Translators’ choices and approaches in handling cultural differences and the influences of globalization

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION GRADUATION PAPER TRANSLATORS’ CHOICES AND APPROACHES IN HANDLING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND THE INFLUENCES OF GLOBALIZATION Supervisor: Nguyễn Ngọc Ninh, M.A Student: Trần Phương Thảo Course: QH2012.F1.E15 HÀ NỘI – 2016 ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP LỰA CHỌN CỦA DỊCH GIẢ TRONG VIỆC XỬ LÝ CÁC KHÁC BIỆT VĂN HÓA VÀ ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA Q TRÌNH TỒN CẦU HĨA Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Th.S Nguyễn Ngọc Ninh Sinh viên: Trần Phương Thảo Khóa: QH2012.F1.E15 HÀ NỘI – 2016 ACCEPTANCE I hereby state that I: Trần Phương Thảo, class QH2012.F1.E15, 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, May 2016 Trần Phương Thảo ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my teacher and supervisor Nguyen Ngoc Ninh, M.A., for her invaluable advice and encouragement throughout the course of the research This research would not have been possible without her guidance My special thanks go to my dear friends Nguyen Phuong Thao, Ha Thi Thuy Dung, Le Thi Minh Phuong, Phan Thi Thanh Ha and Nguyen Trong Nhan for their assistance in data collection, suggestions for the research process, and most importantly, their unfailing mental support I would also like to express my sincere appreciation towards all translators who participated in the research for their cooperation, important input and helpful comments Last but not least, special thanks to my family and friends, particularly my classmates in 12E15, who have remained my trusted source of support through difficult times i ABSTRACT In a world characterized by advancing globalization, translation‟s role as a medium for intercultural communication and promotion of ideas is gaining in significance Translation in the globalizing context has been found to constantly introduce elements from other cultures and languages into target cultures In Vietnam, although cultural issues in translation have received a great deal of attention, studies have been mostly focused on specific cases and have not been generalized or linked to contextual factors This study aimed to first summarize current trends in strategies for translating cultural differences from English to Vietnamese, and then investigate the influences of globalization on these trends, if any This was performed through a questionnaire surveying the domesticating and foreignizing tendencies of 171 translators of varying ages and levels of experience, followed by in-depth interviews with translators to consolidate findings on these tendencies and identify factors behind them Analysis of collected data presented findings that were in line with those of previous case studies Generally speaking, foreignization was the most preferred technique in translation of proper names, while domestication was consistently adopted for grammar translation, and strategies for common expressions were more neutral and domesticated Choices varied among specific cases, most frequently depending on the purpose of translation, translator‟s professional strategies and publisher‟s or client‟s requirements Globalization was found to be a factor causing changes in translation strategies, namely the increasing preference for foreign elements and foreignizing translations Further related studies should thus focus on assessing the consequences of these changes with regard to the Vietnamese culture and language, or improving upon the theoretical framework and expanding the research scope for more reliable results ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acceptance page Acknowledgements i Abstract ii Table of contents iii List of tables v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Research problem and rationale 1.2 Research aims and research questions 1.3 Scope of the study 1.4 Significance of the study CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Globalization and translation 2.1.1 Overview of globalization 2.1.2 Translation in the globalization context 2.1.2.1 Impacts of globalization on translation 2.1.2.2 Impacts of translation in the globalization context 11 2.2 Domestication and foreignization 14 2.2.1 Definition and significance 14 2.2.2 Debates on domestication and foreignization 15 2.2.3 Measurement of domestication and foreignization 18 2.2.3.1 Procedures of domestication and foreignization 18 2.2.3.2 Signs of domestication and foreignization 20 2.2.4 Previous studies on domestication and foreignization 26 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 28 3.1 Research approach 28 3.2 Data collection 29 3.2.1 Survey of translators 29 3.2.1.1 Description 29 iii 3.2.1.2 Designing process 30 3.2.1.3 Participants 31 3.2.2 Semi-structured interviews 32 3.2.2.1 Description and design 32 3.2.2.2 Participants 33 3.3 Data analysis 34 3.3.1 Questionnaire data analysis 34 3.3.2 Interview data analysis 35 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS & DISCUSSION 36 4.1 Research question 1: What are translators‟ choices and approaches in handling cultural differences in English to Vietnamese translation? 