QUY NHON UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

ASSIGNMENT OF

APPLIED LINGUISTICS

Name NGUYEN THI DIEU MINH

Class English Linguistics Course 21

Binh Dinh, 2019

 APPLIED LINGUISTICS PROJECT
Select a text (or part of a text) of about 300 words (either in English or in
Vietnamese), translate it into the target language and then provide your comments on
the problems you have experienced in translating the text. (Problems might include:
lexical & grammatical intricacy, cohesion and coherence, etc.)

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1. Introduction

Newcomers to translation may hold a common misconception that there exist

one-to-one correlations between words and phrases in different languages and that
translators‟ job is just to „encode‟ and „decode‟ equivalents between the two languages
so as to reproduce the text. Translation, in fact, is a decisional process (Farruggia,
n.d.). It is a succession of choices between options made by translators in order to
accurately transfer not only syntactic but also semantic features of source language
(SL) message into the target language (TL). Indeed, according to Wilss (1969, p.95),
the competence of a translator "is aptly assessed in transfer situations that require at
least some degree of adaptation to new and challenging textual demands." Therefore, it
is fair to say that translation is not a reproduction but a rewriting of an original text.
This paper is devoted to the examination of possible difficulties I encountered when
attempting to translate an excerpt of approximately 300 words from a well-known
literary work „When breath becomes air‟.

2. Literature review

2.1. Definitions of translation

Due to the increasing interest of linguists ever since its first appearance,
translation has quite a host of definitions. The abundance in interpretations seems
justifiable as “there are vast differences in the materials translated, in the purpose of
the publication, and in the needs of the prospective audience.” (Nida, 1964, p.161)

Though different in wordings, the majority of definitions all emphasize the use
of equivalent terms/ counterparts. To be specific, translation can be briefly regarded as
the process of “rendering the meaning of a text into another language” so as to
maintain the author‟s intention (Newmark, 1988, p.5) or “any translational action
where a source text is transferred into a target culture and language.” (Nord, 2007,
p.141)

There are however other more complex definitions, most of which revolve
around the notion of „equivalent‟ and „meaning‟ (Catford, 1965; Dubois, 1974; Gotz,
2005; Koller, 1995; Meetham and Hudson, 1972; Nida and Taber, 1969 among
others). To Catford (1965, p.20), translation is “the replacement of textual material in

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one language (SL) by equivalent textual material in another language (TL).” In the
same train of thought, Nida and Taber (1969, p.12) postulate that “translation consists
in reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the SL
message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style.” Translation, in
Dubois‟s (1974) perspective, is also designated as “the expression in another language
(or the target language) of what has been expressed in another, source language,
preserving semantic and stylistic equivalences.” In a similar vein, Koller (1995, p.196)
describes translation as “a text processing activity” which establishes a translational
and equivalent relation between a source-language text and a target-language one.
Gotz (2005, p.139) also emphasizes the meanings as she defines translation as a
process whose purpose is “present a readable, grammatically correct and idiomatic
text, in which the meanings of the linguistic choices of the source text are maintained
in the target language.”

2.2. Translation theory

With the view to assisting translators with problems often encountered in the
translation practice, the notion of translation theory has emerged and intensively
studied by linguists. Translation theory can be seen as the appropriate method used for
a certain type of text. Nevertheless, from a wider perspective, it is concerned with “the
body of knowledge that we have about translating, extending from general principles
to guidelines, suggestions and hints.” (Newmark, 1988, p.9) The theory, in Gotz‟
(2015, p.133) viewpoint, offers theoretical frameworks for the description of
translation practice, and it is believed, therefore, to facilitate the process of applying
theory to practice and to produce a good translation in the end.

2.3. Translating methods

According to Newmark (1988, pp.45-47), some translating methods often

adopted by translators are as follows.

 Word-for-word translation: In this method, the SL word-order is preserved, and

the words are examined individually. Therefore the translation is not based on
the context but each word‟s most common meaning in the dictionary. This type

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 of translation can be regarded as an effective way to understand the mechanics
of the SL in the pre-translation process.

 Literal translation: In literal translation, the SL grammatical constructions are

converted to their nearest TL equivalents, but the lexical words are again
translated singly and out of context.

 Faithful translation: Translators adopting the faithful translation strive to stay

completely faithful to the intentions and the text-realization of the SL writer.
They would attempt to reproduce the precise contextual meaning of the original
within the constraints of the TL grammatical structures.

 Semantic translation: The major distinction between semantic translation and

faithful translation is that the former is more flexible, and it focuses more on the
aesthetic value, which are the beautiful and natural sounds, of the SL text.
Translators compromise on meaning where appropriate so that no assonance,
word-play or repetition jars can be found in the finished version. Hence, it is
fair to say that semantic translation allows for the translator's intuitive empathy
with the original.

