Procedures in translating vietnamese names of famous places in hanoi’s city center into english

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI University of Languages and international Studies English department VŨ XUÂN TRANG PROCEDURES IN TRANSLATING VIETNAMESE NAMES OF FAMOUS PLACES IN HANOI’S CITY CENTER INTO ENGLISH submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of bachelor of arts (TEFL) Hanoi, May 2011 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI University of Languages and international Studies ENGLISH DEPARTMENT VŨ XUÂN TRANG PROCEDURES IN TRANSLATING VIETNAMESE NAMES OF FAMOUS PLACES IN HANOI’S CITY CENTER INTO ENGLISH submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of bachelor of arts (TEFL) supervisor: NGUYỄN THÀNH VÂN Hanoi, May 2011 I hereby state that I: Vũ Xuân Trang, K41_E20, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor‟s Graduation Paper deposited in the library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper Signature Vũ Xuân Trang Date: May 20th, 2011 i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I am heartily thankful to my supervisor, Nguyễn Thành Vân for his suggestion of the research question, supervision, encouragement, and support from the beginning to the end That enables me to develop and complete the thesis I owe my deepest gratitude to lecturers of fast track program as well as lecturers in Interpretation and Translation Division for their invaluable lessons during the time I have been in the university I wish to thank all of the authors in the references whose works help me enormously in the completion of the thesis I am truly indebted and thankful to my family and friends Without their support and care, this thesis would have been impossible to be conducted ii ABSTRACT On its way to bringing its image to the world and attracting more tourists, Vietnam has to complete innumerable work Among these work, translation in general and toponym translation in particular need to be given full attention because a name is always the same as a trademark of a place or even a country Despite its important role, toponym translation is not received worthy attention The graduation paper is conducted to partly contribute to the fulfillment of this gap It aims at analyzing the procedures applied in translating Vietnamese famous toponyms in Hanoi into English and giving some explanations for the use of these procedures Hanoi‟s well-known toponyms are collected from three sources: the entrance of the places, Vietnamese websites and foreign websites Two types of names which have their own strategies of translation have been found For those which contain non proper names, the translation procedures most applied are transposition and reduction and expansion The names in the second type, which includes proper geographical elements, are mostly naturalized and added classifiers In aspect of translating cultural and historic factors of names, four strategies, full translation, partial translation, nil translation and naturalization plus descriptions are mostly applied to deal with them Evidence from the research suggests that naturalization plus descriptions is the most effective translation strategies for translating cultural factors Meanwhile naturalization or transference is normally applied for translating names that are hard to understand iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vi LIST OF APPENDICES .viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Aims of the study 1.3 Scope of the study 1.4 Significance of the study 1.5 Methodology 1.6 Organization of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Translation 2.2 Translation procedures 2.3 Culture and Translation 10 2.3.1 Definition of culture 10 2.3.2 Some considerations when dealing with cultural factors 10 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 12 iv 3.1 Samples 12 3.2 Instruments 12 3.3 Process 12 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 14 4.1 The procedures of translation for place names 14 4.1.1 Reasons and statistics for the first division 14 4.1.2 Procedures for the first group 17 4.1.3 Strategies for the second group 20 4.2 Cultural and historic factors inside the names and strategies to deal with them 23 4.2.1 Translatable factors 23 4.2.1.1 Translating Sino Vietnamese names 24 4.2.1.2 Translating