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Contrary to popular view, proper names translation is a nontrivial question. Many scholars and translators claim that proper names do not need to be translated, especially names of literary characters. However, proper names are not noninformative; they include a lot of useful information and help to provide some simple information for audiences. In fact, translation of proper names has not been accorded the appropriate attention. These factors encourage the researcher to carry out this study with the objectives of having a look at translation strategies applied in proper names of literary characters. The novel “Số đỏ” and its translated version “Dumb Luck” were chosen as the object of this study and document analysis along with the general interview guide approach were adopted as research methods. 25 proper names selected after purposive sampling process. Regarding translation strategies, the most dominant strategy in translating proper names from Vietnamese to English was literal translation.
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION GRADUATION PAPER STRATEGIES APPLIED IN VIETNAMES -ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF PROPER NAMES IN "SỐ ĐỎ" (DUMB LUCK) BY VU TRONG PHUNG Supervisor : Nguyễn Thành Vân (M.A) Student : Bùi Thu Hương QH2010.F. E21 Hà Nội, 2014 2 ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP CÁC CHIẾN LƯỢC ÁP DỤNG TRONG VIỆC DỊCH CÁC TÊN RIÊNG TỪ TIẾNG VIỆT SANG TIẾNG ANH TRONG TÁC PHẨM “SỐ ĐỎ” CỦA VŨ TRỌNG PHỤNG Supervisor : Ths. Nguyễn Thành Vân Student : Bùi Thu Hương Khóa : QH2010.F. E21 Hanoi, 2014 DECLARATION I hereby state that I : Bui Thu Huong, QH2010.F1.E21, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirement of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library. In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origins of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purpose of the study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan and the reproduction of the paper. Hanoi, 2014 Bui Thu Huong 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Van, for his precious guidance, valuable advice as well as his encouragement which were the decisive factors assisting me in finishing the paper on the right track. My sincere thanks also go to my friends Dong Thi Ngoc, Hoang Thi Thu Yen, Duong Thi Ngoc Anh, Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, Pham Lan Phuong for their special helps in the data analysis process. Without them, this study cannot have been completed. I am also grateful to my classmates for their helpful comments, wholehearted encouragement throughout the process of this paper. Finally, I appreciate the support and care from my family and my friends from the beginning to the end of the research. ABSTRACT Contrary to popular view, proper names translation is a non-trivial question. Many scholars and translators claim that proper names do not need to be translated, especially names of literary characters. However, proper names are not non- informative; they include a lot of useful information and help to provide some simple information for audiences. In fact, translation of proper names has not been accorded 4 the appropriate attention. These factors encourage the researcher to carry out this study with the objectives of having a look at translation strategies applied in proper names of literary characters. The novel “Số đỏ” and its translated version “Dumb Luck” were chosen as the object of this study and document analysis along with the general interview guide approach were adopted as research methods. 25 proper names selected after purposive sampling process. Regarding translation strategies, the most dominant strategy in translating proper names from Vietnamese to English was literal translation. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 5 SL: Source language TL: Target language LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES 6 Table 3.1. Types of proper names……………………………… 8 Table 4.1. The satirical meaning behind some proper names of the characters in “Số đỏ”……………………….…20 Table 4.2. The use of translation procedures in Vietnamese-English translation of proper names in “Số đỏ”………………………… 24 Table 4.3. Proper names translated by literal…………………….25 Table 4.4. Proper names translated by couplet………………… 25 Table 4.5. Types of combination couplet translation procedure…26 Table 4.6. Proper names translated by transference…………… 27 Table 4.7. Proper names translated by cultural equivalent……….27 Figure 4.2. The use of translation procedures in Vietnamese-English translation of proper names in”Số đỏ”………………………………………….