THE EQUIVALENT AND NON-EQUIVALENT TRANSLATION OF WEATHER IDIOMS FROM ENGLISH INTO VIETNAMESE Acknowledgements On the completion of this paper, I am grateful to many people. First, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my instructor for her advice and encouragements during my process of completing this paper. Without her help, this paper could barely become into being. Next, I would like to express my gratefulness to all teachers in Department of Foreign Languages for their valuable lectures for four years.
Without these constructive lectures that have provided me a good background, I could hardly complete this paper with such effectiveness. Last, I would like to thank my family and friends for their continuous support and assistance during the course of my writing this paper. Ho Chi Minh, June 2019 Pham Hoang Bao Khanh Abstract Language is not only a basic method of communication but also a reflection of a nation’s cultures and customs. Its unique beauty was formed, developed throughout English history and influenced by different characteristics such as histories, traditions, climates, weather, manufacturing processes, and other aspects.
For this reason, each language has some special expressions, especially idioms, making it hard, or even impossible, to explain and translate to another language. Idiomatic expressions play a significant role in the language system of all nations. The diverse range of idioms spreads every field in life. Idioms are used in both formal and informal situations, in both writing and speaking, in literature and daily life.
Therefore, every language learner should, or even must, learn idioms when studying a foreign language. It is even more important for translators to learn and comprehend idioms of foreign languages because it improves our information and knowledge of our mother tongue as well as our understanding in both cultures and traditions. Table of contents CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale of the study.
Scopes of the study. Methods of the study. Aims of the study. Design of the study.8 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW .9 CHAPTER III: RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT 1.
Methods of translation. Types of translation. Common features of idioms. Classification of idioms.
Equivalence and non-equivalence. Types of equivalence. Common non-equivalent types. Causes affect in translating weather idioms from English into Vietnamese 2.
What is language?. The relationship between language and translation. What is culture?. The relationship between culture and language.
The relationship between culture and translation. List of equivalent and non-equivalent weather idioms. Non-equivalent translation of weather idioms. Equivalent translation of weather idioms .52 CHAPTER IV: IMPLICATIONS, SUGGESTIONS, AND CONCLUSION 1.60 References CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.
Rationales of the study In the past ten years, English has become an essential, significant language beside our mother tongue. With the growth of our country, numerous of foreign companies have been coming to Vietnam for trade, business, cooperation, investment, etc. Therefore, the importance of using an international language becomes the first priority - English. Additionally, in any negotiations, conferences, meetings, etc.
between the Vietnamese and the foreigners, using English fluently is “a must”. Nevertheless, communications, which include using idioms, is a two-way process and this is one of the reasons the Vietnamese should grasp English idioms as much as possible. Another problem when Vietnamese people learn English is we only focus on grammar, vocabulary, tenses, spelling, pronunciation, etc., but not the idioms which are one of the foundations to master a language. Idioms are one of the most used phrases in daily life both speaking and writing because it is a simple method to express our thoughts, emotions, desires, etc.
helping us communicate and understand more the way English natives use their language. However, to completely understand another language through its figures of speech is quite a challenge since some idioms do not have the similar or equivalent phrases in our own language. This is not mentioned some are too difficult for foreign learners to know how to use correctly in which situation or even understand. As a student’s majoring in translation - interpretation, I determine to find the equivalent and non-equivalent English idioms related to weather when translating into Vietnamese.
In addition, the reasons make it difficult to find similar phrases from English to Vietnamese will be figured out in this research paper. Scopes of the study The research paper will focus on general view of translation, idioms, and equivalence. Besides, I will point out the causes leading to the differences between English and Vietnamese idioms in translation as well as a list of equivalent and non- equivalent idioms will be given. However, due to my limitation of knowledge and the narrow of my topic which are weather idioms, it may prevent language learners from expand their information and improve their English.
Methods of the study Due to my topic, the methods used in this research are mostly collected from textbooks, materials, and studies done before combined with comparative and contrastive analysis. The research will begin with the definition of translation, idioms, and equivalence. The information is collected from English and Vietnamese dictionaries, textbooks and studies related to equivalence in translation, and the Internet. The next part of my research is to point out the causes affect translation English idioms related to weather into Vietnamese.
Aims of the study Firstly, this research is to provide an overall definition of translation, idiom, and equivalence that is extremely useful and practical for students whose major is translation and interpretation. It helps students expand and reinforce their knowledge of translation and idioms as well as equivalence in translation and its importance in translation. Secondly, it encourages and inspires people to enrich their own knowledge through learning English idioms. By learning English idioms, they also learn Vietnamese equivalent phrases, which is a perfect way to conserve our own 7 language.
