ISSN 1859-1531 - THE UNIVERSITY OF DANANG - JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, VOL. 19, NO. 12.

1, 2021 57

LOSS AND GAIN IN THE VIETNAMESE TRANSLATIONAL EQUIVALENTS OF

ENGLISH IDIOMS USED IN THE 4TH VOLUME OF THE NOVEL SERIES
“HARRY POTTER” BY J.K. ROWLING
Nguyen Thi Quynh Hoa1*, Vo Thi Dieu Linh2
1
The University of Danang (UD)- University of Foreign Language Studies
2
Master Student of the English Language Course 38 (2019-2021), UD - University of Foreign Language Studies
*
Corresponding author: [email protected]
(Received: August 4, 2021; Accepted: October 10, 2021)

Abstract - Owning to their unique semantic and structural - the kind which appears in clausal form comprising a
features, idioms contribute to the richness of language, enabling subject and a predicate. The second one is phrase idioms
language users to express their ideas in concise and sophisticated which contain a group of words. This group consists of a
ways. This study is aimed at identifying and analyzing loss and central word that decides the kind and the function of the
gain in the Vietnamese translational equivalents of the English phrase, such as adjective phrase or adverb phrase.
idioms used in the 4th volume of the Harry Potter novel serial by
J.K. Rowling. The translation shift theory of Catford [1], [2] was 2.2. Theories of Translation
employed to clarify the fundamental aspects of loss and gain 2.2.1. Translation Equivalence
phenomena. The study reveals that loss and gain in lexis or
structure occur frequently in translations of idioms, assisting in
Catford [1] states that the main principle of translation is
preserving the idioms’ figurative meanings. It is hoped that the replacing the linguistic material in the original text with the
research results can be of some help for teaching, learning and equivalent of that in the translational version. He affirms that
English – Vietnamese translation of idioms. the major factors having the influence on finding equivalence
in translation are the variables in language and culture.
Key words - Idiom; the 4th Volume of Harry Potter; loss and
gain; translation; translation shift theory Bassnett [5] suggests that equivalence should not be
approached as seeking for monotony similarities as
1. Rationale translation involves far more than the replacement of basic
One of the most striking merits of translation is that it linguistic constituents, such as lexis or grammar.
helps people enjoy the artistic values of various cultures, Catford [1; p.27] divides translation equivalence into
especially the masterpieces of world literature. However, two central types which are formal correspondence and
translation of novels is always a challenging task as it textual equivalence. According to Catford [1], [2], these
requires greatly linguistic proficiency and broad general types of translation shifts are considered as the switch from
knowledge of translators. the correlation in language when rendering the source text
The 4th volume of the famous novel series “Harry into the target text. One of these types is called level shifts,
Potter” titled “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” was one which occurs when the equivalent elements of the original
of the most well-known fiction literary works all over the text are established in a completely separate rank from the
world. In Vietnam, the literary text was translated by the components of the translational text. The change from
highly prestigious translator Ly Lan. Due to various features tenses (grammar) to words (lexis) in translation is a case in
of loss and gain in the literary text, such as lexis or structure, point. The remaining type named category shifts which
the translation of the phenomenal Harry Potter (HP) novel is comprise four subtypes which are detailed as:
considered an arduous challenge. Especially, that the - Structure-shifts, which concern a switch in terms of
Vietnamese translational version is accomplished without grammar from the original text to the translational version.
the appearance of loss and gain phenomena in translating - Class-shifts are recognized when the items of the
English idioms is certainly unavoidable, as the sophisticated original text and the translational text are the members of
linguistic elements are always considered to be challenging divergent classes. That a verb phrase may be rendered into
to convey. It is expected that this research can provide an in- a noun phrase is a case in point.
depth insight in using and translating idioms in novels from
the English language to the Vietnamese language. - Unit-shifts concern the modification in rank, which
are considered in the case that the certain linguistic units of
2. Theoretical Background the SL text and TL text are different in rank.
2.1. Definition of idioms - Intra-system shifts are recognized when there is the
existence of similar correlation between the SL components
Baker [3, p.67] viewed idioms as “frozen patterns of
and the TL items, however, the rendering is not the choice
language which allow little or no variation in form and
of the correlated term of the system in the TL.
