Mẫu số 5.

Ban hành kèm theo Quyết định số 62/2008/QĐ-

BLĐTBXH
GIÁO ÁN SỐ:............................. Thời gian thực hiện: 19 periods
Tên chương: STRATEGIES FOR
TRANSLATORS
Thực hiện từ ngày 14 tháng 09 năm 2024
TÊN BÀI: STRATEGIES FOR TRANSLATORS
MỤC TIÊU CỦA BÀI:
By the end of the lesson; students will be able to
- Learn the ways to approach difficulties in translation from English to Vietnamese
- Know how to deal with non-e quivalence at lexical level, idioms and set expressions
- Gain ways to deal with voice, number and person, non-subject sentences and
newspaper headlines
- Practice translating the sentences and short paragraphs
ĐỒ DÙNG VÀ PHƯƠNG TIỆN DẠY HỌC
Bảng đen, phấn, máy tính và máy chiếu
I. ỔN ĐỊNH LỚP HỌC: Thời gian: 3 minutes
- Checking students’ attendance
- Alerting students to classroom’s requirements like not having cell phone conversations while
class is in session, staying focused on the lessons, and not making noise and so on
II. THỰC HIỆN BÀI HỌC

T NỘI DUNG HOẠT ĐỘNG DẠY HỌC THỜI

T HOẠT ĐỘNG HOẠT GIAN
CỦA GIÁO ĐỘNG CỦA
VIÊN HỌC SINH
1 Dẫn nhập Sts work in
Group discussion T asks sts to groups of
1. How to deal with non-equivalence at work in groups three
lexical level? and answer the Sts find out
2. How to deal with voice, number and questions the answer
person? T checks the
3. How to deal with non-subject sentences? answer
Sts call out
the answers
2 Giảng bài mới
1. STRATEGIES FOR TRANSLATORS T introduces Sts listen and
The following strategies have been suggested by the new lesson- take notes the
translators, commissioners of translations, and strategies for important
others involved in translating as ways to translators point
approach difficulties in translation from English
to Vietnamese. This list reflects only the main
issues.
STRATEGY 1: How to deal with non-
equivalence at word level
It is often the case that no direct equivalents can
be found in Vietnamese for English words. It

1
may be that the concept or idea is new to
Vietnam, as is the case with "gender", which is in
fact a relatively new concept in general, and a
difficult one to understand and explain in many
languages. Or, it may be that the concept is
known or readily understood but there is no
specific word in Vietnamese to express it.
Another difficulty is that, in addition to their
concrete meaning, some words have special T asks sts to
connotations that are not conveyed by the give their
Vietnamese word for the same thing. The opinions on the Sts read the
strategies listed below can be used to handle given point texts and do
cases of non-equivalence. the tasks
5.1.1 Translation by a more specific word
In some cases, it may be appropriate or necessary
to use a more specific word to translate an
English word into Vietnamese. This usually
involves choosing among several different
words, as there may be many Vietnamese words
that correspond to the general category or
meaning expressed by the English term. For
example, Vietnamese has many words that mean
"to carry" with distinctions being made
depending on the size and shape of the object; its
animacy (e.g. a child as opposed to a box); and
how it is carried (e.g. in the hand, in both arms,
etc.). Similarly, the English word "rice" can be
translated by many different Vietnamese words,
depending on whether one is planting it,
harvesting it, cooking it, or eating it. In these
cases, the English word alone is not enough to
determine the appropriate Vietnamese
translation, and it is necessary to examine the T asks sts to
English context in deciding which Vietnamese read the text Sts call out
word is to be used. silently and do the answers
5.1.2 Translation by a more general word In the tasks
other cases, it may be appropriate to use a more
general word to translate an English word with
no specific Vietnamese equivalent. For instance,
English makes distinctions among mopeds,
scooters, and motorcycles, the latter having
larger wheels and engines than both mopeds and
scooters; Vietnamese, on the other hand, refers to
all two-wheel, motorized vehicles as "xe máy".
Similarly, the English "paw", "foot", and "leg"
may all be translated by the Vietnamese "chân",
which does not present problems of
comprehension in Vietnamese, as it should be

