the poor—ensuring adequate and effective delivery of services such as health, education, water, energy, public transport, and waste management (Paragraph 72)
According to The Oxford Dictionary, “delivery” is defined as:
[1] the act of taking goods, letters, etc to the people they have been sent
[2] the act of making a service or information available to people [3] the process of giving birth to a baby
[4] the way in which somebody speaks, sings a song, etc in public [5] a ball that is thrown, especially in cricket or baseball
It cannot be denied that the second meaning is opted to translate for this sentence since it suits the most, so “cung cấp” is the Vietnamese equivalent for “delivery”.
Suggested version: Kết luận gần đây nhất mở tia hy vọng cho người nghèo thành thị thích ứng, là tiếp tục triển khai chương trình giảm nghèo cơ bản và phát triển bền vững ở các thành phố, nhằm cải thiện đời sống và khả năng phục hồi của người nghèo, đảm bảo cung cấp đầy đủ và hiệu quả các dịch vụ như y tế, giáo dục, nước sinh hoạt, năng lượng, giao thông công cộng và quản lý chất thải.
Terminolog
Undoubtedly, terminology is vocabulary associated with a certain field of study, profession, or activity Therefore, knowing the terminology is an important part of becoming a professional translator Here are a few examples of terminology that I deal with.
Example 6 : New York City and Singapore have been able to maintain a high level of transit share by mandating high FARs, prioritizing and improving connections to public transport, ensuring high levels of amenities that make downtown areas attractive, and promoting mixed-use developments located at integrated transport hubs (Paragraph 39)
According to Wikipedia, “FARs” are abbreviated by “floor area ratios” and defined as the ratio of a building's total floor area (gross floor area) to the size of the piece of land upon which it is built So, it can be definited “hệ số sử dụng đất” in the context of Vietnamese.
Suggested version: Thành phố New York và Singapore đã có thể duy trì một mức độ sử dụng phương tiện công cộng cao bằng cách tăng hệ số sử dụng đất, ưu tiên và cải thiện kết nối với giao thông công cộng, đảm bảo mức độ tiện nghi cao làm cho khu vực trung tâm thành phố trở nên hấp dẫn và thúc đẩy phát triển khu phức hợp nằm trong trung tâm giao thông tích hợp.
Example 7: The forthcoming Urban Risk Assessment, an approach for assessing disaster and climate risk in cities, is being developed by the World Bank with UNEP and UN-HABITAT and proposes a unified methodology for this purpose (Paragraph 65)
According to Wikipedia, “UNEP” and “UN-HABITAT” are abbreviated by “United Nations Environment Programme” and “United
Nations Human Settlements Programme” and defined as “Chương trình
Môi trường Liên Hợp Quốc” and “Chương trình Định cư của Liên Hợp Quốc” respectively.
Suggested version: Đánh giá Rủi ro Đô thị là một phương pháp đánh giá rủi ro thiên tai và khí hậu ở các thành phố, đang được Ngân hàng Thế giới phối hợp với Chương trình Môi trường Liên Hợp Quốc và Chương trình Định cư của Liên Hợp Quốc cùng phát triển và đề xuất một phương pháp thống nhất cho mục đích này.
Example 8: Various methodologies for measuring city GHG emissions have been developed in Europe and North America - such as Bilan Carbone, the Greenhouse Gas Regional Inventory Protocol, the International Local Government Greenhouse Gas Emissions Protocol, and Project 2 Degrees - raising questions of consistency and comparability (Paragraph 24)
According to Wikipedia, “GHG emissions” are abbreviated by
“Greenhouse gas emissions” and defined as “lượng phát thải khí nhà kính” Greenhouse gases are a group of gases in the atmosphere, originating from both natural sources and human activities, with the ability to absorb and emit radiation at wavelengths within the infrared spectrum emitted from the Earth's surface, atmosphere, and clouds This property results in the greenhouse effect Water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and ozone (O3) are the primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere.
Suggested version: Nhiều phương pháp khác nhau để đo lượng phát thải khí nhà kính của thành phố đã được phát triển ở Châu Âu và Bắc Mỹ như Bilan Carbone, Quy định kiểm kê khu vực khí nhà kính, Quy định về phát thải khí nhà kính của chính quyền địa phương, và Dự án 2 đặt ra câu hỏi về tính nhất quán và khả năng so sánh.
Example 9: “ It represents another important step in bringing the fields of disaster risk management and climate change adaptation closer.”
According to Wikipedia, “disaster risk management” are a terminogoly in environmental field and defined as “quản lý rủi ro thiên tai”.