36 4.1.1 Choices and approaches by translated item 36 4.1.2 Variations among types of translator 41 4.2 Research question 2: What are the factors affecting these choices and approaches? 42 4.2.1 Purpose of translation 42 4.2.2 Translator‟s professional strategies 45 4.2.3 Publisher‟s or client‟s requirements 48 4.3 Research question 3: Is globalization a factor? If so, to what extent? 49 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 52 5.1 Major findings 52 5.2 Limitations of the study 53 5.3 Recommendations for further research 54 REFERENCES 56 APPENDICES 61 APPENDIX 1: SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TRANSLATORS 61 APPENDIX 2: SAMPLE SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 73 iv LIST OF TABLES PAGE Table Translation procedures in terms of domestication and 18 foreignization Table Procedures by levels of domestication and 18 foreignization Table Types of proper nouns by Newmark (1988) 22 Table Language-specific grammatical categories by Baker 23 (1992) Table Signs of domestication and foreignization adapted from 24 Aixela (1996), Newmark (1988) and Baker (1992) Table Survey respondent demographics 30 Table Interviewee profile 32 Table Translator choices by categories of translated item 35 v CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter presents aspects that guide the entire study, including its research problem and rationale, objectives and scope, as well as the intended contributions to translation research 1.1 Research problem and rationale The modern day and age is characterized by fast-paced and widespread globalization This increasing global interconnectedness has given rise to numerous trends and developments in economics, technology, communications, and so on In particular, foreign images and ideas are being exchanged around the world and across various cultures At the same time, English has become a powerful and universally used language Such developments point to the fact that translation, as an essential medium of international communication, is highly involved in the globalization process In fact, as globalization brings cultures and languages into contact, it also poses new challenges and problems for translators and interpreters Of special interest to the researcher is how globalization has influenced translator strategies in bridging cultural differences From personal experience, in the Vietnamese society that is constantly welcoming new influences from the world, over the past few decades, the written language and translation language in particular have undergone visible changes The trend seems to be towards the introduction and preservation of foreign elements such as cultural items and writing styles Nevertheless, as a research area, the relationship between globalization and translation is still largely unstudied Bielsa (2005) pointed out that language and translation have been “systematically neglected” in globalization research (p 131) Neither have translation studies been frequently linked to globalization In Vietnam, even as translation studies gain more prominence and issues related to culture, specifically domestication and foreignization, are explored, globalization has rarely been brought under discussion This lack of investigation does not match the fact that globalization‟s impacts on translation language may have implications for the domestic language and culture, either positively as the enrichment and integration of our language, or negatively as linguistic and cultural erosion (Cronin, 2003) It therefore becomes necessary to explore the possible changes in translation language as a conscious result of globalization Towards this aim, the researcher would like to conduct a study on modern translators‟ approaches and choices in handling cultural differences in English to Vietnamese translation, and how globalization may have influenced the process 1.2 Research aims and research questions The research‟s primary objective is to discover the use of translation strategies in dealing with differences between the source and target cultures among a large number of English to Vietnamese translators This is represented by levels of domestication and foreignization applied in translation From there, it is hoped that the findings can to some extent reflect current