Investigating vietnamese english translation of exhibit labels at museum of vietnamese ethnics’ cultures, thai nguyen province

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES MA THỊ BÔNG INVESTIGATING VIETNAMESE- ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF EXHIBIT LABELS AT THE MUSEUM OF VIETNAMESE ETHNIC CULTURES, THAI NGUYEN PROVINCE NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CÁCH DỊCH VIỆT- ANH TÊN CÁC HIỆN VẬT TẠI BẢO TÀNG VĂN HÓA CÁC DÂN TỘC VIỆT NAM TỈNH THÁI NGUYÊN Field: English Linguistics Code: 60 22 02 01 MA MINOR THESIS Ha Noi, November, 2017 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES MA THỊ BÔNG INVESTIGATING VIETNAMESE- ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF EXHIBIT LABELS AT THE MUSEUM OF VIETNAMESE ETHNIC CULTURES, THAI NGUYEN PROVINCE NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ CÁCH DỊCH VIỆT- ANH TÊN CÁC HIỆN VẬT TẠI BẢO TÀNG VĂN HÓA CÁC DÂN TỘC VIỆT NAM TỈNH THÁI NGUYÊN Field: English Linguistics Code: 60 22 02 01 MA MINOR THESIS Supervisor: Assoc Prof.Lê Hùng Tiến Ha Noi, November, 2017 CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT -***** I hereby certify that the thesis enlabeld Investigating Vietnamese- English translation of exhibit labels at Museum of Vietnamese Ethnics’ Cultures, Thai Nguyen provinceis the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of Arts at Vietnam National University, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS) and that this thesis has not been submitted for any assessment in any other formal courses of study elsewhere Signature: Date: i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the complement of my thesis, I have received generous advice and a great deal of support from a number of people Firstly, I would like to express my deep and sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Assoc Prof Le Hung Tien, for his enthusiastic guidance, constructive critical feedback and generous help in the process of completing my thesis My special thanks approve to all my respected lecturers in the M.A course for their informative and valuable lectures and the administrative staff of the Department of Post Graduate Studies, ULIS, for their help, guidance, enthusiasm and valuable support during my course of study I would like to express my gratefulness to all the staff working at Museum of Vietnamese Ethnics‟ cultures in Thai Nguyen Province for their kind cooperation and valuable support, which considerably contributed to the completion of my work Finally, I would like to acknowledge my dear family for their love, material and spiritual support throughout this research I also wish to thank all my friends who always stand by me with their consideration and encouragement Ma Thị Bông ii ABSTRACT Museum is the place where cultural and historical values are preserved and popularized to the young generation and the foreigners One of the most important issues in propagating Vietnamese culture to the oversea visitors is the translating exhibits‟ names into foreign languages The research aims to investigate the Vietnamese- English translation of exhibit labels at the Museum of Vietnamese Ethnics‟ cultures at Thai Nguyen City In this study qualitative method and observation are applied to find out the most common translation strategies, procedures and methods used in translating exhibit labels with the detail analysis of each strategy‟s advantages and disadvantages From the findings of the study, some suggestions for the translators when dealing with cultural words are given To answer all the research questions, the research supplies readers with a foundational knowledge of translation through literature review section Then the data are analyzed for the conclusion of the study iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CANDIDATE‟S STATEMENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ABSTRACT TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS SL TL : Source language : Target language PART A: INTRODUCTION Statement of the problem and the rationale of the study Significance of the study Aims of the study Scope of the study Research questions Methodology of the study 6.1 The current context of translation of exhibit labels at the Vietnam Culture Museum 6.2 The data collection criteria 6.3 Research methods 6.4 Data collection procedure Organization of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 