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clear from the context which of these words is
meant. Another example can be found in a
manual on community development, which
translates "matrix" by the Vietnamese "ma trận".
However, in Vietnamese, "ma trận" has a specific
use in mathematics only, and does not have the
additional sense of a model or plan according to
which something is developed. In this instance,
"matrix" is better translated as "bảng", which is a
more general word used to classify a written plan
or formula.
5.1.3 Translation by cultural substitution This
strategy involves replacing a culture-specific
item or expression with one of different meaning T introduces Sts listen and
but similar impact in the translated text. Because the strategy of take notes
of their self-described "respect" for the original cultural
text, most Vietnamese translators object to this substitution
strategy and tend to translate directly, even when
it may be highly inappropriate. For example, a
farmers' manual that has been translated into
Vietnamese suggests the planting of different
types of fruit and fuel trees that are not even
grown in Vietnam. The original manual, which
was developed in other parts of Asia, was not
modified at all for the Vietnamese context.
Though some translators argue that it is not the
responsibility of the translator to change the text
in this way, the translator is in fact an important
role here. Translators should be encouraged to
question the appropriateness of the documents
they are translating and suggest changes to make
them more culturally appropriate. However, this
is not only the burden of the translator, but also
of the commissioner of the translation and the
editor. In addition, field testing of documents
will elicit useful feedback on cultural
appropriateness.
5.1.4 Translation using a loan word plus
explanation There is some resistance to this
strategy in Vietnam, as many translators prefer to
create new Vietnamese words rather then borrow T introduces Sts analyze
English words. However, this strategy can be the strategy of the strategy
useful when dealing with concepts or ideas that using a loan and take
are new to Vietnam, cultural specific items, and word plus notes
proper names of diseases or medicines that are explanation
widely known by their English names. For
example, HIV and AIDS are two loan words that
are frequently used in Vietnamese, as they are

3
referred to by their English names in most of the
world. Because these words have been in
common use in Vietnam for some time now, they
are often used without any accompanying
explanation, which is not advisable. Whenever a
loan word is used, it is best to offer an
explanation either in parentheses or a footnote.
Another example is the acronym for oral
dehydration salts, or ORS, which is printed on
every package; and hence easily recognized; this
is usually written in its English form with an
explanation in parentheses as follows: ORS
(muối bù mất nước).
5.1.5 Translation by paraphrase This strategy can T introduces
be used when translating an English word or the strategy of Sts listen and
concept that does not exist in Vietnamese, or using take notes the
when the Vietnamese term for it does not include paraphrase important
all the meanings conveyed by the English term point
for the same concept. For example, in the
sentence "pregnant women should avoid
alcohol," the English word includes all alcoholic
beverages in its meaning. The Vietnamese word
for alcohol, “rượu", does not include beer in its
definition, so the Vietnamese translation should
add the word “beer” to reflect the full meaning of
the English. To cite another example, the English
term "abuse" and "neglect" signify a whole range
of behaviors, some of which are not conveyed by
the Vietnamese terms alone. Therefore, the
sentence, "Children shall be protected from abuse
and neglected” cannot be translated simply as
"Trẻ em phải được bảo vệ khỏi sự lạm dụng và lơ
là” as was suggested by one translator. This does
not account for their full meanings, which must
be unpacked for better understanding. This can
be done by paraphrasing, as another translator
has attempted in the following translation: "Trẻ
em cần được bảo vệ chống lại mọi hình thức bạo
lực, gây tổn thương hay xúc phạm, bỏ mặc hoặc
sao nhãng trong việc chăm sóc". Back translated
roughly into English, this sentence reads,
“Children must be protected from all forms of
violence causing harm or offense, and from
abandonment and negligence in their case."
5.1.6. Translation by omission Though some T introduces Sts listen and
translators may reject this strategy as too drastic, the strategy of take notes the
it is sometimes appropriate to omit words or omission important
phrases that are not essential to the meaning or point

