Strategies applied by ngoc thu lang in english vietnamese translation of slang in the godfather

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION GRADUATION PAPER STRATEGIES APPLIED BY NGOC THU LANG IN ENGLISH-VIETNAMESE TRANSLATION OF SLANG IN “THE GODFATHER” Supervisor: Ngo Ha Thu, MCS Student: Hoang Thi Thu Yen Year of enrollment: QH.2010.F1 Hanoi 4, 2014 ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP CHIẾN LƯỢC ĐƯỢC NGỌC THỨ LANG ÁP DỤNG TRONG DỊCH ANH - VIỆT TỪ LĨNG TRONG TÁC PHẨM « BỐ GIÀ » Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Th.S Ngô Hà Thu Sinh viên: Hồng Thị Thu n Khố: QH2010.F1 Hà Nội - năm 2014 DECLARATION I hereby state that I: Hoang Thi Thu Yen, group QH2010.F1.E21, 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 Hanoi, 2014 Hoang Thi Thu Yen ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms Ngo Ha Thu, MCS for her precious guidance, valuable advice as well as her encouragement which were the decisive factors assisting me in finishing the paper on the right track My sincere thanks also go to my friend Mai Thi Nga Ly for her special help in material sources Without her, this study cannot be completed I am also grateful to my classmates whose helpful comments, wholehearted encouragement throughout the process of this paper Finally, I appreciate support and caring from my family and my friends from the beginning to the end of the research i ABSTRACT Slang plays an important role in linguistic system and deserves greater attention However, justified significance has not been attached to slangy vocabulary due to slang‟s features of vulgarism, in-group identification and inconsistency Not only have studies dedicated to slang occupied a small percentage among scientific papers but most of them have also focused on linguistic aspects of slang Translation in slang has not been received appropriate attention These factors encouraged the researcher to carry out this paper with objectives of having a look at characteristics of slang and translation strategies applied in rendering slang The novel “The Godfather” and its Vietnamese version translated by Ngoc Thu Lang were chosen as subjects of this study Document analysis was adopted as the research method Slang classification based on theories offered by Eble (1996) and Mattielo (2008) identified common types of slang 79 slang in the novel selected after a purposive sampling process revealed that among types of slang were detected Regarding translation strategies, softening (Blonskyte and Petroniene, 2013) and compensation (Garcarz, 2011) were the most favorable strategies applied by translator Ngoc Thu Lang ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgement i Abstract ii Table of Contents iii List of abbreviations .v List of tables and figures vi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale for the study 1.2 Aims and Objectives 1.3 Scope of the study 1.4 Significance of the study CHAPTER II LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Slang 2.1.1 Definitions of slang .5 2.1.2 Characteristics of slang 2.1.3 Classification 2.2 Slang translation 13 2.3.1 Translation 13 2.3.2 Difficulties in slang translation 13 2.3.3 Strategies in slang translation .15 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY .24 3.1 Design of the study 24 3.2 Research method 25 3.3 Puzo‟s “The Godfather” and its Vietnamese translation 25 3.4 Sample selection 25 3.5 Data collection procedure 26 3.6 Data analysis procedure 27 CHAPTER IV RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 28 iii 4.1 Research question 1: Characteristics of slang in “The Godfather” 28 4.2 Research question 2: Translation strategies applied in Ngoc Thu Lang‟s translation 30 4.2.1 Application of translation strategies in general 30 4.2.2 Application of translation strategies in particular types of slang .35 4.3 Research question 3: Dominant strategies applied by Ngoc Thu Lang 37 CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS .42 