This term extends from the broader term "risk management" to address specific issues related to natural disasters Disaster risk management aims to prevent, reduce, or mitigate the adverse impacts of hazards through prevention, mitigation, and preparedness activities and measures, minimizing impacts and ensuring readiness to respond.
Suggested version: Đây là một bước tiến quan trọng trong việc đưa các lĩnh vực quản lý rủi ro thiên tai và thích ứng với biến đổi khí hậu đến gần hơn.
Example 10: “ Cities concentrate wealth, people, and productivity, but they also concentrate vulnerability to natural disasters and to long-term changes in climate.” (Paragraph 6)
According to Wikipedia, “vulnerability” is a terminogoly in environmental field and defined as “khả năng dễ bị ảnh hưởng” This term refers to the degree to which a system is sensitive and unable to cope with the adverse effects of climate change, including both climate variability and extreme climate events Vulnerability is a function of the characteristics, magnitude, and rate of climate change and the extent to which a system is exposed to such change, its sensitivity, as well as its adaptive capacity.
Suggested version: Thành phố không chỉ tập trung vào của cải, con người và sản xuất, mà còn quan tâm tới khả năng dễ bị ảnh hưởng về thiên tai và biến đổi khí hậu.
Phrasal verb
A phrasal verb is a verb plus a preposition or adverb which creates a meaning different from the original verb In this original text, there are some phrasal verbs which make me confused during the process of translation
Example 11: The first example for this part of the analysis will be the phrase “point out” in the sentence, “Yet city managers and practitioners serving the urban poor often point out that the multiple competing priorities of today are challenging enough; paying attention to uncertain future climate impacts is thus seen as a lower priority.” (Paragraph 53)
In this case, if “point” stands alone, it has a function as a noun and is defined as:
[1] a thing that somebody says or writes giving their opinion or stating a fact
[2] the main or most important idea in something that is said or done However, according to The Oxford Dictionary, when combining
“point” and preposition “out”, which become a phrasal verb following two meaning as:
[1] to stretch your finger out towards somebody/something in order to show somebody which person or thing you are referring to
[2] to mention something in order to give somebody information about it or make them notice it
Therefore, in this context, the second meaning is considered the most suitable and can be understood “cho rằng”.
Suggested version: Tuy nhiên, ban lãnh đạo cùng cán bộ chỉ đạo triển khai công tác phục vụ người nghèo nơi thành thị thường cho rằng còn nhiều mục tiêu ưu tiên hơn so với việc chú ý đến các tác động khí hậu chưa rõ rệt trong tương lai.
Example 12: Another phrasal verb is “lock in” in the sentence “The urgency of this challenge is also evident when considering the massive investments in buildings and infrastructure that cities in developing countries will undertake in the coming years, which will lock in urban form and structure for many decades thereafter.” (Paragraph 7)
The meanings of “ lock in ” are defined in Cambridge dictionary as follows:
[1] to get and keep an advantage such as a low price:
[2] to choose or decide something finally and definitely, for example by pressing a key on a computer keyboard
[3] to prevent someone from leaving a room or building by locking the door
[4] to prevent someone from ending or changing a financial arrangement
The fourth meaning is chosen to be translated into Vietnamese for “ gắn kết ” as it is the most appropriate in this context.
Suggested version: Sự cấp bách của thách thức này cũng được cân nhắc khi các khoản đầu tư khổng lồ vào các cơ sở hạ tầng mà các thành phố ở những nước đang phát triển sẽ tiến hành trong những năm tới, điều này sẽ gắn kết hình thức và cấu trúc đô thị trong nhiều thập kỷ tới.
Example 13: “Vulnerability varies depending on hazard exposure and the capacity to cope and adapt; these in turn depend on factors such as settlement quality and infrastructure provision.” (Paragraph 69)
In this sentence, “depend on” is a phrasal verb defined in the Oxford Learners Dictionary as follows:
[1] to rely on somebody/something and be able to trust them
[2] to be sure or expect that something will happen The first meaning is more appropriate for this situation; therefore, I translated it into “phụ thuộc” in Vietnamese to preserve the text’s original meaning.
Suggested version: Khả năng dễ bị tổn thương khác nhau dựa trên ảnh hưởng bởi hiểm họa và năng lực để ứng phó và thích ứng, những yếu tố này phụ thuộc vào lượng định cư và cung ứng cơ sở hạ tầng.