Previous studies 1.2 Definition of translation 1.3 Translation equivalence iv Problems with non-equivalent at word level 10 1.5 Translation strategies 13 Translation procedures 17 1.7 Translation method 23 CHAPTER 2: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 27 2.1 The strategies used in the translation of exhibit labels 27 2.1.1 Translation by a more general word 27 2.1.2 Translation by a more neutral/ less expressive word 28 2.1.3 Translation by cultural substitution 28 2.1.4 Translation using a loan word or loan word plus explanation 29 2.1.5 Translation by paraphrase using related words 30 2.1.6 Translation by omission 31 2.2 Translation procedures and methods used in translating exhibit labels 31 2.2.1 Transference 31 2.2.2 Literal translation 32 2.2.3 Transposition 33 2.2.4 Cultural equivalent 33 2.2.5 Descriptive equivalent 34 2.2.6 Reduction 34 2.2.7 Couplets 35 2.3 Some suggestions for translating cultural words 35 PART C: CONCLUSION 37 REFERENCES 41 APPENDIX v LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS SL : Source language TL : Target language PART A: INTRODUCTION This part presents the rationale for the study which consists of sections: (1) States the problem and the rationale of the study (2) and (3): Clarify the significance, aims, and objectives of study as well (4): Provides the scope and limitation of study (5): Proposes the research questions (6) Methodology of the study (7): Brief organization of study Statement of the problem and the rationale of the study In Vietnam as well as every country in the world, museum is considered as the place where cultural values are preserved and exhibited It collects and conserves cultural exhibits and the record of humanity which deepen people‟s understanding and appreciation of their history and culture Museum of Vietnamese Ethnics‟ Culturesbuilt in 1960 and situated at Thai Nguyen City center is the cultural site which exhibiting and preserving cultural and historical values of all ethnic groups in Vietnam People visiting the museum not only amuse themselves but also study Vietnamese culture Among the visitors of the museum, there are a lot of foreigners, scientists and students In order to welcome foreigners and better their knowledge about Vietnamese culture, all the exhibit labels are written in Vietnamese and then translated into English and French There is no doubt that the translation process of exhibit labels is not easy because many Vietnamese cultural concepts not have equivalents in English The translators have to apply numerous translation strategies to make all the concepts comprehensible to the visitors So far, translation aspects have always been a noteworthy field for many researchers; however, little investigation on the Vietnamese- English translation of exhibit labels has been conducted Therefore a study on this aspect is really essential With the hope of investigating the most popular translation strategies, procedure and method used in exhibit labels translation as well as giving some useful suggestions in translating cultural concepts, the author would like to carry out this minor thesis 2 Significance of the study Theoretically, investigating of Vietnamese- English translation of exhibit labels at Vietnamese ethnics‟ culture museum in Thai Nguyen city can be a theoretical foundation for the latter studies related to this field The outcome of this investigation raises the interest and curiosity of other researchers to deal with the Vietnamese- English translation of exhibit labels in other museums Practically, this study helps to determine the most common translation strategies, procedures and methods used by translators in translating exhibit labels from Vietnamese into English It also points out the benefits and drawbacks when applying each strategy in translating exhibit labels Furthermore, the research gives some suggestions and implication that would be useful for cultural concepts translation Aims of the study The study aims at:  Analyzing the most common translation strategies, procedures and methods used in the Vietnamese-English translation of exhibit labels  Analyzing the advantages and the shortcomings of each strategy in the translation  Giving some suggestions for translators when dealing with cultural concepts Scope of the study Each label of exhibit consists of the label and a description telling about its age, material, collector, and artist The study limits itself to the analysis of Vietnamese- English translation of exhibit labels Research questions  What are the most common translation strategies in the VietnameseEnglish translation of exhibit labels? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy used?  What translation procedures and methods are widely used in translating exhibit labels from Vietnamese into English? What are their benefits and Secondly, the translator should be thoughtful when choosing translation strategies In case of encountering cultural words, the translator can apply not only one strategy but two or more strategies at once if necessary For instance: the translators translated the term “cây nêu” by paraphrasing it into “bamboo pole”; however through its translation the foreigners not know its culture value So the translators should add an explanation with the word “bamboo pole” Similarly, in translation of “quả dùng lễ hội” (target text: “con” for festival) the translators should add a description after the target text to better readers‟ comprehension 36 PART C: CONCLUSION This concluding chapter aims to summarize the findings, highlight contributions of the research, address notable limitations and propose some practical suggestions for future studies This chapter consists of main sections Section presents conclusion of the research Section suggests some implications of the study before stating some limitations of present study in section The last section will propose some suggestions for further studies Conclusion In general, translating cultural words is a challenging task to many translators Basing on analyzed data, the study points out the six most common translation strategies used in translating exhibit labels based on the classification of Baker (1992), namely, translation by a more general word, translation by a neutral word, translation by cultural substitution, translation by paraphrase using related word, translation by omission, and translation by loan word or loan word plus explanation As mentioned in the previous part, using each strategy brings the both the effectiveness and drawback to the translation - Translation by a general word helps foreigner easy to figure out the usages and uses of the objects by provide their general names in target language; however it would make the readers hard to distinguish the differences among two or more exhibits if they have the same superordinate word - Translation by a neutral word works effectively in case there is shortage of equivalent and superordinate word in target language Nevertheless, this strategy limits the thorough understanding of the readers about the source words due to the less expressive words used in translation - Although translation by cultural substitution gives the readers a concept that is familiar and appealing to them, the cases in which this strategy applied are limited -Translation by omission provides a brief and concise concept in target language But it is only effectively used in circumstances whenthe words or 37 expressions omitted are not vital in conveying the meaning of the concepts to the readers - Paraphrasing by using related word is rather useful in case the source words are lexicalized in target language Among six strategies listed above, using loan plus explanation is the most useful and effective in translating exhibit labels This strategy not only preserves the ethnic color and style but also provides readers more understanding about the concepts by attaching the detail explanation to the loan word Furthermore, the study highlights the most widely-used procedures in exhibit labels translation in accordance with Newmark‟s (1988) category, that is, transference, literal translation, transposition, cultural equivalent, descriptive equivalent, reduction, and couplets Each procedure has its own advantages and disadvantages - Transference is the easiest procedure for translators to apply, which also causes comprehension problem for the readers if they not have background knowledge about the loan word - Literal translation conserves literal sense of the source words; however it is only effectively applied in case there exists referent and pragmatic effect between source language and target language - In spite of creating a familiar and customary concept, transposition is limitedly used in translating exhibit labels because