….24 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale Translation is not a new term to human. It has such a long history – since the early dates of civilization. In fact, no one can deny the inevitable role of translation in 7 societies. Thanks to this activity, communication between people coming from different countries becomes easier. It also brings nations and cultures to come closer together. Since translation’s momentous contributions, a lot of experts and scholars were and are attempting to establish theories and principles to enhance the quality of translation. They try to find equivalence between the source and target language; in other words, they wish to convey without distorting the meaning of the source language into the target language. More details, factors and features appearing in the source text will be thoroughly focused on, to make sure that target language text can maintain the spirit, the meaning of the original version. However, it is commonly known that when facing proper names, many translators accept to ignore proper names because they believe that translating proper names is not important and necessary. Vendler (1975) even emphasized that “proper names lack meaning, they are not translated, but simply carried over to language translation.” (p. 175). However, the translation of proper names is considered one of the most challenging parts in the translation given that translators are not able to look them up in the dictionary. Moreover, proper names also indicate “racial, ethnic, national, and religious ijhjhhhfhfđgfgyhhk;llk;dentity” (Tymoczko, 1999, p. 223). In the same manner, Aixela (1996) indicates that proper names “account for the greatest percentage of the culturally specific items in a text” (p. 86). Therefore, it is essential to pay more attention to an important factor like a proper name, since it has not been accorded sufficient attention by scholars and translators. In Vietnam, there have been several official theses or discussions about proper names from English to Vietnamese and there seems not yet any official thesis about names from Vietnamese to English. This gap motivates me as a researcher to carry out a study on strategies applied in translating proper names. Nevertheless, due to the limited time frame and capable of the researcher, this study only focuses on the case study of translation strategies applied by Nguyen Nguyet Cam and Peter Zinoman in translating proper names from Vietnamese to English in “Số đỏ” by Vu Trong Phung. 8 The researcher chooses this writing given that Vu Trong Phung is an outstanding and prolific satirist who has been compared to Balzac and lauded as arguably the greatest Vietnamese writer of this rich literary period, and whose works have been published in English. Vu Trong Phung died in 1939 at a very young age, at 27 years old. However, he left a huge number of works of Vietnamese literature “eight novels, seven plays, several dozen short stories, five book-length works of nonfiction reportage, and hundreds of reviews, essays and articles” (Zinoman, 2002, p. 8) Among his works, “Số đỏ” is considered a masterpiece in Vu Trong Phung’s career and Vietnamese literature as well, which first appeared in serialized form in a Hanoi newspaper in 1936. From the above reasons, the researcher decided to conduct a study titled “Strategies applied in Vietnamese - English translation of proper names in "Số đỏ" by Vu Trong Phung. 2. Aims and objectives The aim of this paper is to identify how well the English translated version of “Số đỏ” conveys the source texts in terms of style, sense and meaning and the focus is proper names. In brief, this objective could be fulfilled by answering the two following research questions: 1. What are the satirical meanings behind proper names in “Số đỏ”? 2. Which strategies are applied by Nguyen Nguyet Cam and Peter Zinoman in translating proper names from Vietnamese to English in “Số đỏ”? 3. Significance of the study Upon completion, the study is expected to be beneficial for students and teachers who have to translate proper names. They will, to a certain extent, be aware of 9 translation procedures applied to translate proper names. Then they may choose the most appropriate one in order to produce the well translated version. Besides, this study is also expected to serve as a preliminary work for further investigation on the issue. The researcher hopes these pieces of information could provide in-depth understanding on the issue. It means that this study could provide the foundation for future further study on proper names translation in general, and Vietnamese - English proper name translation in particular. 4. Scope of the study “Số đỏ” and its translation might be related to a lot of issues in the translation field such as translation of satire, humor, word plays, etc. However, as the time and the capability of the researcher are limited, this study’s focus is placed on strategies that Nguyen Nguyet Cam and Peter Zinoman used to translate proper names in “Số đỏ”. 