Pure Vietnamese names 31 4.2.2 Hard – to - be translated factors 35 CHAPTER 5: CONCULSION 40 5.1 Summary 40 5.2 Limitations of the thesis 41 5.3 Suggestion for further studies 42 APPENDICES 43 REFERENCES 55 v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES List of Tables Table 1: The percentage of names belonging to each group from three sources 16 Table 2: The percentage of strategies applied in the first group of each source 17 Table 3: The percentage of procedures applied in the second group of each source 22 List of Figures Figure 1: The percentage of names belonging to each group of official translation 16 Figure 2: The percentage of names belonging to each group of some foreign websites 16 Figure 3: The percentage of names belonging to each group of some Vietnamese websites 16 Figure 4: The percentage of procedures applied in group of official translation 17 Figure 5: The percentage of procedures applied in group of foreign websites 17 Figure 6: The percentage of procedures applied in group of Vietnamese websites 17 Figure 7: The percentage of strategies applied in group from official translation 22 vi Figure 8: The percentage of strategies applied in group from some foreign websites 22 Figure 9: The percentage of strategies applied in group from some Vietnamese websites 22 vii LIST OF APPENDICES I Official source Group 1: Including recognized words with classifiers or non proper names (all words appear in English dictionaries)………………………………………49 Group 2: Including proper geographical names…………………………….49 II From Vietnamese websites Group 1: Including recognized words with classifiers or non proper names (all words appear in English dictionaries)………………………………………50 Group 2: Including proper geographical names…………………………….52 III From foreign websites Group 1: Including recognized words with classifiers or non proper names (all words appear in English dictionaries)……………………………………….56 Group 2: Including proper geographical names…………………………… 68 viii Group 2: Including proper geographical names A Fully translated One – pillar pagoda: Chùa Một Cột West lake: Hồ Tây B Partly translated The central sector of the imperial citadel of Thang Long – Hanoi Vietnam National Tuong theatre: Nhà Hát Tuồng Việt Nam Ba Da pagoda: Chùa Bà Đá Bac Mon Relic: Khu di tích Bắc Mơn Kinh thien Palace relic: Khu di tích điện Kính Thiên Bach Ma Temple: Đền Bạch Mã Hoa Lo prison: Nhà tù Hỏa Lò Ngoc Son Temple: Đền Ngọc Sơn C Naturalized and given describes Dac Nguyet (Moon Comtemplation) Pavilion: lầu Đắc Nguyệt Dai Nghien (Ink-slab): Đài Nghiên Dinh Tran Ba (Pavilion against Waves): Đình Trấn Ba Ho Hoan Kiem (Sword – Restored Lake): Hồ Hoàn Kiếm Ngoc (Jade) Islet: Đảo Ngọc Thap But (Pen Tower): Tháp Bút The Huc (welcoming sunshine) Bridge: Cầu Thê Húc 44 II From Vietnamese websites including Vietnamtourpackages.com Retrieved March 24th, 2011 from http://www.vietnamtourpackages.com/Vietnam-Travel-Guide/hanoivietnam/sights-vietnam.htm Vietnamadvisor.com Retrieved March 24th, 2011 from http://www.vietnamadvisor.com/TravelInfo/Hanoi Vietnamtourism.org.vn Retrieved March 25th, 2011 from http://www.vietnamtourism.org.vn/guide/destination-in-vietnam/&page=1 Indochinaodysseytours.com Retrieved March 26th, 2011 from http://www.indochinaodysseytours.com/vietnam/hanoi/attractions.php?page=7& Hanoitraveltours.com Retrieved March 26th, 2011 from http://www.hanoitraveltours.com/hanoi_sights.html Group 1: Including recognized words with classifiers or non proper names (all words appear in English dictionaries) A Through translation Hanoi Citadel Hanoi Flag Tower Hanoi old quarter Hanoi Water Puppet Theatre Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum The Presidential Palace Vietnam Fine-Arts Museum Vietnam History Museum 45 Vietnam Museum of Ethnology B Reduction and expansion Army museum Ethnology Museum Fine Art Museum Grand Opera House Hanoi Opera House History Museum Ho Chi Minh Museum Military history museum Old quarter 10.Revolution Museum C Transposition Hanoi‟s old quarter History of Military Museum Ho Chi Minh‟s mausoleum Ho Chi Minh‟s stilt house and the presidential palace Museum of Vietnamese revolution President Ho Chi Minh‟s Mausoleum 46 President Ho Chi Minh's Residence Vietnam museum of ethnology Vietnam Women‟s Museum D Functional equivalence Memorial house Hanoi Hilton Group 2: Including