Graduation Thesis TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements Abbreviation Part 1: INTRODUCTION Rationale Aims of the study Scope of the study Methods of the study .2 Design of the study Part 2: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Theoretical Background 1.1 Theory of translation 1.1.1 Concept of translation 1.1.2 Types of translation 1.1.2.1 Form-based ……………………………………………………….5 1.1.2.2 Meaning-based ……………………………………………………5 1.1.3 Process of translation …………………………………………………… 1.1.3.1 The approach …………………………………………………… 1.1.3.2 The textual level ………………………………………………….8 1.1.3.3 The referential level ………………………………………………8 1.1.3.4 The cohesive level ……………………………………………… 1.1.3.5 The level of naturalness ………………………………………… 1.1.4 Strategies of translation …………………………………………………10 1.1.4.1 How to deal with non-equivalence at level word ……………… 10 1.1.4.1.1 Translation by a more specific word ………………………… 10 1.1.4.1.2 Translation by a more general word ………………………… 11 1.1.4.1.3 Translation by cultural substitution……………………………12 1.1.4.1.4 Translation using a loan word plus explanation……………….12 1.1.4.1.5 Translation by paraphrase …………………………………… 13 1.1.4.2 How to deal with idioms and fixed expression ………………….14 1.1.4.2.1 Using an idioms or fixed expression of similar meaning and Form…………………………………………………………………… 14 1.1.4.2.2 Using an idiom or fixed expression of similar meaning but dissimilar form……………………………………………………….14 1.1.4.2.3 Translation by paraphrase…………………………………… 15 1.1.4.3 How to deal with number and person…………………………… 16 1.1.4.3.1 Number ……………………………………………………… 16 1.1.4.3.2 Person ………………………………………………………….17 Chapter 2: Difficulties in translating economics terms in English articles about stock market 2.1 Causes …………………………………………………………………………… 18 2.2 Background knowledge limitation………………………………… …………….18 Bïi ThÞ Thủ University - 44B1 FLD_Vinh Graduation Thesis 2.3 Accuracy in language……………………………………………… ……………23 2.4 Dealing with complexity of economic field……………………………………….26 2.5 Shortage understanding the source text……………………………………………29 Chapter 3: Data analysis 3.1 Executive summary ……………………………………………………………….32 3.2 Introduction……………………………………………………………………… 32 3.3 Methods…………………………………………………………… ……………32 3.4 Results……………………………………………………………… ………… 33 3.5 Interpretation of results……………………………………………………………33 3.6 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………37 3.7 Recommendations…………………………………………………………………37 Part C: CONCLUSION Review of the major findings……………………………………………………….39 Limitations of the study………… ……………………………………………… 40 Suggestions for further study…………………………………………………… …40 REFERENCES APPENDIX Acknowledgements F irst of all, I should like to express my greatest gratitude to M.A Le Thi Thuy Ha, my supervisor, who has given me precious advice, valuable materials and enormously essential corrections for the accomplishment of the thesis I am also grateful to my teachers in the Foreign Languages Department for their helpful suggestions and encouragement during the time my job has been being carried out Bïi ThÞ Thủ University - 44B1 FLD_Vinh Graduation Thesis Finally, my profound thanks to my loved family and my good friends whose love, care and help have given me essential energy and determination without which this thesis would have been impossible completed Vinh, May 2007 Bïi ThÞ Thủ Part I: INTRODUCTION Rationale The profession of translation is very old one, which came into existence when the first contacts were established between human using different languages It is also one of the finest professions since its aims to draw individuals together and enable them to establish a closer understanding of the intention of one another By eliminating the barrier that separates them, the translator plays an important role in the world today They help people to communicate across language barrier, making people closer Along the development of the others, the subject of translation has been step-by-step confirming its situation with so many necessary contributions to many aspects of human life On the other hand, the third-year students in foreign languages department in Vinh university are dying for being skillful for their translating services in the future It is notice that with the help of modern integration movement, international exchanges in various fields are taking place an increasing rate, and English has been becoming and international language that being used in those This tendency requires a rich source of transmitting the documents from this language into the other one The sufficiency of the economics is undeniable, however, it is a fact that the economics is a both interesting and complex as well Translating in this field is a good chance to measure the ability in understanding and analyzing the economics issues Obtaining a sufficient awareness of the vivid existence of the difficulties in translation economics terms Article, in the civilized society, has become one of the most popular and powerful means of communication and nowadays plays a displaceable part in man's life It is not only where people get themselves expressed, knowledge-enriched, information-update Bïi ThÞ Thủ University - 44B1 FLD_Vinh Graduation Thesis and entertained, but also one of places where a language can interestingly manifest its own existence with its certain features Unexceptionally, we can amusingly trace many of characteristics of English language in English articles Being interested in English economics articles about stock market, we