8/4/2020

THEORY OF TRANSLATION
AND INTERPRETING
SECTION OF TRANSLATION AND
INTERPRETING

COURSE MATERIALS
[1] Peter Newmark, A Textbook of Translation, Prentice
Hall International Language Teaching
[2] Franz Pochhacker and Miriam Shlesinger (2002),
The Interpreting Studies Reader, Taylor and Francis Group
[3] Franz PochHacker (2004), Introducing Interpreting
Studies, Routledge – Taylor and Francis Group
[4] Jerey Munday (2001), Introducing translation studies:
Theories and applications, Taylor and Francis Group

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COURSE INTRODUCTION

• Aims:
+ providing theoretical backgrounds for translation and
interpreting.
+ creating opportunities for practice.
• Course design:
+ 2 credits (=15 lessons
)
+ 6 sessions (3 for translation + 3 for interpreting
)
+ 1 mid-term test
+ 1 pair-work assessment (translation and cross
evaluation)

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MODULE 1:

OVERVIEW

FORMS OF TRANSLATING

translation
Written Written

dictation
translation

sight
translation

Oral Oral

interpreting

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TRANSLATION THEORIES

• Culture and Context Theories (by Peter Newmark)

focus on culture and context during the translation
process.

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

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1.1. WHAT IS TRANSLATION?

• …is the transferaofmessagefrom a language to

anotherin the written form
or by means of writing.

1. Would you mind giving me a lift on your way home

tonight. My car has just broken down?
2. She says that she will come tonight and I just can’t wait
to see her!

1.1. WHAT IS TRANSLATION?

• …is the interpretation of the meaning of a text in one
language (the source language – SL) and the production
of an equivalent text in another language (the target
language - TL) that communicates the same message.

When the company first targeted Italian market, it used an

interpreter but this was very frustrating. A middle man,
however fluent, can’t hope to establish a relationship in a
way that a committed member of the company can.

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1.1. WHAT IS TRANSLATION?

• …is the expression in target language of what has been
expressed in source language, preserving semantic and
stylistic equivalences.

Experts say fuel prices might not have been high if a labyrinth of
taxes and fees had been taken off. The Finance Ministry and
Ministry of Industry and Trade might have opted for a fuel import
tax reduction to help traders offset their losses, if any, and
prevent the economy already bruised by sagging business
activity, ballooning debt, mounting inventory and faltering
consumption from any further price volatility shock.
1.1. WHAT IS TRANSLATION?

• …rendering a written text into another language in the

way that the author intended the text.

Slow site clearance is still a major hurdle hindering the

progress of the project. Local residents have urged faster
progress on the project as half-completed construction
and pavement have caused temporary markets to
mushroom near the lake, leaving heaps of garbage that
spills into the lake at the end of every day.

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OVERVIEW OF THE TRANSLATION TASK

Source language Target language

Text to be
Translation
translated

discover re-express
the meaning the meaning

Meaning

1.2 DYNAMICS OF TRANSLATION

The truth (the facts
1. SL writer and the matter) 5. TL readership

2. SL norms 6. TL norms

TEXT

3. SL culture 7. TL culture

4. SL setting 8. TL setting
and tradition and tradition

10. Translator

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1.2 DYNAMICS OF TRANSLATION

1. SL writer
• The individual style or idiolect of theauthor.
SL

- Hey, Tom. You’ve got work today?

- What do you call work?
- Why isn’t that work?
- Maybe it is. Maybe it isn’t. But it suits Tom Sawyer.
- Can I have a go then?
- No!
(The Adventure of Tom Sawyer
– Mark Twain)

1.2 DYNAMICS OF TRANSLATION

2. SL norms:
• The conventional grammatical and lexical usage for the
text.

Paul didn’t mind being surprised by the party to celebrate

his 40th birthday, although he told his friends they shouldn’t
have done it.
Nếu có vấn đề gì xảy ra với sản phẩm, xin hãy liên hệ với
trung tâm dịch vụ khách hàng của chúng tôi.
If there should be any problem with our product (should
any problem happen to our product), please contact our
customer service centre.

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1.2 DYNAMICS OF TRANSLATION

3. SL culture:
• Content items referring specifically to the SL, or third
language (i.e. not SL or TL) cultures

Thủ tục cưới hỏi của người Việt Nam bao gồm: lễ ra mắt,
lễ chạm ngõ, lễ ăn hỏi, lễ xin dâu, đám cưới và lễ lại mặt.
 Marriage procedures in Vietnam include: the first
parents’ meeting, marriage proposing ceremony,
engagement ceremony, bride fetching, wedding and
gratitude visit to the wife’s family.
1.2 DYNAMICS OF TRANSLATION
4. SL setting
• The typical format of a text in a book, periodical,
newspaper, etc., as influenced by tradition at the time.
Setting is the time when story happens or place where it
happens.