5.1 Major findings and implications 42 5.2 Limitations 43 5.3 Recommendation for further study 44 REFERENCES 45 APPENDIX 48 APPENDIX 66 iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS SL: Source language TL: Target language GF: Godfather BG: Bố già v LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Page Table 2.1 Slang formation 12 Table 2.2 Slang translation strategies 23 Table 4.1 Percentage of translation strategies 38 Figure 4.1 Types of slang in “The Godfather” 29 Figure 4.2 Strategies applied with slang of semantic change 35 Figure 4.3 Strategies applied with affixed slang 36 Figure 4.4 Percentage of translation strategies 39 vi CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This initial chapter states the problem of research, aims and objectives, scope of the study as well as significance of the paper Above all, three research questions underlining the whole research are identified in this chapter 1.1 Rationale for the study Slang, briefly defined, is “low, vulgar and unauthorized language; a popular but unauthorized word, phrase or mode of expression” (Sullivan 1921, p 9) Some considered slang “below the standard of usage of present-day English” (Galperin, 1981) but its linguistic and sociological functions are so undeniable that Adams (2009) wrote a book titled “The People‟s Poetry” exploring aspects of slang Thanks to its expressiveness and continuous innovation, slang is a vivid manifestation of people‟s feelings about life and the things they encounter in life (Hayakawa, 1967) Garcarz (2011) has even affirmed, “no natural language can socially exist without slang” (p.770) Its aesthetic presence in a language is so crucial In terms of sociology, the existence of slang meets the social needs, mostly the complementary needs to “fit in” and to “stand out” (Adams, 2009, p.26) In other words, this special layer of vocabulary is coined to perform the function of identifying different social groups and distinguishing who is in these groups and who is not Several studies have been carried out to examine the nature of slang in linguistic system Research by Hayakawa (1967), Eble (1996), Dumas and Lighter (1978), and Adams (2009) typifies the investigations done in the realm of slangy language Nevertheless, the studies on slang up to now have just paid attention to its sociological importance and how it characterizes a specific social group Regarding translation, there has been, however, a limitation in studies on rendering slang and strategies applied to overcome culture-related obstacles in translating Since slang owes its birth to criminal world (Sullivan, 1921), it is more advantageous and reliable to study the characteristics of slang in crime fiction 52 53 54 you to become my right arm so we can kill those fucks that are trying to destroy our father and our amily Most important Affixation they got him down as faggy He had kept his little Shortening corner of the city safe for ordinary people and he sure as hell was entitled to more than his lousy one C note a week When winos and drunks Affixation filtered up from the Bowery to panhandle on his beat he got rid of them so roughly that they never came back sát cánh tao thịt hết thằng dám chơi Ông Già, dám đụng đến nhà mình! a male homosexual (from noun fag) a one hundred dollar bill (C = centum = hundred) a lowly drunk 59 Có triệu lý do, song lợi Compensation hại điểm tụi tưởng đâu thằng chết nhát Khơng lẽ phục vụ hết Description mình, bảo đảm trật tự cho khu vực xã hội đắc lực mà có quyền trơng cậy đồng lương chết đói nhà nước? Thằng ăn quịt, phá Omission phách cần cấp báo: cậu Mc Closkey có mặt để nhân danh pháp luật trật tự công cộng, đập cho trận thừa sống thiếu chết Bị trừng trị lần cạch luôn, hết dám lai p.114 p.116 vãng 55 56 57 58 Of course sometimes he asked a little favor, like getting an employee with a record cleared for a cabaret work license, usually a pretty girl with a police dossier as a hustler or roller He‟s just a wise son of a