find it very interesting, and appropriate also, to apply related theories into English articles about stock market to identify difficulties during the translation process For all reasons above, we have decided to choose "difficulties in translating economics terms in English articles about stock market" to be the theme of the thesis Aims of the study This thesis has been done with a wish that it could give a small contribution to the improvement in translating English articles especially in translating economics terms in articles about stock market Therefore, when deciding to this thesis, I aimed at: Introducing the definition of the translation Surveying and analyzing English-Vietnamese translation on terms in stock market branch of the economics field Difficulties are the major part of the paper, in which most types of difficulties that translators may cope with during translating will be indicated Scope of the study Because translation covers such a large area the writer has made no attempts to deal with the entire range of possible issue The writer has limited the scope of her study to some techniques on translation process such as the approach, the textual level, the referential level, cohesive level, and the level of naturalness In addition to that, the paper also mentions the strategies in translation that play a high position in the result of the translation process In this thesis, we write about the difficulties in translating English articles that mostly download from the website www.investopedia.com which is, in our opinion, one of the most useful document resource for people that have great love of stock market We also conducted a small survey for third-year students in Foreign Language Department in Vinh university that helps us to investigate the factual difficulties in translating economics terms in English articles about stock market Methods of the Study With the aim to investigate difficulties of the students in translating stock market terms, during our studying process we have to use different methods but the dominant ones are as follow: Review of published related theories Bïi ThÞ Thủ University - 44B1 FLD_Vinh Graduation Thesis Collective method Investigative method Analysis and synthesis of the selected data Design of the study There are three main parts in this thesis paper Part A: Introduction In this part, the rationale, aims, scope, methods and design of the thesis are introduced Part B: Development This part consists of three chapters: Chapter 1: Theoretical background Chapter 2: Difficulties in translating economics terms in articles about stock market Chapter 2: Data analysis Part C: Conclusion This part is place of summarizing the thesis Besides these three main parts, the thesis also consists of the acknowledgement, the table of content, the abbreviation, the appendix and the references Part II: development CHAPTER THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 Theory of translation 1.1.1 Concept of translation Bïi ThÞ Thủ University - 44B1 FLD_Vinh Graduation Thesis Translation has been defined by many linguistics According to Bui Tien Bao (1999), translation is rendering a written text into another language in the way that the author intended the text The question "what is translation?" Cartford translation as "the replacement of textual material in one language (SL) equivalent textual material in another language (TL) Hartman and Stork (1972) believe 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" On the other hand, Marlon (1988) claims "Translation is the expression in another language (or target language) of what has been expressed in another source language, preserving semantic and stylistic equivalence" Furthermore, Translation is the replacement of a representation of a text in one language by a representation of an equivalent text in a second language (By Roger T Bell) Translation consists of studying the lexicon, grammatical structure, communication situation and cultural context of the source language text What translation does is, first, to identify and define a translation problem (no problem - no translation theory); second, to indicate all the factors that have to be taken into account in solving the problem; third, to list all the possible translation procedures; finally, to recommend the most suitable translation procedure, plus the appropriate translation Deriving from reality there are more than one type of translation 1.1.2 Types of translation It is noticed that stemming at different times and from different contexts include two factors: The text and the quality of equivalence Treatment of the two texts properties, form and meaning, as well as the focus on a particular requirement of equivalence is the main distinction between the two main types of translation: The formbased and the meaning-based ones (Larson, 1984) 1.1.2.1 Form-based Translation, by dictionary definition, consists of changing from one state or one form to another, to turn into one's own or another's language (The Merriam_ Webster Dictionary, 1974) Translation is basically a change of form When we mention to the form of a language we are referring to the actual words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, etc the forms are referred to as the surface structure of a language: It is the structural part of language which is actually seen in print or heard in speech In translation, the form of the source language is replaced by the form of the target language In