 Adaptation: Used mainly for plays, comedies and poetry, adaption is considered
the „freest‟ form of translation as the test is rewritten, with the SL culture being
converted entirely to the TL culture.

 Free translation: Free translation is also called „intra-lingual translation‟ as it

only reproduces the content, not the form, of the original text. To some
translators, this method is merely a paraphrase, not translation at all.

 Idiomatic translation: Idiomatic translation, as the name suggests, makes use of

colloquialisms and idioms (which do not originally exist in the SL text) to
deliver the „message‟ of the original.

 Communicative translation: Communicative translation aims to render the exact

contextual meaning of the original in such a way that both content and language
are readily acceptable and comprehensible to the readership.

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 Commenting on the above-mentioned methods, Newmark (1988, p.47) argues that
only semantic and communicative translation fulfill the main goals of translation,
which are accuracy and economy. In detail, semantic translation is more personal as it
follows the thought processes of the author, whereas communicative translation is
more social since its aim is to reproduce a simple, clear and brief script that is at
readers‟ linguistic level.

3. The literary work ‘When breath becomes air’ and the selected excerpt

„When breath becomes air‟ is an autobiographical book written by Dr. Paul

Kalanithi, who was at that time in residency in neurological surgery and a postdoctoral
fellowship in neuroscience at Stanford University. In May 2013, unfortunately,
Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer. He passed away two years later
in March 2015 at the age of 37.

The book chronicles Kalanithi‟s transformation from a naïve medical student

into a neurosurgeon at Stanford, and finally into a patient and new father confronting
his own mortality. It is a memoir revealing his reflections and experiences as both a
doctor and a patient facing a terminal illness. It was posthumously published by
Random House on January 12, 2016 and instantly became a New York Times
bestseller, spending 68 weeks on the non-fiction bestseller list.

The excerpt under examination (315 words) is in the beginning of Part II: Cease
Not till Death, which depicts Kalanithi‟s inner thoughts and emotions that he
experienced during the treatment process at the hospital.

4. The SL excerpt and its TL version

The SL excerpt (315 words)

Lying next to Lucy in the hospital bed, both of us crying, the CT scan images
still glowing on the computer screen, that identity as a physician – my identity – no
longer mattered. With the cancer having invaded multiple organ systems, the diagnosis
was clear. The room was quiet. Lucy told me she loved me. “I don‟t want to die,” I
said. I told her to remarry, that I couldn‟t bear the thought of her being alone. I told her
we should refinance the mortgage immediately. We started calling family members. At
some point, Victoria came by the room, and we discussed the scan and the likely

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future treatments. When she brought up the logistics of returning to residency, I
stopped her.

“Victoria,” I said, “I‟m never coming back to this hospital as a doctor. Don‟t
you think?”

One chapter of my life seemed to have ended; perhaps the whole book was
closing. Instead of being the pastoral figure aiding a life transition, I found myself the
sheep, lost and confused. Severe illness wasn‟t life-altering, it was life-shattering. It
felt less like an epiphany – a piercing burst of light, illuminating What Really Matters
– and more like someone had just firebombed the path forward. Now I would have to
work around it.

My brother Jeevan had arrived at my bedside. “You‟ve accomplished so much,”

he said. “You know that, don‟t you?”

I sighed. He meant well, but the words rang hollow. My life had been building
potential, potential that would now go unrealized. I had planned to do so much, and I
had come so close. I was physically debilitated, my imagined future and my personal
identity collapsed, and I faced the same existential quandaries my patients faced. The
lung cancer diagnosis was confirmed. My carefully planned and hard-won future no
longer existed. Death, so familiar to me in my work, was now paying a personal visit.

The TL version (523 words)

Nằm bên cạnh Lucy trên chiếc giường bệnh, cả hai chúng tôi đều khóc, những
hình ảnh trên tấm chụp CT vẫn đang phát sáng trên màn hình máy tính, như thể muốn
nói rằng cái danh tính bác sĩ này – cái danh tính của chính tôi này – không còn ý nghĩa
gì nữa. Khi ung thư đã di căn đến hệ thống đa cơ quan, thì việc chẩn đoán đã quá rõ
ràng. Căn phòng trở nên tĩnh lặng. Lucy nói rằng cô ấy yêu tôi. “Anh không muốn
chết”, tôi nói. Tôi bảo nàng nên tái hôn đi, rằng tôi không thể nào chịu đựng được cái ý
nghĩ nàng sẽ phải ở một mình. Tôi bảo nàng rằng chúng tôi nên vay nợ để trả tiền thế
chấp ngay. Chúng tôi bắt đầu gọi cho người thân trong nhà. Có lúc nào đó, Victoria
ghé thăm phòng bệnh, và chúng tôi thảo luận về bản chụp và những phương pháp điều
trị khả dĩ trong tương lai. Khi cô ấy đề cập đến việc sắp xếp cho tôi quay trở lại kì nội
trú, tôi dừng cô ấy ngay.