Example 14: “Bertaud and others go on to show how in all three cities, spatial policies, including floor area ratios (FARs), have played an important role.” (Paragraph 39)
In this sentence, “ go on ” is a phrasal verb defined in the Oxford Learners Dictionary as follows:
[1] when a performer goes on, they begin their performance [2] (in sport) to join a team as a substitute during a game [3] when a light, the electricity, etc goes on, it starts to work [4] (of time) to pass
[5] usually be going on to happen [6] if a situation goes on, it continues without changing [7] to continue speaking, often after stopping for a short time [8] used to encourage somebody to do something
Although there are a many different meaning of “ go on ”, in this context of sentence, the Seventh meaning is more, and it can be understood “tiếp tục” in Vietnamese
Suggested version: Bertaud và các cộng sự tiếp tục chỉ ra rằng trong cả ba thành phố, các chính sách không gian như tỷ lệ diện tích sàn (FARs) đã đóng một vai trò quan trọng.
Example 15: “Another basic methodological issue lies in the definition of the city for the purpose of measuring emissions, whether based on administrative borders, a defined metropolitan area, or a functional economic space.” (Paragraph 26)
According to the Oxford Learners Dictionary, “base on” is a phrasal verb and is defined as: [usually passive] to use an idea, a fact, a situation, etc. as the point from which something can be developed
Suggested version: Vấn đề phương pháp cơ bản khác nằm ở việc xác định thành phố để đo lường lượng khí thải, dựa trên ranh giới hành chính,khu vực đô thị xác định, hay không gian kinh tế chức năng.
Structures
When it comes to translating documents, the structure of sentences plays a crucial role in conveying precise meaning In a paragraph, sentences often comprise multiple clauses, demanding a careful analysis of grammatical components to decipher the intended message accurately Achieving a comprehensive understanding of the document entails delving into not only the individual words but also the intricate structures of each sentence In addition, a paragraph with too many simple sentences will sound choppy and immature, while a lot of long sentences will be very difficult to read and understand This text has some difficult and ambiguous sentences to translate into Vietnamese correctly, so I would like to analyze grammatical structures.
A compound sentence consists of at least two independent propositions, also known as simple sentences that are connected together.
In this sentence structure, the propositions are connected by conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), a semicolon, or a conjunctive adverb.
Example 16 : “The severity of these impacts will depend in part on the outcome of global efforts to mitigate climate change, yet developing countries and poor populations everywhere remain the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.” (Paragraph 2)
This sentence includes two clauses which are completely independent.
The first one is “The severity of these impacts will depend in part on the outcome of global efforts to mitigate climate change” and the second one is
“developing countries and poor populations everywhere remain the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change” Besides, they are linked together with a coordinating conjunction “yet”, so this sentence is called a compound sentence.
Suggested version: Những ảnh hưởng nghiêm trọng này sẽ phần nào phụ thuộc vào tác động của nỗ lực toàn cầu để giảm thiểu biến đổi khí hậu, tuy nhiên, các quốc gia đang phát triển và người dân nghèo trên toàn cầu vẫn là đối tượng chịu ảnh hưởng nhất bởi những tác động của biến đổi khí hậu.
Example 17 : “Cities are responsible for two-thirds of global energy consumption, and this proportion is expected to gro (IEA 2008).” (Paragraph 21)
This sentence includes two clauses which are completely independent.
The first one is “Cities are responsible for two-thirds of global energy consumption” and the second one is “this proportion is expected to grow further (IEA 2008)” Besides, they are linked together with a coordinator conjunction “and”, so this sentence is called a compound sentence
Suggested version: Các thành phố chiếm hai phần ba mức tiêu thụ năng lượng toàn cầu và tỷ lệ này dự kiến sẽ còn tăng thêm (IEA, 2008).
Example 18 : “Again, cities in industrialized countries are commonly cited as examples of good practice in adaptation planning, but cities in developing countries are also increasingly interested and active in this area.”
This sentence includes two clauses which are completely independent.
The first one is “cities in industrialized countries are commonly cited as examples of good practice in adaptation planning” and the second one is
“cities in developing countries are also increasingly interested and active in this area.” Besides, they are linked together with a coordinator conjunction
“but”, so this sentence is called a compound sentence.
Suggested version: Ngoài ra, các thành phố thuộc các nước công nghiệp hóa thường được xem là dẫn chứng điển hình về việc triển khai hiệu quả trong quy hoạch thích ứng, và thành phố ở các nước đang phát triển cũng ngày càng quan tâm và tích cực hơn trong lĩnh vực này.
A complex sentence is a sentence that is composed of one or more dependent clauses and a single independent clause A dependent clause is also known as a subordinate clause An independent clause is a complete sentence on its own, unlike a dependent clause that depends on other clauses to express a complete idea A sentence is said to be complex if it contains the two clauses (independent and dependent).
