VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES & INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES
**************
TẠ THỊ MAI HƢƠNG ENGLISH PROFESSIONAL TITLES IN THE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF
JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES AND THEIR VIETNAMESE EQUIVALENTS
– A STUDY FROM PRAGMATIC PERSPECTIVE

(Từ chỉ chức danh thuộc hệ thống quản lý của công ty cổ phần trong
tiếng Anh và cách diễn đạt tƣơng đƣơng trong tiếng Việt
– Nghiên cứu từ góc độ ngữ dụng học)

M.A Minor Programme Thesis

Field: English Linguistics
Code: 60 22 02 01 Hanoi – 2014 i

DECLARATION

I, Tạ Thị Mai Hương, hereby state that this minor thesis is the result of my own
research and all the materials in this study which are not my own work have been
identified and acknowledged. I also state that the substance of the thesis has not,
wholly or in part, been submitted for any degree to any other universities or
institutions. Hanoi, June, 2014.
. Student‟s signature

Tạ Thị Mai Hương
iii

ABSTRACT

This study is an attempt to uncover the intrinsic meanings of commonly used English
professional titles in the management system of American joint-stock companies and look
for their Vietnamese equivalents. In the study, the researcher investigates some American
and Vietnamese companies‟ organizational structures, as well as scans some job suggested
websites to figure out and make a list of the common professional titles in English and
Vietnamese language, centering upon the titles in the management system of a company.
These jobs titles are then described, compared and contrasted in terms of responsibilities to
look for the equivalents in the target language. The results of the study present the
Vietnamese equivalents of the investigated English professional titles. Based on those
findings, the thesis provides some implications for translation and pedagogy. Last but not
least, suggestions for further research are given as direction in the time to come pursued by
the author and/or other interested people.

Information technology
MD
Managing Director
QA
Quality Assurance
R&D
Research and Development
SL
Source Language
SOC
Standard Occupational Classification
TL
Target Language
UK
The United Kingdom
U.S
The United States
VP
Vice President

v

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Types of equivalence relationship………………………………………………… 7
Table 2: English professional titles and their Vietnamese equivalents……………………. 36
Table 3: Vietnamese professional titles and their English equivalents……………………. 39
LIST OF FIGURES

LIST OF FIGURES v
TABLE OF CONTENTS vi
PART 1: INTRODUCTION 1
1. Rationale 1
2. Aims of the study 2
3. Research questions 2
4. Scopes of the study 2
5. Significance of the study 2
6. Methods of the study 3
7. Design of the study 3
PART 2: DEVELOPMENT 4
CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 4
1.1 Theory of Pragmatics 4
1.2 Theory of Translation 6
1.2.1 Definitions of translation 6
1.2.2. Equivalence in translation 6
1.2.3. Types of equivalence 7
1.3. Contrastive Analysis 9
CHAPTER 2: A DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN AND VIETNAMESE JOINT-STOCK
COMPANIES 11
2.1. Definition of American and Vietnamese joint-stock companies 11
2.1.1. American joint-stock companies 11
2.1.2. Vietnamese joint-stock companies 12
2.2. Organizational structures of American and Vietnamese joint-stock companies 12
2.2.1. Organizational structures of some American companies 12
2.2.2. Organizational structures of some Vietnamese companies 17 vii


1

PART 1: INTRODUCTION

Part one of the research states the rationale for the study. It also outlines the aims,
scope, method, significance, and design of the thesis.
1. Rationale
Over the past decade, the increase of international economic integration after
Vietnam‟s accession to the WTO has made more job opportunities available for Vietnamese
labor force. People are made accessible to positions not only in local business enterprises
but also in large foreign corporations. As a direct result, university graduates have great
chances to be employed by local companies which have increasing business relationships
with oversea ones, and even by multinational enterprises. Hence, the ability to use English
has become one of the preliminary requirements for a potential candidate.
Although Vietnam has been exposed to the market economy for a considerable
period, there remains a lack of economic terminology system in general and Vietnamese
equivalents of English occupational titles in particular. Professional titles are among those
English terms which are popularly used in both local and global companies. In addition, an
incorrect choice of business contacts due to the misunderstanding of their job title‟s
responsibilities may negatively affect the viability of business cooperation. As a matter of
fact, working people need to have some knowledge about business titles.
Being a teacher of English responsible for teaching English to students majored in
management studies, my job is to help students improve their language proficiency and
provide them with the language skills they need for their future career. Thus, I feel the need
to pre-teach students the common job titles and people‟s responsibilities when they hold
these posts.
So far, few researchers have had interest in researching the job titles in the economic
fields. Therefore, to be able to provide learners with better understanding of the professional
titles and their implied meanings, it is necessary for me to do a research into the frequently
used job titles and the responsibilities undertaken by people carrying those titles.

