Page 1 of 51 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LECTURER : HOANG THUY NGUYEN, M-ED TESOL COURSE OUTLINE COURSE TITLE : TRANSLATION 1 COURSE LENGTH : 60 teaching periods PREREQUISITE : Good com
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DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LECTURER : HOANG THUY NGUYEN, M-ED TESOL
COURSE OUTLINE COURSE TITLE : TRANSLATION 1
COURSE LENGTH : 60 teaching periods
PREREQUISITE :
Good command of the mother-tongue
Sufficient competence in English
AIMS : Translation 1 aims to help students to:
improve their language competence
develop three qualities essential to language learning: accuracy, clarity and flexibility
understand better the influence of one language on the other and correct errors of habit that creep in unnoticed
explore the potential of both languages-their strengths and weaknesses
OBJECTIVES: On completion of Translation 1, students should be able to:
develop their language awareness
increase their power and range of expressions
search (flexibility) for the most appropriate words (accuracy) to convey what it meant (clarity)
TEACHING AND LEARNING PROCESS
Translation 1 will be provided through pair/ group or class discussion of students’ works
REFERENCES
1 Duff, A (1998) Translation OUP
2 Hervey, Sándor G J.; Higgins, Ian (1992) Thinking Translation : A Course in Translation
Method, Taylor & Francis Routledge
3 Hornby , A.S (1993) Guide to Patterns and Usage in English OUP
4 Truong Q P (2001), Giáo Khoa Căn Bản Môn Dịch Anh – Viê ̣t, Viê ̣t - Anh, NXB Đa ̣i Ho ̣c
Quốc Gia Tp Hồ Chí Minh
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WEEKLY TIMETABLE AND TOPICS
1 Introduction Indentifying sentence patterns Main part and subordinators: noun, noun clauses Text for translation
2 Indentifying sentence patterns Main part and subordinators: verbs, passive voice Text for translation
3 Indentifying sentence patterns Main part and subordinators: verbs, passive voice Text for translation
4 Indentifying sentence patterns
Main part and subordinators : adverbs, adverbial
Text for translation
5 Indentifying sentence patterns
Main part and subordinators: prepositional phrase Text for
translation
6 Indentifying sentence patterns
Main part and subordinators: participle phrases Text
for translation
7 Indentifying sentence patterns
Main part and subordinators: participle phrases Text for
translation
8 Indentifying sentence patterns Main part and subordinators: adjective and attributives, absolute phrases
Text for translation
9 Indentifying sentence patterns Main part and subordinators: adjective and attributives, absolute phrases Text for translation
10 Indentifying sentence patterns
Main part and subordinators: to infinitive Text for translation
11 Proximity & parallelism Text for translation
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12 Proximity & parallelism Text for translation
13 Special structures: comparative, unreal subjects Text
for translation
14 Special structures: comparative, unreal subjects
Text for translation
15 Review
ASSESSMENT
30% ( A,B,C)
A : Classroom discussion participation: x 1
B : individual preparation for homework & class discussion x 1.5
C : group preparation for class discussion x 2 10% : Attendance
60 %: Final Written Test
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WEEK 1
I Some definitions
1 Translation as a process
Text : Any given stretch of speech or writing produced in a given language and
assumed to make a coherent whole A minimal text may consists of a single word—for example, ‘Look!’ A maximal text may run into volumes
Source language (SL) The language in which the text requiring translation is couched Target language (TL) The language into which the original text is to be translated Source text (ST) The text requiring translation
Target text (TT) The text which is a translation of the ST
the translation process = understanding a ST and formulating a TT
2 Translation as a product
As we have seen, translation can be viewed as a process Now we shall view it as a
product Here, too, it is useful to examine two diametric opposites, in this case two opposed degrees of translation, showing extreme SL bias on the one hand and extreme TL bias on the other
Literal translation, where the literal meaning of words is taken as if from the dictionary
(that is, out of context), but TL grammar is respected
At the extreme of TL bias is completely free translation, where there is only a global
correspondence between the textual units of the ST and those of the TT The
following example contrasts a literal and a free translation of a stock conversation in Chinese between two people who have just been introduced:
A Sir, are you well?