Example 19 : “Although this received wisdom has been questioned
(Mindali, Raveh, and Salomon 2004), these correlations have been confirmed in recent work, including from the symposium papers and from research cited in the World Development Report 2010 (World Bank 2010a).” (Paragraph 35)
- Dependent clause 1(Adverbial clause): Although this received wisdom
- Dependent clause 2 (Adjective clause): (that) has been questioned (Mindali, Raveh, and Salomon 2004)
- Dependent clause 3 (Adjective clause): (that were) cited in the World Development Report 2010 (World Bank 2010a)
- Independent clause: these correlations have been confirmed in recent work, including from the symposium papers and from research
Suggested version: Mặc dù có những ý kiến trái chiều (Mindali,
Raveh, và Salomon 2004), nhưng những mối tương quan này đã được xác nhận trong nghiên cứu gần đây, bao gồm các tài liệu hội nghị chuyên đề và nghiên cứu được trích dẫn trong bản Báo cáo Phát triển Thế giới 2010 (Ngân hàng Thế giới 2010a).
Example 20 : “They suggest that monocentric cities and density can be managed with the right policies and that emissions from monocentric cities can be reduced if demand for transport between suburbs and the center increases” (Paragraph 37)
This sentence is a complex sentence it includes:
- Dependent clause 1 (Noun clause): “that monocentric cities and density can be managed with the right policies”
- Dependent clause 2 (Noun clause): “that emissions from monocentric cities can be reduced”
- Dependent clause 3 (Adverbial clause): “if demand for transport between suburbs and the center increases
Suggested version: Họ đề xuất rằng những chính sách thích hợp sẽ được thực thi hiệu quả ở các thành phố đơn tâm và mật độ dân cư đông đúc,và lượng khí thải từ các thành phố đơn tâm có thể giảm nếu nhu cầu vận chuyển giữa vùng ngoại ô và trung tâm tăng lên.
Example 21 : “The emissions profiles of cities can be very different depending on specific city contexts." (Paragraph 32)
Also, the above sentence contains two clauses: the dependent clause is
“depending on specific city contexts," while the second clause is an independent clause, “The emissions profiles of cities can be very different". They are linked together with the coordinating conjunction “which”; however, it is shortened Therefore, it is a complex sentence
Suggested version: Dữ liệu lượng phát thải khí của các thành phố có thể rất khác nhau dựa trên bối cảnh cụ thể của thành phố.
A compound-complex sentence consists of at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.
Example 22: “ It became clear that experts and academics have differing views on any number of questions, but the areas of consensus are far greater than the areas of divergence.” (Paragraph 17)
There are two independent clauses: “It became clear”, and “but the areas of consensus are far greater than the areas of divergence.” in this sentence.
One dependent clause (Noun clause) is “that experts and academics have differing views on any number of questions” the coordinator “but” is used to link the two independent clauses; therefore, this is a compound complex sentence.
Suggested version: “Rõ ràng rằng các chuyên gia và học giả có quan điểm khác nhau về nhiều vấn đề, nhưng phạm vi đồng thuận lớn hơn nhiều so với phạm vi bất đồng.”
DIFFICULTIES AND SOLUTIONS
Difficulties
During the learning course at Duy Tan University, I have been highly trained in translation through classroom lessons and useful practical exercises.
Now, I have a thorough understanding of the essential knowledge and cultivate more knowledge; however, it is inevitable that I made some mistakes when implementing this project During the process, I realized that my knowledge was not enough to deal with all the difficult words, phrases and structures In addition, grammar, vocabulary, syntax or specific terms affect the quality of the proposed version Hence, accurately translating a text from English into Vietnamese is a great challenge
First and foremost, terms of vocabulary, some words have meaning in the dictionary, there are a lot of words which can not be translated and multi- meaning in the text The different meanings of this polysyllabic word often confused me and chose the wrong one to translate They are not defined in any dictionary, so I have to define them depending on the context and the writer's ideas.
Besides, I translated a book about Cities and Climate Change, so I faced many technical terms This is a challenge for me due to the lack of knowledge about keywords I realize that what I have learned is not enough to address these specific terms It emphasizes the exact equivalent; therefore, I can use typical meaning to convert it into TL.
Futhermore, identifying structure is also so difficult factor that I have to pay more attention to because there are differences in grammar between the two languages In fact, there are serveral structures that are exact collective in
English but not used in Vietnamese, for instance, empty topic structures.
Generally, this is really a challenge for translators because they have to know the right structure in each language.
In addition, in all kinds of structures, sentences have loads of different types of clauses including relative clauses, noun clauses and adverbial clauses that are really complicated I often misunderstand ideas if we do not have a powerful knowledge of grammar or I am not careful to analyze sentences.
