an investigation into transferring of idiomatic or


AN
INVESTIGATION
INTO
TRANSFERRING
OF IDIOMATIC
OR FIGURATIVE
FORMS IN
TRANSLATED
WORKS OF
MODERN
LITERATURE FROM
ENGLISH INTO
VIETNAMESE
 ThS. Lê Ngọc Trân Châu
Khoa Ngoại ngữ- Đại học Đông Á
ABSTRACT
This research has been done in an
effort to investigate the transferring
of idiomatic or figurative forms in
translated works of modern literature
from English into Vietnamese,
employing the theoretical points
suggested by Katherine Barnwell
[3]. A collection of samples taken
from modern literary works written
in English and their Vietnamese
versions have been analyzed to
explore ways in which idiomatic
or figurative formsare transferred.
Besides, quantitative and qualitative
analyses have also been carried
out to show distribution of ways of
transferring, on the basis of which
to identify preferences. The findings,
it is hoped, will help to put forward
some suggestions for the translation
as a profession and for the teaching
and learning of English.
1. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Any language in the world serves the
demand of communication of human beings.
However, each language has its own origin,
characteristics and values, which is really a
big challenge for those who want to translate
or interpret some utterances from one
language (source language ) into the other
language (target language). English and
Vietnamese, the two focused languages of
our research, have different characteristics in
terms of meaning, collocation or structures.
That is the reason why the way an English
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
item is transferred into Vietnamese varies from words to words, phrases to phrases
language
and sentences to sentences. Therefore, to do their good jobs, translators should be equipped
with full knowledge of translation-related tasks. They are the problems of loss and gain,
recoding and decoding or culture differences, etc...
Our main aim in this research paper is to find out some typical features during the
process of transferring idiomatic or figurative forms from English into Vietnamese in some
modern literature works through quantitative and qualitative methods including statistical,
descriptive and contrastive approaches. Due to some certain limitations, we just approach
some literature works written by famous English authors such as “Gone with the Wind”, “The
Thorn Birds”, “Twilight”, "Jane Eyre”, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, “Uncle Tom’s
Cabin” and their Vietnamese versions are carefully chosen to make the study more reliable.
We hope that the study will contribute to providing Vietnamese learners of English with some
knowledge and translational perspective of lexical meaning in English and in Vietnamese.
2. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
2.1. Idiomatic or Figurative Forms in the Source Language May Be Transferred into
Direct, Non-figurative Form in the Target Language.
In this part we put both idiomatic forms and figurative forms in one category for
convenience’s sake, although they are not analytically the same. In any languages in the
world, if the meaning of a word, phrase or sentence is clearly shown in the surface of these
language components themselves, the process of meaning interpretation will become much
easier and simpler. Moreover, the access to literature works might no longer be a problem
to people as it is now. In fact, people would find no real enthusiasm or motivation to read a
literature work to discover what lines between the lines any longer. The hypothesis we have
given proves that the real beauty of a language is what lies under the shade of the literal
meanings of the words of the language components. To discover what the language really
says to them, people must have a full and deep understanding of the language function
and formation, as well as the culture in which it exists and reflects. They should bear in
mind that meaning translation not only stops at word by word translating because such
translation, in many cases, leads to clumsy transferring. In English and Vietnamese, there
are a huge number of idiomatic or figurative forms whose real meaning requires a translator
great effort to have an appropriate form in the target language.
One of the features that English and Vietnamese users should take notice when they
encounter idiomatic or figurative forms in the both languages is that these forms may become
direct, non-figurative through the lexical transferring from the source language to the target
language and vice versa. For instance:
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
Language
 His voice wasEnglish
like melting honey. [13, p.54]
Vietnamese Equivalent
Ông ta nói với giọng ngọt ngào. [7, p.56]
The phrase like “melting honey” is used indirectly in the source language with the
meaning “sweet” but when it is transferred into the target language, it is turned into the
direct and non-figurative form. In the target language, there is a similar phrase to the source
language “ngọt như mật”, but the translator does not apply this way of transferring but he
goes straight to the direct meaning. We will find other cases in the followings:
English Language
I was losing my mind [13, p,52]
I got so down-hearted [18, p.2]
Flat-heads [18, p.6]
A tangle-headed old fool [15, p.47]
Vietnamese Equivalents
Tôi không thể nhớ được [7, 54]
Chưa bao giờ tôi buồn đến vậy [8, p.3]
Những kẻ ngớ ngẩn [8, p.7]
Gã dở hơi [11, p.49]
Clearly, the information and meaning of the original idiomatic phrases are lost in
the version in the target language. Most of the figurative phrases are aimed at giving their
real meaning indirectly by borrowing some images that may have a little or no relationship
with the conveyed meaning. Maybe due to cultural gaps and identification, the idiomatic
forms cannot be transferred word by word to the target language, because it may create
confusing problems for the target language users. In other words, to make the idiomatic
phrases more easily-accepted and understandable by the target language people, these core
meanings of the phrases should be transferred and portrayed in the clearest way. That is
one of the reasons why translators have tendency to turn those figurative forms into direct
non-figurative forms.