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impact of the text. This is especially true for
words that would need lengthy explanations,
awkward paraphrases, or literal and unnatural
translations, which would interrupt the flow of
the text and could distract the reader from the
overall meaning. For example, the sentence,
"Much can be done even without being
physically present in the meeting..." is best
translated into Vietnamese by, "Nhiều việc có thể
làm ngay cả khi không có mặt tại cuộc họp..."
which omits the word "physically” in the
translation. The difference in meaning between
"being physically present" and "being present" is
so minimal that it does not justify translation into
Vietnamese, which cannot easily express the
slight emphasis implied here by the author, and
would not do so by emphasizing the physicality
of a person's presence.
STRATEGY 2: How to deal with idioms and
fixed expressions
Idioms and fixed expressions can be dealt with T introduces Sts listen and
in ways similar to those discussed above. With the ways to take notes the
idioms, however, there is the added difficulty deal with important
that the translator may not realize that s/he is idioms and point
dealing with an idiomatic expression, since more fixed
idioms may make sense when translated literally. expressions
5.1.7 Using an idiom or fixed expression of
similar meaning and form
It is sometimes possible to find a Vietnamese
idiom or examples with a similar meaning to an
English idiom or expression, and which is
expressed in the same way. One example is the
idiom "to fight like cats and dogs", which is
expressed using the same words in Vietnamese
"cãi nhau như chó với mèo"; another is "better
late than never", which translates as "thà muộn
còn hơn không bao giờ". It is ideal if such a
match can be found, but this kind of
correspondence is not common, and it is usually
necessary to use other strategies in dealing with
idioms and fixed expressions.
5.1.8. Using an idiom or fixed expression of
similar meaning but dissimilar form
It is also possible, and usually easier to find a
Vietnamese idiom with a similar meaning to an
English idiom, but which is expressed
differently. A good example is the translation for
"to carry coals to Newcastle": "chở củi về rừng",

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which translates as "to carry firewood to the
forest". The meaning here is clearly the same in
both idioms - to bring something to a place that
already has abundance of that thing - but the
way in which each language expresses it is bound
to the culture of that language. It would be far
more cumbersome to translate this idiom word-
for-word into Vietnamese with an explanation
that Newcastle is a well-known coal-producing
city in England (as was suggested by some
Vietnamese translators), which would unduly
interrupt the flow the text and greatly diminish
the idiom's impact. By substituting similar
Vietnamese idiom, then, the flow and the impact
of the original text are retained in the translation.
5.1.9. Translation by paraphrase
When Vietnamese equivalents cannot be found, T introduces Sts listen and
paraphrasing may be the best way to deal with an the strategy of take notes the
idiom or fixed expression. A good example can paraphrase important
be found in an article on maternal mortality, when point
which includes the sentence, "But before the new equivalents
estimates replace the old as a way of packaging cannot be
up the problem, it should be said that a mistake found
has been made in allowing statistics such as these
to slip into easy language." The expression
"packaging up the problem" presented problems
in translation, as it was misinterpreted to mean
"assembling" or "gathering together". However,
even if this phrase were clearly understood, it
would be difficult to find a correct equivalent in
Vietnamese; in fact, it would be difficult to re-
state concisely in English. This phrase is best
dealt with by paraphrasing, which in English
should read something like, “summing up the
problem by referring to it simply as a number,
which does not reflect its true magnitude or
impact”. The expression “to slip into easy usage"
is problematic for the same reasons, and is also
best dealt with by paraphrasing, as a direct
translation into Vietnamese would be
nonsensical.
5.1.10 Translation by omission
As with single words, whole phrases may be
omitted if they are not essential to the meaning or
impact of the text. This may be done with
phrases that would require lengthy explanations,
awkward paraphrases, or literal and unnatural
translations. This may also be done when a