responsibilities of some popular positions in the company system. Having a clear idea of the
possible responsibilities of a title will facilitate students in the process of applying for a job
as well as being of great help when they have to find the right people to work with in their
future career.
Also, the attempt to find and suggest equivalents of professional titles in Vietnamese
language will help limit the use of borrowing words, thus, partly contribute to preserving
the value of our national language.

3

6. Methods of the study
This research is a kind of qualitative research, in which the author integrates
different methods including listing, descriptive, comparative and contrastive to be able to
successfully answer the research questions. By stating that the study is a kind of pragmatic
perspective, the author implies that she mainly focuses on working out the intrinsic
meanings of the professional titles investigated.
In terms of contrastive analysis, the researcher follows the principles suggested by
James C. (1980), who stated that contrastive method involves two steps, namely, description
and comparison. Following this method, the thesis is carried out through two steps:
- Step one: English and Vietnamese professional titles in are listed and described.
- Step two: English and Vietnamese professional titles are compared to find out the
equivalents.
7. Design of the study
The study has three main parts: Introduction, Development, and Conclusion.
The introduction presents the rationale for choosing the topic, aims, scope, method,
significance, and design of the study.
The development consists of four chapters. Chapter one provides a review of
literature on pragmatics, translation and contrastive analysis, which provides background
knowledge of some linguistic aspects that the researcher needs to consider when carrying
out this research. Chapter two is the illustration of Vietnamese and American joint-stock

However, as Levinson (1986) stated, the modern usage of the term “pragmatics” is, indeed,
an attribute to Morris‟ theory.
Bar-Hiller (1954) took the view that pragmatics is the study of languages, both
natural and artificial, that contains indexical or deictic terms. Carnap (in the late 1960s)
referred to pragmatics as “those linguistic investigations that make necessary reference to
aspects of the context”. In Levinson‟s view, pragmatics can be defined as “the study of
those relations between language and context that are grammaticalized, or encoded in the
structure of a language” (Levinson, 1986:9). Considering the truth conditions, Gazdar
(1979, cited in Levinson, 1986:12) proposed that pragmatics has those aspects of meaning
of utterances which cannot be accounted for by straightforward reference to the truth
conditions of the sentences uttered.
According to Mey (1993), “pragmatics” is the study of the use of language in human
communication as determined by the conditions of society. Stalnaker (1972, cited in Horn,
L.R. and Ward, G., 2006) viewed pragmatics as the study of linguistic acts and the contexts
in which they are performed. Similarly, Sperber and Wilson (1986, cited in Kirsten and
Williams, 1998) assumed that pragmatics is the study of the interpretation of utterances.

5

Yule (1996) is also concerned with the interpretation of utterances in the Sperber
and Wilson‟s sense. In his book, the writer gives a detailed description of what is called
“pragmatics”. According to this author, the approach falls into four areas including speaker
meaning, contextual meaning, listeners‟ inference and the expression of relative distance.
As what people say or write is not always what they mean, pragmatic studies are
carried out to investigate the meaning communicated by a speaker or writer and interpreted
by a listener or reader. In this case, the author defines pragmatics as “the study of speaker
meaning”.
Pragmatics is also concerned with the interpretation of what people mean in a
particular context and the influences of the context on what is uttered. Hence, pragmatics is
the study of contextual meaning.