it is not simple to find a noun in English which is equivalent to a verb in Vietnamese - Cultural equivalent creates a quite suitable equivalence in target language; however, in some circumstances it makes the translation lose some meaning nuances of the source words -Even though descriptive equivalent facilitates readers‟ understanding by detail description about the concept, this procedure causes meaning inadequacy if the words in source language are cultural concepts that need to be preserved their unique colors 38 - Reduction provides a more general word in target language Nonetheless, this procedure may mislay some meaning nuances of the source words in the translation - The last procedure, which is the most popularly used in exhibit labels translation, is couplets It can be said that applying this procedure in translating exhibit labels is the wisest choice because a number of reasons Firstly, the combination of two or more procedures fully exploits the advantages of each procedure to increase the preciseness of the translation Secondly, using this procedure could preserve the cultural color, style and also provide readers a sufficient knowledge about the concepts in target language In addition, the study gives some suggestions for the translator when dealing with cultural words, from which we can imply that there are some potential problems in translations of some exhibit labels due to the lack knowledge of translators about ethnography and cultural differences between two languages Implications of the study On the whole, the research is of considerable help for readers, translators and researchers concerning thisissue Regarding of investigating the Vietnamese-English translation of exhibit labels, the study explore the common strategies, procedures and method used in translating these items Thus, the study firstly raises readers‟ awareness and interest of translation issue Moreover, the present study points out some useful strategies to deal with cultural specific concepts Therefore, it partly contributes to change translators „attitude toward cultural word translation and also emphasize the importance of ethnography and cultural knowledge in translating Limitations of research To some extent, the research has described an overall picture of the translation strategies, procedures and methods used in translating exhibit labels at Museum of Vietnamese Ethnics‟ cultures in Thai Nguyen province.Nevertheless, there still exist some shortcomings Firstly, the length of time for the study not allow the author to compare the most common strategy, procedure and method used in translating exhibit labels between the Museum in Thai Nguyen and the Museum of Cultures in 39 different provinces Secondly, the present study only investigates the VietnameseEnglish translation of exhibit labels The author expects to research on not only the labels but also the description and the explanatory text describe the culture and custom below the photographs in the Museum Suggestions for further studies The findings of present study suggest a number of various studies for future First of all the study conducted to find out the most translation strategies, procedures and methods used in Vietnamese- English translation of exhibit labels Secondly, the study limits itself to investigate only exhibit labels Because of some limitations above, the further studies should focus on different types of exhibit labels and the most common type of equivalences used in translation to make the study more thorough Moreover some studies related to this issue should be carried out in other museums to make comparison and contrast between VietnameseEnglish translation of the same items in different museums 40 REFERENCES Baker, M (1992) In other words: A course book on translation London: Routledge Baker, M (1998) Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies Routledge Bell, R (1991) Translation and Translating Theory and Practice London / New York Longman Catford, John C (1965) A Linguistic Theory of Translation: an Essay on Applied Linguistics, London: Oxford University Press Cohen, A.D (1984) On taking tests: what the students report Language testing, 11 (1) 70-81 Fawcett, Peter (1997) Translation and Language: Linguistic Theories Explained, Manchester: St Jerome Publishing Harvey, M (2003) A beginner's course in legal translation: the case of culture-bound terms.Retrieved