B Are you well?
A Sir comes from where?
B I come from England
A How many persons in your family?
B Wife and five children And you?
A How do you do?
B Pleased to meet you
A Do you come here often?
B No, this is my first visit
A Nice weather for the time of year
B Yes, it’s been quite warm lately
( The extreme freedom seen in the second version
is of the type found in communicative translation)
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Communicative translation is, however, formal for many culturally
conventional formulae that do not allow literal translation Public notices, proverbs and
conversational clichés illustrate this particularly clearly, as in:
Lost property
Half a loaf is better than no bread
Don’t mention it
Between the literal and free extremes, the Chinese conversation given above might be
rendered at the three intermediary points as follows:
(literal/communicative) Idiomatic TT
A Are you well?
A Where do you come from?
B I come from England
A How big a family do you
have?
B A wife and five children
And yourself?
A How do you do?
A Where are you from?
B England
A Have you any family?
B Yes, a wife and five children Have you?
A How do you do?
A Where are you from, then?
B I’m English
A Any family?
B Wife and five kids How about you?
II Principles of translation
Below are some general principles which are relevant to all translation
a Meaning: the translation should reflect accurately the meaning of the original text
Nothing should be arbitrarily added or removed, though occasionally part of the meaning can
be ‘transposed’
e.g: This is the best solution : Đây là giải pháp tốt nhất
We’d appreciate an opportunity to discuss with you my son’s class performance and what you think we must do to ensure his success
Ask yourself:
- 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 … ‘ suggest ‘ I know I’m right ‘!)
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- is the dictionary meaning of a particular word the most suitable one?
- does anything in the translation sound unnatural or forced?
b Form The ordering of words and ideas in the translation should match the original as
closely as possible (This is particularly important in translating legal documents, guarantees, contracts, etc ) But differences in language structure often require changes in the form and order of words When in doubt, underline in the original text the words on which the main
stress falls
D’ you know who he is?
Yes, I do D’ you know who he is? I do indeed !
c Register Languages often differ greatly in their level of formality in a given context (say,
the business letter) To resolve these differences, the translator must distinguish between formal and fixed expressions (Please find enclosed …) and personal expressions, in which the writer or speaker sets the tone
Consider also:
- would any expression in the original sound too formal/ informal, cold/ warm,
personal / impersonal… if translated literally?
- what is the intention of the speaker or writer? (to persuade/ dissuade, apologize/ criticize?) Does this come through in the translation?
d Source language influence One of the most frequent criticism of translation is that ‘it
doesn’t sound natural’ This is because the translator’s thoughts and choice of words are too strongly molded by the original text A good way of shaking off the source language (SL) influence is to set the text aside and translate a few sentences aloud, from memory This will suggest natural patterns of thought in the first language (L1) which may not come to mind when the eye is fixed on the SL text
e Style and clarity The translator should not change the style of the original But if the text
is informally written, or full of tedious repetitions, the translator may, for the reader’s sake, correct the defects
f Idioms Idiomatic expressions are notoriously untranslatable These include similes,
metaphors, proverbs and sayings (too many cooks spoil the broth), jargon, slang, and
colloquialism (user- friendly, the Big Apple, yuppie, etc), and (in English) phrasal verbs If the expressions cannot be directly translated, try any of the following:
- retain the original word, in inverted comma: ‘yuppie’
- retain the original expression, with a literal explanation in brackets: Indian summer
(dry, hazy weather in late autumn)
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- use a close equivalent: Out of the frying pan into the fire
- use a non- idiomatic or plain prose translation:
Anh ấy quyết định lên Sài Gòn để tìm đất dụng võ : He decided to go to
SG in search of an opportunity to develop his talents
Đi ăn cơm bụi: go out to the roadside food stalls for lunch
The golden rule is : if the idiom does not work in the L1, do not force it into translation
III Practice: Study the noun patterns below Then work in pairs/ groups and translate the examples of different noun patterns in italics into Vietnamese
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Week 2 Work in pairs/ groups, discuss and then translate the examples of verb patterns in the tables below into Vietnamese
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