TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC QUẢNG BÌNH
KHOA NGOẠI NGỮ

GIÁO TRÌNH
(Lưu hành nội bộ)

THỰC HÀNH BIÊN DỊCH
TRANSLATION PRACTICE
(Dành cho sinh viên ngành cao đẳng tiếng Anh)
Tác giả: Nguyễn Thọ Phước Thảo

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Năm 2015

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MỤC LỤC
Lời mở đầu
Unit 1: How to deal with non-equivalence at lexical level……………………………….3
Unit 2: How to deal with idioms and set expressions…………………………………….9
Unit 3: Dealing with structural errors……………………………………………………13
Unit 4: How to deal with style errors…………………………….....................................19
Unit 5: Translation of cultural terms……………………………………………………..22
Unit 6: Translation of sentences………………………………….....................................28
Unit 7: Translation of texts……………………………………….....................................43
Tài liệu tham khảo

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In some cases, it may be appropriate or necessary to use a more specific word to
translate an English word into Vietnamese. This usually involves choosing among
different words, as there may be many Vietnamese words that correspond to the
general category or meaning expressed by English word. For instance, Vietnamese
has many words that mean „to carry‟ with distinction being made depending on the
size and shape of the object; its animate (e.g. a child as opposed to a box); and how
it is carried (e.g. in the hand, or in the arms…). Similarly, the English word for
„rice‟ can be translated by many different Vietnamese words, depending on
whether one is planting it, harvesting it, cooking it, or eating it. In these cases, the
English word alone is not enough to determine the appropriate Vietnamese
translation, and it is necessary to examine the English context.

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Example:
Below are 10 different uses (meanings) of the word “Run” (English)
1. the boy runs
2. run along
3. color runs
4. run the computer
5. vine runs
6. boss runs a company
7. runs for president
8. time runs fast
9. run over
10. dry run
2. Translating by a more general word
In other cases, it may be appropriate to use a more general word to translate and
English word with no specific Vietnamese equivalent. For example, English makes

coin new words in Vietnamese rather than borrow English words. However, this
strategy is very useful when the translator deal with concepts or ideas that are new
to Vietnamese audience, culture-specific items, and proper names or diseases or
medicines that are widely known in English names. For instance, HIV and AIDS
are two loan words that are frequently used in Vietnamese, as they are referred to
by their English names in almost every part of the world. Because these words have
been in common used in Vietnam for a long time, they are often used without any
accompanying explanation. Whenever a loan word is used, it is better to give an
explanation. Another example is the acronym for oral dehydration salts, or ORS,
which is printed on every package and hence easily reorganized; this is normally
written in English with an explanation in Vietnamese: ORS (muối bù mất nước).
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5. Translating by using a paraphrase
This strategy can be used when we translate an English word or concept that does
not exist in Vietnamese, or when the Vietnamese term for it does not introduce all
the meanings conveyed by the English term for the same concept. For example, in
the sentence: „Pregnant women should avoid alcohol.‟, the English „alcohol‟
includes all alcoholic drinks in its meaning. The Vietnamese word „rượu‟ does not
include beer in its definition, so the Vietnamese translation should add the word
beer to reflect the full meaning of the source language sentence. Another example
is that the English words „abuse‟ and „neglect‟ signify a whole range of behaviors,
some of which are not conveyed by the Vietnamese words alone. As a result, the
English sentence: „Children should be protected from abuse and neglect,‟ can not
be translated simply as „Trẻ em phải được bảo vệ khỏi sự lạm dụng và lơ là.‟ This
translation does not account for their full meaning, which must be unpacked for
better understanding. This can be done by paraphrasing as a translator has
attempted in the following translation: „Trẻ em cần bảo vệ chống lại mọi hình thức
bạo lực, gây tổn thương hay xúc phạm, bỏ mặc hoặc xao nhãng trong việc chăm

10. Quan tâm về
11. Lo lắng về
12. Tự hào về
13. Profound
14. Deep
15. Stubborn
16. Home
17. House
II. Circle the correct word
1. I couldn‟t begin/ start my car this morning, the battery was flat.
2. We will discuss the matter before/ in front of he arrives.
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3. Tim speaks/ says/ tells French much better than me.
4. Can you borrow/ lend me $20 please? I‟ll pay it back tomorrow.
5. You can easily fit three people on to the back chair/ seat of your car. .
6. He was killed by/ with a knife.
7. It‟s not good telling the teacher you‟ve left/ forgotten your books at home.
8. You really must/ have to come and see us some time.
9. I was able to drive to London quickly because the road was clean/ clear.
III. Translate
1. We must all work together to contribute to the building of a strong nation.
2. The Labor Government was blamed by many Australian people for
contributing to the poor economy.
3. She is a beautiful dancer.
4. The woman with a baby in her arms is my sister.
5. He was a failure in art.
6. Premature babies usually have breathing problems.
7. Although he is the head of the company, he has no head.

