A study on the translation of technical texts in shipbuilding

or the others. 4. Equivalence in translation Equivalence can be considered as a fundamental conception in translation and it is mentioned in most of the definitions of translation, however, it is difficult to agree on a uniform concept of equivalence. Thus, there exist many categories of equivalence: content equivalence, stylistic equivalence, formal equivalence, functional equivalence, textual equivalence, dynamic equivalence, communicative equivalence, pragmatic equivalence and equivalence of effect by scholars like Winter (1961), Catford (1965), Nida & Taber (1969), Will (1977) and Jager (1975). And according to Newmark (1988), the utmost purpose of any translation is to reach “equivalence effect”, that is to say, to create the same effect (or one as close as possible) on the group of readers of translation and the readership of the original. Within this minor thesis, the writer only considers some equivalence types which are the most mentioned and are applied widely. 4.1. Quantity based equivalence - One to one equivalence: For this kind of equivalence, there is a single expression in TL for a single expression in SL. This equivalence is commonly seen in terminology. - One to many equivalence There are many expressions in TL for a single SL expression in this kind of equivalence. - One to part one equivalence With this equivalence, one way of expression in SL has more than one meaning but the way of expression in TL is only equivalent to one of the meanings. - Nil – equivalence There is no equivalence in TL due to difference in culture 4.2. Meaning – based equivalence This kind of equivalence is considered by Koller (1979) as follows: - Denotative equivalence The equivalence in which both SL and TL expressions show the same definition, event in real life. - Connotative equivalence This type of equivalence bases on connotation of language. It provides additional values besides denotation value. This equivalence is formed by selecting words in different aspects such as style, usage, social, usage frequency…. It can be connotation of poetry language, connotation of socially determined usage, connotation of geographical relation or origin, connotation of stylistic effect, connotation basing on evaluation, connotation basing on attitude and connotation basing on register (the case of technical language). For the author of this minor thesis, connotative equivalence basing on register is of great interest and importance because her topic deals with the translation of technical text in shipbuilding and the equivalence of technical text translation is based on connotative register. - Text – normative equivalence For this type of equivalence, the SL and TL expressions are used in the same or similar context in their respective language like correspondence and law. - Formal equivalence The equivalence formed by form expression when both the SL and TL have the same aesthetic feature which is created by formality. The equivalence is originated from rhyme, tune, style of poetry, metaphor, ….. 5. Technical translation In modern world, science and technology are applied in every aspect of life, thus, the number of scientific and technological texts appear in a great number. And the profession of translator is co-extensive with the rise of technology, and staff translators working in that field are usually called technical translators. But what is technical translation? Newmark (1988) defines and distinguishes technical translator from institutional translation “Technical translation is one part of specialized translation; institutional translation, the area of politics, commerce, finance, government etc., is the other”. He also suggests that technical translation is potentially non-cultural and universal because the benefits of technology are not confined to one speech community. In his view, the technical terms should be translated, whereas, the institutional translation is cultural so the terms are transferred. Also, according to Newmark (1988), technical translation is primarily distinguished from other forms of translation by terminology, its characteristics, grammatical features (passives, nominalizations, third person, empty verbs, present tenses) and it technical format (technical report). 5.1. Technical style Newmark (1988) suggests “unless its non-technical language is jazzed up and popularized, it is usually free from emotive language, connotations, sound-effects and original metaphor, if it is well-written”. However, not all the technical texts are well – written, thus, it’s the translator’s job to rephrase poorly written language. Regarding to technical style, Parpcke (1975) distinguished four kinds of technical language: scientific, workshop level, every day usage level, and publicity/ sales. Yet, according to Newmark (1988), the division Parpcke is “likely to be valid only for one or two terms in a few fields”. He suggests the following scales: academic, professional and popular. 5.2. Technical terms Newmark (1988) states that “ Technical translation is primarily distinguished from other forms of translation by terminology”. Thus, the core characteristic of a technical text in any field is terms; terms are also the main factor to distinguish a technical text from other kinds of texts. And, the central difficulty in technical translation is usually new terminology. It is due to the fact that some technical terms appear only once in the source language and the context is not clear to the translator. Furthermore, the technical terms are distilled knowledge and written for specialists in that field. It is also because that even standardized terms may have more than one meaning in one specific field, as well as in the other fields. 