• “I do not always stick to the author’s words or even to his thoughts. I

keep the effects he wants to produce in mind and then I arrange the
material after the fashion of time. Different times do not just require
different words, but also different thoughts and ambassador usually
dress in the fashion of the country they are sent to for fear of
appearing ridiculous in the eyes of the people they try to please.”
– Perrot d’Ablancourt – a translation theorist.

1.2 DYNAMICS OF TRANSLATION

5. TL readership:
• The expectations of the putative readership.

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Air traffic safety, needless to say, is deemed the highest

among all transport means all over the world, but for local
authorities, risks are looming large more than ever, not
because of recent air disasters in the world that killed
hundreds. It is the worsening air traffic safety evidenced by
facts and figures at a conference in Hanoi early this week.

1.2 DYNAMICS OF TRANSLATION

6. TL norms:
• The grammatical and lexical usage of target language.
7. TL culture
:
• The cultural element of target language.
8. TL setting
:
• The typical format of a text in target language.

Vietnam and the U.S. have announced that cooperation on

cross-border crime has led to a U.S. grand jury indictment of an
American teacher accused of traveling to the Southeast Asian
nation to have sex with minors.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of California
alleged that the teacher, Paul Marshall Bodner, of San
Francisco, California, “met Vietnamese boys as young as 11 or
12 years old and engaged in sex acts with them at a hotel
located in Ho Chi Minh City when he traveled to Vietnam” in the
period from July 2015 to August 2016. If convicted he faces up
to 30 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

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U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, Daniel J. Kritenbrink, said the

investigation was aided by close cooperation between the two
nations, which normalized relations in 1995, 20 years after the
Vietnam War, and have since become partners on security,
trade, and cultural issues.
1.2 DYNAMICS OF TRANSLATION
9. Truth:
• What is being described or reported, ascertained or
verified (the referential truth), where possible
independently of SL text and expectations of readership

Our survey indicates that the young are turning their backs
on the traditional jobs, working for wages or staying in one
company for their whole life! Instead, more are going
freelance or becoming self-employed. They are not
interested in making others rich but want to be rich
themselves.

1.2 DYNAMICS OF TRANSLATION

10. Translator:
• The views and prejudices of translator, which may be
personal and subjective, social and cultural, involving the
translator’s “group loyalty factor”, which may reflect his
national, political, ethnic, religious, social class, sex, etc.
assumptions.

As many questions remain unanswered after the rules

banning smoking in public places and vending substandard
foods on the street fell into oblivion shortly after the dates
they took effect, a new wave of queries has emerged

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around a law drafted by the Ministry of Health to set a time

limit on alcohol sale in the country.

CHAPTER 2

THE ANALYSIS OF A
TEXT

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2.1 READING THE TEXT

• to understand what it is about

• to analyze it from a “translator’s” point of view
• General reading  the gist of the text
• Close reading  meanings in and out of context.

2.2INTENTION OF THE TEXT

• representsthe SL (source language) writer’s attitude to

the subject
matter.
• the type of language used and even the grammatical
structures (passive voice, impersonal verbs often used to
disclaim responsibility) in each case may be evidence of
different pointsview.
of
 search for the intention of theand
text
keep it in mind
when translating.

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2.3 THE INTENTION OF THE

TRANSLATOR
• Identicalwithintention of
the author of
SL text
• Some adaptation in translation is allowed in accordance
with readership.

2.4 TEXT STYLES

• Narrative: a dynamic sequence of events with emphasis
on the verbs or, for English, “dummy” or “empty” verbs
plus verb-nouns or phrasal verbs.
• Descriptive: is static with emphasis on linking verbs,
adjectives, adjectival nouns.
• Discussion: a treatment of ideas with emphasis on
abstract nouns, verbs of thought, mental activity, logical
argument and connectives.
• Dialogue: emphasis on colloquialisms and pacifisms.