6
phrase has two meanings, and one of the
meanings must be sacrificed for the other. For
instance, a book entitled, “Being Positive -
Living with HIV/AIDS” presents problems in
translation because of the double meaning of
"being positive". Here, the meaning is both that a
person is HIV positive and, more idiomatically,
that s/he should have an optimistic outlook on
life. This may be clear to a translator, who may
interpret the phrase to mean simply that this book
is for and about people who are HIV positive.
However, the double meaning should be made
clear through collaboration with the
commissioner, after which a choice must be
made between the two meanings, for it would not
be possible to translate both meanings by one
Vietnamese phrase. As the emphasis is on a
positive outlook towards life and not on the fact
of being HIV positive, one translator has
suggested the following translation: "Sống một
cách tích cực". This expresses the notion of being
positive about life without mentioning
anything about HIV status, which will be made
clear in the rest of the title and in the content of
the book.
STRATEGY 3: How to deal with voice,
number and person
VOICE: The passive voice is used very
frequently in English and poses some problems T introduces
for translation into Vietnamese. Passive voice the way to deal Sts listen and
can be translated from English into with voice, take notes the
Vietnamese in the following ways: number and important
a) English: person point
A to be done (by B)
Vietnamese:
(i) A được + động từ + (bởi B) positive
meaning
A được/do + B + động từ
(ii) A bị + động từ (bởi B) negative
meaning
A bị + (B) + động từ

Example:
- This house was built by Frank in 1930.
= Ngôi nhà này do Frank xây năm 1930.
- Tom is given a present by Mary.
= Tom được Mary tặng một món quà.
- Tom was attacked by a stranger last
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night.
= Tom bị một kẻ lạ mặt tấn công tối hôm
qua.

b) English: A to be done
Vietnamese:
(i) A được + động từ (positive meaning)
(ii) A bị + động từ (negative meaning)
(iii) Người ta/ai đó + động từ + A

Example:
- Tom has been promoted recently.
= Tôm mới được đề bạt gần đây.
- The CD has been broken.
= Chiếc đĩa CD đã bị vỡ,
or = Ai đó đã làm vỡ chiếc đĩa CD rồi.
The positive and negative connotation is not
often conveyed in English, it can be difficult to
know which verb to use in the Vietnamese.
Example: The children were given injections.
Vietnamese: “Các cháu được tiêm” or “Các cháu
bị tiêm” depending on whether receiving shots
was considered a positive or negative experience.
On the other hand, when the positive or negative
connotation of the sentence is clear, it is more
appropriate to retain the passive voice in the
Vietnamese.
Example: The H'Mong people do not like
to be called Meo, they prefer to be called
H'Mong.
Vietnamese: Người dân tộc Hơ Mông
không thích bị gọi là dân tộc Mèo, họ thích được
gọi là dân tộc Hơ Mông
Note: In Vietnamese, there are
some cases where you see the word bị/được, but
they are not passive sentences in English at all.
Example:
- Anh ấy bị ngã = He falls.
- Chi Lan bị ho = Lan has a cough.
- Hôm nay chúng ta được đánh chén no nê
= We have an enormous and fantastic meal
today.
NUMBER: Though both languages have similar
notions of number and countability, each T analyzes the Sts listen and
language expresses this in very different ways. In differences of take notes the
Vietnamese, number is often not expressed at all. number in important
In English, number is expressed as a grammatical translation point