5.3. Technical terms and descriptive terms One matter in technical translation is to distinguish technical and descriptive terms. According to Newmark (1988), the original SL writer may use a descriptive terms for a technical object for three reasons: The object is new, and has not yet got a name The descriptive term is being used as a familiar alternative, to avoid repetition; The descriptive term is being used to make a contrast with another one. Also, he suggests that technical terms and descriptive terms should be translated by their counterparts, and the translator should resist the temptation of translating a descriptive terms by a technical terms for the purpose of showing off his/ her knowledge. However, he points out that if the SL descriptive term is being used either because of the SL writer’s ignorance, or because the appropriate technical term does not exist in the SL, and if an object strange to the SL but not to the TL culture is being referred to, the translator is justified in translating a descriptive term by a technical term. Further to technical and descriptive terms, Newmark (1988) claims it is a trend that professional translators make “a mystique out of their craft” by denying any descriptive terms where a TL technical term exists. He points out the reason that because technical terms are standardized language and more precise (narrower in semantic range) whereas, descriptive terms are non-standardized language. 5.4. Translation method 5.4.1. Beginning technical translation Idiom says that “practice makes perfect”. Technical translation is similar. The more the translator get practice, the better he/ she translates. However, the challenge or the difficult thing for the technical translator is that the translator is not well – informed about the topic of the technical text, is lack of knowledge about technicality. And as Newmark (1988) advises the translator is “more interested in understanding the description, the function and the effect of a concept such as entropy rather than in learning laws, particularly axioms, theorems, theories, systems in some of which entropy is involved”. Or to put it more clearly, “to translate a text you so not have to be an expert in its technology or its topic; but you have to understand that text and temporarily know the vocabulary it uses”. He suggests as a translator working in technical translation, when translating a text, the translator has to be able to stand back and understand roughly what is happening in the real life or he/ she has to convince himself/ herself that the sentence which has just been translated makes sense. Although many technical terms can be translated “literally”, the translator has to check the present validity with the register and dialect. Thus, in order to begin a technical text, according to him, the translator should, at first, read it to understand what the text is about (underline difficult words) and then assess its nature ( proportion of persuasion to information), its degree of formality, its intention (attitude to topic), the possible cultural and professional differences between the readership and the original one. Next, the translator should give the translation a framework of recognized house-style. The translator has to take into account everything, every word, every figure, letter, every punctuation mark….. 5.4.2. Translating the title Newmark (1988) classifies title either is descriptive or allusive. According to him, a descriptive title names the subject succinctly while allusive title is suitable for some imaginative literature and popular journalism and may be changed. The title states the subject but it does not always mention the purpose or intention of the process which is described. Besides, Newmark (1988) also states two other points of title. Firstly, the title of the SL text is often two long by English standards. Secondly, the title has a transparent collocation. And according to him, almost errors in technical translation are caused by misleading adjective plus noun collocations for standardized terms. And for non-standardized terms, the errors can be caused by transparent or motivated verb plus object, or subject plus verb collocations. 5.4.3. Going through the text It is suggested by Newmark (1988) that The translator, then, should read the text through to get the gist of the main idea and underline all words and structures that appear to contain problems: new technical terms, special expressions, syntactic ambiguity…. After that, the translator can translate sentence by sentence, making grammatical shifts to for natural language. In technical translation, the translator can be as bold and free in recasting grammar (cutting up sentences, transposing clauses, converting verbs to nouns, etc.) as in any type of informative text, provided the original is defective. Lexically, the main characteristic of technical language is its actual richness and its potential infinity. The translator has to ensure the equivalent level of register to TL (he/ she may separate new terms and compare to the context, sometimes actual practice to deal with the meaning). And last, the translator has to adjust the translated sentence as per the technical style. Chapter 2: An investigation into translation of technical texts in shipbuilding 1. Text characteristic in shipbuilding 1.1. Kinds of texts Texts, as many other fields, are the main way to connect the builder, the engineers and the owner. Through the texts, all the necessary written information is transferred. Thus, they are very important. And in shipbuilding, texts are shown in the followings types: Specification For the vessel, specification is the thing that introduces, describes the main particulars, equipment as well as necessary related matters the vessels must have when going in service. Outline specification of 260 TEU container vessel is an example. General description Type of ship Single crew, slow speed diesel engine driven container vessel with bulbous bow, transom stern and five (5) box-shaped cargo holds for transportation of container in holds with cell guides, and on deck with lashing Type of cargo Containers (TEUs and FEUs) Classification NK or ABS Navigation area Ocean going Flag Singapore Technical manual This kind of document is the one, besides specification, that the supplier, the maker and owner and builder get information about the operation of the equipment in the vessel. Without it, we can not build a ship, we can not install or assemble any equipment. Procedures Another kind of text the translator must deal with