another language. In regards to various linguistic aspects, Nida (1969) states that translating
is the process of finding closest natural equivalent to the message of the source language not
only in meaning but also in style.
Considering translation as the preservation of meaning from one language into
another language, Newmark (1986:5) defines translation as the process of “rendering the
meaning of a text into another language in the way that the author intended the text”. This
concept is shared by many researchers such as Meetham and Hudson (1972) and House
(1981). Meetham and Hudson (1972, cited in Bell, 1991:59) state that translation is the
replacement of a representation of a text in one language by a representation of an
equivalent text in a second language. Similarly, House (1981) defines translation as the
replacement of a text in the source language by a semantically and pragmatically equivalent
text in the target language.
Although each linguist tries to explain the term “translation” in their own words, the
common feature of the above definitions is that they emphasize the importance of finding
equivalents with similar characteristics to the original by the choice of appropriate lexicon
and grammatical structures.
1.2.2. Equivalence in translation
In most definitions about translation, “equivalence” is mentioned as the key term.
Catford (1965, cited in Van den Broek, 1978) defines the notion of “equivalence” by stating
the conditions in which translation equivalence occurs. According to this author, translation
equivalence occurs when “source language and target language texts or items are related to
(at least some of) the same relevant features of situation substance”. Similarly, Halverson
(1997) also views equivalence in the relationship between two entities, and the relationship
is described as a similarity in terms of any of potential qualities. In general, proponents of
equivalence-based theories of translation usually define equivalence as the relationship

7

between a source text and a target text that allows the target text to be considered as a
translation of the source text. Also, equivalence relationships appear to hold between parts


More than one TL expression
for a single SL expression is
used.
3
Many-to-one
equivalence

More than one SL expression
for a single TL expression is
used.
4
Many-to-many
equivalence

More than one TL expression
for more than one SL
expression is used.
5
Whole-part/Part-whole
equivalence

V E
A TL expression covers part
of a concept designated by a
single SL expression or vice
versa.

8


With regard to form-based equivalence, Baker (1992) explores the notion of
equivalence at different levels in relation to the translation process. This author proposes
that there are two types of equivalence including equivalence at word level and equivalence
above word level. In this author‟s view, translation equivalence involves grammatical
equivalence, textual equivalence, and pragmatic equivalence. Baker notes that a word
sometimes carries different meanings in different languages, and relates meaning of words
E
V

9

with morpheme. Baker mentions problems at word level and above word level before
suggesting some strategies in dealing with them. Grammatical equivalence refers to the
diversity of grammatical categories across languages. The linguistic scholar affirms that
grammatical rules across languages may differ, which lead to some problems in finding a
direct correspondence in the TL. Textual equivalence denotes the equivalence between a SL
text and a TL text regarding information and cohesion. Finally, pragmatic equivalence
touches on implication of the TL text. The duty of a translator is recognizing the implied
meaning of SL text, and then reproducing it in a way that readers of the TL can comprehend
clearly without any misunderstanding in terms of culture.
1.3. Contrastive Analysis
In the second half of the 20
th
century, the influence of the first language in learning a
second language was noted by different linguists such as Lado and Postman. According to
Lado (1957), learners of a second language tend to transfer the forms and meanings and the
distribution of forms and meanings of their native language and culture – both productively
and receptively. Similarly, Postman (1971) states that learning is a cumulative process, in
which, the more knowledge and skills an individual acquires, the more likely it becomes
that his new learning will be shaped by his past experiences and activities. “An adult rarely,

although these two procedures cannot be said to characterize CA uniquely, it is the general
principle in executing a CA.
In this study, the researcher would like to follow the procedures suggested by James
(1980) as the framework and carry out the research through two steps:
- Step one: English and Vietnamese professional titles in are listed and described.
- Step two: English and Vietnamese professional titles are compared to find the
equivalents.
11

CHAPTER 2
A DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN
AND VIETNAMESE JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES
Chapter two provides a description of American and Vietnamese Joint-Stock
Companies, including the definition of a joint-stock company and the illustration of
common company structures.
2.1. Definition of American and Vietnamese joint-stock companies
2.1.1. American joint-stock companies
The use of the term joint-stock company or corporation has been common since the
various Joint-stock Companies Acts were passed in the 1800s in England. As defined by the
Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English (2009), a joint-stock company simply means a
company whose stock is owned jointly by its shareholders.
More detailed definition can be found online at www.businessdictionary.com on
which joint-stock company is stated to be the original name for a corporation with limited
liability for the shareholders. Investors in an American joint-stock company receive stock or
shares which can be transferred, and can elect a board of directors to help them control the
company operations. With regards to American joint-stock company, Downes and
Goodman (2006) described this type of company as a form of business organization that