8
category, that is, there are different grammatical
forms for the singular and plural nouns. In
Vietnamese, however, no such distinction is
made grammatically.
Example: Phụ nữ = can mean either
woman or women
In Vietnamese, some plural markers such as
“các”, “những”, “tất cả”, “mọi”, “mỗi” ... can be
used in addition to the noun. “Các” generally
means all of a given category of things, whereas
“những” refers to some of the total number of the
things being discussed. “Mỗi” emphasizes the
identity of the individual members of the
category without connoting anything of their
totality, while “mọi” expresses both the
individuality of the items and the totality of the
category. If it is clear from the English context
which of these plural markers should be used in
the Vietnamese, then the translator should choose
accordingly.
Note: Some words that can be countable in
Vietnamese but are uncountable in English. For
example: information, equipment, furniture,
potential, advice,...
PERSON: Participants roles and forms of
address are expressed in Vietnamese through a T analyzes the Sts listen and
very complicated system of personal pronouns differences of take notes the
based largely on kinship (mối quan hệ họ hàng) participants important
terms. Unlike their English counterparts, roles and forms point
Vietnamese pronouns convey many different of address in
distinctions, depending on relationship within the translation
family, familiarity, social status, and even one's
particular mood or attitude in a given situation.
These distinctions are not always clear in English
and can usually be determined by the context, if
at all. If it is not possible to determine the
distinctions of the English pronouns, the decision
should be based on consideration of tone and
overall purpose of the document. Example: a
manual on health care contains sections written
specifically for children and adults. In the section
for children, “you” is translated as “em” or “các
em”. In the section for adults, “you” should be
translated as “chúng ta”, which is the inclusive
“we” - that is, the speaker is including the
listener in a group with him/herself. And in
different contexts, “we” can be translated as
“chúng tôi” meaning “other people and I, but not

9
you” or “chúng ta” meaning “you and I”
Note: In English, age is often not
important in the addressing system. And. there is
no distinction between the relatives of mother's
side or father’s side.
Hai anh em = two brother
Hai chị em = two sisters
Chú, Cậu, Bác = uncle
Cô, Dì, Bác gái = aunt
STRATEGY 4. How to deal with proper T analyzes the
names way to deal Sts listen and
Geographical terms: either translated into with proper take notes the
another word in Vietnamese or translated names important
phonologically (“s” becomes “x”) or remained Geographical point
unchanged. terms, Names
Example: of
- Beijing = Bắc Kinh organizations,
- Kingdom = Vương quốc Proper names
- Singapore = Singapore or Xin-ga-po in medical
- Commonwealth = Liên bang, Liên hiệp, texts
Khối thịnh vượng
- Australia = Úc or Ôxtrâylia
- Socialist = Xã hội chủ nghĩa
- Brazil = Braxin
- Republic = Cộng hoà
- London = Luân-đôn
- People’s = Nhân dân
- United States of = Hợp chủng quốc
Names of organizations: translated into
Vietnamese or unchanged or only translatable
parts are translated or add the words “Công ty”,
“Hãng”, “Tổ chức”, “Cơ quan”, etc.
Example:
UNDP = Tổ chức UNDP
ANZ Bank = Ngân hàng ANZ
Phillip Fox = Công ty luật Phillip Fox
Translation from Vietnamese into English:
often using the reverse order or adjective + noun
or noun + preposition + noun.
“Bộ”, “Sở” = Ministry of …, Department of…
“Ngân hàng”= Bank for …, or Adjective + Bank
“Tổng công ty” = Corporation
Example:
- Ngân hàng phục vụ người nghèo
= Bank for the poor
- Ngân hàng công thương Việt Nam
= Vietnam Industrial and Commercial Bank
- Sở giao thông công chính