often carry meanings which cannot be deduced from their
individual components”. 2.2.2. Loss and Gain in Translation
Based on the structure, idioms were classified into two a. Loss in Translation
kinds by Cowie et al. [4, p.11]. The first type is clause idioms Bassnett [5] states that the discrepancies between the
58 Nguyen Thi Quynh Hoa, Vo Thi Dieu Linh
source language (SL) and the target language (TL) view of idioms, Cowie’s classification of idioms,
frequently result in issues of untranslatability. As a result, Bassnett’s theories of loss and gain, and Catford’s theory
loss phenomenon largely occurs when the translator has to of translation shifts.
replace the concepts in SL with the most similar expression
in terms of semantic as she/he is unable to find the 4. Findings and Discussion
appropriate substitutes. 4.1. Types of the idioms used in the 4th volume of the HP
According to Batness [5], loss in translation occurs at Based on the structure, it is found in the 4th volume of
different linguistic features, such as lexis, meaning or structure. the HP that the English idioms in the literary work comprise
Besides, the cuture-specific items are considered as the aspect idioms in phrasal forms and clausal form. In the total of
frequently suffering the most from loss when rendering. 138 idioms found in the 4th volume of the HP, only one
In general, loss is the absence of certain features in the idiom is found in the structure of clause, the remaining
TL text which are meant in the SL text. 137 idioms are recognized to be the members of phrase
groups which are classified as the pattern of noun phrase, the
b. Gain in Translation
pattern of verb phrases, the pattern of adjective phrases, the
Bassnett [5] considered “gain” as “the enrichment or pattern of adverb phrases and the pattern of prepositional
clarification of the source language text”. Sometimes, by phrases according to Quirk & Greenbaum [6].
adding the essential components to the translational text,
4.2. Loss in the Vietnamese translational version of
the translator is able to generate a TL version which is more
English idioms used in the 4th volume of the HP
apprehensible and sophisticated than the original one.
4.2.1. Loss in lexis
Generally, the loss or gain phenomenon occurs when
there is no existence of the complete sameness or + Caused by omission
equivalent concepts between two languages. The English Vietnamese Omission
dissimilarities in language and culture are the main causes (4.1a) Before any of (4.1b) Mọi người chưa
of the loss and gain phenomenon in translation. them could say kịp nhìn thấy thêm gì
anything else, there nữa thì bỗng có tiếng
3. Research Methods was a faint popping nổ lụp bụp yếu ớt, và
thin
Two major methods were employed to conduct the noise, and Mr. Weasley rồi ông Weasley đột
appeared out of thin nhiên hiện ra từ trong
study. The descriptive method was applied to make
air at George’s không khí, đứng sát
descriptions and give further details of the idioms used in the shoulder [8, p.52]. vai George [9, p.61].
4th volume of the HP (the examined literary work) as well
as the loss and gain features in regard to lexical, structural, In the above example, the translator removed the
and semantic aspects. The comparison technique was adjective "thin" in the Vietnamese translational
utilised to explore resemblance and discrepancies between expression. This leads to Structure shift.
the English idioms in the selected literary work and their + Caused by using unrelated words/ phrases
Vietnamese translational equivalents. The inductive method (4.2a) “But Harry set Dobby free, and he was over the
was used to draw out conclusions about the features of loss moon about it!” said Hermione. “And we heard he’s asking
and gain process in translation of the English idioms. With for wages now!” [8, p.265].
the purpose of preparation for the study, the sample were
(4.2b) Hermione nói: “Nhưng Harry trả Dobby tự do
selected based on three criteria below:
đó, nó lên tiên luôn! Và tụi con nghe nói giờ nó còn đòi ăn
- The sample of English idiom has to be a sentence or a lương!” [9, p.307].
group of consecutive sentences consisting of an English idiom.
over the moon lên tiên
The theoretical background and definition of idiom function as
the foundation for the selection of samples of idiom. Verb phrase Adverb phrase
- The sample of Vietnamese expression has to be a Class shift
translational equivalent of the English sample. + Caused by replacement of words/ word phrases
- The English and Vietnamese samples have to be (4.3a) Angelina gave Fred an appraising sort of look.
abstracted from the original version by J. K. Rowling [8] “All right, then,” she said, and she turned back to Alicia
and the translational version in Vietnam by the translator and carried on chatting with a bit of a grin on her face.