It can be seen that, to transfer the figurative forms to direct ones, under-translation
is mainly applied. This method of translation makes the target language phrases less detail
and more generic than the origin. Let us examine two English phrases “flat-heads” and
“tangle-headed old fool”. We can see that they both borrow the image of “head”, the most
important part of human’s body and “flat and tangle”, the two adjectives having the same
sense “the shape of the head”, to say about characteristics. The two phrases seem to be quite
detailed. However, the target language translators make use of under-translation technique
to make these phrases more general. “Flat-heads” and “tangle-headed old fool” refer to
stupid people, which is easily understood in the target language.
English Language
I’ll bet the girls in Gilly just eat their hearts out
over you.”[14, p.82]
A man can’t put his nose into the door, but
you think he must be coming to buy your son.
[17, p.20]
Vietnamese Equivalents
Tôi đánh cuộc với cha rằng tất cả thiếu nữ ở
Gilly đều ao ước cha.[10, 95]
Động có người lái buôn đến nhà, là mày tưởng
người ta đến để mua con mày.[12, p.23]
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
the images “eat their heart out over you”, “put his nose into the door”...
containSimilarly,
emotiveness and make a strong impression on readers, but it is not easy to find the
images in the target language having the same emotiveness and impact as in the source
language, so translators must convert the images into sense.
In summary, due to cultural gap, context adaptation, and subjective desires, idiomatic
or figurative forms in the source language may be transferred into direct, non-figurative
form in the target language. However, this may reduce the effectiveness, emotiveness and
uniqueness of the message sent to target language readers to some extent.
2.2. Idiomatic or Figurative Forms in the Source Language May Be Transferred into
Idiomatic or Figurative Forms, but with a Different Figure in the Target Language
It cannot be denied that when translating figurative forms from English into Vietnamese,
we find that some culture-specific images in the source language may cause difficulty in
understanding to readers and hearers. Therefore, in this situation, translators tend to attempt
to replace them with standard images which are closer to the target language culture to
make readers and hearers understand the text more easily, as Peter Newmark states “The
translator may replace the image in the target language with a standard image which does
not clash with the target language culture” [5, p.89]. We apply the diagram suggested by
Engene Nida’s [6, p.16] to illustrate this case vividly.
Let us have English
a look atLanguage
the following examples:
Vietnamese Equivalent
As he worked
the center of the log KhiVietnamese
gҫn ÿӃn lõiEquivalent
cây, l˱ͩi rìu gҫn nhѭ
Englishtoward
Language
theworked
axe head
disappeared
thegầnngұp
khe
nhӳng
dămngập
gӛ to
As he
toward
the center entirely
of the loginside
the Khi
đến trong
lõi cây,
lưỡivàrìu
gần như
axecut,
headand
disappeared
entirely inside
the cut,
những
dăm
gỗ tovào
gần Frank.
như văng
the big wedges
of wood
flewtrong
out khe
gҫnvànhѭ
văng
thҷng
[10,
and the big wedges of wood flew out closer thẳng vào Frank. [10, p.75]
closer and closer to his body.[14, p.43]
p.75]
and closer to his body.[14, p.43]
English
Vietnamese
head
l˱ͩi
The end of a long narrow object that is
An image popularly used in the target
larger and wide than the rest of it
language
Transfer

If the image “head” in the above example is maintained in the target language with
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its literal
meaning, it sounds odd and abnormal. According to Katherine Barnwell, when
Soá 04-2011
considering the collocative meaning of the image, the word “ÿ̯u” cannot occur in the
environment of the word “rìu” in Vietnamese. Therefore, due to one of the meaning
features of “head” which means “the end of a long narrow object that is larger and wider
than the rest of it”, translators choose the image “l˱ͩi” used commonly in the target
language to replace the image “head” in the source language to create the common phrase
If the image “head” in the above example is maintained in the target language with
its literal
meaning, it sounds odd and abnormal. According to Katherine Barnwell, when
considering the collocative meaning of the image, the word “đầu” cannot occur in the
environment of the word “rìu” in Vietnamese. Therefore, due to one of the meaning features
of “head” which means “the end of a long narrow object that is larger and wider than the
rest of it”, translators choose the image “lưỡi” used commonly in the target language to
replace the image “head” in the source language to create the common phrase “lưỡi rìu” in
Vietnamese.