April 3, 2017 from http://www.tradulex.com/Actes2000/harvey.pdf Hatim, B & I Mason (1990) Discourse and The Translator London / New York: Longman Hervey, S., & Higgins, I (1992) Thinking Translation London & New York: Routledge 10.Jakobson, Roman (1959) 'On Linguistic Aspects of Translation', in R A 11.Kade, O (1968) Chance and regularity in translation Leipzig: Enzyklopadie 12.Koller, W (1979) Equivalence in Translation Theory, in Chesterman, A (1989) Readings in Translation Theory, Loimaan Kirjapaino 13.Krings, H.P (1986) Translation problems and translation strategies of advanced German learners of French In J House, & S Blum-Kulka (Eds.), Interlingual and intercultural communication (pp 263-75) Tubingen: Gunter Narr 41 14 Larson, M L (1984) Meaning-based translation: A guide to cross- language equivalence Lanham: University press of America 15.Loescher, W (1991) Translation performance, translation process and translation strategies Tuebingen: Guten Narr 16.Miremadi, Seyed-ali (1370) Theories of Translation and Interptation Center for Studying and Compiling University Books in Humanities (SAMET) 17.Newmark, P (1988) A Textbook of Translation Hertfordshire: Prentice Hall Retrieved March 28, 2017 from https://www.docdroid.net/9ahf/a-textbook-oftranslation-by-peter-newmark.pdf 18.Newmark, P (1988b) Approaches to Translation Hertfordshire: Prentice Hall 19.Nida, E A & Taber, C.R (1969/ 1982) The Theory and Practice of Translation Leiden: E.J.Brill 20.Nida, Eugene A (1964) Towards a Science of Translating, Leiden: E J Brill 21.Pym, A (2010) Exploring translation theories London and New York: Routledge Seguinot, C (1989) The translation process Toronto: H.G Publications 22 23 Venuti, L (1998) Strategies of translation In M Baker (Ed.), Encyclopedia of translation studies (pp 240-244) London and New York: Routledge 24 Venuti, L (2000) The translation studies reader London and New York: Routledge 25 Vinay, J.-P., & Darbelnet, J (1958/2000) A Methodology for Translation London: Routledge 42 APPENDIX EXHIBIT LABELS Áo bà ba: Ba ba clothes Áo chèo ma : The shirt “ao cheo ma”- a costume wear in funeral by the Muong ethnic Áo dài truyền thống phụ nữ Huế: Tradditional long dress of Hue‟s women áo dài tứ than hay năm than: 4-5 pans robe áo ngắn: Short shirt Ba la: “Ba la” traditional musical instrument of the Muong ethnicity Bao dao: knife sheath Bàn thờ tổ tiên người Kinh: Ancestor altar Bàn thờ tổ tiên: the ancestral alter Bàn trang thóc: Wooden rake – a tool used for drying paddy, smoothing paddy Bàn xoay: tunable for molding clay Bát hương: the ancestral alter Bẫy gà rừng : The snare Bẫy “ngọ cắp” : The trap Bẫy sóc : squirrel trap Bình vơi: The Lime-pot Bộ chõ đồ xơi: rice steaming pot Bộ đồ nhuộm răng: tools for tooth dyeing Bộ trang phục truyền thống thiếu nữ dân tộc Kinh Nam Bộ: The traditional costume of young girls of the Kinh ethnic group in South Vietnam Bộ trang phục truyền thống phụ nữ nông thôn Bắc bộ: Tradditional dress of North rural women Bồ đựng muối: bamboo box for containing salts Bừa: The harrow Cào cỏ: grass rake I Cày: the plough Cây lanh: flax trees Cây nêu: the bamboo polle Chân đế bát: the bowl base Chiếc khăn rằn: Bandanna Chiêng: “chieng” musical instrument Chợ phiên : a market day Chng : Bell Cị chỉ: Co chi – Vietnamese two stringed fiddle Cồng: gongs - traditional musical instrument of the Muong ethnic cối giã gạo: the rice mortar cối giã gạo: rice pounding instrument Cối giã ớt: chilli mortar cót: The bamboo mat Cổng làng người Kinh: The village gate of the Kinh Cối xay: The rice-hulling mill Cơi trầu: The betel- tray Cuốc : hoe Cuộn sợi lanh: a tube of flax threads Cù dân tộc Dao: the wooden top of the Dao ethnic Dành tích: “Danh tich” – a bamboo box which is used for warming tea-pot Dần gạo : the bamboo basket – a tool used for filtering broken rice, bran, grit Dọ gai mây: cane thorn basket Đàn nguyệt: two- stringed zither Đàn tam: three- stringed zither Đàn ba dây: Three- stringed zither Đàn môi: labial luth đèn dầu dọc: “doc” oil lamp Địa bàn: compass II Điếu bát : The Tera- cotta pipe (put in a bowl) điếu cày : The tobacco pipe Đi cà kheo: Walking on stilts Khn làm gốm: moulds for making potteries Gầu sịng: the scooping water bucket Giỏ đeo “Ta leng”: The dosser “Ta leng” Giỏ đựng : Basket Giỏ đeo “ớp pu” : Carring basket “ Op pu” Giỏ đựng cá: fish creel Gùi “Yang” : the rice papoose Gùi: the dosser Hái: the