TYLA: Comparing and translating English-Vietnamese idioms about health.

Author's name: Tran Huy Sang

Thesis title:Comparing and translating English-Vietnamese idioms about health.

Dissertation field: Comparative and Contrastive Linguistics

Major: Linguistics Code: 62220241

Name of the postgraduate training unit: University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

1. Purpose and scope of the thesis

The main purpose of this study is to explore the similarities and differences in the structure and symbolic meanings of English and Vietnamese idioms related to health, to identify equivalent idioms between the two groups, and then to propose appropriate translation methods for non-equivalent English idioms related to health for Vietnamese English learners.

The subject of this study is English and Vietnamese idioms about health and the method of translating these idioms from English to Vietnamese. The idioms were carefully selected from reputable sources, primarily from idiom dictionaries in both languages. The concept of health is based on the World Health Organization's definition of health, encompassing physical, mental, and social health. The criteria for selecting health-related idioms in English and Vietnamese were carefully considered based on a thorough examination of the idiom's meaning in specific examples provided in reputable dictionaries in both English and Vietnamese.

2. Research methods used

The research methodology of this thesis is based on comparative linguistics. The thesis uses English idioms about health as a starting point for its study and comparison with Vietnamese idioms about health. The thesis limits its comparison to the two languages, aiming to highlight the structural characteristics and modes of expressing meaning in idioms about health in both languages.

In addition to the comparative method mentioned above, to serve the research purposes of this thesis, we also applied methods and techniques such as:

- Statistical methods help us gain an overall view of the distribution of idiomatic units in both English and Vietnamese, as well as their usage and the ability to translate them from one language to the other. This will provide a basis for interpreting the characteristics of thinking and ethnicity in both languages.

- The descriptive method helps to further clarify idiomatic units within the scope of the thesis, enabling the identification of idioms through their linguistic structure and meaning-forming mechanisms. This, in turn, clarifies the characteristics of the thinking of each ethnic group, highlighting the similarities and differences between health-related idioms in the two languages.

- The comparative method (using English idioms about health as the target language and similar Vietnamese idioms as the medium) helps to find similarities and differences related to the form and symbolic expression of health-related idioms. Then, it compares and identifies equivalent health-related idioms between the two languages ​​and proposes appropriate translation methods for those that are not equivalent.

3. Main results and conclusions

3.1. Main results

- The thesis has systematized the theoretical basis of idioms, the symbolic meaning of idioms, methods of comparing idioms, and theories related to translation and idiom translation.

- To clarify the syntactic structure and semantic scope of health-related idioms in English and Vietnamese. Based on this, the thesis compares the similarities and differences in health-related idioms between the two languages.

- Analyze the symbolic imagery of health-related idioms in English and Vietnamese, thereby identifying the characteristics of English and Vietnamese thinking regarding health issues within the framework of health-related idioms in the two languages.

- The thesis identified health-related idioms that can be translated equivalently between the two languages ​​and suggested reasonable methods for translating health-related idioms in English that do not have equivalent forms in Vietnamese.

3.2. Conclusion

- The concept of idioms in English is a broader concept encompassing the concept of idioms in Vietnamese. The syntactic structure of idioms about health in English, while sharing a few common points such as the use of comparative structures, repetition, and antithesis, differs significantly from that of Vietnamese. For example, Vietnamese idioms are divided into three main groups: comparative idioms, symmetrical metaphorical idioms, and asymmetrical metaphorical idioms, while English primarily uses structures in the form of noun phrases, verb phrases, adjective phrases, and prepositional phrases.

- The semantic scope of idioms about health is quite similar, as both languages ​​express the meaning of health in different contexts such as physical health, mental health, physical weakness, mental weakness, illness, recovery, and death.

- Idioms about health in English and Vietnamese often utilize distinctive imagery to symbolize meanings that reflect the unique thinking of each nation. For example, when referring to physical health, the English compare health to that of a "lion" or a "horse," while the Vietnamese compare it to that of a "buffalo" or a "cow." These animals represent two distinct cultural characteristics of the two nations.

- The thesis employed three methods of equivalence translation: near-complete equivalence in both form and content, formal equivalence with some differing lexical elements, and dynamic equivalence. The thesis also used four methods to translate non-equivalent health-related idioms: using specialized terminology, using fixed phrases or terms that are not idioms, using borrowed forms, and using semantic translation, interpretive translation, or free words; among these, the method of using specialized terminology to translate health-related idioms from English to Vietnamese is a novel finding of the thesis.

SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL THESIS

The author's name:Tran Huy Sang

Thesis title:Contrast and translation of English and Vietnamese idioms on health

Scientific branch of the thesis: Comparative and contrastive linguistics

Major: Linguistics Code: 62220241

The name of postgraduate training institution:University of Social Sciences and Humanity – Hanoi National University

1. Thesis purpose and objects

• The main purpose of this thesis is to understand the similarities and differences in the structure and symbolism of English and Vietnamese idioms on health, and to find equivalent idioms between the two groups of idioms and also propose appropriate measures to translate idioms on health that are not equivalent between the two languages.
• The objects of the study are English and Vietnamese idioms on health and how to translate this idiom group from English to Vietnamese. The idioms are carefully selected from reputable idiomatic sources, mainly taken from dictionaries of idioms in both English and Vietnamese. The concept of health is based on the World Health Organization's definition of health, including physical, mental and social health. The criteria for selecting health-related idioms in English and Vietnamese are carefully selected based on a thorough examination of the meaning of each idiom in specific examples given in reputable dictionaries.

2. Research methods

The research method of the thesis is based on comparative - contrastive linguistics. The thesis takes idioms about health in English as a starting unit for surveying and contrasting with idioms on health in Vietnamese. The thesis only limits the comparison of two languages ​​​​in order to highlight the structural features as well as the mode of expressing symbolic meaning of idioms on health in two languages.

In addition, for the purposes of the thesis, we also apply methods and tactics such as:

• Statistical tactics to help us have an overview of the distribution of idiomatic units in both English and Vietnamese as well as the level of use and ability to translate them from one language to another. As a result, there will be grounds for interpreting the characteristics of thinking and ethnicity in both languages.
• Descriptive method to help clarify idiomatic units within the thesis, identifying idioms through linguistic structures and mechanisms of meaning creation of idioms, thereby clarifying characteristics of each ethnicity's ideology to help highlight the similarities and differences of health idioms in two languages.
• Contrast collation method (using idioms on health in English as the target language, Vietnamese idioms of the same type as a media language) to help find similarities and differences related to pictures knowledge, the method of expressing symbolic meaning of the idioms on health, then collate and find idioms of health equivalents between the two languages ​​\u200b\u200band propose suitable translation methods for the idioms that are not equivalent.

3. Major results and conclusions

3.1. The major results

• The thesis has codified the theoretical basis of idioms, symbolic meaning of idioms, methods of contrasting idioms and theories related to idiom translation.
• The thesis has clarified the syntactic structure and scope of semantic expressions of idioms on health in both English and Vietnamese. On that basis, the thesis compares and contrasts the idioms on the health of two languages.
• The thesis has analyzed the symbolic meaning of the idioms on health in English and Vietnamese, thus bringing out the characteristics of British and Vietnamese thinking related to health issues within the framework of idioms on health in two languages.
• The thesis has found that the expressions on health can be translated using equivalent idioms between the two languages ​​​​and suggest reasonable methods to translate the expressions on health in English which do not have equivalents in Vietnamese.

3.2.Revisions

• The idiom concept in English is a larger concept that covers the Vietnamese concept on idioms. The syntactic structures of idioms on health in English, apart from sharing a few things in common, such as using a comparative structure, using repetition and reciprocal phenomena, are much different from those of Vietnamese. For example, Vietnamese idioms are divided into three main groups: comparative idioms, symmetric metaphor idioms and asymmetric metaphor idioms, while English mainly uses noun phrases, verb phrases, adjective phrases and prepositional phrases.
• The scope of idiomatic expression on health is quite similar when both languages ​​express the meaning of health in similar areas such as physical health, mental health, physical weakness, mental weakness, sickness, recovery and death.
• Idioms on health in English and Vietnamese have the ability to use symbolic meaning with national characteristics of thinking. For example, referring to physical health, the British compares health with "lion", or "horse", but the Vietnamese compares health with "buffalo", or "bull". These are also animals representing two different cultural characteristics of the two peoples.
• The thesis has used three equivalent translation methods including complete equivalence both in form and content, equivalent in form but a few distinct vocabulary components and dynamic equivalents. The thesis also uses four methods to translate unequivalent idioms on health including using specialized words or terms, non-idiomatic fixed words or phrases, loan forms, and interpretations, paraphrasing or free words; among those, using specialized words or terms to translate idioms on health in English into Vietnamese is a new finding of the thesis.