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2.4 TEXT STYLES

• Narrative:
This past weekend I had the time of my life. First, Friday night, I
had my best friend over and we made a delicious,
mouthwatering pizza. After we ate, we had a friendly video
game competition. On Saturday, my dad took us out on the
boat. The weather was perfect and the water was warm. It was a
great day to go for a swim. Later that night, we went to the
movies.
We saw an action packed thriller and ate a lot of popcorn.
Finally, on Sunday, we rode our bikes all over town. By the end
of the day, my legs were very tired. I only hope that next
weekend can be as fun as this one.
2.4 TEXT STYLES
• Descriptive:
My most valuable possession is an old, slightly warped blond
guitar--the first instrument I taught myself how to play. It's nothing
fancy, just a Madeira folk guitar, all scuffed and scratched and
finger-printed. At the top is a bramble of copper-wound strings,
each one hooked through the eye of a silver tuning key. The
strings are stretched down a long, slim neck, its frets tarnished,
the wood worn by years of fingers pressing chords and picking
notes. The body of the Madeira is shaped like an enormous
yellow pear, one that was slightly damaged in shipping. The
blond wood has been chipped and gouged to gray, particularly
where the pick guard fell off years ago. No, it's not a beautiful
instrument, but it still lets me make music, and for that I will
always treasure it.

2.4 TEXT STYLES

• Discussion:
Some people believe that break times should be shorter because some
people don’t have any friends to play with. Other people might feel cold during
break times therefore want playtimes to be short.

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Alternatively some people think that break times should be longer because if it
was shorter children wouldn’t have enough time to play in the playground.
Also if playtime were longer children wouldn’t do well in tests. Additionally
children might fall down.
However break times are good for fresh air and exercise. If break time was
longer children would have more time to chat and would have more time to
eat their snacks from the healthy tuck shop.
On the other hand people think that it should not be long because if children
had a longer play they would have a shorter time to learn.
Although some good points have been made against break times staying the
same, in my opinion I think they should be longer, because there would be
more time to set up the healthy tuck shop.

2.4 TEXT STYLES

• Dialogue: to buy some presents for
my parents - What's the
- Hi Mary.
occasion?
- Oh, hi.
- It's their anniversary. -
- How are you doing? - I'm
That's great. Well, you
doing alright. How about
better get going. You
you?
don't want to be late.
- Not too bad. The weather
- I'll see you next time.
is great isn't it? - Yes. It's
- Sure. Bye.
absolutely beautiful today.
- I wish it was like this more
frequently.
- Me too. - So where are
you going now?
- I'm going to meet a friend
of mine at the department
store. - Going to do a little
shopping? - Yeah, I have

2.5 READERSHIP

• characterizethe readership of the original and then of

the translation: decidehow much attentionto pay to
the TL readers.
• assessthe level of education, class, age and sex of the
readership: decide on the degree of formality,
generality (or specificity) and emotional tone
to express

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2.6 STYLISTIC SCALE

The scale offormality

Taboo Slang Colloquial

Informal Neutral Formal Official Officialese

The scale ofgeneralityor difficulty

Simple Popular Neutral Educated Technical

The scale ofemotional tone

Understatement Factual Warm Intense

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2.7 SETTING

7. Setting:
• decide on the likely setting: Where would the text be
published in the TL? What is the TL equivalent of the SL
periodical, newspaper, textbook, journal,
etc.?
• make assumptions about the SL
readership:
Who is the
client you are translating for and what are his
requirements?

2.8 QUALITY OF THE WRITING

• Thequality of the reading has to be judged in relation to

the author’s intention and/or the requirements of the
subject matter.
• If the text is well
written: regard
every nuance of the
author’s meaning as having precedence over the
reader’sresponse
• If the text is badly
writtentext: correct
thetext before
translation

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PRACTICE

• In common with Western economies, Britain’s industrial

heartland also suffered the pain-industrialization.
of de
Compared with a decade ago, only a handful of heavy
engineering firms survived. When the steel industry died,
the proud city of Sheffield was brought to its knees.
Thousands of manufacturers had to close down, dozens
of thousands of workers were out of work.

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MODULE 2

TRANSLATION PROCESS AND

METHODS

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CHAPTER 3

TRANSLATION PROCESS

3.1 THE APPROACH

• (1) start by translating part of the work
(paragraph / chapter) to get the feel and the
feeling tone of the text, and then review the
position, and read the rest of the SL text;
• (2) start by reading the SL text two or three
times, and find the intention, register, tone,
mark the difficult words and passages and
translate
 Which way to choose depend on
temperament, intuition, analysis power, etc.

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3.2 LEVELS OF TRANSLATION

a. The Textual level:
• transpose SL grammar into their “ready” TL
equivalents, translate the lexical units into sense
that appears immediately appropriate in the
context of the sentence.
• translation is based on the text: level of the literal
translation of the source language into the target
language, the level of the translationese you have
to eliminate, but it also acts as corrective of
paraphrase and the parer-down of synonyms.
3.2.1 TEXTUAL LEVEL

• Competent managers know how to position

their brand in relation to the competition, in
terms of factors like price and quality of the
product. Managers should relate the brand’s
values in a meaningful way to the consumers
they have targeted. With worldwide brands,
this may mean changing your message from
country to country.