general trends in English to Vietnamese translation as well as in culture and language The second objective involves detailing the reasons behind these strategies and investigating the role that globalization may play in the process As this is a relatively small-scale study in a large population, the researcher hopes to indicate the evolution of translation tendencies and the translation language in Vietnam as influenced by globalization From there, the study may inspire and become a source of reference for later, more comprehensive research on the matter The research attempts to answer the following questions: What are translators‟ choices and approaches in handling cultural differences in English to Vietnamese translation? Ogihara-Schuck, E (2014) Miyazaki's animism abroad: The reception of Japanese religious themes by American and German audiences Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc Pham, Q A T (2015) Domestication and foreignization in translating proper names: A comparative study on the case of Vietnamese translations of J R R Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring” (Unpublished bachelor thesis) University of Languages and International Studies, Hanoi, Vietnam Poucke, P V (2012) Measuring foreignization in literary translation: An attempt to operationalize the concept of foreignization In H Kemppanen, M Jänis, & A Belikova (Eds.), Domestication and foreignization in translation studies (pp 139–158) Berlin: Frank & Timme Proper noun (n.d.) Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries Retrieved December 26, 2015 from http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/propernoun?q=proper+noun Qafzezi, E (2013) Abroad or back home? Reflecting on foreignizing and domesticating tendencies observed in children‟s literature translated into Albanian Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 4(10), 564-573 Roberts, D., & Nelson, B (2011) Literature and globalization: Some thoughts on translation and the transnational The AALITRA Review: A Journal of Literary Translation, 3, 53-63 59 Robertson, R (1990) Mapping the global condition: Globalization as a central concept Theory, Culture and Society, 7(2), 15-30 doi:10.1177/026327690007002002 Scheuerman, W (2014, June 10) Globalization In The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/globalization/ Shiyab, M., Rose, M G., House, J., & Duval, J (Eds.) (2010) Globalization and aspects of translation Newcastle upon Tyne, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing Snell-Hornby, M (2000) Communicating in the global village: On language, translation and cultural identity In C Schaffner (Ed.), Translation in the global village (11-28) Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Venuti, L (1995) The translator’s invisibility New York: Routledge World Health Organization (n.d.) Globalization Retrieved from http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story043/en/ Yang, W (2010) Brief study on domestication and foreignization in translation Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 1(1), 77-80 doi:10.4304/jltr.1.1.77-80 60 APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: SAMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR TRANSLATORS BẢN ĐIỀU TRA LỰA CHỌN CỦA DỊCH GIẢ DO ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA Q TRÌNH TỒN CẦU HĨA Chào anh/chị Tơi Trần Phương Thảo, sinh viên năm 4, lớp 12E15, Khoa Sư phạm tiếng Anh, ĐH Ngoại ngữ, ĐH Quốc gia Hà Nội Tôi thực khóa luận nghiên cứu lựa chọn dịch giả ảnh hưởng q trình tồn cầu hóa Mong anh/chị dành khoảng 10 phút để hoàn thành điều tra sau Bản điều tra không nhằm đánh giá chất lượng dịch mà nhằm tìm hiểu quan điểm cá nhân người dịch Mọi thông tin ý kiến người tham gia bảo mật tuyệt đối Nếu anh/chị có thắc mắc liên quan đến nghiên cứu mong muốn đóng góp thêm thơng tin cho nghiên cứu, xin liên hệ qua địa email thaotran.tt94@gmail.com Cảm ơn tham gia anh/chị PHẦN I: THÔNG TIN CÁ NHÂN Xin cho biết giới tính anh/chị? Nam 61 Nữ Xin cho biết độ tuổi anh/chị? 20 – 25 tuổi 26 – 30 tuổi 31 – 40 tuổi Trên 40 tuổi Anh/Chị có năm kinh nghiệm dịch thuật? Dưới năm – năm – 10 năm Trên 10 năm PHẦN II: CÂU HỎI KHẢO SÁT Phần sau gồm 13 câu hỏi, câu hỏi đưa câu tiếng Anh với phương án dịch khác Hãy chọn 01 phương án mà anh/chị cảm thấy tối ưu cho câu cách đánh dấu  đưa phương án riêng cho phần dịch in đậm Napoléon was a military general who became the first emperor of France Napoléon vị tướng quân trở thành hoàng đế nước Pháp Na-pơ-lê-ơng vị tướng qn trở thành hồng đế nước Pháp Nã Phá Luân vị tướng quân trở thành hoàng đế nước Pháp 62 Phương án khác: …………………………………………………………… Tiger Beer, one of the most established Asian beers, has been brewed since 1932 Bia Tiger, thương hiệu bia châu Á tiếng nhất, pha