People's Teacher Le Hong Sam - tireless bird

People's Teacher Le Hong Sam/Photo: Thanh Long

I remember in 1971, when I first entered the Literature Department, Ms. Sam was still very young, I think she was only 40 or 41 (later I learned that she was born in 1930). At that time, I was a student so I rarely had the opportunity to get to know her well, meaning I only occasionally looked at her from afar, but I absolutely did not dare to talk to her. In my fragmented memory, I remember her first lectures on French realism literature as a fresh stream refreshing our “dry” heads (because I came from a rural area very far from Hanoi). During the time when the war against America was still fierce, names like Hugo, Balzac, Standhal, or Flaubert were still very unfamiliar, but the first time I heard her lecture, those names suddenly became familiar. In my student life, to be honest, I have rarely heard such an engaging and attractive way of communicating. The words and phrases in Ms. Le Hong Sam's lectures seem to have no extra or missing words. It is as if the texts have been polished and refined beforehand. That engaging way of teaching is also reflected in her daily speech, in conversations with anyone, whether they are relatives or strangers, she is always gentle and polite like that.

The reason why my impression of People's Teacher Le Hong Sam was so profound was also due to another reason: in the "warm nest" of the French Literature Department of the Faculty of Literature at that time, there was a "couple" of female teachers, whose presence for a long time was like a "perfect pair". That "couple" was Le Hong Sam - Dang Thi Hanh. They were both strangely similar and different. Their similarities were shown in their erudition, depth, in their unselfish enthusiasm for professional work, and in their wholehearted love for their students. But they were also very different: One, when we first met and still is, seemed very approachable (Ms. Le Hong Sam); the other, on the contrary, seemed a bit strict (Ms. Dang Thi Hanh). Ms. Sam seemed romantic but taught realistic literature; Ms. Hanh seemed realistic but taught romantic literature (exactly like Balzac and Hugo). When writing a textbook together, the title they chose also created in the reader a gentle and interesting comparison:19th Century Western Romantic and Realistic Literature. Also very good at French, but Meritorious Teacher Dang Thi Hanh revealed that she could not handle a full translation session when teachers from the University of Paris 7 (France) came to give lectures; but Ms. Le Hong Sam "did it all" (until now). Even in the daily organization and management at work, although Meritorious Teacher Dang Thi Hanh was once the Principal of a very famous high school in Hanoi (Trung Vuong School), she admitted that management work for her was a "heavy punishment"; meanwhile, Ms. Le Hong Sam, in addition to managing the Department of Western Literature for many years "as light as air", with other jobs, from the role of "coordinator" during the period of cooperation between Hanoi National University and the University of Paris 7, to being the editor-in-chief of major research and translation works of the department, she also completed them all easily. It did not seem to be difficult at all. Many of her colleagues in the Faculty of Literature, including very respectable and energetic professors (such as Professor Ha Minh Duc, Professor Phan Cu De...) had to admit: "Women like Ms. Sam are truly rare."

People's Artist Le Hong Sam devoted most of her life to translating French literature. She was awarded the Order of Academic Palms by the French Government in 2003/Photo: Jackie Chan

In terms of expertise, it must be admitted that Ms. Sam devoted most of her life to translating French literature. Compared to other colleagues, especially teachers teaching Vietnamese literature at the same time, Le Hong Sam's research may not be much, although the number of textbooks and scientific articles she has is not small (about 30). The impression of readers about the name Le Hong Sam is probably inclined towards translation. Looking at the number of translated books she has, anyone doing this job must be "coveting". In just that many years, translator Le Hong Sam has published dozens of books. Among them are very difficult books to translate, nearly a thousand pages thick (Confessions,Emile or about educationof Roussau, many works in nearly 60 volumesThe joke of lifeof Balzac...). In translating French, Ms. Sam is careful, meticulous and responsible to the end. For Le Hong Sam, translation work means following the principle of "creative obedience". The above argument seems contradictory at first, but is completely consistent. Like her peer - Associate Professor Dang Thi Hanh, in her profession, Ms. Le Hong Sam loves honesty and accuracy to the end. Admitting that translation work is a "difficult, arduous" labor, while many people have the ability but deliberately avoid it, translator Le Hong Sam, on the contrary, always considers it a great joy. She confided that doing this job requires knowing how to listen, being sincere, and sometimes also accepting "failure". In the life of translation, who has not made a mistake at least once? The important thing is to know how to correct and sacrifice one's ego for the accuracy of the original text. People's Teacher Le Hong Sam once left a memorable memory about just one word in translation with Professor Do Duc Hieu. That was the word "lueur" Balzac wrote inPreface to The Comedy of Life: “I write in the light of two eternal truths: Religion and Monarchy”. In this sentence, there is the phrase “à la lueur”, which someone previously translated into Vietnamese as “under the light”, but now the senior insisted on changing it to “under the light of the sky”. Translator Le Hong Sam absolutely refused even though she greatly respected the French level of her “senior”. But she still felt “guilty” even though later the French experts themselves admitted that the original understanding as translated by Le Hong Sam was correct, she still felt “guilty” towards her senior colleague whom she admired with all her heart. If only the teacher were still alive (?)…

Now the name Le Hong Sam is very familiar to Vietnamese Francophones. History has also given her back some “justice”: the greatest reward for her, in my opinion, is the name she left behind (translator, culturalist Le Hong Sam), which will surely be remembered forever by those who love French literature. She has been recognized by the state with the title of People's Teacher, and received the Phan Chau Trinh Award, one of the noble awards for translators. 10 years ago, on March 25, 2003, affirming her great contribution in the role of connecting French culture and spirit with Vietnamese readers, the French Government awarded her the Academic Palm Medal. She is like a tireless bird, bringing knowledge and joy to the world of intellectuals. I think, for a teacher and intellectual, that is greater than all titles.