3.2.2 THE REFERENTIAL LEVEL

b. The Referential Level

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• analyze the text: what is it about, what is it in aid

for, what is the writer’s slant on it, etc.
• when there is an ambiguity, when the writing is
abstract or figurative, when the text is unclear,
supplement the text level with the referential
level, the factual level with the necessary
additional information from this level of reality, the
facts of the matter.
3.2 LEVELS OF TRANSLATION
• Về hợp tác đào tạo, hiện chúng tôi đang triển
khai chương trình 2+2 với một số trường đại
học của Trung Quốc, Đài Loan và Pháp
• As for cooperation in education and training, we
are implementing programs 2 + 2 with some
universities from China, Taiwan and France,
which involves students learning 2 years in our
university before moving to partner university
for another 2 years.

3.2 LEVELS OF TRANSLATION

c. The Cohesive level:
• follow the structure and the moods of the text.
• Structure: connective words (conjunctions,
enumeration, reiterations, definite article, general

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words, referential synonyms, punctuation marks)

linking the sentences, usually proceeding from
known information (theme) to new information
(rheme).
• Mood: moving between positive and negative,
emotive and neutral.
3.2 LEVELS OF TRANSLATION
• A job for life has become a thing of the past.
Long-term unemployment waits for those
whose skills are outdated. On the other hand,
people who have retrained or have more
flexible skills can find a position in new hi-tech
industries or services.
• The company considers the downloading of
game information as serious abuse of
company property and may regard this as
grounds for dismissal.

3.2 LEVELS OF TRANSLATION

d. The Level of Naturalness
• Ensure: (a) that translation makes sense; (b) that
it reads naturally.
• Tips for checking: temporarily disengaging from
the SL text, by reading translation as though no
original existed. Ask yourself: Would you ever see
this in The Times, The Economist, in a

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textbook...? Is it common usage in that kind of

writing? How frequent is it?
• Check and crosscheck words and expressions in
an up-to-date dictionary. Note any word in
suspect.
3.2 LEVELS OF TRANSLATION

•More efforts should be made to improve

the education quality to meet the
increasingly high demand of the society.
•The country is unlikely to meet the target of
sending 85,000 guest workers abroad this
year due to several problems facing the
labor market, including reducing demand.

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3.3 UNITS OF TRANSLATING

• Word
• Sentence
• Paragraph
• Passage

CHAPTER 4

TRANSLATION METHODS

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TRANSLATION METHOD V-DIAGRAM

SL emphasis TL emphasis
Word-for-word translation Adaptation
Literal translation Free translation
Faithful translation Idiomatic translation
Semantic translation Communicative translation

WORD-FOR-WORD TRANSLATION
- Word order preserved
Featur - Words translated out of context.
e
- Non - grammatical.
- Cultural words translated literally.

- Information about SL
Used
for - Language learning
- Pre-translation process of difficult text

He is a big liar
E.g.
 Anh ấy là một lớn người nói dối

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LITERAL TRANSLATION

Featur - Grammar converted to ‘nearest’ TL equivalent.

e
- Words translated singly out of context.

- Pre-translation process to identify problems

Used
for - Basis of poetry translation for poets who don’t
understand SL.

He is a big liar
E.g.
 Anhấy là mộtngườinói dốilớn

FAITHFUL TRANSLATION
- Words translated in context but uncompromising to
Featur target language
e
- Cultural words transferred
- Grammatical and lexical ‘abnormality’ preserved

- Literary translation.
Used
for - Authoritative texts
- Drafts

He is as fast as a kangaroo
E.g.
Anhấynhanhnhưmộtcon kangaroo.

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SEMANTIC TRANSLATION
- Like faithful translation but take into account
aesthetic value of SL text (beautiful and
natural)
Feature
- More emphasis on naturalness, cultural words
converted into neutral equivalence in TL 
Flexible, focus on aesthetic of SL (at expense
of meaning if necessary).

- Texts that have high status (religious texts,

Used for legal texts politicians’ speeches)
- Expressive texts (literature)
SEMANTIC TRANSLATION
• May what come, you will always be in my
mind.
Cho dù điều gì xảy ra thì em vẫn mãi ở
trong trái tim anh
• Right in the centre of Hanoi, Hoan Kiem
Lake is an enchanting body of water, a
peaceful oasis away from all the hustle
and bustle of the city.
Nằm ngay giữa trái tim Hà nội, hồ Hoàn
Kiếm là một hồ nước đẹp mê hồn, một ốc
đảo yên bình tách biệt khỏi sự hối hả, ồn ào
của thành phố

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COMMUNICATIVE TRANSLATION
- Reproducing exact message of SL text
contentwise and context-wise.
- Emphasis on naturalness and acceptability Featur
(comprehensiveness) to TL readership. e
 Display exact contextual meaning of SL text to
make it easily comprehensive to TL readers 
Give priority to effectiveness of the message to
be communicated

Used
for - Informative texts

E.g. Fly with kite, not with ice

 Nói không với ma tuý.