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 “Victoria,” tôi nói, “Tôi sẽ không bao giờ quay trở lại bệnh viện này với tư cách
là một bác sĩ. Cô không nghĩ vậy sao?”

Một chương trong cuộc đời tôi dường như đã kết thúc; hoặc có lẽ cả quyển sách
cũng đã khép lại. Thay vì đóng vai người linh mục giúp đỡ bệnh nhân trong những
biến chuyển của cuộc đời, tôi lại thấy bản thân mình chính là một chú cừu, bối rối và
mất phương hướng. Căn bệnh nghiêm trọng này không thay đổi cuộc đời, mà phá nát
cuộc đời tôi. Đó chẳng phải là một sự khai sáng – luồng ánh sáng sắc bén soi rõ Điều
Thật Sự Quan Trọng – mà nó giống như ai đó vừa đánh bom con đường phía trước tôi
đi. Và giờ đây việc tôi cần làm là giải quyết nó.

Em trai tôi Jeevan đến cạnh giường bệnh. “Anh đã đạt được rất nhiều thành
tựu,” cậu nói. “Anh biết mà, đúng không?”

Tôi thở dài. Cậu có ý tốt, nhưng những con chữ nghe thật sáo rỗng. Cuộc sống
tôi gầy dựng đã từng rất có triển vọng, những triển vọng mà giờ đây sẽ không bao giờ
được hiện thực hóa. Tôi có rất nhiều dự định cho tương lai, và tôi đã chạm được đến
rất gần nó. Khi mà bản thân tôi suy nhược về thể chất, tương lai tôi đã mường tượng ra
và cả danh tính cá nhân của tôi cũng sụp đổ, và tôi đối mặt với những câu hỏi hóc búa
về sự tồn tại hệt như những gì bệnh nhân của tôi đã trải qua. Chẩn đoán bệnh ung thư
phổi đã được xác nhận. Tương lai được hoạch định kĩ càng và không dễ gì có được của
tôi không còn tồn tại nữa. Tử thần, đã quá quen thuộc với tôi trong công việc, vào lúc
này đây đang ghé thăm chính bản thân tôi.

5. Discussion

Lexical feature is a problematic factor for me on my first attempt to translate

the excerpt. It proves to be inevitable for the text which revolves around a doctor‟s
personal experience of a fatal illness to include a number of uncommon, specialized
words and phrases. Translators‟ unfamiliarity with words can be solved easily and
quickly by consulting a dictionary. In my case, I made use of dictionaries written in
both English and Vietnamese for a better understanding of the words. However,
Oxford and Cambridge dictionary were preferable to Vietnamese ones as they can
provide more accurate interpretations and examples of the lexical units in context of
daily communication.

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 Literal translation may indicate translators‟ commitment to the original.
However, though two words of SL and TL seem to denote more or less the same, there
still might be subtle differences in their meaning or usage. Therefore, even the most
common words and structures can sound unnatural or bizarre in one-to-one translating
method. As a result, even if the dictionaries helped me understand the general meaning
of a specific lexical unit, it was still hard to select a Vietnamese equivalent that could
both precisely convey the meaning of the original and naturally fit into the TL
linguistic context.

Some lexical units I had difficulty translating and their Vietnamese equivalents
from my personal perspective were as follows.

SL TL
multiple organ systems hệ thống đa cơ quan
refinance the mortgage vay nợ để trả tiền thế chấp
the pastoral figure đóng vai người linh mục
piercing sắc bén
rang hollow nghe thật sáo rỗng
physically debilitated suy nhược về thể chất
existential quandaries những câu hỏi hóc búa về sự tồn tại
After the literal translation stage, it is recommended for translators to distance
themselves from the original text and examine the TL version on its own as if it was an
independent excerpt. This step could assure that the final translated version sounds as
natural as possible and there remain little or no confusing notions to potential
audience. Therefore, during the translation process, with the attempt to be faithful to
the spirit of the original in mind, I occasionally made changes in wording of the
excerpt so as to achieve a certain level of naturalness in the TL. These changes
involved addition, deletion, substitution and reorganization.

Addition is essential in the translation procedure as it helps make the text more
natural as well as clarify possible cultural aspects necessary for a complete
understanding.

