Translation equivalence of terms in Quan Ho Bac Ninh folk songs Vương Thị Thanh Nhàn Trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ Luận văn Thạc sĩ ngành: English teaching methodology; Mã số: 60 14 10 Người hướng dẫn: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Lê Hùng Tiến Năm bảo vệ: 2012 Abstract. The UNESCO recognition of Quan Ho Bac Nink folk songs as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity has highlighted an urgent need for safeguarding, with translation of Vietnamese documents into English as an important task. The current study entitled “Translation equivalence of terms in Quan Ho Bac Ninh folk songs” underlined the problem of non-equivalence caused by Quan Ho terms as culture-specific concepts. A variety of methods including document review, observation and interviews were employed as effective tools for data collection. The findings of this study revealed six most common strategies for translation of Quan Ho terms, namely transference, literal translation, reduction, cultural equivalent, descriptive equivalent and couplets. In addition, a glossary of key terms in Quan Ho Bac Ninh folk songs was provided, making a small contribution to translators as well as future researches in this field. Keywords. Tiếng Anh; Ngôn ngữ; Dịch thuật; Dân ca; Quan họ Bắc Ninh Content I. Identification of the problem and rationales for the study Quan Ho Bac Ninh singing was recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity at the fourth session of the UNESCO International Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Heritage, which took place in Abu Dhabi, UAE, from September 28 to October 2, 2010. After that, Vietnam snapped into action to protect its indigenous art form. In October 2011, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism claimed that Quan Ho singing had been listed as a cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding. Among the measures taken to preserve and promote the heritage, introducing Quan Ho Bac Ninh documents in English to international friends is an indispensable part. However, the translation process has encountered a number of challenges due to the following reasons: As a cultural heritage of humanity, Quan Ho Bac Ninh is characterized by its distinction in local customs, musical features and singing outfits. Then the terms in Quan Ho Bac Ninh are considered culture-specific concepts. In translation theory, non-equivalence caused by culture-specific items has put an unanswered question and this issue calls for more researches from translators as well as theorists to figure out better solutions. Remarkable efforts in the field have been made with the introduction of many articles and journals about Quan Ho Bac Ninh written in English. However, terminological inconsistency has existed among those documents. A glossary will help to standardize the way Quan Ho terms are translated and increase the quality of products made by different translators. Once the glossary is provided, confusion among the target readership will not occur when they have access to a variety of materials about Quan Ho Bac Ninh folk songs. As a child growing up with the sweet melody of Quan Ho songs, the researcher has nurtured a great love for the folk. Bac Ninh is famous for traditional festivals held constantly around the year so the researcher has chances to join many social events in Quan Ho hometown. A period of time working with experts on Quan Ho folk songs has also brought the researcher particular understanding about this unique type of music. In addition, it is expected that the researcher’s experience as a translation practitioner will set firm background for related studies. These above grounds have encouraged the researcher to conduct a study on “Translation Equivalence of Terms in Quan Ho Bac Ninh Folk Songs”. The study is hoped to be a modest contribution to the field. II. Aims of the study The study is firstly aimed at examining the problem of non-equivalence caused by culture- specific concepts like Quan Ho Bac Ninh terms so that solutions to overcome the difficulties will be worked out. Then, the study will highlight a number of strategies to deal with Quan Ho Bac Ninh terms as culture-specific items. Finally, several suggested translations of key terms in Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs will be given. In brief, these aims can be summarized into two research questions as follows: - What are the strategies to form equivalents of terms in Quan Ho Bac Ninh folk songs? - What are the suggested equivalents of terms in Quan Ho Bac Ninh folk songs? III. Scope of the study Within the limitation of time and reference materials, the study will address the problem of non- equivalence rather than stretching efforts in other differnt aspects of translation equivalence. In addition, the researcher will not focus on all the terms used in Quan Ho singing documents. Only some key terms related to the following points will be discussed: - Quan Ho singing origin and social practice (with major focus on several customs) - Quan Ho singing forms - Quan Ho singing tunes - Quan Ho singing techniques - Quan Ho singing outfits IV. Significance of the study Once being completed, the study will serve as one of the initial small-scale researches on the non-equivalence in translation of Quan Ho Bac Ninh folk terms with different strategies to cope with the problem. When the findings of the study are revealed, there might be several implications for those working on translating Quan Ho singing documents to take them into consideration. The glossary of key terms in Quan Ho Bac Ninh folk songs will certainly be an effective supporting tool for those who take interest in this type of music and want to introduce it to international friends. The proposed study is also expected to be a practical guide and benefit future researchers in related fields. There might be opening doors to other aspects of translation that need to be explored. V. Organization of the study The study is divided into three main parts: Part A - Introduction identifies the central problem and introduces major objectives of the study which are shown in the two research questions. The scope and significance of the study are also stated. Part B – Development is covered by three chapters. Chapter 1 – Literature review presents a review of relevant researches associated with the problem addressed. Chapter 2 – Research methods describes the research methods used for data collection and analysis. Chapter 3 – Findings and discussion contains an analysis of the data and presentation of the results. Part C - Conclusion offers a summary of the study's findings, implications for practice, and recommendations for future research. References In English: Alvarez, R. and M. Carmen-Africa Vidal (eds) (1996) Translation, Power, Subversion. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Baker, M. (1992) In other words: A coursework on translation, London and New York: Routiedge. 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Hồng Thao, 1997. Dân ca Quan họ [Quan ho ̣ Folk Songs]. Hanoi: Musical Publishing House. Minh Tru ́ c, 1937. Hát Quan họ [Quan ho ̣ singing]. Hanoi: Trung Bắc Tân văn , Issues no. 5962, 5963, 5964, 5967, 5969, 5971, 5974, 5976. Lê Danh Khiêm, 2001. Dân ca Quan họ, lời ca và bình giải [Quan ho ̣ Folk Songs , Lyrics and Comments]. Bắc Ninh: Center for Quan ho ̣ Culture. Lưu Hư ̃ u Phươ ́ c , Nguyê ̃ n Viêm, T Ngọc, Nguyê ̃ n Văn Phu ́ , 1962. Dân ca Quan họ Bắc Ninh [Quan ho ̣ Bắc Ninh Folk Songs]. Hanoi: Cultural publishing House. Nguyê ̃ n Tro ̣ ng Ánh, 2005. Những đặc điểm nghệ thuật Quan họ [The Characteristics of Quan ho ̣ Arts]. PhD. Dissertation. Hanoi: Vietnam Academy of Music. . discussed: - Quan Ho singing origin and social practice (with major focus on several customs) - Quan Ho singing forms - Quan Ho singing tunes - Quan Ho singing techniques - Quan Ho singing outfits. number of strategies to deal with Quan Ho Bac Ninh terms as culture-specific items. Finally, several suggested translations of key terms in Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs will be given. In brief,. into two research questions as follows: - What are the strategies to form equivalents of terms in Quan Ho Bac Ninh folk songs? - What are the suggested equivalents of terms in Quan Ho Bac Ninh