is the procedures. In terms of its nature, the procedures are the working sequences when we carry out any testing, installation, assembly onboard, in site, etc… Fly sheet This kind of document is the short, concise text which is used to discuss a problems occurring during any stages in shipbuilding. It can be the working modification in which the reason and measure are pointed out. Let us take an example: VINASHIN NASICO technical information Job No. (Signal) : F56/NT01 Hull No. (Signal) : 5092 Part (Signal) :HULL BM-TKCN-02 No:R032\F56-NT01 Date: 27/4/2009 P/Ps: 1/4 ` Tªn chi tiÕt /h¹ng môc: Block 3Đ31 Sè / Tªn b¶n vÏ / Ngµy vÏ: W1112221C Néi dung th«ng b¸o: C¾t vµ thay b¶n thµnh , b¶n c¸nh t¹i ch©n nÑp L10S , L10P cña s­ên F32 C¾t vµ thay b¶n thµnh , b¶n c¸nh t¹i mÐp ®Êu ®µ cña nÑp L7S,L7P (phÇn ®Êu víi Block T31L.) C¾t vµ thay mét phÇn nÑp ®øng gia c­êng cöa tho¸t hiÓm buång m¸y t¹i s­ên F28. Lý do: Do c¸c nÑp bÞ hôt khi ®Êu ®µ. Sè/ Tªn b¶n vÏ ®i kÌm : 04A0 C¸c kiÕn nghÞ (nÕu cã): Ng­êi th«ng b¸o: Tr­ëng phßng TK-CN Comments from Class, Owner This kind of document is often written by hand and transferred either through email or directly to engineers. These are comments on specific parts during inspection like welding line, shortcomings,… Shipbuilding terms Technical shipbuilding terms are the most typical features in shipbuilding industry. ….The vessel shall be designed and constructed as a single screw, diesel driven bulk carrier with machinery space and all accommodations including navigation bridge located aft. …. The vessel shall have a single continuous freeboard deck with forecastle and five tiers of deck house, and shall form bulbous bow, raked stem and mariner stern with L. V. Fin (Low Viscous resistance Fin) ….. (Specification of hull part – Future 56,200 DWT) ….Type: DIESEL UNITED – WARTSILA 2 stroke, single acting, crosshead type, solid injection, exhaust turbocharged, direct reversible, marine diesel engine 6RT-flex 50 type Number of cylinders 6 Cylinder bore: 500 mm Piston stroke 2,050 mm Rated output 8,890 kW Revolution at rated output 116 min-1 Service output (80% of MCR) 7,110 kW Revolution at service output 107.7 min-1 B.M.E.P at rated output 1.90 Mpa Mean piston speed at rated output 7.93 m/s Total length of engine 7,712 mm Breadth of bedplate 3,150 mm Height from foundation 8,840 mm to top of exhaust valve ….. (Specification of machinery part – Future 56,200 DWT) … Remove the skirt, heating to eliminate stress of welding line and fair the deformation (Side ramp procedure) 1.3. Language in use Language used in shipbuilding is technical language, thus: - It is usually free from emotive language, connotations, … - It uses mostly present tenses, passives, nominalizations, third person, empty subject, and noun phrases, imperative ….. For example: Accommodation ladder is a portable set of steps on a ship’s side for people boarding from small boats or from a pier (Rec. 82 – IACS, p4) …Turn over floor plate to weld the back side Weld the back side of seam lines: similar to the welding of front side Heating to eliminate welding line stress and fair the deformation (Side ramp procedure, p.9) …. Thoroughly cleaning will be made and the dirt remaining on the crane will be swept in the area of testing. A plate with conspicuous color will be fitted to prevent no-relative people or other cars from entering this place (Appendix CQ1225 floating dock crane outline test – running YMC 2006) Some aspects in translating a text in shipbuilding Translation is a very complicated process, it is complicated because it involves many aspects that need to be solved and decided by the translator during the translating process. The translator will have to create in the target language the equivalent context. Concerning to translation of technical text, in general, and technical text in shipbuilding, in specific, what seems to be one of the most difficult problems for the translator is the technical document is written for the expert(the engineer and the ones take part in building a ship) not for the lay people. That causes so many problems for the translator. Let us consider the following extract from D411101000-R1- Main engine specification: 4. Accessories 4.1. Engine supply 1. Exhaust turbocharger 1 set of IHI-ABB turbocharger, TPL 77-B11 type. The bearing are plane bearing type and the lubricating system of a forced lubrication type by engine system oil The insulation is fitted in the casing of the air outlet 2. Auxiliary blower 2 sets of auxiliary blowers complete with electric motor (30 kW) The specification of the electric three-phase motor is continuous rating, 3600 min-1, AC 60 Hz, 449V x 2P, totally enclosed fan cooled type, with class F insulation. The starter of the automatic start/ stop is of a drip proof, walled hanging type, with a line start system, a thermal overload relay and ammeters. 3. Air cooler 1 set of air cooler, with pipes. Air cooler tube is round tube The water cover is made of cast iron 4. 1 set of exhaust gas manifold with insulated lagging between the cylinder and turbocharger 5. 1 set of protecting grid before turbocharger 6. 1 flywheel with a barring rim, without a flywheel cover (fly wheel cover is supplied by shipyard) 7. Turning gear, built on the engine 1 cyclo- reducer type turning gear with electric motor (1. kW), built on the engine. The specification of the electric three-phase motor is; totally enclosed type, 1 hour rating, 1,800min-1, AC 60 Hz, 440V x 4P, class F insulation, one speed, direct reversible and with electromagnetic brake. The starter is of a drip-proof, wall hanging type, with a line start, thermal overload relay and an ammeter. The portable switch box is fitted with cabtyre cable (20m) and with an emergency stop button. 8. 1 set of cylinder lubricators and driving by electric motor Japanese make, sealed and self – feeding type The lubricators are fitted with flow indicator 9. 