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 SL TL
Lying next to Lucy in the hospital Nằm bên cạnh Lucy trên chiếc
bed, both of us crying, the CT scan giường bệnh, cả hai chúng tôi đều khóc,
images still glowing on the computer những hình ảnh trên tấm chụp CT vẫn
screen, that identity as a physician – my đang phát sáng trên màn hình máy tính,
identity – no longer mattered. như thể muốn nói rằng cái danh tính bác
sĩ này – cái danh tính của chính tôi này –
không còn ý nghĩa gì nữa.
One chapter of my life seemed to Một chương trong cuộc đời tôi dường
have ended; perhaps the whole book was như đã kết thúc; hoặc có lẽ cả quyển sách
closing. đã khép lại.
Deletion method is adopted when certain words, though syntactically or
semantically needed in the SL text, become redundant in the TL version.

SL TL
Lucy told me she loved me. Lucy nói rằng cô ấy yêu tôi.
My brother Jeevan had arrived at my Em trai Jeevan đến cạnh giường
bedside. bệnh.
Substitution and reorganization involve altering and restructuring some words
or phrases in order to meet the needs of the TL audience. For instance, the phrase
‘accomplished so much’ in the first sample was translated into ‘đạt được rất nhiều
thành tựu’ (gained so many accomplishments) and the clause ‘My life had been
building potential’ turned into ‘Cuộc sống tôi gầy dựng đã từng rất có triển vọng’
(The life I had been building used to have lots of potential).

SL TL
“You‟ve accomplished so much,” “Anh đã đạt được rất nhiều thành
he said. tựu,” thằng bé nói.
My life had been building potential, Cuộc sống tôi gầy dựng đã từng rất
potential that would now go unrealized. có triển vọng, những triển vọng mà giờ
đây sẽ không bao giờ được hiện thực hóa.
Interpreting personal pronouns in English like ‘I’, ‘he’, ‘she’, or ‘her’ was
another challenge as it required translator‟s comprehension of the excerpt to fully
identify the role of other characters and their relationships with the author. In the
following examples, since Lucy and Jeevan are the author‟s family members (wife and

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brother, respectively) and Victoria is just a coworker having little contact with the
storyteller, it is mandatory that the translation could indicate the different levels of
intimacy in Kalanithi‟s voice.

SL TL
Lucy told me she loved me. “I don‟t Lucy nói với tôi rằng cô ấy yêu tôi.
want to die,” I said. I told her to remarry, “Anh không muốn chết”, tôi nói. Tôi bảo
that I couldn‟t bear the thought of her nàng nên tái hôn đi, rằng tôi không thể
being alone. nào chịu đựng được cái ý nghĩ rằng nàng
sẽ phải ở một mình.
“Victoria,” I said, “I‟m never “Victoria,” tôi nói, “Tôi sẽ không
coming back to this hospital as a doctor. bao giờ quay trở lại bệnh viện này với tư
Don‟t you think?” cách là một bác sĩ. Cô không nghĩ vậy
sao?”

My brother Jeevan had arrived at Em trai tôi Jeevan đến cạnh giường
my bedside. “You‟ve accomplished so bệnh. “Anh đã đạt được rất nhiều thành
much,” he said. “You know that, don‟t tựu,” cậu nói. “Anh biết mà, đúng
you?” không?”
6. Conclusion

On the whole, it is indisputable that the work of translation is not an easy one.
As a means to transfer meanings and convey messages across various countries and
cultures, translation studies has grown out of a plethora of fields, including linguistics,
literary studies, history, anthropology, psychology and economics. Therefore, there has
been a continuous demand for translators to extend their knowledge and means of
expression so as to polish their works as much as possible. It is hoped that the issues
raised in this paper could partially help those who have a keen interest in this domain.

REFERENCES

Books and articles

Catford, J.C. (1965). A linguistic theory of translation. London: Oxford University

Press.

Farruggia, R. (n.d.). A brief overview on translation theory. Retrieved from

https://www.academia.edu/1040129/A_brief_overview_on_Translation_Theory

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Gotz, K. (2005). Translation practice and translating theory – one-sided affair?
Considerations about the utility of linguistics for translation. ZAA, 53(2), 133-
146.

Koller, W. (1995). The concept of equivalence and the object of translation studies.
Target, 7(2), 191-222.

Meetham, A. R., & Hudson, R. A. (1972). Encyclopaedia in linguistics, information

and control. Oxford: Pergamon.

Newmark, P. (1988). A textbook of translation. London: Prentice Hall.

Nida, E. A. (1964). Toward a science of translating. Leiden: E.J. Brill.

Nida, E. A., & Taber, C. (1969). The theory and practice of translation. Leiden: E.J.
Brill.

Nord, C. (2007). Translating as a purposeful activity: Functionalist approaches

explained. Manchester: St. Jerome Publishing.

Wilss, W. (1996). Knowledge and skills in translator behaviour. Amsterdam: John

Benjamins.

Websites

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Breath_Becomes_Air

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