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IDIOMATIC TRANSLATION

- Make use of idioms and colloquialisms that are

Feature not present in the source text.
- Translate the message of original text but
tends to distort nuances of meaning by using
idioms and colloquialism

- Who dares wins (headline)

 Cóganlàmgiàu
E.g.
- He leads a peasant’s hard life
Anhấysốngcuộcsốngchấnlấmtaybùn

FREE TRANSLATION

- Focus on the content of the target text rather

than the form: the same content is expressed in
Feature
the target text but with very different grammatical
structures if need be.
- Produces the translated text without the style
and form of the original text.

- After 7 years were over he had said all that he

had to say for his conversation was limited.
E.g.
 Sau 7 năm trôi qua, lão đã nói hết những
điều cần nói vì lưng vốn chuyện trò của lão cũng
có hạn

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ADAPTATION

- The freest form of translation and more of

a target language/culture based
interpretation of the source text than a
Feature translation.
- Mainly used for plays and poems. The
text is rewritten while themes, characters,
plots are preserved, SL culture is
converted to TL culture.

MODULE 3
PROCEDURES AND STRATEGIES

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CHAPTER 1

PROCEDURES

1.1 TRANSFERENCE

• Transferring a SL word to a TL text as a translation

procedureemprunt
( , loan word, transcription)
• Names of SL objects, inventions, devices, processes to
be imported to the TL community
• Eg: Décor(đề co), demođề ( mô), module(môđun),
ounce ao
( xơ) etc.

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1.1TRANSFERENCE

• Naturalization: succeeds transference and adapts the SL

word first to the normal pronunciation, then to the normal
morphology of the TL
• Cultural equivalent: An approximate translation where a
SL cultural word is translated by a TL cultural word;
greater pragmatic impact than culturally neutral terms.
Eg: snack(bimbim), phở(beef noodles
)

1.1 TRANSFERENCE
• Functional equivalent: applied to cultural words, requires
the use of a culture-free word; neutralizes or generalizes
the SL word; a cultural componential analysis, the most
accurate way of translating (deculturalizing) a cultural
word, but also used when a SL technical word has no TL
equivalent. Eg: pudding (món thịt đông của Anh)
• Discriptive equivalent: discription and function - essential
elements in explanation →translation (function used to be
neglected; now overplayed)

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1.2 SYNONYMY

• A near TL equivalent to a SL word in a context where a

precise equivalent may or may not exist.
• Used where there is no clear-to-one
one equivalent; the
word not important;
adj/adv of quality

1.3 SHIFTS OR TRANSPOSITIONS

• Change in the grammar from SL to TL

• Singular to plural/positionadj
of
• SL grammatical structure not exist in the TL
• Literal translation is grammatically possible but not accord with
the natural uses of TL

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CHAPTER 2

WHEN AND HOW TO

IMPROVE A TEXT

PRINCIPLES

• No right to improve authoritative->text

pursue style:
personality of author more important than forms of
language (make comments/correction of facts in
separate, signed note )
• More concessions to readership when translating - non
literary texts than creative writing
• “anonymous” text (informative, vocative): first loyalty to
truth/matter
-> make as few modifications as possible

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2.1 Logical sequence: time, space, argument

2.2 Syntactically weak sentences
2.3 Idiolect: Particular way of speaking,
depending on age, sex, mood, education,
etc.
2.4 Ambiguity: deliberate ambiguity -> retained,
unintentional -> clarified, avoiding possible
misunderstandings
2.5 Metaphor: unnecessary to translate sense by
metaphor in informative texts; original &
colloquial metaphor out of place
2.6 Redundancy and cliches: phatic phrases (naturally,
understandably), repeated implied superlatives
(basically, fundamentally), prepositional phrases (in the
view of the fact that), rhetorical flourishes (in the long
march of history), abstract terms (the development of,
the process of), sonorous phrases used for sound
effects (might and main, ways and means, ngay và luôn)
2.7 Slips, misprints, errors, miscopying: clearly a mistake ->
correct it, write a note to explain
• 2.8 Jargon: Language specifically used in a profession
(Integrate: hội nhập - Integrate: tích hợp (computing)) ->
degree of authoritativeness of SL statement and norms of
SL and TL.