Lý Lan [9]. The Vietnamese translation work is the only “There you go,” said Fred to Harry and Ron, “piece of
version to be released in Viet Nam. cake” [8, p.394].
After being well-investigated and checked with such (4.3b) Angelina nhìn Fred như định giá rồi nói: “Ừ,
criteria, 138 English idioms and 197 samples of English cũng được!”. Rồi cô nàng quay lại với Alicia để tiếp tục tán
idioms are collected from the examined work for detailed dóc, một nụ cười nhoẻn trên môi. Fred nói với Harry và
study. The samples of idioms belong to two kinds namely: Ron: “Thấy chưa. Dễ ợt” [9, p.454].
clause idiom and phrase idiom. All the samples of idiom
piece of cake dễ ợt
were translated into Vietnamese with the figurative
meaning remaining or gained. Noun phrase Adjective phrase
The study was carried out mainly based on Baker’s Class shift
ISSN 1859-1531 - THE UNIVERSITY OF DANANG - JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, VOL. 19, NO. 12.1, 2021 59
4.2.2. Loss in structure 22.22%
(4.4a) But as he had learned the hard way that year,
time will not slow down when something unpleasant lies
ahead [8, p.732].
(4.4b) Nhưng như nó đã học một cách khốn khổ trong loss in structure
suốt năm học qua bài học về thời gian: thời gian sẽ không loss in lexis
bao giờ chậm lại khi có cái gì đó không vui vẻ gì chờ ở phía 77.78%
trước [9, p.844]. Figure 1. Percentage of loss in translating idioms
In the above example, it could be seen that there is a In Table 1, it can be seen that all types of shift appear
modification in terms of order when the adjective “hard” in the loss phenomenon in the process of idiom translation,
and the noun “way” are translated into Vietnamese. The with the Unit shift accounts for the highest proportion. The
consequence of the mentioned process is the occurrence of occurrence of loss in lexis is approximately triple as much
structural loss of the English idiom “the hard way”. as that of gain in lexis.
the hard way một cách khốn khổ 4.3. Gain in the Vietnamese translational version of
Article + Adjective + Noun Noun + Adjective English idioms used in the 4th volume of the HP
Structure shift 4.3.1. Gain in Lexis
+ Caused by using modulation + Addition of Vietnamese Buffer Words
According to Vinay and Darbelnet [7], modulation is In Vietnamese, the addition of some special words at the
the translation technique in which the viewpoint or final position or the main components of a sentence, for
perception is modified from the SL to the TL. The example “nhỉ, nhé, nè, ạ, etc” are identified as buffer words.
translation from active form into passive form is a case in English Vietnamese Addition
point. (4.6a) “If I can help at all (4.6b) “Nếu tôi có thể giúp
(4.5a) “Well, that’s good,” said Harry loudly, his temper … a prod in the right đỡ... một gợi ý theo hướng
is getting the better of him, “just as long as it’s not drawn- direction. I’ve taken a đúng... Tôi bắt đầu thích
Thôi
out. I don’t want to suffer” [8, p.345]. liking to you … the way cậu... các cách mà cậu đã
nhé
you got past that dragon! vượt qua được con rồng
(4.5b) Harry không kiềm chế được cơn nóng giận, nói Well, just say the ấy!... cậu chỉ cần nói một
to lên: “Hay quá, vậy là tốt. Miễn là đừng có kéo dài. Tôi word” [8 p.447]. tiếng thôi nhé” [9, p.516].