chế từ năm 1932 Bia Tai-gơ, thương hiệu bia châu Á tiếng nhất, pha chế từ năm 1932 Bia Con Cọp, thương hiệu bia châu Á tiếng nhất, pha chế từ năm 1932 Phương án khác: …………………………………………………………… Fast-moving fires on Christmas Day destroyed more than 100 homes in southern Australia Những lửa lan nhanh vào ngày Giáng Sinh hủy hoại 100 nhà miền nam Australia Những lửa lan nhanh vào ngày Giáng Sinh hủy hoại 100 ngơi nhà miền nam Ơx-trây-li-a Những lửa lan nhanh vào ngày Giáng Sinh hủy hoại 100 nhà miền nam nước Úc Phương án khác: …………………………………………………………… These thick, spongy pancakes are a popular breakfast choice in America Những pancake vừa dày vừa xốp ăn sáng phổ biến Mỹ 63 Những bánh pancake (một loại bánh làm từ bột, sữa trứng) vừa dày vừa xốp ăn sáng phổ biến Mỹ Những bánh xèo kiểu Mỹ vừa dày vừa xốp ăn sáng phổ biến Mỹ Phương án khác: …………………………………………………………… Our family‟s Christmas tree is about feet tall Cây thông Giáng sinh nhà cao khoảng foot Cây thông Giáng sinh nhà cao khoảng Cây thông Giáng sinh nhà cao khoảng mét rưỡi Phương án khác: …………………………………………………………… That problem is as old as the hills Vấn đề xưa đồi Vấn đề xưa rồi, đồi chẳng biết có từ Vấn đề xưa trái đất Phương án khác: …………………………………………………………… No matter how many exams I‟ve taken, I always get butterflies in my stomach before one Tôi thi lần lần chuẩn bị thi lại thấy có bướm vờn bụng 64 Tôi thi lần lần chuẩn bị thi lại bồn chồn Tôi thi lần lần chuẩn bị thi lại thấy có kiến bò bụng Phương án khác: …………………………………………………………… Foxes are great night-time predators Những cáo động vật săn mồi ban đêm tài ba Cáo động vật săn mồi ban đêm tài ba Phương án khác: …………………………………………………………… Have you seen the newly built ship? What a marvel she is! Cậu nhìn thấy tàu đóng chưa? Nàng tuyệt vời làm sao! Cậu nhìn thấy tàu đóng chưa? Một “nàng” tàu tuyệt vời làm sao! Cậu nhìn thấy tàu đóng chưa? Nó tuyệt vời làm sao! Phương án khác: …………………………………………………………… 10 Doan Van A and his wife, Ngo Thi B, were the only witnesses of the incident Đoàn Văn A vợ anh, Ngô Thị B nhân chứng vụ việc Anh Đồn Văn A vợ anh, chị Ngơ Thị B nhân chứng vụ việc 65 Phương án khác: …………………………………………………………… 11 By the time you get married next June, I will have graduated from university Đến lúc anh kết hôn vào tháng tới em tốt nghiệp đại học Đến lúc anh kết hôn vào tháng tới em tốt nghiệp đại học Phương án khác: …………………………………………………………… 12 I had water splashed on my new clothes by a passing car Tôi bị nước tạt lên quần áo ô tô ngang qua Tôi bị ô tô ngang qua tạt nước lên quần áo Phương án khác: …………………………………………………………… 13 That tree? That’s the tree which I once fell from Cái ư? Đấy mà tơi có lần ngã xuống từ Cái ư? Có lần tơi ngã từ xuống Phương án khác: …………………………………………………………… Xin cảm ơn anh/chị đóng góp ý kiến cho nghiên cứu 66 QUESTIONNAIRE TRANSLATOR CHOICES UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GLOBALIZATION Dear translator, My name is Trần Phương Thảo, a 4th year student from class 12E15, Faculty of English Language Teacher Education, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi I am conducting a study on translator choices under the influence of globalization I would be grateful if you could spend around 10 minutes to complete the following questionnaire The questionnaire does not aim to assess translators‟ skills; rather, it is purely intended to investigate translators‟ perspectives All submitted information and opinions will be held strictly confidential Should you have questions related to this study or wish to contribute any relevant information, please contact thaotran.tt94@gmail.com Thank you for your participation PART I: PERSONAL INFORMATION What is your gender? Male Female Which age group you belong to? 20 – 25 years old 67 the researcher by email at 26 – 30 years old 31 – 40 years old Over 40 years old How long have you worked as a translator? Under years – years – 10 years Over 10 years PART II: SURVEY QUESTIONS The following part consists of 13 questions, each of which poses an English sentence along with or different Vietnamese translations Choose 01 most suitable translation in your opinion for each question by ticking  before the option or provide your own translation for the sentence part in bold Napoléon was a military general who became the first emperor of France Napoléon vị tướng quân trở thành hoàng đế nước Pháp Na-pô-lê-ông vị tướng quân trở thành hoàng đế nước Pháp Nã Phá Luân vị tướng quân trở thành hoàng đế nước Pháp Other:………… …………………………………………………………… 68 Tiger Beer, one of the most established Asian beers, has been brewed since 1932 Bia Tiger, thương hiệu bia châu Á tiếng nhất, pha chế từ năm 1932 Bia Tai-gơ, thương hiệu bia châu Á tiếng nhất, pha chế từ năm 1932 Bia Con Cọp, thương hiệu bia châu Á tiếng nhất, pha chế từ năm 1932 