bitch with a big-wheel cop sidekick I sort of just missed you, I was the next generation Honest, it‟s not that I‟m goodygoody She hadn‟t fallen all over herself to screw for him or try to hustle him because his connections would help her in show biz Affixation a prostitute) Đổi lại có chuyện Softening nhờ vả, chẳng hạn giấy phép hành nghề cho em chiêu đãi, em có “phích” chơi bời se-vít kiểm lục p.117 Compounding a prominent, powerful and important person an excessively good person Bất thằng Preservation láu cá, có thằng cớm gộc ngồi bên gì? Mê lắm… có Omission điều khơng hệ p.120 business Nó khơng mê anh Omission Johnny đến độ hiến dâng hay sẵn sàng nạp thuế thịt để tiến thân sau Reduplication Shortening 60 p.133 59 60 61 62 63 64 Then maybe I can give you and the kids more dough” “Fuck you,” Johnny said I got a good job on the truck, boffing housewives along my route, picking up a clear hundred-fifty every week He said, “Hey, paisan” Semantic change Semantic change Semantic change Shortening “You can‟t fire me?” Semantic Nino said with drunken change cunning “No,” Johnny said “Then fuck you,” Nino said The flimflam home- Reduplication improvement gyp artists, the door-to-door men were politely Nghĩa chu cấp cho omission thêm chút used as an intense Tự nhiên Johnny bật Softening verb of abuse câu: “Thôi cha mày đi!” have sex Mày nhớ tao làm Compensation cuối tuần bắt 150 đô ngon lành, việc lái xe, dọc đường có quyền bắt bị lạc lu bù nhé! p.137 Nó nháy Nino, “Ê,thằng Compensation nhà quê ” p.152 - Mày không đuổi Softening tao? - Khơng! - Vậy cút cha mày đi! p.158 Mấy thằng bịp bán đồ Description giá hay đóng kịch vờ vơ dọn đồ phương khác tới Long Beach p.193 money an Italian or Italian-American (from paisano) a swindle 61 p.142 p.151 65 66 67 68 warned that they were not welcome in Long Beach Unless you‟re suggesting that she is a”here his face became one of scholarly doubt- “a „moll,‟ I believe it‟s called He hoped the old bastard croaked Christ, he‟d blown nearly fifteen grand on the track and show girl bimbos khuyến cáo chỗ khác chơi thật lịch Semantic change a gangster's girlfriend Trường hợp ông Description định cho thứ danh từ giang hồ gọi phải thứ gái chơi p.196 Conversion die (from the death rattle) a sexually attractive but unintelligent woman (from Italian word for baby/infant) in sports betting, a combination of bets that produce a win no matter what the outcome of the game Phải chi lão ngủm đỡ Preservation khổ Cứ kể đáng Softening 15 ngàn đâu phải mà nướng hết trường đua bao gái lu bù! p.200 Vì ơng chủ ghi lầm có Omission lần - chẳng hiểu vơ tình hay cố ý - mà ngày hôm Chúa nhật hụt hết ngàn đô p.205 Borrowing In the first week in his Conversion job Carlo had made a mistake in transposing the oddsonto the blackboard and had created that dream of all 62 gamblers, a “middle.” 69 70 71 The Corleone group depended on gambling for most of its income, and was hit especially hard in its “numbers” or “policy” branch of operations The runners who picked up the action were swept into police nets and usually given a medium shellacking before being booked The “bankers,” 90 calibers in their own right, complained to the Caporegimes… Semantic change illegal lottery Nguồn lợi phe Softening cờ bạc, đánh đề, đánh cá Affixation physical beat (Shellac (v)  shellacking (n) Cảnh sát tung lưới quơ Softening số chủ sòng, sau đàn áp qua loa Affixation the operator of an illegal numbers racket or lottery a person who finances gambling enterprise Mấy thằng có tiền mở Description "tổng hành dinh" lỗ nặng phải yêu cầu cáccaporegime can thiệp 63 p.209 Vị đại diện quận lại có Softening “lít” tháng… p.210 Shortening a person who collects, makes or holds illegal payments doctor Để ông già nghỉ đỡ vài tuần Softening lúc bác sĩ bảo khỏe hẳn p.211 Conversion erection Mách tao khơng ngủ Omission với mày để coi có bắt tao phải ngủ khơng?” p.220 Shortening (French clapoir) gonorrhoea Cái thằng liều mạng, không Preservation giữ gìn quái hết: lần