không muốn chịu đựng đau đớn lâu đâu” [9, p.397].
is getting the better of không kiềm chế được Say the word Nói một tiếng thôi nhé
Positive form Negative form Verb + article + noun Verb + number + noun + buffer word
Structure shift Intra-system shift
4.2.3. Loss in Meaning + Addition of Words/ Word Phrases
In translation of idioms, the frequent occurrences of the English Vietnamese Addition
phenomena of loss and gain in lexis or structure are (4.7a) When I went back (4.7b) Khi tôi trở lại để
inevitable in order to efficiently convey the metaphorical to investigate more xem xét kỹ hơn thì tôi
meaning and writing style of the original version. closely, I discovered that phát hiện ra căn phòng
tìm kiếm
Therefore, in the rendering process of English idioms the room had vanished. đó đã biến mất rồi.
found in the selected literary work, it is noticeable that But I must keep an eye Nhưng tôi vẫn để mắt
out for it [8, p.417]. tìm kiếm nó [9, p.482].
there are loss phenomena in word-by-word meaning of the
idioms, however, the figurative meaning of the idioms
implied by the author is maintained. keep an eye out để mắt tìm kiếm
Table 1. Occurrence frequencies of loss in the Vietnamese Verb + Article + Noun + Adverb particle Verb + Noun + Verb
translation found in the 4th volume of the HP Intra-system shift
Loss Occurrence Percent age 4.3.2. Gain in structure
Unit shift 25 27.8% + Addition of Verb
Structure shift 11 12.2% English Vietnamese Addition
Lexis Level shift 6 6.7% (4.8a) “No,” said Mr. (4.8b) Ông Weasley nói:
Weasley. “We found “Không. Người ta bắt được
Intra-system shift 18 20%
Barty Crouch’s elf con gia tinh của ông Crouch
Class shift 10 11.1% holding Harry’s đang cầm trên tay cây đũa
biết
Unit shift 3 3.3% wand, but we’re none phép của Harry, nhưng
the wiser about who không ai biết gì hơn về kẻ
Structure shift 15 16.7%
Structure actually conjured the đã thực sự gọi lên Dấu hiệu
Level shift 1 1.1% Mark” [8, p.141]. Đen” [9, p.169].
Class shift 1 1.1% In the above example, the translator has modified the
Total 90 100% negative element from the pronoun “none” in the English
60 Nguyen Thi Quynh Hoa, Vo Thi Dieu Linh
idiom to the subject “không ai” in the Vietnamese + Result of Loss in lexis
translation. This leads to Structure shift. (4.13a) I’ll be in touch soon. My best to Ron and
+ Caused by paraphrase using related words Hermione. Keep your eyes open, Harry [8, p.226].
(4.9a) “Ah, look, boys, it’s the champion,” he said to (4.13b) Sẽ sớm liên lạc lại với con. Gửi lời chúc tới Ron
Crabbe and Goyle the moment he got within earshot of và Hermione. Bảo trọng, Harry! [9, p.266].
Harry [8, p.293]. That the idiom “Keep your eyes open” was substituted
(4.9b) Ngay khi Malfoy đi tới vừa tầm để tiếng nói của by the Sino-Vietnamese word “Bảo trọng” results in
nó vang được tới tai Harry, nó bảo Crabbe và Goyle: “Ê, lexical loss. Nevertheless, a semantic gain is recognized
coi kìa, tụi bây! Thằng quán quân kìa! [9, p.335]. here as the Vietnamese word is used as a formal expression
within earshot of để tiếng nói của nó vang được tới in the writing style of Vietnamese culture when expecting
(Harry) tai (Harry) and reminding people to be watchful and protect
Preposition phrase Clause
themselves from danger.
Keep your eyes open Bảo trọng
Unit shift
Verb phrase Verb
+ Caused by paraphrase using simile
Unit shift
(4.10a) “Barty Crouch keeps saying that” said Bagman,
his round eyes widening innocently, “but we really can’t + Result of Gain in structure and Loss in lexis
spare anyone at the moment. Oh - talk of the devil! Barty!” (4.14a) Why would a bath help him to work out what the
[8, p.90]. wailing egg meant? Was Cedric pulling his leg? [8, p.432].