sickle used for cutting wet paddy Hát chèo ngày hội : Performing “Cheo” (traditional opera) in the festival day Hòm đựng tư trang: bamboo box for containing jewels Hoa tai: the ear-ring Hội lồng tồng: “Long tong” (going to the rice field) festival Hộp thuốc : tobacco box Kèn loa: trumpet Kèn: trumpet khăn: shawl Khăn mỏ quạ: shawl in crow beak shape khăn piêu: “pieu” kerchief khăn mặt: towel khăn thêu: embroidered towel Khèn: pan- pipe Khèn bè: pan-pipe Khung dệt vải: loom Làn tre: bamboo hand-basket III Làng xóm nhà cửa người Kinh: Villages and houses of the Kinh Lệnh bài: a working tools used by the sorcerers Lược chải đầu ngà voi: the ivory comb Lồng bàn: a dish-cover Mai: the spade Mâm : tray Mõ : bamboo tocsin Một trận cờ người dân tộc Việt: A human chess position played by Viet ethnic Mũ thầy tào: hat of the “Tao” magician Muôi: spoons Miếu thờ: the temple Múa cầu mưa : dance of aiming for rain Múa kỳ lân : lion dance Múa xòe : “xoe” dance Não bạt: cymbal Nhạc cụ gõ: beating musical instrument Nhạc cụ lắc: shaking musical instrument Nhạc sóc: small bell chain Nhị: three- stringed fiddle Nhị “líu” – nhạc cụ dung hát tuồng, chèo, cải lương Nhíp “lai lai” : “lai lai” – a tool used for cutting paddy in the milpa Nia: the large and flat basket- a tool used for sifting husk and bran from rice Nỏ: The crossbow Nón: conical palm hat Nồi đất: earthen- pot Nơi thờ cúng gia đình: the place for worship in each family Nơi cúng đặt tên cho trẻ hay ốm: the place for health worshipping of the children IV Liềm: The sickle “ Liu” Vietnamese two- stringed fiddle used by the Viet ethnic in the “Tuong” (classical drama) and “Cheo” (traditional opera) theatres Lò sưởi: radiator Lồng chim: Bird coop Lồng nhử gà : The chicken cage Lờ bắt cá: a tool used for catching fish Lờ đơm cá: keep net for fishing Ống bương : water container ống nhổ: dụng cụ nhổ nước bã trầu người Kinh The Spittoon – the Kinh ethnic group‟s saliva and betel waste containing tool Ống tên: The cross-bow pipe Phạng – dung đựng cơm, xơi dâng lễ góp lên đình làng “Phang” box- a tool used for containing rice and offerings Quạt thóc: Paper fan used for detaching empty ear of grain from well paddy grain after drying Quả dùng lễ hội: “con” for festival Quang trành: “tranh” hanging frames Rối vịt : duck puppets Rối cáo: fox puppets Rối ếch: “Frog” puppets Rối rồng: “Dragon” puppets Rối lân: Puppets “Dragon” Rối rùa : “Tortoise” puppets Rối trâu: Puppets “Buffalo” Rối nhi đồng: children puppet Rối ông lão: “Old men” puppet Rối bà lão: “Old women” puppet Rối người dâng : Puppets “fruit offering man” V Rối Ba thạo: :Ba thao” puppets- A person who represent lazy and artful people Rối tễu : “Chu Teu” Puppet Sàng: the bamboo sieve Sàng nhử cá: an instrument for fishing Sáo cái: flute Sáo chít: flute Sáo con: flute Sáo “tiêu” : “Tieu” a popular musical instrument of the Viet ethnic Sáo trúc: Bamboo flute Sáo dọc: flute Siêu đun nước: kettle Sọt: basket Suốt lúa: pulling off seeds from a rice ear Tẩu hút thuốc: tobacco pipe Thạ đựng rau: vegetable container Thanh la: “Thanh la” a musical instrument Thắt lưng: belt Thầy cúng: the shaman thúng: the bamboo basket Thuổng: spade Trống “ Trong goong” – Nhạc cụ dung múa chèo ma người Mường Drum “trong goong” used in “cheo ma” dance of the Muong ethnic group Túi nải: Cloth bag Túi thêu: embroidery bag Tiền âm phủ: the hell money Trâm cài đầu: the brooch Trống trò: tomtom Tù và: the horn Vải thêu: embroidery cloth VI Váy: Skirt Vỏ chăn: blanket cover vò đựng rượu: glazed terra cotta pot for wine containing Vỏ lanh tước: stripped flax- fibers Võng đay : Jute hammock Vòng cổ: The necklace Xà tích : the key chain Xảo: The bamboo basket used for separating straw from paddy Xinh tiền : “Xinh tien” a traditional musical instrument used for singing “Ca tru” Yếm: brassieze VII ... analysis of Vietnamese- English translation of exhibit labels Research questions  What are the most common translation strategies in the VietnameseEnglish translation of exhibit labels? What are... the translation 6.1 The current context of translation of exhibit labels at the Vietnamese Ethnics’ Culture Museum Built in 1960, the Museum of Vietnamese Ethnics‟ Cultures in Thai Nguyen provincenow... aims to investigate the Vietnamese- English translation of exhibit labels at the Museum of Vietnamese Ethnics‟ cultures at Thai Nguyen City In this study qualitative method and observation are applied