general, the type of Form-based translation is known as literal translation, attempt to follow the form of the source language text 1.1.2.2 Meaning-based Bïi ThÞ Thủ University - 44B1 FLD_Vinh Graduation Thesis It is important to understand the source text deeply before translation Translation must keep the source meaning of the text Translator can change the form but never modify the original meaning of the text Meaning-based translations, or idiomatic translations, make every effort to communicate to text receivers the meaning of the source language text in the natural forms of the target language (Larson, 1984) Idiomatic translations are usually the translator's goal as this is the reproduction of source language text meaning (The meaning intended by the original communicator) in the natural form of the target language (Larson, 1984) In fact, translations are often a mixture of a literal transfer of the grammatical units along with some idiomatic translation of the meaning of the text 1.1.3 Process of translation In the early days of translation theory, when Fremdsprachen began appearing (1956) and Eugene Nida wrote two Towards the science of translating (1964), this was the first time that linguistics began to concern itself with translation Since then Nida and Koller have recommended dynamic equivalence as the only true method of translating; In fact, Nida says that translation is entirely communication whilst Neubert and Kate have distinguished the invariant (cognitive) and the variant (pragmatic) element in translating Remarkable, in the last years we have also had new closely resembling theories of translation Harris (1975) has propounded his "natural translation", meaning " any translation done in everyday circumstances by bilingual people who have no special training for it Three-year-olds translate spontaneously in the presence of listeners who they not think speak both languages and later develop a criterion of "correct" translation_ a translation competence in the Chomsky spirit" (Personally I regard translation as a complex, artificial and unnatural process, requiring an exceptional degree of intelligence) (Chomsky) In a later paper (1977) Harris and Sherwood argue that "the data for translatology" (The scientific study of translating) should come primarily from natural translation rather than from literary, technical, and other professional or semi professional branches of translation as in the past Harris and Sherwood's arguments are mainly concerned with proving (unsuccessfully I think) that translation is an innate skill in bilinguals Translation has to be based on words, sentences, linguistic meaning, and language Meaning does not exist without words Meaning arises from sights (signs, movements, colors, shape, etc.), sound, smells, tastes, surfaces (touch, feel, texture) as well as drives, feelings, ideas, images, etc that reach consciousness, but all these can only be mediated by words, assisted sporadically by mental images Certainly, there are periods when the translators have to suppress their memory of the source language words Writer is writing to please himself rather than any reader, or when the translation's readers as not the same information as the original's reader The purpose of this theory is to be of service to the translator It leads the translation theory coming to practice, it Translation is a skill and an as well as a science Bïi ThÞ Thủ University - 44B1 FLD_Vinh Graduation Thesis Dynamic equivalence is not possible when the original derives from a translation theory framework that proposes that when the main purpose of the text is to convey information and convince the reader a method of translation must be "natural" " Naturalness" is both grammatical and lexical and is a touchstone at every level of a text, from paragraph to word, from title to punctuation According to Peter Newmark in A textbook of translation, one can be surely successful with is translation if he follows this figure: Three language functions Expressive Informative Vocative Translating theory Communicative Semantic Frame of reference Contextual factors Problem Textual level Cohesive level Translation procedures Theory of translating Referential level Level of Naturalness Translation practice 1.1.3.1 The approach Translation is for discussion A translation is something that has to be discussed There has not been cast-iron rules so that all one can is to produce an argument with translation examples to support it There are two approaches to translating Firstly, you start translating sentence by sentence to get the feel and the feeling tone of the text, and then you deliberately sit back, review the position and read the rest of the source Bïi ThÞ Thủ University - 44B1 FLD_Vinh Graduation Thesis language text This method maybe suitable for translating literary, but this may let you with too much revision to on early part so that it is time wasting The second method is that you read the whole text two or three times and find the intention, register, tone, mark the difficult words and passages and start translating only when you have taken your bearings This method can be mechanical Which of the two methods can be chosen depending on translator's temperament The first maybe applied for a relatively easy text and the second for a harder one 1.1.3.2 The textual level The text is the foundation for your translation This is the level of the literal translation of the source language into the target language, the