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Hai phong private university
Department of foreign languages
o0o ISO 9001:2008
Graduation paper A study on translation of procurement
terms from English into vietnamese
By:
Nguyễn Thị Hà
Class: NA904

Supervisor:
Phạm Thị Bích Ngọc, M.A
I.4.5 Free translation 11
I.4.6 Idiomatic translation 11
I.4.7 Communicative translation 12

II. Translation of English for specific purpose (ESP) 12
II.1 Definition of ESP 13
II.2 Types of ESP 14

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II.3 Definition of English Business 16
II.4 Terms of procurement 17
II.5 The characteristics of procurement terms 18

Chapter 2: Some strategies applied to translate procurement
terms from English into Vietnamese 19
I. The strategy applied in the translation of single terms 19
I.1 General terms 20
I.2 Terms with suffixes “or”, “er”, “ee”, “ant” 23
I.3 Terms with prefixes 25

II. Strategies applied in the translation of compound terms 28
II.1 Automatic shift translation 28
II.1 Rank-shift translation 31

III. Strategies applied in the translation of phrases 32
III.1 Reduction translation 32
III.2 Expansion translation 34

IV Translation of abbreviation by using a loan word 35
IV.1 Acronyms 35


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Acknowledgements

In the process of completing this graduation paper, I have faced up with many
problems with lexicology, as well as the way to express my ideas. However,
with the great help, assistance and encouragement from teachers, family and
friends; I have overcome these difficulties and completed this graduation paper
successfully.

First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Mrs. Pham Thi Bich
Ngoc, M.A and Mrs. Dang Thi Van, M.A, my supervisors who have not only
given me many invaluable suggestions and comments but also provided me with
valuable materials.

Secondly, I am deeply grateful to Mrs. Nguyen Ngoc Lien, M.A – Dean of
Foreign Language Faculty of Hai Phong Private University whose criticism and
advices have improved my study.

In addition, I would like to thank other teachers of Foreign Language
Department for their lessons during 4 years that formed the basis of my study.

Last but not least, my sincere thanks are delivered to my parents and friends for
their encouragement and assistance in this time.

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Tables

Page
Table 1: General single terms 23
Table 2: Single terms with suffixes “or”, “er”, “ee”, “ant” 25
Table 3: Single terms with prefixes “in”, “non” 26
Table 4: Single terms with prefix “pre” 27
Table 5: Single terms with prefix “post” 27
Table 6: Single terms with other prefixes 28
Table 7: Compound nouns (Adj+N) 29
Table 8: Compound nouns (N+N) 30
Table 9: Compound nouns (V+N) 30
Table 10: Compound nouns (Participle+N) 31
Table 11: Compound nouns (Adj+Participle) 31
Table 12: Compound adjectives 31
Table 13: Examples about Rank-shift translation strategy 32
Table 14: Examples about Reduction translation strategy 33
Table 15: Examples about Expansion translation strategy 34
Table 16: Acronyms 36
Table 17: Initialisms 38

often meet these terminologies on the advertisement articles of construction,
notices of procurement in article or internet, and procurement laws.

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From the awareness of the important role of Business English in the age, and
with the knowledge after four years in university, especially after graduation
training period, the researcher determines to choose this field as the graduation
paper to study more on translation skill in English specific purposes and to
improve knowledge about procurement field.

2. Aims of the study.
A linguistician Larson said that: “Good theory is based on information gained
from practice. Good practice is based on carefully worked-out theory…”
(Larson, 1991, p.1). Therefore, the aim of this study is firstly to understand
thoroughly theoretical translation and practice flexibly, creatively and exactly on
specific English.
Secondly, to enrich the knowledge as well as the vocabulary of procurement
terms is also the main purpose of this study. There are many terms with multi-
lexical meaning, used like communication language but have completely new
concepts require translators have knowledge about it.
Thirdly, by personal experience, the researcher gives out some suggested
solutions to readers who pay attention to translation skill and this field.
These mentioned above are main aims of this study.

3. Scopes of the study
In general, procurement is one of the economic activities, includes of many
periods and types and relates to other fields like financial and banking,
technique. Thus, procurement terms are also various and complex. However, all
this terms cannot be presented here because of limited time and knowledge, the
graduation paper focus on words or phrases which are often used in bidding

procurement terms.
Part three: CONCLUSION summarizes the study mentioned above and gives
some suggestions for further study.
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PART II – DEVELOPMENT

Chapter 1
Theoretical background

I. Translation theory
Basing on foundation of understanding of how languages work, translation
theory recognizes that different languages encode meaning in differing forms,
yet guides translators to find appropriate ways of preserving meaning, while
using the most appropriate forms of each language.
Hence, this issue will be referred as hereinafter

I.1 Definition of translation
Etymologically, “translation is, a “carrying across” or “bringing across”: the
Latin translatio derives from transferre (trans, “across”+ ferre, “to carry” or “to
bring”)” (Translation, 2005:1).The modern European languages, Romance,
Germanic and Slavic, have generally formed their own equivalent terms for this
concept after the Latin model: after transferre or after the kindred traducere (“to
lead across” or “to bring across”). Additionally, the Greek term for “translation,”
metaphrasis (a “speaking across”), has supplied English with “metaphrase,”
meaning a literal, or word-for-word, translation, as contrasted with “paraphrase”
(a “saying in other words,” from the Greek paraphrasis).