1 set of common rail system controlled electrically fuel injection parameter. …………… (Specification Machinery part) The translation: 4. PHỤ TÙNG 4.1. Cung cấp động cơ 1. Tua bin tăng áp khí xả 1 bộ tuabin tăng áp IHI-ABB, loại TPL 77-B11. Các ổ đỡ là lọai ổ đỡ bằng và hệ thống bôi trơn là loại bôi trơn cưỡng bức bởi dầu hệ thống. Cách nhiệt được lắp(boc) trên hộp của cửa xả khí. 2. Quạt thông gió (làm mát máy chính) 2 bộ quạt thông gió được lai bởi 1động cơ điện (30kW) Thuyết minh kỹ thuật của mô tơ điện 3 pha: dòng điện 3 pha vòng quay liên tục 3600 vòng/phút, dòng điện xoay chiều tần số 60Hz, điện áp 440V x 2P, kiểu quạt làm mát kín hoàn toàn có bọc cách nhiệt cấp F Bộ khởi động của khởi động/dừng tự động là loại chống nhỏ giọt, treo tường, có hệ thống khởi động dòng, rơ le nhiệt bảo vệ quá tải và ampe kế. 3. Bầu sinh hàn khí 1 bộ sinh hàn khí kiểu ống. Ống sinh hàn khí là loại ống tròn. Phần chứa nước (water cover) được làm từ thép đúc. 4. 1 bộ gom khí xả có bọc cách nhiệt nối từ xy lanh ra tua bin khí xả 5. 1 bộ lưới bảo vệ trước tua bin tăng áp 6. 1 bánh đà có bánh răng, không có nắp che bánh đó (nắp bánh đà được cung cấp bởi nhà máy) 7. Cơ cấu đảo chiều 1 cơ cấu xoay loại cyclo reducer có mô tơ điện (1.5kW) lắp trên máy. Thông số kỹ thuật của mô tơ điện 3 pha như sau: loại liền khối, công suất 1 giờ, 1,800min-1, AC 60 Hz, 440V x 4P, cách nhiệt cấp F, 1 tốc độ, đảo chiều trực tiếp và có phanh điện từ. Bộ khởi động là loại treo tường, chồng nhỏ giọt, khởi động dòng, rơ le nhiệt bảo vệ quá tải và 1 am pe kế Hộp công tắc cầm tay được lắp với cáp cabtyre (20m) và với phím dừng sự cố. 8. 1 bộ vịt dầu xy lanh và dẫn động bằng mô tơ điện, do Nhật chế tạo, loại tự cấp và kín. Vịt dầu được lắp với bộ chỉ báo dòng chảy. 9. 1 bộ hệ thống ray chung controlled electrically fuel injection parameter …………….. The first thing comes to our mind is that it is not easy to read. It is full of new terms which are cluttered into a phrase. It is difficult to translate because it is coated with technical terms – machinery terms, special expression, and structural ambiguity. Technical terms As suggested by Newmark (1988), the central difficulty in shipbuilding text translation is the new and difficult terminology. As in the extract above, almost terms appear only once in the sentence and the context is not clear. Besides, it is also very difficult to translate because the machinery document above is written for the machine engineer whereas not all the translators have knowledge in that field. The translator can have an idea about the name of turbocharger, blower, air cooler in Vietnamese but we do not know the relationship between them, the way they operate, they combine together… meanwhile, to translate accurately, the translator must at least have in their minds the way they operate together, their functions so that the translated version is easy to understand. The document is the guidance to fabricate, assemble each member of a vessel, therefore, it must be at least understandable and accurate. For example: The example above is extracted from 56200 MTDW bulk carrier Nasico Hull. No NT01/02/02/04 Shafting jack up method. The extract can be translated as follows: 4. Yếu tố hiệu chỉnh 1) Định nghĩa Bởi điểm kích không được đặt tại tâm ổ đỡ, tải ổ đỡ thực tế được tính toán từ tải kích được nhân với hệ số điều chỉnh C, chẳng hạn: Rb = C.Rj Trong đó C được đưa ra bơi công thức: Số ảnh hưởng được xác định theo sự thay đổi tải ổ đỡ khi 1 ổ đỡ được di chuyển theo phương thẳng đứng 1 mm In this example, if “vertically” is translated “theo chiều cao”, it is completely wrong in the basic operation of shaft. It must be either “theo chiều dọc” or “theo phương thẳng đứng”. 2.2. Special expressions One feature in shipbuilding technical text is that some special expressions are used. Let us look at some examples: …. The bearing are plane bearing type and the lubricating system of a forced lubrication type by engine system oil… (Các ổ đỡ là lọai ổ đỡ bằng và hệ thống bôi trơn là loại bôi trơn bắt buộc( cưỡng bức ) bởi dầu hệ thống) Or translator can meet: …..Bearing load of all main engine bearings and propeller line in service condition to be within specified limits means not to be overloaded or underloaded… (Tải ổ đỡ của tất cả các ổ đỡ máy chính và chân vịt trong điều kiện vận hành phải nằm trong giới hạn cho phép được ghi rõ, điều đó có nghĩa là không được quá tải hoặc thiếu tải) 2.3. Syntactic ambiguity Let us consider the following examples: Type of ship Single crew, slow speed diesel engine driven container vessel with bulbous bow, transom stern and five (5) box-shaped cargo holds for transportation of containers in holds with cell guides, and on deck with lashing And: …The vessel shall have a single continuous freeboard deck with forecastle and five tiers of deck house, and shall form bulbous bow, raked stem and mariner stern with L. V.Fin (Low Viscous resistance Fin) The first example, the sentence is shortened to a noun phrase. Let us pay attention to “low speed diesel engine driven container vessel with bulbous bow …. with cell guides, and on deck with lashing”. The structure of the phrase is not clear with no comma, no stop. Let us look at example 2: The structure is quite simple: a nominal group functioning as Subject, followed by a verbal group, followed by another nominal group. If we read through and pay attention to the verbal expression: shall form, we can find that it is ambiguous in that the vessel has continuous freeboard deck, forecastle and 5 tier and bulbous bow, raked stem … but the vessel can not form bulbous bow, raked stem… If we translate it into Vietnamese like: Tàu có một boong mạn khô liên tiếp, boong thượng tầng mũi và khu vực ở 5 tầng, tạo nên mũi quả lê, sống mũi nghiêng (raked stem) và sống đuôi kiểu hàng hải (mariner stern) có bộ giữ thăng bằng L.V (Low viscous resistance fin), it sounds unlogical with “tạo nên”. 