(4.10b) Ông Bagman mở to đôi mắt vô tư nói: “Barty (4.14b) Tại sao đi tắm lại có thể giúp nó tìm ra được ý
Crouch cứ nói vậy hoài, nhưng mà chúng tôi thực tình không nghĩa của cái trứng vàng đụng tới là khóc la ấy? Liệu
còn ai rảnh trong lúc này. A, phải chi nhắc tiền nhắc bạc Cerdic có định chơi khăm Harry để làm cho nó giống
linh như nhắc tới ông! Barty!” [9, p.106]. một thằng ngu không? [9, p.499].
talk of the devil
phải chi nhắc tiền nhắc bạc linh In the translational version, the verb phrase “chơi
như nhắc tới ông khăm Harry” has not only conveyed the meaning of the
Verb phrase Clause English idiom but also given further information to clarify
Unit shift the content, which leads to gain in meaning.
Table 2. Type of shifts and occurrence frequencies of gain in
+ Caused by paraphrase using an idiom with the
lexis and structure in the Vietnamese translation of idioms found
similar meaning in the 4th volume of the HP
(4.11a) Though Harry asked Professor McGonagall for a
Gain Occurrence Percentage
note of permission to use the Restricted Section, they found
nothing whatsoever that would enable Harry to spend an Unit shift 9 14.3%
hour underwater and live to tell the tale [8, p.482]. Structure shift 6 9.5%
(4.11b) Mặc dù Harry đã hỏi xin giáo sư McGonagall Lexis Level shift 12 20.6%
một giấy phép đặc biệt để tham khảo sách trong khu vực Intra-system shift 11 17.5%
Giới hạn, tụi nó vẫn không tìm ra cái gì có thể giúp cho Class shift 3 3.2%
Harry sau một tiếng đồng hồ ở dưới nước mà còn sống để
Unit shift 16 25.4%
ba hoa chích chòe [9, p.558].
Structure shift 4 6.4%
live to tell the tale còn sống để ba hoa chích chòe Structure
Level shift 1 1.6%
Verb + Infinitive Adjective +
marker + Verb phrase Preposition + Verb phrase (idiom) Class shift 1 1.6%

Class shift Total 63 100%

4.3.3. Gain in meaning 34.92%

+ Result of Gain in lexis

(4.12a) “Look at the time,” Mrs. Weasley said
suddenly, checking her wristwatch. “You really should be
in bed, the whole lot of you you’ll be up at the crack of
gain in structure
dawn to get to the Cup [8, p.64].
(4.12b) Bà Weasley đột ngột nói khi xem đồng hồ đeo 65.08% gain in lexis
tay: “Coi giờ nè. Tới giờ các con phải đi ngủ rồi, tất cả các
Figure 2. Percentage of gain in translating idioms
con... bình minh ngày mai là các con phải thức dậy để đi
coi Cúp” [9, p.76]. In Table 2, we can see that the translation shifts related
to the gain phenomenon come in all types, among which
the crack of dawn bình minh ngày mai the Unit shift is the most popular one. Compared with gain
Noun phrase Adverb phrase in structure, the phenomena of gain in lexis occur more
Class shift frequently in translation of the idioms.
ISSN 1859-1531 - THE UNIVERSITY OF DANANG - JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, VOL. 19, NO. 12.1, 2021 61
4.4. Loss and Gain in the same sample in the Vietnamese has been biding his time kế sách câu giờ
translational versions of English idioms used in the 4th Verb phrase Noun phrase
volume of the HP Class shift
4.4.1. Loss and gain in lexis
English Vietnamese Omission Addition 5. Conclusion
(4.15a) “And they (4.15b) “Mà họ làm The study reveals that there are 138 idioms used in the
must’ve done that for a vậy là có dụng ý. 4th Volume and it is realized that a few idioms were
reason, Harry. Snuffles Harry à. Chú Khụt applied more than one time in similar contexts and
their tốt
is right. Maybe they’ve khịt nói đúng đó. Có different conversations. The idioms appear in various types
been biding their lẽ họ đang chờ một of phrasal patterns which are the forms of noun phrase,
time” [8, p.573] cơ hội tốt” [9, p.665] verb phrase, adjective phrase, adverbial phrase,
have been biding their time đang chờ một cơ hội tốt prepositional phrase and also in the form of clause.