In conclusion, it is surely true that it is uneasy to translate a successful text To have exact versions, translators have a deep knowledge not only about the field that they are translating, but also about structure, lexis in both languages.
Solutions
When things get tough, I have my own way of solving these problems by using what I've learned for four years at university.
At first, I read the whole document at once The purpose of this reading is to identify the idea of the article After reading, I can summarize the whole article into a few main ideas During this process, I marked and noted all difficult words and phrases I have used many types of dictionaries, such as Oxford Dictionary, Free Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionary, etc to find the best meaning It is very important for me to take notes of difficult English sentences or common idioms and rely on a few important keywords in sentences and contextual translations.
Secondly, I define the style of the document I had to review all the nuances of language, writing style of the article I then translated the text for the first time, this time without asking too much about the wording and the sentences but it needed to be most accurate with the original text I have to separate them into sentences and see their alignment to match.
Moreover, I have found and read a number of materials related to this topic in the school library and on the internet These documents will provide me with a background in the field of Cities and Climate Change, and it is very useful to solve some difficult words like technical terms.
In conclusion, in terms of translation, meeting the challenges is inevitable However, if we make every effort, it will not be too difficult to translate In order to improve my translation skills, I realized that I had to practice translating documents regularly to improve my skills.
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
Conclusions
It is interesting to perform on this graduation paper because I could see my translation skills in the extent During my fours years at Duy Tan University, I had the chances to become familiar with translating methods through classroom lessons.
During the process of translating, I discovered that my vocabulary was poor, because there were serveral words that I did not know their meaning, which made me confused in translating Furthermore, the lack of Vietnamese vocabulary is also ungainly when expressing an idea into Vietnamese; therefore, improving vocabulary is actual important and necessary.
Besides, translating a certain field, my grammar is still weak Because of confusion about grammar and syntax, there are many sentences which I misinterpreted Through this article, I realized my shortcomings as well as a good opportunity to re-prove my understanding In addition, it is really necessary to have specific knowledge because it plays a rule
Therefore, translators must study many fields with the purpose of preparing the foundation to fully understand the ideas that the author expresses Having specific knowledge will help translators easily translate correctly.
In the process of translating and analyzing this graduation document, I also learned many useful things My translation skills are improving day by day In many cases, I have had ways to deal with the problems in the original text to get a good version.
I have more experience on how to use equivalence in TL to express ideas.
Complex structures are also a challenge that I have to pay more attention to.
However, after completing my graduation papers, I can easily analyze them for best results.
I know that I now have many shortcomings in translation Therefore, to be a good translator, I have to constantly try to learn and improve my knowledge and skills Besides, if I want to improve my translation skills, I have to practice many times and learn more from other translators.
Suggestions
Firstly, it is very necessary for students to improve their knowledge in all fields because in the future, the students will meet many documents of various fields, so having background knowledge about that field will help them avoid much confusion in translating In my opinion, teachers should give students specific terms in many fields of life
Secondly, mastering the structure, syntax, semantic, etc will help us easily understand the idea of the author, which limits confusion and mistakes in the translation process.
Thirdly, to become a good translator, students need to improve their English as well as focus on their mother tongue In many cases, the students can understand all the ideas that the author expresses However, due to a lack of vocabulary in the mother tongue, they can’t express that idea in Vietnamese Improving Vietnamese will help them translate more naturally, smoothly and more interested
Fourthly, reading comprehension is one skill that the students must improve to become good translators With this skill, they can deeply understand the topic that the author mentioned to avoid mistakes in the translation process Moreover, it also helps students when guessing some difficult words
Fifthly, the students need to improve their knowledge about the culture.
As we know, culture affects much in the writing style or the using-word way.
If students know much about the culture of the countries the author lives in, it is easier to guest the meaning and translate
Last but not least, because of having a limited amount of time to complete the graduation paper, it is unavoidable for me to have many mistakes I hope to get comments and reviews from teachers of EnglishFaculty so that I can improve my graduation paper in the best way.
[1] Catford, J.C (1965) A Linguistic Theory of Translation, Oxford [2] Duff, A (1990) Translation, Oxford
[3] Newmark, P (1988) A textbook of translation, Prentice-Hall International
[4] Roger, T.B (1991), Translation, Cambridge University Press.
[5] Tudor, I (1965) About translation theory, Cambridge
[1] Cambridge Dictionary http:// dictionary.cambridge.org//
[2] Cambridge Dictionary https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
[3] Oxford Dictionary https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/
[4] Soha TraTu Dictionary http://tratu.soha.vn/
[5] Soha TraTu Dictionary http://tratu.soha.vn/
[6] Wikipedia Restrived from: http://www.wikipedia.org/