3. Problems related to translation of a technical text in shipbuilding 3.1. Problems related to translation of technical terms One of the most difficult problems which must be mentioned with the translator when translating a shipbuilding technical text from one language to another is the technical characteristic of the document, that is to say, the system of technical terms, especially new terms. SL and TL shipbuilding terms are equivalence in terms of connotative register. That is the language-term in use which is considered to be suitable in a specific situation. And that these terms are translated literally. Thus, the problem related to translation of technical shipbuilding terms is to find the TL register equivalence. And if these terms are not translated accurately, the interpretation is misunderstood and consequently, the production stage, recommendation in production may be carried out wrongly. Let us consider the following examples: Accommodation ladder is a portable set of steps on a ship’s side for people boarding from small boats or from a pier Aft peak bulkhead is a term applied to the first main transverse watertight bulkhead forward of the stern. The aft peak tank is the compartment in the narrow part of the stern aft of this last watertight bulkhead. Bay is the area between adjacent transverse frames or transverse bulkheads. Bilge keel is a piece of plate set perpendicular to a ship’s shell along her bilges for about one third her length to reduce rolling. …… These are the very simple examples, they are only the interpretation of technical terms which were written by a recognized Classification Society to guide the surveyor to understand correctly terms to be used in hull structure. For any translator, the first step is always to read the text to get the gist, the intention, the formality, the readership… by general reading. And close reading comes after to underline new and difficult words. This text is well-written one. For the words, the translator can look them up the dictionary and this is quite easy. However, the definitions are interpreted by the words which are used in shipbuilding: main transverse watertight bulkhead, stern aft, adjacent transverse frame, bilge, rolling …. That may bring difficulty to the translator when they are not experts in this field. These terms are the translated as the followings: (Accomodation Ladder (Cầu thang mạn): kết cấu cầu thang có thể di chuyển được ở mạn thuyền dùng làm lối đi lên cho thuỷ thủ, hành khách. Aft peak bulkhead (Vách sau lái): thuật ngữ áp dụng cho vách ngang kín nước chính đầu tiên phía trước đuôi tàu. Két lái là khoang nằm trong phần hẹp của đuôi tàu phía sau vách kín nước sau cùng. Bay (nhịp dầm): khu vực giữa sườn ngang liền kề hoặc vách ngang. Bilge Keel (vây giảm lắc): tấm tôn hàn vuông góc với tôn vỏ dọc theo hông tàu,có chiều dài chiếm khoảng 1/3 chiều dài tàu, làm nhiệm vụ giảm lắc.) And what about this? The gearbox is aligned and fully installed on its foundation. The contact faces of the top plates in the area of the elastic elements are clean, free of scale, but not machined. The conical mounts (pos. 1) are supplied complete assembled. Pre-align the engine with the engine jacking crews (pos. 2) as follows: Axial: Alignment control dimension of the coupling ± 0.8 / 1.2 mm Radial: ca.2.0 mm under gearbox input shaft These are some of the steps for mounting and alignment instruction propeller drive. For this kind of text, technical terms is translated partly basing on the dictionary, partly basing on the context, and partly basing on the field of the text-technical characteristic (machinery part). The translator can not translate “conical mount”, “engine jacking crews”, “axial”, “radial” exactly if he/ she does not know about the components of propeller drive. This does not mean that the translator must be an expert in machinery, so the best way to translate exactly is to ask the engineer to explain the principle, the composition of the propeller drive. Hộp số được căn chỉnh và lắp đặt hoàn thiện trên bệ. Bề mặt tiếp xúc của tấm mặt trong phạm vi các chi tiết đàn hồi phải được vệ sinh sạch sẽ, không có cặn gỉ, nhưng không được gia công. Khung hình côn (chi tiết 1) được cung cấp lắp đặt hoàn thiện. Căc chỉnh sơ bộ máy chính bằng vít căng chỉnh động cơ (chi tiết 2) như sau: Dọc trục: Điều chỉnh căn chỉnh kích thước của khớp nối ± 0,8 / 1,2 mm Xuyên tâm: khoảng 2,0 mm dưới trục đầu vào hộp số. Similar problem happens to : engine deflection and crankshaft deflection. With the same “deflection” but in combination with “engine” and “crankshaft”, it has different meaning: biến dạng máy và độ co bóp trục khuỷu. Therefore, in each kind of context the term is translated respectively. Another problem the translator run into is that technical terms sometimes are put together and these new terms can not be found in dictionary: For examples: Main engine alignment has been a very hot subject during the last years. From MAN B&W Diesel A/S side we try to point out some additional parameters that have to be considered and compensated during the installation procedure. When those parameters are (omitted) disregarded we might suffer damage of main bearing, especially engine aft end bearings (coupling end) and there might be damage to the shaft bearing, also. These terms are really obstacles for the translator. If we combine the meaning of each words, it sounds strange and not correct. It must be “ổ đỡ phía đuôi máy”. Another problem is that it the there is no equivalent term in TL language, like: Stiffeners end pointing collar plate slot hole. 1 set of common rail system controlled electrically fuel injection parameter. It can be said the technical terms are the most difficult matter when translating a shipbuilding text. Some terms can be translated by looking up in the dictionary, some terms can be translated by connecting the meaning of words, some terms can be translated by reference from experts, and some terms can not be translated…However, the key method is to translate the terms literally, to find the equivalence of connotative register and combine with technical translation method and text analysis. 