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CHAPTER 3

STRATEGIES

ABOUT LANGUAGE

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3. WORDS AND
1 CONTEXT
Words are conditioned by a certain linguistic, referential,
cultural, and personal context.
• Linguistically
: collocation/sentence/beyond sentence
• Referentially
: topic of the text
• Culturally
: ways of thinking and behaving within particular language
community
• Personally (individually)
: idiolect of writer (we all use words and
collocations in way peculiar to ourselves)

3.2 COLLOCATIONS

• Lexical items that enters mainly into high frequency

grammatical structures:
• Adj+N
• N+N
• V+O
• Others: unit/container +unc. N

• Usefulway: consider acceptablecollocationalranges of any

lexical word
• Grammar– bones of text;collocations– nerves; lexis – flesh

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•Việt Nam đang thực hiện rất tốt chương trình

mục tiêu quốc gia về xoá đói giảm nghèo.
•Vietnam is successfully implementing its
national target program on hunger
elimination and poverty reduction. •Việt Nam
hoàn thành trước thời hạn 2 mục tiêu trong
chương trình phát triển thiên niên kỷ của
Liên Hợp Quốc
•Vietnam has met 2 targets in the Millennium
Development Program of the United Nations
before the deadline/ earlier than the
schedule.
3.3 TRANSLATION OF DIALECTS

•Regional variations of a language:

American English, New Zealand English,
Australian English vs. British English.
•Translator’s main job: decide on functions
of dialect:
• Show slang use of language
• Stress social class contrasts
• Indicate local cultural features

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3.4 TRANSLATION OF EPONYMS AND

ACRONYMS
• Eponym: any words that is identical with or derived from a
proper name that gives it a related sense.
• 3 categories:
• Persons: inventors/discoverers (Marxist, Marxism) (difficulty: alternative
name, authenticity of discoverers disputed) -> replace by descriptive term;
problem: transferred word be understood? -> use footnote if necessary)
• Objects: brand names tending to monopolise manufacturers of products
(Formica, Honda)
• Geographical names: transfer and gloss, beware of idioms, note
increasing metonymic practice of referring to governments by names of
capitals/locations/institutions (the White House, Washington)
* acronym: initial letters of words that forms a group of words used for
denoting an object, institution, or procedure

3.5 TRANSLATION OF PROPER NAMES

• People’s names: first & surnames transferred → preserving
nationalities & assuming names have no connotations in text (with
exceptions)
• Object’s names (trade marks, brands, proprietaries): names not know
to TL readership → transferred-coupled with classifier (type of
product)
• Geographical terms: be updated, respect, educate when appropriate,
do not invent, distinguish between toponyms as names or items in
address

3.6 TRANSLATION OF WEIGHTS,

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MEASURES, QUANTITIES, AND

CURRENCIES
• Setting and implied readership
• Eg: newspaper & periodical articles translated into English →
imperial system (miles, pints, pounds), Vietnamese (lượ ng,
lạ ng, cân), specialized articles/magazines (metric system
retained), cookery articles (both)
• Approximate figures: translate with correspondingly
approximate figures (10 km →6 miles, not 6.214 miles)

3.7 NON-EQUIVALENCE

3.7.1 IDIOMS AND FIXED EXPRESSIONS

- Using idioms and expressions of similar meaning and form

(as black as coal, as heavy as lead, as swift as an arrow, as white
as snow)
- Using idioms and expressions of similar meaning but

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dissimilar form (Yours sincerely / Yours faithfully / Yours / Truly,

Beggars cannot be choosers, Great talkers are little doers)
- Translation by paraphrase (I have a sweet tooth; He can’t
blame anyone for the problem. He’s just burning the candle at
both ends.)
- Translation by omission (She came home safe and sound.)

3.7.2NON-SUBJECT SENTENCES
Non-subject sentences
 Passive
• Cầnbảovệ môitrườngvì lợi íchcủathếhệtươnglaichúngta.
• Environmentshould be protected
for the sake of our future
generations.
Non-subject sentences
 + real subject
• Weshould protect the environment for the sake of our future
generations

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NON-SUBJECT SENTENCES
Non-subject sentences It’s +adj…
• Cầnnghiêncứukỹ nhucầucủakháchhàngtrướckhiquyết
địnhsảnxuấtmộtsảnphẩmmới.
• It’s necessary research
to customer demand before we decide
to produce a new product.
Non-subject sentences Ving+ V
• Researching customer demand before deciding to produce a
new productis very necessary.

NON-SUBJECT SENTENCES

Non-subject sentences  there is/are

•Hiện vẫn chưa có kết luận chính thức
của cơ quan kiểm toán về các sai phạm
tài chính của IAN Motors.
•There hasn’t been official conclusion by
the auditing agency about the financial
frauds in IAN Motors.

