THEORY OF TRANSLATION

TRANSLATON METHODS

Teacher: Ms Truc, MA.

 Rules
• Pay attention
• Don’t make noise
• Participate in all activities
• Do not use phone
• Study hard – Play hard
 Content

Methods of translation

Practices

Consolidation & homework

 Translation methods

Word –for - Literal

word translation translation

Faithful Semantic
translation translation

adaptation Free translation

Idiomatic Communicative
translation translation
Basing on dynamic equivalence theory of Nida,
Newmark proposed 8 translation methods which can
be illustrated in the diagram as follows:

SL emphasis TL emphasis

Word for word translation Adaptation

Literal translation Free translation

Faithful translation Idiomatic translation

Semantic translation Communicative translation

Newmark, 1988: 45
 Word – for –word translation
In which the SL word order is preserved and the
words translated singly by their most common
meanings, out of context.
(Peter Newmark, 1981/1988: 45-47)
 Example
Hanah was presented by her parents.

Hanah được tặng quà bởi bố mẹ cô ấy

• Tôi thích quả/ trái vú sữa

•  I like left breast milk

• Milky fruit
• Star apple
• Dựng nước và giữ nước

•  build water and keep water

 Literal translation
In which the SL grammatical constructions are
converted to their nearest TL equivalents, but the
lexical words are again translated singly, out of
context.
(Peter Newmark, 1981/1988: 45-47)
 Example
He looked up at the Milky Way.

Anh ấy nhìn lên vào con đường màu sữa.

The Milky Way  giải Ngân hà

Anh ấy nhìn lên dải Ngân hà.

 Faithful translation
It endeavours to produce the precise contextual
meaning of the original within the constraints of
the TL grammatical structures.
(Peter Newmark, 1981/1988: 45-47)
 Example
He was as fast as a kangaroo.

Anh ấy nhanh như một con kangaroo.

 Semantic translation
Which differs from “faithful translation” only in
as far as it must take more account of the
aesthetic value of the SL text.
(Peter Newmark, 1981/1988: 45-47)
 Example
Coral reefs fringing the Okinawan islands
just like a necklace can be seen only in warm
and very clear water.

Những rặng san hô bao quanh các đảo vùng

Okinawa giống như một chiếc vòng cổ nổi
bật trên nền nước biển trong xanh.
 Adaptation
Which is the freest form of translation, and is
used mainly for plays (comedies) and poetry; the
themes, characters, plots are usually preserved,
the SL culture is converted to the TL culture and
the text is rewritten.
(Peter Newmark, 1981/1988: 45-47)
 Example
The thorn
birds

 Tiếng chim
hót trong bụi
mận gai
 Free translation
It produces the TL text without style, form, or
content of the original.
(Peter Newmark, 1981/1988: 45-47)
Cửa mới sơn

The door has just

been painted

Wet paint!
 Idiomatic translation
It reproduces the “message” of the original but
tends to distort nuances of meaning but
preferring colloquialisms and idioms where
these do not exist in the original.
(Peter Newmark, 1981/1988: 45-47)
 Example

Man proposes,
God disposes
 Communicative translation
It attempts to render the exact contextual
meaning of the original in such a way that both
content and language are readily acceptable and
comprehensible to readership.
(Peter Newmark, 1981/1988: 45-47)
Hello
Hi
How do you do?
 Practice
Translate the following text into Vietnamese
 Activity 2

Translate the following English poem into

Vietnamese (dynamic equivalence)
Love’s secret
• Never seek to tell thy love,
• Love that never told can be,
• For the gentle wind does move,
• Silently, invisibly.
• William Blake
 Consolidation
1. How many types/methods of translation we
learnt today?
8 methods
2. List name of 8 methods?
Word for word Free translation
translation Adaptation
Literal translation Idiomatic translation
Faithful translation Communicative
Semantic translation translation
 Homework
• Do exercise
• Revise the lesson, read more information on
the internet
• Prepare for the next lesson