5. Organization of the study The study includes 5 chapters. Chapter 1: Introduction This chapter will provide readers an overview of the study, including the rationales, aims, scope, significance and the methodology used to conduct the research. Chapter 2: Literature Review Theoretical background knowledge which has influence on the entire orientation of the research will be discussed in this chapter. First, an overview of translation and translation procedure are provided. Then an overview on proper names and proper name translation will be presented. The purpose of this chapter is to build the researcher’s understanding, background and expertise in the translation in general and the proper name translation in particular. Besides, this chapter will bring the readers up to date; let them know the key concepts, go over all ideas of the past scholars and researchers. Chapter 3: Methodology 10 [...]... a strong man in distress (London, “Love of life”) → Đó là tiếng kêu van vỉ của một người đàn ông khoẻ mạnh trong lúc tuyệt vọng (Tình yêu cuộc sống - Đắc Lê dịch) • I love you → Anh yêu em 13 1 Through-translation The literal translation, which dealt with already recognized terms including names of organizations (UN), names of diseases (HIV-AIDS), or common collocations (small business websites → các. .. the proper names in “Số đỏ” The very initial and necessary step of this research is collecting proper names of literary characters Due to the limitation of accessible materials, the researcher could only find a soft copy of the translated work in pdf file on the website www.diendantienganh.net As for original work, sampling was identified and listed 24 from the book “Số đỏ” by Vu Trong Phung which was... regarding the translation procedures employed in translating proper names of literary characters 4.1 Research question 1: What are the satirical meanings behind the proper names in “Số đỏ”? 4.1.1 Social context in “Số đỏ” “Số đỏ” was published on 7 October 1936, when the strict censorship of books and newspapers by the colonial government had been abolished It stimulated writers to expose corruption,... translators in translating Vietnamese proper names in the novel “Số đỏ” into English Because of this purpose, it was essential to investigate both translated proper names and translators The research is conducted with qualitative approaches and it involves two phases In the first phase, all the proper names which appeared in the novel “Số đỏ” are collected, and then the researcher made a reference to... Phung which was published in 2008 by Vietnam Culture and Information Publishing House The researcher read and highlighted all proper names appearing in “Số đỏ” and its translated version in “Dumb luck” Step 2: Building the database of proper names in “Số đỏ” It was essential to establish a database containing both original Vietnamese proper names and their English translated version so that it could be... explanation of proper names in the Vietnamese version of “Số đỏ” From the established database, the researcher made a reference to some websites, books, articles, and blogs discussing the implication of author in giving names for characters in the novel 3.3.4 Data analysis procedures First, all explanation of proper names in the Vietnamese version of “Số đỏ” was gathered then presented in a table which includes... author behind the characters’ name, while recognize which translation procedure was dominant in translating “Số đỏ” 3.4.4 Data analysis procedures First, the proper names were analyzed and compared with their translations in order to find out the strategies applied in translating proper names in “Số đỏ” The findings from the first analysis were statistically synthesized to answer the first research question... meanings behind proper names in “Số đỏ?” In the second phase, the researcher sorted out all the proper names in the novel “Số đỏ” into groups in reference to their translation procedures This phase aimed to seek out answer the second question “Which strategies are applied by Nguyen Nguyet Cam and Peter Zinoman in translating proper names from Vietnamese to English in “Số đỏ?” 23 3.3 Phase one 3.3.1... student, the crusading journalist and the “new woman” (Nguyen & Zinoman, 2002, p 12) 4.1.2 4.1.2.1 Main characters in the novel Red-haired Xuân Red-haired Xuan is the main character in the novel “Số đỏ” “Số đỏ” draws a picture about the ascent in Xuan’s life The name “Red-haired Xuân” sticks to his origin and the deplorable life of Xuân Born into the lower class in society, and to be 29 orphaned when... pain! Shut up already!!!" whenever confronted with evidence of how the world is changing 31 4.1.3 The satirical meanings behind some names of characters in “Số đỏ” Table 4.1 The satirical meanings behind some proper names of characters in “Số đỏ” Proper Proper Meanings that The real Satirical name in name in proper name personality of meaning Vietnames English can show the character e Ông Mr The acts . : Bùi Thu Hương Khóa : QH2010.F. E21 Hanoi, 2014 DECLARATION I hereby state that I : Bui Thu Huong, QH2010.F1.E21, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirement. established by the librarian for the care, loan and the reproduction of the paper. Hanoi, 2014 Bui Thu Huong 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor,. my friends Dong Thi Ngoc, Hoang Thi Thu Yen, Duong Thi Ngoc Anh, Nguyen Thi Thu Trang, Pham Lan Phuong for their special helps in the data analysis process. Without them, this study cannot have