if such a match can be found, but this kind of correspondence is not common, and it
is usually necessary to use other strategies in dealing with idioms and set
expressions.
Ex:
- Face to face 
- Love is blind



Mặt đối mặt
Yêu là mù quáng

2. Using an idiom or set expression of similar but different form
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It is possible and easy to find a Vietnamese idiom with a similar meaning for an
English idiom or set expression. A good example can be found is the translation for
„to carry coals to Newcastle‟: „Chở củi về rừng.‟, which is translated as „to carry
firewood to the forest‟. The meaning here is clearly the same for both idioms-to
bring something to a place that has an abundance of that thing-but the way in which
each language expresses is bound to be the culture of that language. It is far more
cumbersome to translate this idiom literally into Vietnamese with an explanation
that Newcastle to a well-known coal-producing city in England (as was suggested
by some Vietnamese translators), which would unduly interrupt the flow of the text
and greatly diminish the idiom‟s impact. By substituting a similar Vietnamese
idiom, then the flow and the impact of the source text are retained in the translation.
Ex: Crow do to not pick crow‟s eyes  Chó không ăn thịt chó

 Dog does not eat dog

commissioner, after which choice must be made between the two meanings, for it
would not be possible to translate both meanings by one Vietnamese phrase. As the
emphasis is on positive to translate both the fact of being HIV positive , one
translator has suggested the translation: „Hãy sống yêu đời dù nhiễm HIV‟. This
translation expresses the notion of being positive about life without mentioning
anything about being HIV positive status.
*Practice
No.

Englis

Vietnames

as hot as fire

nóng như lửa e

2.

h
as quick as lightning

3.

as bright as day

sáng rõ như ban ngày

1.



12. as black as coal
13.

trắng như bông

14. as cold as ice/
15.

nặng như đá đeo

16. as
cricket
as merry
cool asasa acucumber
17. as soundly as a log
18. as quiet as a mouse

câm như hến

19. as gentle as a lamb

H

20.

nghèo rớt mồng tơiH

21. as pale as a ghost
22.

order: Where do you live? It is common that passive constructions will need to be
translated with an active construction or vice versa, depending on the natural form
of the receptor language. For example, Vietnamese people tend to use active
constructions to express their ideas whereas English people prefer to use passive
constructions. Vietnamese: Người ta xem Nguyen Du là một nhà thơ vĩ đại.
(Active) English: Nguyen Du is considered to be a great poet. (Passive) The above
translated sentences are only examples to show some types of grammatical
adjustments which will result if a translator translates idiomatically in the source
language. Certainly, there will be times by coincidence they match, but a translator
should translate the meaning not concern himself with whether the forms turn out
the same or not.
Influence of the mother tongue
In the process of learning a foreign language, our mother tongue shapes our way of
thinking, and, to some extent, our use of the target language (word order, choice of
words).
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Thanks to translation, we understand better the interference in the mother tongue
when learning a foreign language and will be able to explore the potential of both
languages – their merits and shortcoming – by using contrastive analysis. Word
order: The differences between word orders in Vietnamese and English are shown
in the following example: Vietnamese-into-English translation: (i) “Anh ấy là một
sinh viên giỏi. Tên của anh ấy là Nam.” In the phrase “sinh viên” is a noun, “giỏi”
is an adjective, “tên” is a noun, and “của anh ấy” is possessive adjective. As we
know, in Vietnamese, an adjective or possessive follows a noun. In contrast, an
adjective precedes a noun or possessive adjective has the same position. And the
above phrases are written:
“He is a good student. His name is Nam.”


using the different verb forms to express time when an action happens in the Vietnamese
language. With the above present perfect tense, the sentence can be translated as “Tôi đã
học tiếng Trung Quốc được 5 năm rồi.” In this way, the verb “học” has no inflection and
the meaning of the sentence is the same. In conclusion, grammatical structures in English
are so complicated and not easy to master. It requires the learners have to find an effective
way of learning to study and practice more if they want to limit grammar errors in using
English in general and specifically in translation subject as skilled translators.
Grammar errors
Grammar errors are also common in Vietnamese-English translation. They are errors
related to tenses, the forms of words, the sentence structures found in the translated
text. These errors are caused by the misuse of verb forms, the misuse of relative pronoun,
and the misuse of part of speech.
Misuse of verb forms
The grammar errors which are related to the misuse of verb forms often occur when the
translators keep Vietnamese structures to translate the Vietnamese sentences into English.
The following sentence is considered to have grammar error because the translator
misused the voice. Vietnamese: “Giáo dục qua mạng, hay giáo dục trực tuyến là một loại
hình giáo dục phát triển nhờ vào tiến bộ của ngành công nghệ thông tin.” English:
“Internet or on-line education is a form of education which develops thanks to
information technology.” (Incorrect) (Nguyễn Thành Đức, 2009) The error of this
example is the verb “develops”, which is in active form. It must be in passive form “is
developed” because “Internet or on-line Education” cannot develop by itself. Therefore,
the Vietnamese sentence should be translated “Internet or on-line Education is a form of
education which is developed thanks to information technology.”