3.2. Problems related to special expressions It can be stated that beside technical terms, the special expression in shipbuilding text is a matter which is the characteristic of the text and also causes obstacles for the translator. Let us consider the followings: So, the main aims of alignment are following: Engine crankshaft straight in service condition Bearing load of all main engine bearings and propeller line in service condition to be within specified limits means not to be overloaded or underloaded. Acceptable crankshaft deflections in service going condition Thrust shaft load diagram to be fulfilled. The extracted is written mainly with noun phrases including a head noun plus non-finite clause to express the aims of alignment. Shipbuilding text often uses such expressions like these. In order to translate, besides technical terms (crankshaft, main engine bearings, propeller line, crankshaft deflection, thrust shaft..), the translator has to pay attention to the expressions. For these expressions, they can cause difficulty to express the meaning in TL language, like: Bearing load of all main engine bearings and propeller line in service condition to be within specified limits means not to be overloaded or underloaded. This sentence is combined by two ideas: Bearing load of all main engine bearings and propeller line in service condition to be within specified limits and that bearing load of all main engine bearings and propeller line in service condition to be within specified limits means not to be overloaded or underloaded. To translate, the sentence must be split into two ideas and combine literal translation and connotative register equivalence and method for technical translation, it can be translated: Vì vậy, mục đích của việc căn chỉnh như sau: Trục khuỷu của máy chính thẳng hàng trong điều kiện vận hành Tải ổ đỡ của tất cả các ổ đỡ máy chính và chân vịt trong điều kiện vận hành phải nằm trong giới hạn cho phép được ghi rõ, điều đó có nghĩa là không được quá tải hoặc thiếu tải Độ co bóp của trục khuỷu có thể chấp nhận được trong điều kiện đang vận hành Phải xác định được sơ đồ tải của trục đẩy Or: Existing collar plate, upper side to be closed for the first vessel. For the next vessels, access hole to be adjusted under design consideration. Đối với các tấm đệm hiện có, mặt bên trên phải được bít đối với tàu thứ 1. Các tàu tiếp theo, lỗ người chui phải được điều chỉnh theo những khuyến nghị thiết kế Center line bracket with soft toe below tank bottom plate. To investigate by design. For some expressions, it is very difficult to translate because even if the expression is divided to find the equivalent meaning, some terms in the expression does not describe exactly the member like the above expression (what is soft toe?) Web frame bracket and under bracket at No. 1 car deck to be full penetration. (Mã sườn khỏe và cơ cấu dưới mã boong số 1 phải được hàn ngấu hoàn) Longitudinal member to weld first, then floor and collar plate. (Đầu tiền hàn các chi tiết dọc, sau đó hàn sàn và tấm đệm) These expressions almost are not complete sentence. Verb phrases is expressed by “to be + P2”. This is sometimes very difficult because in order to translate, the translator has to separate them, process and reconnect them in target language, of course, after being translated they must have meaning. Bearing load of all main engine bearings and propeller line in service condition to be within specified limits means not to be overloaded or underloaded. Tải ổ đỡ của tất cả các ổ đỡ máy chính và chân vịt trong điều kiện vận hành phải nằm trong giới hạn cho phép được ghi rõ, điều đó có nghĩa là không được quá tải hoặc thiếu tải. 3.3. Problems related to bad texts. The technical documents in shipbuilding are almost written clearly, however, there are some bad texts: 1. General description 1.1. When the Crane’s erection is finished, every mechanism must be adjusted first. After the conclusion of adjustion is confident, testing can be carried out. The testing shall be finished by quality department. The people needed include: engineer, quality inspector, electrician, clamping worker, coil-worker, welder worker, copper worker, hoister, operator, safer. As the testing is carried out formally, the engineer registered in labor ministry and the consumer must take part in. 1.2. The aim of testing is for testing technical properties, technical parameters, technical properties of electric control of crane, testing bearable ability of metal structure, i.e., the correctness and reliability of design, manufacture and erection. 1.3. Thoroughly cleaning will be made and the dirt remaining on the crane will be swept in the area of testing. A plate with conspicuous color will be fitted to prevent no-relative people or other cars from entering this place. This is a text extracted from a technical text written by a Chinese company. Looking into the text, there are poor grammar, wrong usage of flexible items: adjustion, clamping worker, welder worker, safer, and technical properties, technical parameters, technical properties of electric control of crane, no-relative... This causes difficulty for translator in analyzing and gathering the meanings in both SL and TL. For this kind of text, the translator has to check the grammatical mistakes himself/ herself by using dictionary, and eliminates different aspects of meaning through context. Chapter 3: Implication 1. Common mistakes in translating a text in shipbuilding The very big problems when translating a text in shipbuilding is that the translators translate and process the terms inaccurately. Terms are bone of a technical texts in general and technical texts in ship building in particular. They embody the process of knowledge distillation. Thus, translating technical terms accurately is very important. Let us consider the examples: With the text like this, the translators often translate inaccurately the terms and sometimes, they do not know how to translate. What are called “longitudinal bulkhead top strake”, “longitudinal bulkhead vertical web”, “bottom transverse wing tank”….? Looking into the figure, of course, the translators can not understand themselves. Literally, these terms are translated by combining the meaning of each word but only by combining the meaning of each word, the terms can not be translated accurately like: deck transverse centre tank, deck transverse wink tank … That is why these terms are often translated inaccurately. Herewith is the translation of the figure above after getting explanation from naval architect. 