EQUIVALENCE

ABOVE
WORD LEVEL
 EQUIVALENCE
IN
LEXICAL PATTERNING
LEXICAL PATTERNING
Idioms &
Collocations
Fixed expressions
Co-occurrence of
Co-occurrence of words
words
Unchangeable
pairing or forming

Flexible pairing Sometimes, each

component not
having own meaning
EQUIVALENCE
IN
COLLOCATIONS
 1. Range
- Some words have a wider range of
pairing possibilities.
Characteristics E.g.: wink vs. do
- Range of collocation component
of depends on its:
Collocations - specificity:
công trình xây dựng
- number of senses:
launch
 2. Markedness

- The possibilities of co-occurrence of

words are endless.
Characteristics - Some collocations simply have a longer
history, hence better popularity than
of others.
Collocations A cup of coffee vs. A mug of hot chocolate
- Unconventional pairing mostly takes
place in fiction.
You belong with me.
 3. Register

- Some collocations are the set of terms

that go with a discipline.
Characteristics - They are found in specialized
dictionaries and glossaries.
of E.g.:
Collocations Take a breather
Flex your feet
Observe the sensation in your body
 4. Meaning

- It is unclear whether a word on its own

can 'mean' anything.
- Sometimes the meaning of a word can be
Characteristics inferred in isolation, other times it must be
contextualized.
of - E.g.:
Collocations dry mouth
dry humor
ngâm gạo lứt
ngâm bài kiểm tra
 Find the best Vietnamese equivalents possible for these collocations.

1. the horse runs: .......................... 2. the dog runs: ..........................

3. the tap runs: ......................... 4. the nose runs: ..........................

5. the vine runs: .......................... 6. black horse: ..........................

7. black dog: .......................... 8. black cat: ..........................

9. black ink: .......................... 10. black hair: ..........................

 Problems in translating
Collocations
1. Assumptions
- The translator can easily misinterpret a collocation in the source text due
to interference from his/her native language.
- E.g. (a) “thâm niên công tác tại vị trí…”
(b) Last updated December 15, 2023.

(a) work experience

=> longevity in this position
(b) C?p nh?t l?n cu? i ....
=> Phiên b?n m? i nh?t
=> Ch?nh s? a (b? sung) và c?p nh?t l?n cu? i vào ...
 Problems in translating
Collocations
2. Naturalness vs. Accuracy
- Translation often involves a tension - a difficult choice between what is
typical and what is accurate.
- Accuracy is important, but the use of common TL collocations familiar to
the target reader helps keeping the communication natural and
sensible.
- E.g. If not in Can Tho, the province, city or country (if not Vietnam) the
landlord ordinarily resides in …
N?u không ? C?n Tho, t?nh/thành ph? ho?c qu? c gia (ngoài VN) ch? h? thu? ng trú t?i...
Đ?a ch? thu? ng trú (ngoài C?n Tho, ho?c ngoài lãnh th? VN) c? a ch? h? :
Find the equivalent for each of the following phrases.

1. install software 7. handle inquiries

(tech) 8. build brand loyalty
2. update applications (business)
(tech) 9. evaluate audience
3. administer feedback (media)
treatment 10. maintain robust
(healthcare) security (tech)
4. perform surgery 11. interpret research
(healthcare) findings
5. conduct experiments 12. complex character
(Edu) arcs (performance arts)
6. file a lawsuit (legal)
Find the equivalent for each of the following phrases.