This procedure is also used for similes containing images which are culture-specific
in the source language but not common and close to readers in the target language. In
those cases, if translators maintain the images, the target language reader’s coherence of
understanding the translated text cannot be achieved.
English Language
Vietnamese Equivalents
“You have goose bumps,” he laughed Chị nổi da gà rồi kìa- Cậu bé mỉm cười một cách đắc
delightedly.[15, p63]
ý. [11, p.67]
They’re as soft as butter, if you want Các vị muốn biết thì tôi xin thưa! Bọn chúng giờ mềm
to know. [16, p.203]
như bún rồi. [9, p.226]
Mose and Pete, now returned again, Thằng Môdơ và thằng Pét lúc ấy đã trở vào nhà đứng
roared after her like bears.[17, p.40] sau gót con bé thét lên như cái còi. [12, p.46]
From the above-mentioned examples we can easily realize that culture plays a very
important role in translation. “Butter” is an almost indispensable ingredient in English
meals, but it is not so common in Vietnam. Therefore, in order to help readers in the target
language fully understand what the writer wants to convey the image “bún”, which carries
specific trait of Vietnamese culture, is used instead. Similarly, the loud and terrifying shout
made by Mose and Pete is described like “the roar of a bear”, which can be translated
“gầm lên như thú”, but when translated into Vietnamese that sound is illustrated like the
instrument sounding a warning “cái còi”. The replaced image may increase or decrease the
comparison degree, but, to some extent, it is more familiar to the target language readers
than the original one.
Any languages in the world possess a large number of idiomatic forms whose meaning
may be not properly elicited from the literal meaning of their linguistic components. That
is the reason why the problem of idiom transferring has been of great concern in many
fields and research. What are the main features in the process of idiom transferring from
English to Vietnamese? The following synthetic chart which is based on data taken from
some famous novels of English modern literature and their Vietnamese versions may help
to answer the question:
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

Idiomatic/Figurative and Direct Distribution
idiomatic/figurative
to
idiomatic/figurative
(38,20%)
idiomatic/figurative
to direct (61,8%)
Proportion of Distribution of Idiomatic / Figurative and Direct Forms Transferred from
an Idiomatic / Figurative Form
As can be seen from the above pie chart, the idiomatic/figurative transference is more
commonly used by translators. This, again, is very much in line with the communicative
approach to translation, where readers of the translation expect a smooth interpretation in
their language.
2.3. Direct, Non-figurative Form in the Source Language May Be Transferred into
Idiomatic or Figurative Forms in the Target Language
This has proved that in many cases, direct non-figurative forms in the source language
may be converted into figurative forms in the target language. However, this is a less
common way in comparison with the former feature we have stated and not all these phrases
can be effectively transferred into idiomatic phrases. Firstly, too many idiomatic forms in
the target language may create ambiguity; moreover, the figurative forms that translators
want to apply must be available and widely known in the target language. Otherwise, the
translation version may be turned into a more complicated one and the translation cannot
gain effectiveness.
Let us consider the way in which the English phrase “fight continually” is transferred
into Vietnamese. This phrase is used in a direct way, not idiomatic but it is turned into an
idiomatic phrase in Vietnamese. In English, to say “fight continually”, people can used an
idiom instead, that is “to fight like cats and dogs”. Fortunately, in Vietnamese, there is a
similar idiom with the same meaning and using the same images. Therefore, translators can
apply the idiom “cãi nhau như chó với mèo” into the translation version to make his version
more lively and vividly.
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

English Language
Vietnamese Equivalents
She had seen Ellen emerge from the dark Trông thấy Ellen bước ra từ căn phòng tối om
room [16, p.28]
như mực [9, p. 30]
How slowly the horse moved! [18, p.219]
Con ngựa lê bước chậm như rùa [8, p. 223]
The workers were starving [16, p.123]
Những công nhân nhà máy sợi đang trong
cảnh màn trời chiếu đất. [9, p.224]
Cowardly as ever, I shifted my hair over my Vẫn cái tính thỏ đế như thường lệ, tôi vắt mái
right shoulder to hide my face. [15, p. 160]
tóc của mình qua bên phải, cố gắng che đi
phần lớn gương mặt. [11, p.168]
He sounded as if I had pulled him from some Edward ngơ ngác như thể tôi vừa kéo anh từ
other train of thought. [13, p.148]
cung trăng trở lại mặt đất vậy. [7, p. 162]
As in the example above, “starving” means, generally, something like “đói khát”,
“đang chết đói”, “đói đến chết” and “màn trời chiếu đất” would normally be understood
as “no shelter”, “dislocated”, a situation one finds oneself in when strangled, cast away, or
victimized by wars or natural disasters. Therefore, one may conclude “starving” is not an
equivalent of “màn trời chiếu đất” . However, if we take the whole story as a longer context,
we will be able to see why rendered “starving” as “màn trời chiếu đất”. “Gone with the
Wind” is about the Civil War, in which millions of people in the South of America were
running away from the fires of war, which were burning up all the wheat fields. Burning,
wounding, killing, and especially starving are among the most common words used by
the author to describe what was going on. The word “starving” was used and used again
and again by the author, and then translated by the translator. And this may have affected
the choice of word in translation. To sum up, if isolated from context, this is not a good
equivalent. If considering the wider context, the use of the phrase “màn trời chiếu đất” is
understandable.