1. Tôn boong khoẻ 14. Dầm dọc hông 2. Tôn mép boong 15. Dải tôn dưới vách dọc 3. Dải tôn mép mạn 16. Nẹp dọc mạn 4. Tôn bao mạn 17. Vách dọc 5. Tôn mo hông 18. Dầm vách dọc 6. Tôn bao đáy 25. Két giữa boong ngang 7. Tôn giữa đáy 26. Két giữa đáy ngang 8. Dầm dọc boong 27. Két mạn boong ngang 9. Sống boong 28. Sườn đứng mạn 10. Cơ cấu dọc tôn mép mạn 29. Dầm dọc khoẻ 11. Dải tôn trên vách boong 30. Đà ngang đáy két mạn 12. Dầm dọc đáy 31. Thanh giằng ngang 13. Sống đáy 32. Bản cánh sườn ngang khoẻ Furthermore, the translator, due to carelessness, he/ she omits some important words in the translated sentence: …when those parameters are (omitted) disregarded we might suffer damage of main bearings, especially engine aft end bearings (coupling end) and there might be damage to the shaft bearings, also. Khi chúng ta không chú ý tới (bỏ) các thông số đó, nó có thể dẫn tới hư hỏng (các) ổ đỡ chính, đặc biệt đối với ổ đỡ phía đuôi máy và có thể gây hư hỏng ổ đỡ hệ trục. The translators tend to omit the plural noun in translating, they do not know that there are more than one main bearing that is why they translate “hư hỏng ổ đỡ chính”. Sometimes, it is very difficult to analyze technical terms from source language to target language (here is from Vietnamese to English): Tiến hành rà mép bản thành và bản cánh. Lấy dấu của bản thành trên bản cánh, qui định chiều đổ tôn. What is “rà mép”? How can we understand “Lấy dấu của bản thành trên bản cánh, quy định chiều đổ tôn”? How can the translator process this activity? Actually, such sentence is very difficult for the translators. It is difficult because it shows a technical activity which the translators maybe rarely meet. And if the translators translate the sentence by looking up every word in dictionary, the sentence will be difficult to understand. 2. Some suggestions for solution 2.1. Understand the problems As mentioned above, the very big problem is the way the translator processes and re-creates the connotative register equivalent terms in target language. And in order to do that, the translators must understand the problems they are facing with. What are the problems? Technical terms, technical characteristic in those terms or even the way they process the technical text. Let us consider some examples: Tiến hành rà mép bản thành và bản cánh. Lấy dấu của bản thành trên bản cánh, qui định chiều đổ tôn. How can this sentence be translated in to English? The translators can understand “rà mép” is “mài mép” but they do not understand “Lấy dấu của bản thành trên bản cánh, qui định chiều đổ tôn”. This is the step which is carried out during fabricating a T-beam in shipbuilding. Worker will mark the moulded line of web plate on the face plate. Thus, when translating the translators should translate: Moulded line of web plate is to be marked on the face plate (flange). Similarly: Web frame bracket and under bracket at No. 1 car deck to be full penetration If the translators translate this sentence : “Mã sườn khỏe và dưới mã tại boong số 1 phải được hàn ngấu hoàn toàn”, it is not accurate in that “dưới mã” is used to point out a position, it is not a name of structure whereas, this sentence states the welding solution. The translator, at this time, must get explanation from engineer, ask them to draw the figure. And through the figure, this sentence can be translated: Mã sườn khỏe và cơ cấu dưới mã boong số 1 phải được hàn ngấu hoàn 2. Choose the appropriate words One of the measure for the translators to translate a technical text in shipbuilding is the way to choose the words in target language so that their translation is accurate (here I mean the terms are accurate). And of course, in order to choose the appropriated words to translate in shipbuilding texts, the translators must understand the nature of the problems. Let us consider the following sentence: Khi có biến dạng không dùng pa lăng kéo ép mà phải dùng hoả công để xử lý hoặc trích các đường hàn leo để vào lại. How can “kéo ép”, “trích” and “hỏa công” be dealt with? “Kéo ép” is an activity in which tackle is to be used to stretch the deformation, “trích” in this case is the removal of welding line. And “hỏa công” means to smooth or fair up a ship’s line and eliminate irregularities. In fact, it is sometimes very difficult to find an equivalent words for such terms in English or in Vietnamese (if translating from English to Vietnamese) in that , for example, it is difficult to find a word having enough meaning of “kéo ép”. Thus, this sentence can be translated like this: If any deformation is to be found, do not use tackle but fair to repair the deformation or replace the vertical up welding line And: Tháo tấm diềm, gia nhiệt khử ứng suất đường hàn và nắn biến dạng (hình 08). Hình - 08 Cẩu lật tôn sàn để hàn mặt sau. Hàn mặt sau của các đường hàn nối tôn: thực hiện tương tự như hàn mặt trên. Gia nhiệt khử ứng đường hàn và nắn biến dạng. Lắp văng làm phẳng hai mép tấm mặt ở phía dưới (hình 09). Chú ý : Văng chỉ hàn đính: mối hàn đính a3.5 mm, dài 50mm, mối hàn cách nhau 500mm. These words seems normal in Vietnamese, but they are difficult to translate. Which words can be equivalent to “nắn biến dạng”, “cẩu lật”, and “văng”? In fact, “Nắn biến dạng” is the process of repairing the deformation, “cẩu lật” is the process in which the plate is lifted and turned over, “văng” is an attachment which is fixed temporarily to support a structure. Understanding and analyzing that, the translators can find the equivalent terms in English: fair the deformation, turn –over, temporary attachment. Remove the skirt, heating to eliminate stress of welding line and fair the deformation (fig. 08) Figure - 08 Turn-over floor plate to weld the back side. Weld the back side of seam lines: similar to the welding of front side. Heating to eliminate welding line stress and fair the deformation. Insert temporary attachments to flatten the 2 ends of underneath face plate (fig. 09). Note: Tack-weld temporary attachment: tack-weld bead a3.5 mm, length: 50mm, weld bead distance: 500mm. Similarly, when translating a technical text in to Vietnamese, the translator also has to choose the word somehow it is equivalent in meaning and understandable to the engineers. 