13. tăng doanh số 19. triển khai các thuật

(business) toán phức tạp (tech)
14. đặt mục tiêu 20. thủ thuật xâm lấn
15. tinh gọn quy trình tối thiểu (healthcare)
16. đo dấu hiệu sống 21. bồi dưỡng kỹ năng
(healthcare) mềm (Edu)
17. phát sóng bản tin 22. các nền tảng truyền
(media) thông đa phương tiện
(tech)
18. đạt được thỏa
thuận 23. hỗ trợ tư vấn khách
hàng (business)
 Problems in translating
Collocations
3. Culture – specific features
- Some collocations reflect the cultural settings.
- There will be cases when the SL contain collocations with
unfamiliar associations to the TL reader.
- E.g.
throw a baby shower
lại quả
ăn đám giỗ
 Problems in translating
Collocations
4. Markedness
- Unusual combinations of words are sometimes used in SL to
create an impact.
- Ideally, the translation of a marked collocation will be
similarly marked in TL.
- E.g.
a labyrinth of suffering (Looking for Alaska_John Green)
Hãy ra khỏi người đó đi (Phan Mạnh Quỳnh)
 EQUIVALENCE
IN
IDIOMS & FIXED EXPRESSIONS
 Problems in translating
Idioms & Fixed expressions
1. Misinterpretation
- Some idioms are 'misleading’
- reasonable literal interpretation
- unexpected idiomatic meaning
- E.g.
A taste of your own medicine
Nồi nào vung nấy / Mây tầng nào gặp gió tầng đó
 Problems in translating
Idioms & Fixed expressions
2. Lack of original understanding
- Some idioms needs to be translated in its full form with its
original meaning.
- E.g.
- Curiosity killed the cat
(but satisfaction brought it back.)
 Problems in translating
Idioms & Fixed expressions
3. Assumptions
- An idiom in SL may have a very close counter-part in
TL on the surface but has a totally or partially different
meaning.
- E.g.
Let the cat out of the bag vs Thả hổ về rừng
 Problems in translating
Idioms & Fixed expressions
A speaker/writer will not:
- change the order of the words in it
- delete a word from it
- add a word to it
- replace a word with another
- change its grammatical structure
 Problems in translating
Idioms & Fixed expressions
But a translator/interpreter can:
- use a similar idiom/expression in form and meaning in TL
- use a similar idiom/expression in meaning (dissimilar in
form) in TL
- paraphrase
- omit
1. Great, I think you just hit the nail on the head.

2. Generally speaking, we regard discomfort in any form as bad news.

3. You don’t think that it is true, do you? She is just pulling your leg.
1. "Tôi hết sức bất ngờ, đứng hình luôn.“

2. Ăn cơm chan nước mắt, lao động bị giữ lại trái phép ở Ả Rập tiếp tục kêu cứu.

3. Theo thông lệ hằng năm, hàng hóa chuẩn bị Tết tập trung chủ yếu vào một số
mặt hàng thiết yếu
GRAMMATICAL
EQUIVALENCE
KEY ASPECTS OF GRAMMAR

Number Gender Tense

S-V Word
Voice
agreement order
 1. Number

Key aspects -singular / plural

-E.g.:
of -a dog -> 1 con chó
-3 books -> 3 cuốn sách
Grammar -fishes -> những loài cá
 2. Gender
Key aspects
-male / female / neutral
of -E.g.:
-waiter / waitress
Grammar -chairperson
-barber shop / hair salon
 3. Tense
- What are the differences in
Tenses between Eng and Vie?
Key aspects - How does Vietnamese signal
the past perfect, present perfect
of continuous
- E.g.:
Grammar By this time next week, I’ll be
lying on the beach, soaking in
the sun.
 4. Subject – Verb
agreement
Key aspects -Is S-V agreement a grammar
point in Vietnamese?
of -E.g.:
Chúng ta chuẩn bị bước vào
Grammar tuần lễ kiểm tra giữa kỳ đầy
chông gai trắc trở.
 5. Voice

-How does Vietnamese bridge

Key aspects the gap of passive – active
voices?
of -E.g.:
Grammar The concert tickets were
sold out in less than an
hour.
 - Word order is extremely important in
translation because:
- it reflects styles
- it signals emphasis / contrast
About - it maintains coherence
E.g.:
Word order - expect less -> mong đợi ít hơn vs. ít có
mong đợi
- To unburden for your kids, start with
expecting less from them.
Landlord shall be responsible for the following utilities and services
in connection with the premises:
-Water and sewer
-Garbage and trash disposal
Tenant shall be responsible for the following utilities and services
in connection with the premises:
-Electricity
-Gas
-Heating
-Telephone
-All other utilities and services not listed under the Landlords
responsibility