Other:………… …………………………………………………………… Fast-moving fires on Christmas Day destroyed more than 100 homes in southern Australia Những lửa lan nhanh vào ngày Giáng Sinh hủy hoại 100 nhà miền nam Australia Những lửa lan nhanh vào ngày Giáng Sinh hủy hoại 100 ngơi nhà miền nam Ơx-trây-li-a Những lửa lan nhanh vào ngày Giáng Sinh hủy hoại 100 nhà miền nam nước Úc Other:………… …………………………………………………………… These thick, spongy pancakes are a popular breakfast choice in America Những pancake vừa dày vừa xốp ăn sáng phổ biến Mỹ Những bánh pancake (một loại bánh làm từ bột, sữa trứng) vừa dày vừa xốp ăn sáng phổ biến Mỹ 69 Những bánh xèo kiểu Mỹ vừa dày vừa xốp ăn sáng phổ biến Mỹ Other:………… …………………………………………………………… Our family‟s Christmas tree is about feet tall Cây thông Giáng sinh nhà cao khoảng foot Cây thông Giáng sinh nhà cao khoảng Cây thông Giáng sinh nhà cao khoảng mét rưỡi Other:………… …………………………………………………………… That problem is as old as the hills Vấn đề xưa đồi Vấn đề xưa rồi, đồi chẳng biết có từ Vấn đề xưa trái đất Other:………… …………………………………………………………… No matter how many exams I‟ve taken, I always get butterflies in my stomach before one Tôi thi lần lần chuẩn bị thi lại thấy có bướm vờn bụng Tôi thi lần lần chuẩn bị thi lại bồn chồn 70 Tôi thi lần lần chuẩn bị thi lại thấy có kiến bị bụng Other:………… …………………………………………………………… Foxes are great night-time predators Những cáo động vật săn mồi ban đêm tài ba Cáo động vật săn mồi ban đêm tài ba Other:………… …………………………………………………………… Have you seen the newly built ship? What a marvel she is! Cậu nhìn thấy tàu đóng chưa? Nàng tuyệt vời làm sao! Cậu nhìn thấy tàu đóng chưa? Một “nàng” tàu tuyệt vời làm sao! Cậu nhìn thấy tàu đóng chưa? Nó tuyệt vời làm sao! Other:………… …………………………………………………………… 10 Doan Van A and his wife, Ngo Thi B, were the only witnesses of the incident Đoàn Văn A vợ anh, Ngô Thị B nhân chứng vụ việc Anh Đoàn Văn A vợ anh, chị Ngô Thị B nhân chứng vụ việc Other:………… …………………………………………………………… 71 11 By the time you get married next June, I will have graduated from university Đến lúc anh kết vào tháng tới em tốt nghiệp đại học Đến lúc anh kết vào tháng tới em tốt nghiệp đại học Other:………… …………………………………………………………… 12 I had water splashed on my new clothes by a passing car Tôi bị nước tạt lên quần áo ô tô ngang qua Tôi bị ô tô ngang qua tạt nước lên quần áo Other:………… …………………………………………………………… 13 That tree? That’s the tree which I once fell from Cái ư? Đấy mà tơi có lần ngã xuống từ Cái ư? Có lần tơi ngã từ xuống Other:………… …………………………………………………………… Thank you for your contribution 72 APPENDIX 2: SAMPLE SEMI-STRUCTURED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS **Note: Questions in each actual interview vary with circumstantial factors such as the information provided by each participant in the questionnaires and during the interview  In the translating process, what are your strategies for dealing with proper nouns (people‟s names, geographical names, brand names, etc.)? What are the reasons behind your choice? What about more foreignized/domesticated choices?  What are your strategies for translating common culture-specific expressions (cultural objects, classification and measurement, opinions and habits)? What you identify as a priority in reconciling the differences between the source and target cultures (e.g preserving foreign elements, prioritizing cultural familiarity or removing the culture-specific factor)? What are the reasons?  What are your strategies for translating grammatical structures? What are the reasons? Are there cases where you feel that grammatical structures should be preserved or introduced into the Vietnamese language?  English is becoming increasingly familiar and commonly used by Vietnamese people To what extent are your choices influenced by this current trend in language use?  Do you think choices may vary based on the genre being translated? If so, what are the factors leading to the variation? What are the trends in genres that you have translated and/or read?  In your opinion, to what extent are your choices shared by other translators? What types of translator are likely to make similar or different choices (e.g based on age, experience, gender)? 73 ... These themes point at an increasingly complex process of handling foreign items in translation, and in this area, globalization may be pushing translator‟s choices and approaches in certain significant... constantly evolving and taking on new depths of meaning Globalization, first of all, is often understood in terms of mobility and flow The American Heritage Dictionary defines globalization in the literal... application of strategies across different aspects of the translation Understanding of translator choices and approaches in this matter may be important in identifying the influences of translation