1 flywheel with a barring rim, without a flywheel cover (flywheel cover is supplied by shipyard) How can “barring rim” and “without a flywheel cover” be processed? Looking up in the dictionary, the translators can find “rim” means “mép or viền” but “barring rim” can not be found. What about “without a flywheel cover”? If it is translated “không có lắp bánh đà” in this sentence, it sounds un-smooth. The matter with “without a flywheel cover”, to the side of translators, they can process so that the sentence sounds better. But with “barring rim”, it is an obstruct, the best way is to translate each word and ask the engineer. And the sentence can be translated like this: 1 bánh đà có bánh răng, không có nắp che bánh đó (nắp bánh đà được cung cấp bởi nhà máy) 2.3. Deal with ambiguity Let us consider the following example: All spare parts are supplied with the engine, referring to the recommendation of the Classification Society appointed by the owner, and moreover spare parts which we recognize as being necessary supplying. Ambiguity is un-avoidable in technical texts in shipbuilding due to the way the technical information is written. And it is the ambiguity that causes translators a lot of problems. As in the example, the way the text is written makes it difficult to understand, the translators therefore, have to re-organize the sentence: “Referring to the recommendation of the Classification Society appointed by the owner to know all spare parts which are supplied with the engine and the spare parts which we recognize as being necessary supplying” and translate: Xem khuyến nghị của đăng kiểm được chỉ định bởi chủ tàu để biết các phụ tùng được cấp cùng với máy và các phụ tùng chúng tôi thấy là cần thiết phải được cung cấp. Chapter 4: General rules Basing on the theoretical background, the investigation into translation of technical shipbuilding texts, these following rules can be concluded: Translation must ensure the technicality and accuracy, that is to say, the way to choose the appropriate equivalent meanings of technical shipbuilding terms, the way to smooth the ambiguity, special expressions. The main core in translation of technical shipbuilding texts is the translation of technical shipbuilding terms. And, the method which is applied by the translator is lateral translation, technical translation and connotative equivalence basing on register. PART III : CONCLUSION 1. Review of the study Technical translation or more specifically, translation of technical texts in shipbuilding, is quite a difficult and interesting subject. It is difficult and interesting because it requires the accuracy, the technicality. For the technical translator, experience is the best, and experience is gained from co-working with experts in shipbuilding, reference documentation…and the endeavor of the translator himself. Pym [9] says that “To understand a medical text in one language one must read like a doctor or nurse or a hospital administrator (or whatever) in that language; to translate it effectively into another language one must write like a doctor (or whatever) in that language”. The study on this kind of translation still limits at individual researches. An insight into translation of a technical shipbuilding text will help the translator who is working on this field has a general idea about matters in the translation process and some suggested solutions. Within the scope of the study, chapter 1 introduces the theoretical background of the minor thesis, that is to say, definition of translation, the correlativeness of text, discourse and translation, method of translation and equivalence and technical translation. Chapter 2, the writer draws out some kinds of technical text she often translates, and she points out the aspects of translation as well as some problems related to translating a technical text in shipbuilding. The implication part gives some mistakes during translation and some suggestions for solution. The most challenging matter in translating a technical text in shipbuilding, in the writer’s opinion, is the technical terms. They are challenging because of their technicality and equivalence in the target language. Besides, special expressions, and syntactic ambiguity also contribute to the difficulty for the translator. And in order to have the best translation, accuracy ranks first. To get the accuracy, the translator has to deal with the problems with technical terms, expressions, badly-written text…Furthermore, the translation himself/herself has to continuously improve their knowledge on shipbuilding as well as improve his/ her translation skill. The study on translation of a technical text in shipbuilding is done with an attempt to draw out the characteristic of technical texts in shipbuilding, the problems causing challenge to the translator and some solutions. However, due to the limitation of time and knowledge, there are certain weaknesses. Hope that all the weaknesses would receive thoughtful consideration and generous view. 2. Suggestion for further study For the purposing of improving translation skill in translating technical texts in shipbuilding, the study on “translation of technical texts in shipbuilding” here is only a modest contribution. The author is fully aware that there are some important questions that remain to be answered. For instance: Insight into the translation of technical terms in shipbuilding texts Hope that you, the readers, have reached this part, will gained a useful understanding on translation of a technical text in shipbuilding. REFERENCES Bell, R. T. (1991) Translation and translating: Theory and Practice. London & New York: Longman. Koller, W. (1979) Equivalence in Translation Theory, in Chesterman, A (1989). Reading in Translation Theory, Loimaan Kirjapaino. Newmark, P. (1988), A textbook of Translation. New York: Prentice Hall. Hoàng Văn Vân. (2006) Translation: Theory and Practice. Nhà xuất bản giáo dục. Lê Hùng Tiến, Đỗ Minh Hoàng, Nguyễn Phương Trà (2006) Lý thuyết và thực tiễn dịch thuật Anh – Việt: Một số vấn đề về lý luận và phương pháp cơ bản, Đề tài nghiên cứu cấp ĐHQG/ . – H. Đào Hồng Thu (1999) Văn bản khoa học kỹ thuật – Cách mở nghĩa và dịch sang tiếng Việt. Tạp chí Ngoại ngữ tháng 4. Tr. 33-34. Hoàng Văn Vân (2004) Nghiên cứu dịch thuật. Nhà xuất bản Khoa học xã hội, Hà Nội.