proper geographical names A Fully translated Ambassadors‟ pagoda Lake of the Restored Sword One pillar pagoda Pavilion of the constellation of Literature Pen Tower Red river The Temple of Literature Turtle Tower West Lake B Partly translated An Tri Temple Ba Dinh Square 47 Bach Ma Temple Bay Mau Lake But Thap Pagoda Chau Long Pagoda Co Loa Historical Site Cua Bac church Dong Nhan Temple 10.Dong Xuan Market 11.Hai Ba Trung Temple 12.Ho Tay Lake 13.Hoa Lo Prison Museum 14.Hoa Lo Prison Museum - Hanoi Hilton 15.Hoan Kiem lake, 16.Kim Lien Pagoda 17.Ly Quoc Su Pagoda 18.Ngoc Son Pagoda 19.Ngoc Son shrine 20.Ngoc Son Temple 21.Quan Su Pagoda 48 22.Quan Thanh Temple 23.Tay Ho Pagoda 24.The Huc Bridge 25.Thu Le Park & Zoo 26.Tran Quoc Pagoda C Nil translation (pure naturalization) Thap Rua Van Mieu, Hanoi Chua Mot Cot, Hanoi Quan Su D Naturalized and given describes Dac Nguyet Lau or "Moon Light tower" Ho Hoan Kiem (Ho Guom) – Lake of the restored sword) Ho Tay (West lake) Mot Cot Pagoda (One-Pillar pagoda) Ngoc Son Temple (Jade Mountain Temple) Quoc Tu Giam ("National University") Quoc Tu Giam or School for the sons of the Nation 49 Sword Restored Lake (Hoan Kiem Lake) Thap But (Pen Tower) 10.Thap Rua (Tortoise Tower) 11.The Huc bridge or "where the sun light is absorbed" 12.The Hue (Rising Sun) Bridge II From foreign websites including Traveleshub.com Retrieved March 19th, 2011 from http://www.travelershub.com/outbound/far-east/hanoi.html Lonelyplanet.com Retrieved March 20th, 2011 from http://www.lonelyplanet.com/vietnam/hanoi/sights Tripadvisor.com Retrieved March 24th, 2011 from http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g293924-Activities-Hanoi.html Travelfish.org Retrieved March 25th, 2011 from http://www.travelfish.org/sights/vietnam/hanoi_and_surrounds/hanoi/hanoi Travelmuse.com Retrieved March 20th, 2011 from http://www.travelmuse.com/destinations/VN/44/hanoi/_attractions Group 1: Including recognized words with classifiers or non proper names (all words appear in English dictionaries) A Through translation Vietnam Fine Arts Museum Vietnam Military History Museum President Palace Memorial Site Presidential Palace 50 Geological Museum B Reduction and expansion Municipal Water Puppet Theater Botanical Gardens Hanoi Opera House History Museum Military Museum National History Museum Old Quarter Opera House Revolutionary Museum 10 Traditional Vietnamese house on stilts 11 Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum 12 Water Puppet Theater C Transposition Ambassadors' Pagoda Ho Chi Minh's House on Stilts Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum Museum of Ho Chi Minh 51 Museum of Independence Museum of the Vietnamese Revolution Museum Of Vietnamese Women National Museum of Vietnamese History Temple of Literature & National University 10.The traditional houses of the Old Quarter 11.The Vietnamese Women's Museum 12.Vietnam Museum of Ethnography 13.Vietnam Museum of Ethnology 14.Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts D Functional equivalence St Joseph's Cathedral Group 2: Including proper geographical names A Fully translated Temple of Literature Temple of Literature & National University B Partly translated Ancient House at 87 Ma May St Antique Chinese House (The) 87 Ma May Ba Dinh Square 52 Bach Ma Temple Co Loa Citadel Hoa Lo Prison Dong Nhan Temple Ho Tay Water Park & Moon Park Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton) Hoa Lo Prison AKA "Hanoi Hilton" 10.Hoan Kiem Lake 11.Hoe Nhai Pagoda 12.Lang Pagoda 13.Lien Phai Pagoda 14.Long Bien and Chuong Duong Bridges 15.Mot Cot Temple 16.Ngoc Son Pagoda 17.Ngoc Son Temple 18.Quan Su Temple 19.Quan Thanh Temple 20.Tay Ho Pagoda 21.Thu Le Park and Zoo 22.Tran Quoc Pagoda 23.Truc Bach Lake 53 C Nil translation (pure naturalization) Nha Tho - Nha Tho D Naturalized and given describes Hỏa Lò Prison ("The Hanoi Hilton") Lake of the Restored Sword (Hoan Kiem Lake) Now Reunification (Thong Nhat) Park Quốc Tử Giám (or National University) 54 REFERENCES Vietnam Travel (n.d).Vietnam Tourism Statistics Retrieved April 19th, 2011 from http://www.vietnamtravel.org/vietnam-tourism-statistics Oxford University Press Elt (2005).Oxford Advanced learner‟s dictionary (7th ed.) [computer software] Newmark, P (1988) A textbook of translation.Great Britain: Prentice Hall International Larson