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Misuse of relative pronouns
The grammar errors related to the misuse of relative pronouns often occur when the

laugh is a sign of a healthy body.” “In people‟s lives, laughing is a sign of a healthy
body.” “In people‟s lives, to laugh is a sign of a healthy body.”
Example 2: The Vietnamese sentence “Người có đầu óc hài hước thường dễ tạo được sự
cảm thông của người khác.” is incorrect to be translated into English as “People with
sense of humor easily make others sympathy.” (Nguyễn Thành Đức, 2009) In the
example, the English sentence is incorrect because of the word “sympathy” which is a
noun. In English, it is incorrect to use the structure “to make + somebody + noun” as in
the sentence, but it has to be written as the structure “to make + somebody + adjective”.
Therefore, the noun “sympathy” must be changed into the adjective “sympathetic”, and
the correct sentence is “People with sense of humor easily make others sympathetic.” The
grammar errors which are related to the misuse of the part of speech occur when the
translators do not remember the part of speech of words, the grammar structures, or they
do not fully comprehend the meaning of the sentences that needs to be translated.
As can be seen from the examples mentioned above, some translators focused on the
structures of the source language - Vietnamese - so much that they fail to convey all the
implicit meaning of the target language - English. In fact, it is not necessary to keep the
form at all. The most important thing is that the translations must be done on the basic of
the target language grammar that is familiar to the readers. This principle suggests that the
translator should not depend largely on the structures of the source language but break
them to convey the meaning as much as possible in an appropriate structure in the target
language.

In order to overcome this type of structural errors, the most effective way for
translators is to master the structurs of both languages. It is clear that a translator
who is proficient in English cannot help being good at Vietnamese and vice versa.
Practice
1. Thank you for your pretty present”
2. „The USA is said to be a powerful country.
3. The Vietnamese Airlines had coped with difficulties due to the regional
financial crisis.

friends, relatives, members in a family; formal language used in formal texts such
as speeches in conference, legal documents, business letter & documents, research
papers. The examples given below clearly indicate that the same massage could be
expressed in different styles.

1. Drop me a line. (informal language )
2. Remember to write me a letter. (neutral)
3. I look forward to your letter. (informal language )
4. They can escape from family supervision. (formal)
5. Their parents can‟t keep an eye on them. (colloquial)
6. They are completely armed. (formal)
7. They are armed to teeth. (colloquial)
Style error is an acute problem to the translators. There are translators did not
master the difference when using various styles such as conversational, academic,
scientific, literary styles. Many translators failed when coming across the
unfamiliar styles due to being unawaHre of degrees of formality (informal or
formal style), usage of vocabulary (informal, colloquial, formal) These are some
style errors taken out from some Vietnamese- English translations. 1. Nếu chúng
tôi đặt hàng với số lượng lớn, liệu doanh nghiệp anh có bán với giá rẻ không?
(If we place substantial orders, can your enterprise get us with soft price?) It is
impossible to use informal style in a business letter. Instead of using “soft price” ,
the translator should use “cheaper price”.
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2. Thời tiết Huế không thích hợp cho người già. Mùa hè trời nóng như thiêu đốt,
trong khi mùa đông lạnh đến xương tủy. (The weather in Hue is favorable for the
old. It is burning hot in summer while it chills to the bones in winter.) It is
impossible to use informal style to tanslate a formal text. Instead of using “burning
hot”, the translator should use “exceedingly hot”

Braille books. Young sight-impaired people in Hanoi and HCMC were invited to
our centers to listen to „live‟ talking book spoken by English language teachers.
They were presented gifts of Sony Walkmans and talking book cassettes.

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UNIT 5: TRANSALTION OF CULTURAL TERMS
I. Culrural errors
Culture could be understood as the total set of beliefs, attitude, customs,
behaviour, social habits etc. of the member of a particular society. In the broad
sense, it

includes mode

of production, production activities, community

organization, spiritural life, knowledge of nature and society, emotions, and moral
conceptions. Language is regarded as both a component of a culture and network
through which other elements of culture operate. Language therefore uses
almost all other cultural elements so as to perfect its universal and self-sufficient
nature.
It could be said that we will not translate from this to that language perfectly unless
we know its relation to its culture.
It is common ly known that “ao dai” is a traditional costume of the Vietnamese
women and we never find an equivalent word in English to translate “ao dai”.
However, some translators translated mechanically “ao dai” into “a dress”. How
funny it is! It would be preferredcto writing down “ao dai” to express the cultural
feature to making foreign people misunderstand “ao dai” as”a dress”.
* „„Trang phục truyền thống của người phụ nữ Việt Nam là chiếc áo dài tượng