TYLA: Comparing and translating English - Vietnamese idioms about health

Author name: Tran Huy Sang

Thesis title:Compare and translate English - Vietnamese idioms about health

Dissertation field: Comparative linguistics

Major: Linguistics Code: 62220241

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

1. Purpose and research objects of the thesis

The main purpose of the topic is to find out the similarities and differences in structure and symbolic meaning of English and Vietnamese idioms related to the topic of health, find out the equivalent idioms between the two groups of idioms and then propose appropriate translation measures for the non-equivalent idioms in English related to the topic of health for Vietnamese learners of English.

The research object of this topic is English and Vietnamese idioms about health and the method of translating this group of idioms from English to Vietnamese. The idioms are carefully selected from reputable sources, mainly taken from idiom dictionaries in both languages. The concept of health is based on the definition of health of the World Health Organization, including physical health, mental health and social health. The criteria for selecting idioms about health in English and Vietnamese are carefully selected based on a thorough examination of the meaning of the idiom in specific examples given in reputable dictionaries in both English and Vietnamese.

2. Research methods used

The research method of the thesis is based on the theory of comparative - contrastive linguistics. The thesis takes English idioms about health as the starting point to examine and compare them with Vietnamese idioms about health. The thesis only limits the comparison of the two languages ​​to highlight the structural characteristics as well as the way of expressing the meaning of idioms about health in the two languages.

In addition to the above comparison method, to serve the research purpose of the thesis, we also apply methods and techniques such as:

- Statistical techniques help us have an overall view of the distribution of idiomatic units in the two languages ​​English and Vietnamese as well as the level of use and the ability to translate them from one language to another. From there, we will have a basis to interpret the characteristics of thinking and ethnicity in both languages.

- The descriptive method helps to clarify more the idiomatic units within the scope of the thesis, helps to identify idioms through the language structure and the meaning-making mechanism of idioms, thereby clarifying more the characteristics in the thinking of each ethnic group, helping to highlight the similarities and differences of idioms about health in the two languages.

- The contrastive comparison method (taking English idioms about health as the object language and Vietnamese idioms of the same type as the vehicle language) helps to find similarities and differences related to the form and method of expressing the symbolic meaning of idioms about health, then compare to find equivalent idioms about health between the two languages ​​and propose appropriate translation methods for non-equivalent idioms.

3. Main results and conclusions

3.1. Main results

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

- Clarifying the syntactic structure and semantic expression scope of idioms about health in English and Vietnamese. On that basis, the thesis compares the similarities and differences in idioms about health in the two languages.

- Analyze the symbolic images of idioms about health in English and Vietnamese, thereby presenting the characteristics of English and Vietnamese thinking related to health issues within the framework of idioms about health in the two languages.

- The thesis has found out idioms about health that can be translated equivalently between the two languages ​​and suggested reasonable methods to translate idioms about health in English that do not have equivalent forms in Vietnamese.

3.2. Conclusion

- The concept of idioms in English is a larger concept that encompasses the concept of Vietnamese idioms. The syntactic structure of idioms about health in English, in addition to sharing a few common points such as using comparative structures, using repetition and contrast, also has many differences compared to Vietnamese. For example, Vietnamese is divided into three main groups: comparative idioms, symmetrical metaphorical idioms and asymmetrical metaphorical idioms, while English mainly uses structures in the form of nouns, verbs, adjectives and prepositional phrases.

- The semantic range of idioms about health is quite similar when both languages ​​express the meaning of health in different ranges such as physically healthy, mentally healthy, physically weak, mentally weak, sick, recovering and death.

- Idioms about health in English and Vietnamese have the ability to use typical images to represent semantics that are strongly characteristic of each nation's thinking. For example, when referring to physical health, the British compare health to "lion" or "horse" while the Vietnamese compare health to "buffalo" or "cow". These are also animals that represent two different cultural characteristics of the two nations.

- The thesis used three equivalent translation methods including almost complete equivalence in both form and content, equivalent in form but with some different lexical elements and dynamic equivalence. The thesis also used four methods to translate idioms about health that are not equivalent including using specialized words or terms, using fixed phrases or expressions that are not idioms, using borrowed forms, and using literal translation, paraphrase translation or free words; in which, the method of using specialized words or terms to translate idioms about health in English into Vietnamese is a new discovery 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, thereby 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 suggests reasonable methods to translate the expressions on health in English which do not have equivalents in Vietnamese.

3.2.Conclusions

• 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.