M.L (1998) Meaning – based translation (2nd ed.).United States of America: University Press of America Ngônngữ.net (2009).Sắc Thái tu từ từ Hán Việt (Sino Vietnamese rhetorical aspects) Retrieved April 14th, 2011 from http://ngonngu.net/index.php?p=203 Nguyễn Đức Vượng (2011) Đền Bạch Mã (Bach Ma Temple) Retrieved May 5th, 2011 from http://www.hoankiem.vn/city_info/anzeige/news/aktuelles/show.cfm?re gion_id=70&keyword=&masterid=2404&id=2604 Longman dictionary of Contemporary English Online Search Retrieved April 20th, 2011 from http://www.ldoceonline.com/ Thăng Long – Hà Nội (n.d) Hoan Kiem Lake, Turtle Tower, Ngoc Son Temple Retrieved April 20th, 2011 from http://hanoi.vietnamplus.vn/Home/HoHoan-Kiem-Thap-Rua-den-Ngoc-Son/200910/213.vnplus Thùy Dung (2008) Quán Sứ - chùa linh thiêng(Quan Su – the sacred pagoda) Retrieved April 20th, 2011 from http://vitinfo.vn/MMuctin/Honviet/Dauanthoigian/LA50814/default.htm l 55 Phan Thủy.(2010) Cầu Thê Húc (The Huc Bridge) Retrieved April 20th, 2011 from http://phapluatxahoi.vn/2010100410599481p1004c1028/cau-thehuc.htm Thăng Long – Hà Nội (n.d) Hồ Hà Nội (Lakes in Hanoi) Retrieved April 25h, 2011 from http://hanoi.vietnamplus.vn/Home/Ho-o-Ha- Noi/20104/1361.vnplus Tuệ Quang Buddhist multimedia dictionary Retrieved April 25 h, 2011 from http://phathoc.net/tu-dien-phathoc/52C451_tue_quang_buddhist_multimedia_dictionary_viet_anh/p30 aspx Phả Hệ (Genealogy) 2008 Chùa Liên Phái (Lien Phai Pagoda) Retrieved April 25h, 2011 from http://www.phahe.vn/Temple_View.aspx?ContentID=5061 Tuyết Lê n.d Chùa Bà Đá dấu tích văn hóa đất Thăng Long (Ba Da Temple and culture vestiges of Thang Long) Retrieved April 25h, 2011 from http://daitangkinhvietnam.org/phat-giao-va-doi-song/50-chua-thapphat-giao/3468-chua-ba-da-va-nhung-dau-tich-van-hoa-dat-thanglong.html Tratu.vn Retrieved April 26h, 2011 from http://tratu.vn/dict/vn_vn/M%E1%BA%ABu Prof Dr Nguyễn Lân Dũng, 2010 Tên gọi Quảng trường Ba Đình (the names of Ba Dinh Square) Retrieved April 26h, 2011 from http://www.nongnghiep.vn/nongnghiepvn/viVN/61/158/122/21/21/46874/Default.aspx Wikipedia.com Đền Quán Thánh (Quan Thanh Pagoda) Retrieved April 26h, 2011 from 56 http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%90%E1%BB%81n_Qu%C3%A1n_Th %C3%A1nh Prof Dr Trần Trí Dõi 2009 GS TS Trần Trí Dõi trả lời phịng vấn Đài Truyền hình Việt Nam (VTV) (Interviews of Vietnam television with Prof Dr Trần Trí Dõi) Retrieved April 26h, 2011 from http://ngonnguhoc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id =431:gsts-trn-tri-doi-tr-li-phng-vn-ai-truyn-hinh-vit-namvtv&catid=29&Itemid=39 Hanoi website n.d Đền Hai Bà Trưng (Đền Đồng Nhân)[Trung Sisters Tempe (Dong Nhan Temple)] Retrieved April 26 h, 2011 from http://www.hanoi.ws/diem-den/kien-truc-ton-giao/den-hai-ba-trung.html Dr Nguyễn Chí Cơng 2010 Phố Hòe Nhai (Hoe Nhai Street) Retrieved April 26h, 2011 from http://htx.dongtak.net/spip.php?article3795 Nam Anh 2011 Trung tướng Đồng Sỹ Nguyên - Nguyên Phó Thủ tướng, Bộ trưởng Bộ GTVT: “Mùa xuân” đến từ ý chí tự lực tự cường.Retrieved April 26h, 2011 from http://www.baomoi.com/Trung-tuong-Dong-SyNguyen Nguyen-Pho-Thu-tuong-Bo-truong-Bo-GTVT-Mua-xuan-dentu-y-chi-tu-luc-tu-cuong/148/5629864.epi Tường Linh (2011) Án xưa: Loạn Dương Tam Kha - Luật nay: Nhận nuôi tội Retrieved April 26h, 2011 from http://www.doisongphapluat.com.vn/story.aspx?id=8312&lang=vn&zone =5&zoneparent=0 Wikipedia Lý Quốc Sư Retrieved April 26h, 2011 from http://vi.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BD_Qu%E1%BB%91c_S%C6%B0 Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tuồng Việt Nam – Một loại văn nghệ trình diễn cổ truyền Retrieved April 29h, 2011 from 57 http://www.cinet.vn/upLoadFile/HTML/8_35_27_882008/nghethuattuon gvn.htm 58 ... University of Languages and international Studies ENGLISH DEPARTMENT VŨ XUÂN TRANG PROCEDURES IN TRANSLATING VIETNAMESE NAMES OF FAMOUS PLACES IN HANOI’S CITY CENTER INTO ENGLISH submitted in partial... 4.2.1.2 Translating pure Vietnamese names In contrast to Sino Vietnamese terms, pure Vietnamese names create senses of informality and closeness The challenge when translating these names is... 23 4.2.1.1 Translating Sino - Vietnamese names Sino - Vietnamese language creates senses of high formality, of elegance, of generalization and abstract and of antiquity, (Sino Vietnamese rhetorical