lậu, lần giang-mai rồi! p.264 Conversion oral sex Theo lời bà cụ từ Softening hồi bố cao-bồi tức chăn bị nhà ta súng lủng lẳng ngang hơng trơng hùng dũng, trẻ trai ưa nhào vô động định buộc p.265 72 Once again the payoff Compounding sheet was typed up by the precinct bagman… 73 I think we‟d better let the old man take it easy for a couple of weeks, until the doc says he can business Go call your brother and tell him I won‟t screw you, maybe he‟ll beat me up until I get a hard on Especially since I‟ve had to treat him three times for clap and once for syphilis That these gunslingers, those manly, virile, straight-shooting cowboys would always ask the girls for a „French,‟ what we 74 75 76 64 actors call fellatio, what you call „oh that.‟ 77 “Attaboy, Doc, that‟s Compounding telling him.” 78 It was intended as a Affixation friendly pally-uncle warning, not really as a threat “That‟s all crap detail, I Compounding can fix that Forget about that supervision and just so the banks won‟t get choosy I‟ll have your yellow sheet pulled.” 79 praise, especially from a boss (at a boy) friend, comrade (pal) a criminal record 65 em phải yêu anh theo lối Phú-lang-sa tức làm vụ “Hoan hơ bác-sĩ! Với Preservation thằng phải chửi thấm!” Ở gia đình khác có Omission lẽ khuyến cáo cậu cháu thân tình, dằn mặt sơ sơ Được, tơi có cách thu Compensation xếp cho “sổ vàng” biến ln để sau có làm ăn dễ p.271 p.354 p.358 APPENDIX Comparison between Ngoc Thu Lang‟s translation and Trinh Huy Ninh and Doan Tu Huyen‟s translation in applying compensation strategy NO English slang Types of slang You still think Affixation screwing is really like those dopey songs you used to sing Not to the Semantic bride‟s taste, but change Connie had consented to a “guinea” wedding to please her father because she had so displeased him in her choice of a English meaning stupid Italian or ItalianAmerican Ngoc Thu Lang’s translation Strategy Bộ mày tưởng Compensation làm tình mày “sủa” máy nước Nhưng có “nhà Compensation q” phải chịu, phải chìu nội vụ chọn thằng Carlo Rizzi làm chồng nghịch ý ông bố xá rồi! 66 Trinh Huy Strategy Ninh and Doan Thu Huyen’s translation Mày tưởng Omission mày rống ông dạo trước hả? Đám cưới tổ Description chức theo lối dân dã xưa làm Italia Cơ dâu khơng khối kiểu phải bấm bụng chịu nguyên chuyện kén chồng cô Page (in GF) p.4 p.10 husband 13 I stood in the Semantic courtroom like a change fool and those bastards smiled at me 14 If you had come to me for justice those scum who ruined your daughter would be weeping bitter tears this day “I was crazy about that bitch.” 16 Semantic change Semantic change làm ông bố không vui Tơi cịn biết Preservation đứng đần măt tịa, cịn thằng khốn nạn dịp cười vào mũi used to insult somebody, especially a man, who has been rude, unpleasant or cruel despicable or unlikeable person Tơi đứng ngơ Compensation ngẩn trước tồ bị hai thằng súc sinh cười vào mặt Vụ vừa Compensation ơng bạn nhờ đến ngày hai thằng súc sinh chắn khốn nạn nhỏ nhiều Nếu ông đến Compensation p.22 hai thằng giịi bọ nếm mùi khốn nạn nhớ đời an offensive way of referring to a “Đúng Compensation điên đầu điếm đó” Con mê mẩn Compensation p.25 đĩ đến phát điên phát rồ lên 67 p.20 19 “A Hollywood Borrowing finocchio who weeps and begs for pity?” 26 I don‟t care how Borrowing many guinea Mafia goombahs come out of the woodwork woman, especially an unpleasant one Italian Mày thằng Compensation slang for bù nhìn khóc gay lóc, năn nỉ người ta thương hại sao? a loyal male friend; an ItalianAmerican a member of a secret chiefly ItalianAmerican crime organizati Mấy thằng Bàn Compensation Tay Đen thá kìa? 68 Thế nào, Description thằng nộm Hôli-út dở đực dở kia, việc mày lại bày trị khóc lóc van xin thế? Mấy thằng Softening cướp Mafia có bâu đến ruồi ông chấp hết p.26 p.44 on 31 33 34 Now, sipping Semantic his beer, he change glanced around, checking how the two young punks were making out with the two little tramps at the bar “You fucking Affixation bastard,” Woltz