10
= Department of transport and public works
- Văn phòng chính phủ
= Office of Government
- Tồng cục thống kê
= General Statistic Office
- Bộ kế hoạch và đầu tư
= Ministry of Planning and Investment
Proper names in medical texts: Tests,
symptoms, diseases, syndromes, parts of the
body are named after one 'scientist' in one
language community and a different one, are
given a more general term, in another. Check the
spelling of all proper names - this is where
misprints are most common. Remember that
while English keeps the first names of foreign
person unchanged, they may sometimes be
translated in Vietnamese.
STRATEGY 5. How to deal with non-subject
sentences (Vietnamese – English translation) T introduces Sts listen and
In Vietnamese-written passages, some non- ways to deal take notes the
subject sentences are often come across. In this with non- important
case, the following techniques of translation can subject point
be used: sentences
1. Passive voice
2. It + to be + adjective + to do something
3. There is/ are
4. V+ing (S) + V + O
5. Put in the real subject that is often found in the
previous sentence(s)
Example:
- Cần đẩy mạnh công nghiệp hoá, hiện đại hoá.
= Industrialization and modernization should be
promoted.
= It is necessary to promote industrialization and
modernization.
- Vẫn chưa có cách cứu chữa bệnh AIDS.
= There has been no cure for AIDS.
STRATEGY 6. How to deal with newspaper
headlines T introduces Sts listen and
Some main characteristics of newspaper ways to deal take notes the
headlines: with non- important
1. Present tense = past tense subject point
2. Present participle = event in progress sentences
3. To + infinitive = future events
4. Past participle = passive voice
5. Nouns
6. Verb + Noun
Example:

11
  Chinese Professors Turn To Business.
Các giáo sư Trung Quốc chuyển sang (con
đường) kinh doanh
 US Secretary To State Visiting Vietnam
Ngoại trưởng Mỹ đang thăm Việt Nam
 Oil Price To Rise?
Giá dầu sẽ tăng?
 Three More Investment Projects Licensed
This Year
Thêm ba dự án đầu tư nữa được cấp phép trong
năm nay
 Investment Boom
Bùng nổ đầu tư
 See You In Court
Hẹn gặp tại tòa
3 Củng cố kiến thức và kết thúc bài
T Sts
Translation of idiomatic and proverbial summarize the
expressions content
1. From the plane we had a bird’s eye view of what they have Sts practice
London. learnt in this translating the
2. She’s no chicken. period sentences
3. She felt like a fish out of the water at the T consolidates
party. the content of
4. The news of his death came like a bolt from the lesson and
the blue. check the
5. He does his homework once in a blue moon. answers
6. The boss gave him the axe.
7. He came into a lot of money when his father
died.
8. They are seldom at once with each other.
9. I haven’t had time to arrange everthing, so
I’m all at sixes from and sevens.
10. He lives from hand to mouth.
SUGGESTED TRANSLATION
1. Ở trên máy bay chúng tôi đã nhìn thấy
toàn cảnh London.
2. Bà ta chẳng còn trẻ trung gì.
3. Cô ta cảm thấy lạc lõng ở buổi tiệc.
4. Tin ông ta chết giống như một tiếng sét
ngang tai.
5. Năm thì mười họa anh ta mới làm công
việc nhà.
6. Ông chủ đã cho anh ta thôi việc.
7. Anh ta thừa hưởng rất nhiều tiền khi cha
mình chết.
8. Họ ít khi nào đồng tâm nhất trí với nhau.
9. Tôi không có thì giờ để sắp xếp mọi thứ

12
 lại, vì thế tôi mới bị rối tung cả lên.
10. Anh ta kiếm được đồng nào là xào đồng
đó.

4 Hướng dẫn tự học

1. How to deal with non-e quivalence at
lexical level
2. How to deal with idioms and set
expressions
3. How to deal with voice, number and
person
4. How to deal with non-subject sentences
5. How to deal with newspaper headlines

Nguồn tài liệu tham khảo 1. Tu Anh (2005), English-Vietnamese translation

techniques, (p.10-16).
2. Newmark (1998), Approach to Translation.
3. Nguyen Van Tuan (2006), Translation 1&2, Hue
University, Hue.

WebPages
1. https://baosongngu.net/
2. http://vietanhsongngu.com/

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