2. A joint-stock company shall have the legal person status from the date it is granted a
business registration certificate.
3. A joint-stock company shall be entitled to issue securities of all kinds for capital
mobilization.
(Vietnam Enterprise Law, 2005)
According to the law, a Vietnamese joint-stock company is a business entity owned
by shareholders. Shareowners of a Vietnamese joint stock company have limited liability as
just being liable for the company's debts by the nominal value of the stock or shares held by
them. Shareholders (except for some special cases) have the right to transfer their shares to
others without any effects to the continued existence of the company.
2.2. Organizational structures of American and Vietnamese joint-stock companies
2.2.1. Organizational structures of some American companies
According to Tullis and Trappe (2004:4), most companies are made up of three
groups of people including shareholders who provide the capital, the management and the
workforce. The management structure of a typical company is shown in the following
organization chart.

13 Figure 1: Company structure introduced by Tullis and Trappe (2004)

As can be seen from the above diagram and the explanation of the authors, at the top
of the company hierarchy is the Board of Directors. This board is headed by the
Chairperson or President and is responsible for policy decisions and strategy (Tullis and
Trappe, 2004). Managing Director (MD) or Chief Executive Officer (CEO) ranks second in
terms of authority. The person who holds this position has overall responsibility for the
running of the business. Companies also have senior and middle management to help head
the various departments or functions within the company. Different departments that can be
found in most companies are Marketing, Public Relations, Information Technology (IT),


According to the author, typically, the functional different departments in a company
are Production Department, Finance Department, Human Resources Department and
Marketing Department. Executive Directors, carrying the title of VP are responsible for
strategic decisions and operations of these functions while managers of each department are
in charge of particular functions. The functional departments are made up of several
sections as introduced below.
1. Marketing Department consists of three sections, that is, sales, sales promotion and
advertising;
2. Human Resources Department is made up of of Recruiment and Personnel, and Training
section.
3. Production Department is composed of five sections including Production Control,
Purchasing, Manufacturing, Quality Control and Engineering Support.
4. Finance Depatment con sists of Financial Management and Accounting
(Mackenzie, 1997:13)
Regarding business structure, McKellen (1990:29) also introduced an organization
chart that is, as he stated, one of the most usual.

Shareholders
Board of Directors
(Executive Directors)
VP of Production
Production
Department
Finance
Department
Chairman or President
Managing Director or Chief Executive Officer
Non-Executive Directors
VP of Finance

A similar structure which is built based on the chain of command can be found in
the book Test your professional English – Management written by Sweeney (2002:66). The
author illustrated a typical model of a company management system in the following
diagram. Managing Director/ Chief Executive/
President
Departments
each headed
by a Director
R&D
Personnel
Others
Production
Marketing
Sales
Finance
R&D
Manager
Production
Manager
Accounting
Manager
Figure 4: Company structure introduced by Sweeney (2002)

According to Sweeney (2002:66), at the top of the company structure is the Chief
Executive or Managing Director. Production Director, Sales Director, Marketing Director,
Finance Director, Human Resources Director and Company Secretary belong to the group
of senior management system. Middle management often has the title of Managers who run
the functional departments of a company.
Another company organizational chart which is introduced in the book Business
Vocabulary in Use is that of Fun and Sun Holidays (Mascull, 2002:26). The company has a
similar structure to that of those businesses previously discussed.

Sales
Department
Manager
Chief Executive/Managing Director
Production
Director
Sales
Director
Marketing
Director
Finance
Director
Human
Resources
Director
Company
Secretary

Officers
Financial
Controller
Personnel
and
Training
Officers
Senior
Administrative
Assistant
Workforce
Sales
Teams
Clerical
Staff
Clerical
Staff
Clerical
Staff
Clerical
Staff