Moreover, it gives learners a chance to practice using English weather idioms more in daily life. Finally, this paper helps translators recognize the importance of idiomatic expressions in translation because authors always embellish their creation and works by adding figures of speech, idiomatic expressions, slangs, etc. Design of the study The research will be divided into four parts: First is introduction. This part contains rationale, scopes, methods, aims, and design of the study.
Second is literature review. This part is the summary of my references quoted to support my point of view in this research. Third is research development. In this part, a general view of translation, idioms, and equivalence are mentioned as well as the reasons making it hard to find the equivalent English idioms related to weather translation in Vietnamese.
Fourth are implications, suggestions, and conclusion. In this part, there are my implications of this research and suggestions for any further studies in the future. 8 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW Idioms are one of the most important and difficult parts in every language because they contain a massive amount of information related to cultures and traditions. It is necessary for language learners who desire to master a foreign language to learn its inseparably significant part.
Another reason learners should possess their own collection of idioms is because of its frequent use in daily life. Sometimes, it is hard for either the natives to explain a full meaning of an idiom for learners or learners to understand completely and use correctly in an appropriate moment or situation. To truly understand and use a foreign language competently, it is undeniable that language learners have to study the cultures, traditions, and customs of that language. Understanding these problems, Jennifer Seidl published a book called “English idioms and how to use them” in 1978 in order to help foreign learners to understand the meaning of idioms, learn them systematically, and use them properly and efficiently.
In 2010, Michael McCarthy and Felicity O’Dell also published “English idioms in use: Advanced” to “help you take your knowledge of idioms to a more advanced level.4] Besides learning idioms, many theories and definitions of translation, idioms, and equivalence in translation are mentioned, which are three central focuses, in order to introduce an overall view of these three concepts. Since this paper is deeply related to the theory of translation equivalence, theories, concepts, and ideas of three definitions above hold a contributory role in providing, expanding, and consolidating useful information for readers, especially who are interested in the theory of translation and translation equivalence. Therefore, many notable theories of translation and translation equivalence from famous authors, such as Peter Newmark, Eugene Nida, John Cunnison Catford, are presented and recited. In terms of idioms, contributions from many different linguists, such as Bobrow and Bell, 9 Yong and Peng, Heacook, etc., are mentioned and quoted.
In terms of equivalence, important, prominent works from Eugene Nida, John Cunnison Catford, Mona Baker are introduced. In terms of translation theory, “A Textbook of Translation” by Peter Newmark (1988) introduced strategies and methods used in translation. It is very useful for students to have a basic view and learn systematically as a translator. He introduced full, logical steps to do before actually starting translating from analyzing a text, learning and grasping the process of translation to the language functions, translation methods.
Moreover, along with the standard methods used in translation, he also mentioned other translation procedures which are either another method of translation or an effect on a translated text. His contribution in translation theory is recognized worldwide and applied in teaching translation in many countries. Another significant contribution to the theory of translation belongs to Eugene Nida. His two remarkable “Towards a science of translating” and “The theory and practice of translation” contribute valuable and practical methods to the theory of translation.
In “Towards a science of translating” books, following Jakobson, Nida divided translation into three parts that are intralingual translation, interlingual translation, and intersemiotic translation. In the same book, Nida also mentioned many different aspects in the translation process that translators have to deal with, such as different features of meaning (linguistic meaning, referential meaning, and emotive meaning), the correspondences and contrasts between two languages, the translation procedures as well as proper techniques of adjustment translators apply in translation. Moreover, in “Towards a science of translating”, he had a separate chapter to discuss the role of translators in translation. In this chapter, he not only pointed out the model of translators’ role but also some basic requirements for translators as well as the motives of translators in translation.
He summarized in the 10 conclusion of this chapter, though translators’ works are not always recognized or appreciated, “the task itself has its own rewards.155] On the other hand, adapting the works from “Towards a science of translating”, in “The theory and practice of translation”, Nida focused more on linguistic structures, semantic analysis, and information theory. He presented these information by applying them to Bible translating. He also presented a specific analysis on applying two types of translation equivalence through translating the Bible in this book. In terms of idioms, there are many different definitions from numerous linguists and scholars, such as Bobrow and Bell, Kunin, Yong and Peng, are introduced.
Each of the ideas or proposals affects either one or some of idioms aspects. However, since the goal of this paper is not on the definition of idioms but the features of idioms, my main analysis focuses on semantic feature and syntactic feature. The first contribution to idioms I introduce belongs to Bobrow and Bell in their experiment called “On catching on to idiomatic expressions.” This experiment was published in “Memory & Cognition” journal, a publication of the Psychonomic Society, in Volume 1, Issue 3, in September 1973. The goal of this experiment is to test native undergraduates’ comprehension of idiomatic expression.
Another contribution to idioms’ feature is from Yong and Peng in their “Bilingual Lexicography from a Communicative Perspective” in 2007. This book is mainly discussed all problems in the field of bilingual lexicography.