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3.8 HEADLINE
• Skip non-meaning particles (article / to be)
• Initial letter of main words in capital.
• Shortened noun phrases preferred to full sentences
• Giá nhà tăng cao gây thêm nhiều nỗi lo cho người có thu nhập
thấp
• Higher Housing Prices: More Worries for Low-incomes
• Thu hút đầu tư nước ngoài vào lĩnh vực nông nghiệp vẫn là bài
toán khó cho các nhà quản lý
• Attracting FDI to Agriculture: Difficult Problem to Administrators
HEADLINES
• Action in progress  Headline: Ving
• Bộ tài chính đang xem xét đề xuất tăng giá xăng
• Finance Ministry Considering Proposal of Petrol Hike
• Action in the past  Headline: present verb
• VN đã hoàn thành giai đoạn 2 của chương trình tín dụng vi
mô.
• Vietnam Finishes Second Phase of Micro-finance Program
• Action in the future  Headline: to V
• BIDV sẽ mở thêm 2 phòng giao dịch ở Lào.
• BIDV to Open 2 more Transaction Offices in Laos.
• Passive action  Headline: P2
• Các dự án chậm tiến độ bị thu hồi.
• Slow Projects Withdrawn

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MODULE 4

CRITICISM

4.1PLAN OF CRITICISM

• brief analysis of SL text stressing intention and functional

aspects
• translator’s interpretation of SL text’s purpose, translation
method & likely readership
• detailed comparison of translation with original
• evaluation of translation in translator’s terms & critic terms
• assessment of likely place of translation in TL culture/discipline

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4.2 TEXT ANALYSIS

•Author’s purpose (attitude towards topic,

characterization of readership, indication
of category and type)
•Quality of language, translator’s degree of
licence
•Do not discuss author’s life, other works,
general background unless referred in text
4.3 TRANSLATOR’S PURPOSE
• Normally all translations are under-translations, less
particularised than the original, notably in descriptive
passages
& mental passages
• Establish whether translator counteracted by over-translating
(text longer than original)
• Assess extent text been deculturalized or transferred to TL
culture
Not criticizing translator’s intention & procedures but
attempting to understand why these

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4.4 COMPARING THE TRANSLATION

WITH THE ORIGINAL
• Consider how translator solved particular problems of SL text
• Group points selectively: title, structure, paragraphing, sentence
connectives; shifty metaphor, cultural words, translationese,
proper names; neologism, untranslatable words, ambiguity,
level of language, meta-language, puns, sound-effects →
discussion of translation problems (not quick recipe for
correct/better translation)

4.5 THE EVALUATION OF THE

TRANSLATION

• Assess referential & accuracy of translation by

translator’s standards
• Evaluate translation by own standards of referential
& pragmatic accuracy
• Assess translation as piece of writing independently
of original

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4.6QUALITY IN TRANSLATION
• Ultimately,
standards are relative
• Good translation fulfils intention
- informative: conveys facts acceptably
- vocative: success measurable
- authoritative/expressive: translation distinguished, translator
exceptionally sensitive
• Translation criticism = aid for raising translation standards &
reaching more agreement about nature of translation

PART 2

THEORY OF
INTERPRETING

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MODULE 5
INTRODUCTION

5.1 CONCEPTS

5.1.1 Definition of Interpreting

Interpreting: Translational activity (special
form of Translation)
Interpreter: Expounder, person explaining
what is obscure
Interpreting is a form of translation in
which a first and final rendition in
another language is produced on a
basis of one-time presentation of an
utterance in a source language.

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Basic conceptual ingredients:

-An activity consisting (mainly) in
-the production of utterances (texts)
which are
-presumed to have a similar meaning
and/or effect
-as previously existing utterances -in
another language and culture.
Key areas of theoretical controversy:
-Scope of interpreter’s task (mainly
production)
-Perspective on translational process
(target-oriented production ><
source-independent “transfer”)
-Normative specification of translational
product (assumption of similarity in
meaning or effect)

5.1.2 SETTINGS

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Setting: social context of interaction

• Inter-social & intra-social settings:
Business (liaison), diplomatic, military,
court, educational, healthcare, media
• Constellations of interaction: bilateral
interpreting/dialogue interpreting (liaison
interpreting); multilateral
interpreting/conference interpreting
5.2 TYPES OF INTERPRETING

5.2.1 Working mode:

- Consecutive: An interpreter gives a rendering
of lengthy passages of speech after a party
has finished speaking.
- Simultaneous: Simultaneous interpreters do
not wait for a speaker to finish a segment and
pause before beginning to interpret but follow
the speaker and interpret what the speaker is
saying
- Hybrid: Consecutive simultaneous