screamed I‟ll get that Semantic Johnny change Fontane‟s balls cut off, you hear me, you guinea fuck?” Hagen said a petty (male) hoodlum; a (male) juvenile delinquent Khuya Compensation ngồi nhấm nhí ly la-de, kín đáo liếc chừng coi hai thằng súc sinh gạ gẫm chiêu đãi tới cỡ Vừa nhấm nháp Compensation p.50 bia, vừa liếc mắt xem chừng hai thằng chó tán tỉnh bán bar used as an attentiongetting intensifier Guinea: an Italian or ItalianAmerican Fuck: used as an intensifier Jack Woltz gầm Compensation lên: “Bọn chó đẻ khốn nạn!” Đồ dịi bọ hôi Softening thối Thằng Johnny Compensation Fontane ông thiến nó, nhớ quân chó đẻ ” Hagen tỉnh bơ: “Coi, tơi có cha có mẹ đàng Cái thằng Softening Giơnni Phơntein, ơng phải cho khơng ngóc đầu lên hả, mày nghe chưa, quân Italia để 69 p.54 kindly, “I‟m German-Irish.” 35 That call I just Conversion got gave me dope we needed Somebody had to finger the old man 38 “Shit,” Semantic Clemenza said, change “they want us back in Long Beach.” 41 I‟m known as Affixation the sissy of the Corleone family No threat hồng” Tơi chờ đợi cú Compensation phơn vừa để hội đủ kiện xác, tìm đích danh thằng phản bội “bán đứng” Ông Già a general Đ.M… lại có Compensation expression thay đổi of disgust chót Paulie tao Long Beach lãnh cơng tác khác an Thứ gà chết mà Compensation effeminate tụi theo dõi, boy or đe doạ làm chi man, cho công! especially to identify; to name; to inform upon somebody 70 tiện kia? Hagen nói xớt: - Thằng em người Đức lai Irland Người ta vừa Description báo điều thiếu Có đứa dắt bọn đến bắn ông già p.76 Chó thật - lão Compensation p.87 cằn nhằn - Đi bở tai lại gọi người ta Long Bich Trong nhà anh Description thứ sâu bỏ rầu nồi canh mà, thứ học trò dài lưng tốn p.93 a homosexu al; a coward 46 48 52 61 You fucking Affixation hood, who the hell are you to tell me my business? The police Conversion captain, McCluskey, is a guy who‟s been on the take very heavy ever since he‟s been a patrolman Most important Affixation they got him down as faggy I got a good job Semantic vải, ma sợ Thứ chó chết Compensation mày mà dám sủa bậy vô công việc tao? Thế nào, thằng Softening kẻ cướp, mày định dạy bố mày hở? p.105 stolen property accepting bribes Vơ nham Compensation nhở, thích tiền từ hồi vơ lính “nhám tay” nặng Omission p.107 a male homosexu al (from noun fag) Có triệu lý Compensation do, song lợi hại điểm tụi tưởng đâu thằng chết nhát Mày nhớ tao Compensation Nhưng Omission bọn coi thường p.114 Làm xe tải Description p.151 have sex 71 làm cuối tuần bắt 150 đô ngon lành, việc lái xe, dọc đường có quyền bắt bị lạc lu bù nhé! on the truck, change boffing housewives along my route, picking up a clear hundredfifty every week 62 He said, “Hey, Shortening paisan” 79 “That‟s all crap Compoundin detail, I can fix g that Forget about that supervision and just so the banks won‟t get choosy I‟ll have your yellow an Italian or ItalianAmerican (from paisano) a criminal record Nó nháy Nino, Compensation “Ê,thằng nhà quê ” Được, có Compensation cách thu xếp cho “sổ vàng” biến ln để sau có làm ăn dễ 72 khơng rách, bà chủ dọc đường lại khéo chiều - việc ghé vào tâm tình mệt nghỉ - mà tuần xơi ngon trăm rưỡi Thế nào, đồng Softening hương Chuyện vặt ý Softening mà, thu xếp có khó đâu Ở nhà băng người ta không bắt bẻ khoản tiểu sử anh đâu mà lo Tôi giải p.152 p.358 sheet pulled.” chuyện tờ phiếu vàng cho anh 73 ... applied by Ngoc Thu Lang in English- Vietnamese translation of slang in ? ?The Godfather. ” 1.2 Aims and Objectives First, the paper aims at exploring the characteristics of slang deployed in novel ? ?The. .. achieve the aims, these following questions are proposed: What are the characteristics of slang in ? ?The Godfather? ?? by Mario Puzo? Which strategies are applied by Ngoc Thu Lang in translating slang. .. slang from English into Vietnamese in ? ?the Godfather? ??? What is the most dominant strategy applied by Ngoc Thu Lang? 1.3 Scope of the study The researcher chose the novel ? ?The Godfather? ?? by Mario