In many people’s opinion, translation can be regarded as a successful task if it obtains
a certain understanding level. It is also a literature work which belongs to no one else but
the translators themselves. Therefore, beside the purpose of making a source language work
understandable, the work of translators requires them much more things. This means that
translators prove to have full understanding of both the source language and the target
language; they have to ask themselves whether these phrases should be directly or indirectly
transferred or when they should apply over-translation or under-translation or how they
should deal with the source language and target language so that the target version both
gains reliability and art value.
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
3. CONCLUSION
3.1. Summary of the findings
The research is intended to find out some possible changes in idiomatic or figurative
forms from English into Vietnamese. We have found out that the frequency and popularity
are different among these ways. As we initially expected, idiomatic forms tend to become
direct ones rather than being transferred into figurative units. It is the fact that due to the
differences of the two languages, two cultures as well as linguistic and situational contexts,
Vietnamese translators do not always employ techniques or methods which may be very
common in English.
3.2. Implications for language teaching and learning
Like many other countries, translation teaching and learning in Vietnam mainly focused
on purely linguistic and theoretical aspects, while other instrumental skills that are useful
for language professionals such as documentation techniques, terminology, use of tools,
computer resources, etc.., and areas of specialization for translators, such as computing,
economics, medicine, and law seem to be forgotten. Therefore, educators should raise the
learners’ awareness that the linguistic knowledge they have obtained is not enough for
successful language transference. Many other factors determining skillful translation lie
in the culture, custom and characteristics of the places where source language is formed
and used. They should try to help students to form the habit of reading between the lines.
Besides, students should be equipped with necessary knowledge and skills in writing and
pointed out the main differences between the two languages to help them do their translation
tasks much more easily and effectively
REFERENCES
[1] Nguyễn Thượng Hùng (2006), "Mất mát trong dịch thuật" - Tạp Chí Ngôn Ngữ và
Đời Sống, Số 8 (106) - 2004.
[2] Lê Quang Thiêm (1989), Nghiên cứu đối chiếu các ngôn ngữ, NXB ĐHQG Hà Nội.
[3] Barnwell, K. (1990), Introduction to Semantics and Translation, SIL, England.
[4] Bassnett, S. and Mc. Guire (1980), Translation Studies, The University of Sydney.
[5] Newmark, P (1988), Textbook of Translation, Oxford: Pergamon Press.
[6] Nida, Eugene A. and C.R.Taber (1969 / 1982), The Theory and Practice of
Translation, Leiden: E. J. Brill.
80
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
SOURCES OF EXAMPLES QUOTED
Vietnamese Books
[7] Lan Hương- Văn Hoàng- Khánh Phương dịch (2002), Jane Eyre, NXB Thanh Niên.
[8] Ngụy Mộng Huyền- Hoàng Văn Phương dịch (2001), Những cuộc phiêu lưu của
Huckleberry Finn, NXB Văn Hóa.
[9] Vũ Kim Thư dịch (2001), Cuốn theo chiều gió, NXB Văn Hóa.
[10] Tiếng chim hót trong bụi mận gai, (2007), NXB Văn học.
[11] Tịnh Thủy (2008), Chạng vạng, NXB Trẻ.
[12] Túp lều bác Tôm, (1963), NXB Văn học.
English Books
[13] Jane (2002), Jane Eyre, the Youth Publisher.
[14] Cullough, C.Mc. (1992), The Thorn Birds, Harper and Row Publishers.
[15] Meyer Stephenie (2005), Twilight, Little, Brown and Company.
[16] Michell Margaret, Gone with the Wind, Macmillan Press, New York.
[17] Stowe, H.B., Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
[18] Twain Mark, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, avid Campell Publishers Ltd.

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