5.2.2 Directionality:

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- One direction: source → target

- Back & forth between 2 languages
involved, depending on turn-taking of
primary parties
- Relay interpreting/indirect interpreting via
3rd language: one interpreter’s output
serving as source for another

5.2.3 Use of technology:

- Remote interpreting (telephone
interpreting/over-the-phone interpreting,
videophone interpreting)
- Automatic interpreting/machine
interpreting

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MODULE 6

SKILLS

INTERPRETING PROCESS

T C+C

I
O1

O2

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RESPONSIBILITIES OF AN INTERPRETER

1. Familiarize with the likely content of the work.

2. Evaluate the complexity of the job.
3. Obtain correct information on location, time and
participants.
4. Explain interpreter's role in the interview to all participants.
5. Control length of questions and answers to maintain
adequate level of communication and ensure full
understanding by either parties.

NECESSARY QUALITIES OF AN
INTERPRETER
1. Proficiency in two languages and two cultures
2. Quickness of speech and mind
3. Good memory and quick conversion into another
language
4. Power of Concentration
5. Sense of responsibility

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SKILLS FOR INTERPRETING

1. Listening Ability
2. Public Speaking
3. Conversion
4. Memory
5.Note-taking

6.1 MEMORY

6.1.1Storage and process

- Gerver: recall better after listening than simultaneous
interpreting, simultaneous listening & speaking
– cause
of impaired memorization
- Isham: post-task recall- function of interpreting process
& modality-related processing interference
- Ingram: Transliteration not programmed sensorimotor
task but involves complex & deep cognitive processing

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6.1.2Working memory and attention

:
- Memory capacity: experience in simultaneous
interpreting associated with enhanced verbal
-term
short
memory
- Capacity of phonological working memory has temporal
limit of roughly 2 seconds
- Linguistic input demanding longer storage & structural
transformation must overload capacity -term
of short
store

6.1.3 Long-term memory and note-taking:

- Long-term memory (LTM): every a person knows &
remembers – episodic memory, semantic memory,
declarative & procedural knowledge
- Long-term working memory constrained only by extent &
nature of retrieval structures depending on deficient
chunking strategies for storing input in LTM
- More essential in consecutive interpreting than
simultaneous interpreting
- Interpreter’s note support memory both as external storage
devices & retrieval cues for memorized conceptual
structures & patterns of sense

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6.2PRODUCTION
6.2.1From intention to articulation
- Three stage model of speaking:
conceptualizer,
formulator, articulator
- Monitoring & correction: integral part of process of SI
6.2.1Hesitation and correction
- hesitation: window on cognitive planning activity intrinsic
to speech production
- Silent & filled pauses: significant features of process of
output generation & interpreter’s output as textual
product

6.2.3 From utterance to interactive

discourse
-SPEAKING model: Situation –
Participants – Ends – Act sequences
– Key – Instrumentalities – Norms –
Genres
-Production: joint activity/inter-activity
involving all participants as speakers
& hearers in interaction

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6.3 INPUT
6.3.1 Sound and vision
- Acoustic quality/sound quality:
+ consecutive interpreting: background noises & positioning
impair perception & comprehension of original speech, but
interactive setting offers ways of resolving problems
+ simultaneous interpreting: simultaneous interpreters
working at limit of processing capacity → issue particularly
acute
- Difficulty in perceiving SL input results in less channel
capacity available for translation & output monitoring by
interpreter
- Visual access: non-verbal visual cues including speaker’s
kinesics (gestures, facial expressions), turn-taking signals,
audience reactions

6.3.2Accent and intonation

- Recognition of speech sounds depends on prior knowledge &
deviation from familiar acoustic
-phonetic patterns makes
perception more difficult for interpreter
- Intonation & components of prosody (tempo & rhyme)
particularly relevant to perception & understanding in interpreting
process.
- Prosodic cues (pauses, stress, intonation) assist interpreting in
segmenting & processing SL message

6.3.3 Speed and mode of delivery

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-Speed of message deliver/input

rate/presentation rate: key input variable
-Intonation pattern influences interpreter’s
perception of delivery rate: same objective
rate, monotonous intonation & short
pauses perceived as faster & more
difficult to interpret
6.3.4 Source text complexity
-Lexical level: word frequency, lexical
variability, non-redundant items (proper
names, numbers), semantic phenomena
(false cognates), non-standard &
culturebound usage, creative/humorous
language use
-Propositional density: negative effect on
accuracy of interpreting
-Text type level: effect of informational
structure

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