Grammar (present perfect continuous) Lexis (đang) It is found that the occurences of loss and gain exist in
Level shift a total of 197 samples of idiom in the process of examining.
This study shows that the loss in lexis phenomena occur
4.4.2. Loss in lexis, gain in structure the most in the translation of idioms, which provides
(4.16a) “Of course,” said Moody, taking a swig from evidence to the unique lexical features of idioms as Baker
his flask. “Took a leaf out of your book, Potter. [2, p.67] suggested, that idioms often “carry meanings
Summoned it from my office into the forest" [8, p.570]. which cannot be deduced from their individual
(4.16b) Thầy Moody hớp một ngụm từ cái be sành, nói: “Dĩ components”. Besides, the frequent occurences of the
nhiên rồi. Thầy đã bắt chước con, Potter à. Dùng bùa chú lexical or structural loss or gain in the translation process
Triệu tập để triệu nó từ văn phòng thầy bay vô rừng" [9, p.661]. serve to preserve the metaphorical meaning of the idioms
Took a leaf out of your book Thầy đã bắt chước con and various other aspects, such as culture-specific items
Grammar (Past simple tense) Lexis (đã) and communication style, rather than just the reproduction
of meaning.
Level shift
During the data analysis process, it is noticeable that the
4.4.3. Gain in lexis, loss in structure happening of the translation shifts of Catford is partly
(4.17a) “Should be right up your street, this one,” said responsible for the phenomena of loss and gain in the
Moody, looking up at Harry and scratching his scarred and translation process of 197 samples of idioms, namely:
stubbly chin [8, p.571]. Intra-system shifts, Unit shifts, Class shifts, Level shifts,
(4.17b) Thầy Moody ngước lên nhìn Harry và gãi cái Structure shifts. That the occurences of Unit shifts are the
cằm đầy thẹo của thầy: “Bài thi này gãi đúng sở trường most frequent among the mentioned shifts may be the
của con đó” [9, p.663]. consequence of the discrepancies of linguistic elements
right up your street gãi đúng sở trường của con between the ST and the TL.
Prepositional phrase Verb phrase The discovery and discussion of the study are expected
Class shift to offer reference for teaching and learning English idioms
as well as the process of English – Vietnamese translation
4.5. Loss and Gain in the same sample in the Vietnamese
of idioms. It is also hoped that the students of the English
translational versions of English idioms used in the 4th
language would have an awareness of the basic concepts of
volume of the HP
loss and gain and enhance their translation skill by
Due to their various contexts, some English idioms applying Catford’s translation shifts.
were rendered into various translational versions which
leads to loss and gain in different levels. REFERENCES
(4.18a) “Known it for years, Harry. Knew he was out [1] Catford, John. A Linguistic Theory of Translation. London: Oxford
there, biding his time” [8, p.719]. University Press, 1965.
[2] Catford, John. “Translation shifts. In L. Venuti (Ed.)”. The
(4.18b) “Bác đã biết từ lâu rồi Harry à. Biết là hắn vẫn Translation Studies Reader. New York: Routledge, 2000. 141-147.
còn ngoài kia, đang câu giờ. Chuyện hắn hồi sinh tất phải [3] Baker, Mona. In other Words: A course book on translation.
xảy ra” [9, p.828]. LonDon: Routlege, 1992.
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[5] Bassnett-McGuire, Susan. Translation Studies. New York:
(4.19a) “Pretended that he had never really gone over Methuen, 1980.
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Level shift