level of the translation you have to eliminate, but it is also acts as a corrective of paraphrase and the pare-down of synonyms You transpose the SL grammar into their "ready" TL equivalents and you translate the lexical units into the sense that appears immediately appropriate in the context of the sentence by working on the text level 1.1.3.3 The referential level All languages have polysemous words and structures that can be finally solved only on the referential level, beginning with a few multi-purpose, overloaded prepositions and conjunction, through dangling participles The referential level, where you mentally sort out the text, is built up out of based on, the clarification of all linguistic difficulties and, where appropriate, supplementary information from the 'encyclopedia" _ symbol for any work of reference or textbook Building up the referential picture in mind as transforming the SL into TL text We should not read a sentence without seeing it on the referential level whether a text is technical or literary or institutional, we have to make up our mind, summarily and continuously, what it is about, what it is in aid of For each sentence, when it is not clear, where there is an ambiguity, when the writing is an abstract or figurative, the questions should be: What is actually happening here? And why? For what reason? On what ground? For what purpose? Can we see it in our minds? Can we visualize it? 1.1.3.4 The cohesive level The cohesive level is a regulator It secures coherence It adjusts emphasis This level follows both the structure and the mood of the text: the structure through the connective words (conjunction, enumeration, reiteration, definite article, general words, referential synonyms, punctuation marks) linking the sentences, usually proceeding from theme to rheme; a proposition, opposition, continuation, reiteration, opposition, conclusion, therefore the structure follows the train factor moving between positive and negative, emotive and neutral It means tracing the thread of a text through its value-laden Bïi ThÞ Thủ University - 44B1 FLD_Vinh Graduation Thesis and value -free passages which may be expressed by objects or nouns, as well as adjectives or qualities 1.1.3.5 The level of naturalness For the vast of majority of texts, you have to ensure: +) That your translation makes sense +) That it reads naturally, that is written in ordinary language, the common order grammar, idioms and words that meet that kind of situation.( Peter Newmark A textbook of translation, p.24) When you are facing with an innovatory expressive text you have to try to gauge the degree of its deviation from naturalness, from ordinary language and reflect this degree in your translation Thus in translating any type of text you have to sense "naturalness", usually for the purpose of reproducing, sometime for the purpose of deviating from naturalness In a serious text, you have to bear in mind that the level of naturalness of natural usage is grammatical as well as lexical (i.e., the most frequent syntactic structures, idioms, and words that are likely to be appropriated found in that kind of stylistic context) and, via appropriate sentence connectives, may extent to the entire text "Naturalness" is a necessary tool for all translators as translating an informative text (The Times, The Economist), a notice (Science reports), or an advert (The Saturday night) Naturalness is easily defined, not so easy to be concrete about Natural usage comprises a variety of idioms or styles or registers determined primarily by the setting of the text, i.e where it is typically published or found, secondarily by the author, topic and readership, all of whom are usually dependent on the setting (Quoted in Peter Newmark The process of translating, p.26) We must distinguish the natural usage from 'ordinary language' "Natural translation can be contrasted with 'casual' language (Voegelin), where word order syntactic structures, collocations and words are predictable." (Peter Newmark, The process of translating, p.26) However, naturalness is not something we are able to acquire by instinct We have to work towards it by small progressive stages, working from the most common to the less common features Because there is not a universal naturalness so that naturalness depends on the relationship between the writer and the readership and the readership and the topic or situation Here we have four levels of translation, and each of them has its own functions and characteristics as well, so that we should combine the four levels in translating They are distinct from but frequently impinge on and may be in conflict with each other, but we should keep in parallel the four levels to have a successful translated text 1.1.4.1 Strategies of translation 1.1.4.1.1 How to deal with non-equivalence at level word Bïi ThÞ Thủ University - 44B1 10 FLD_Vinh ... times; small-cap means stocks with a relatively small market capitalization The definition of small cap can vary among brokerages, but generally it is a company with a market capitalization of between... English as a foreign languages students in translating economic articles about stock market Needless to say, Vietnamese translators of English are severely disadvantaged in all kinds of anticipating... natural form of the target language (Larson, 1984) In fact, translations are often a mixture of a literal transfer of the grammatical units along with some idiomatic translation of the meaning of