Đề tài Relative clauses in English and Vietnamese, and how to translate them into Vietnamese

Relative clauses in English and Vietnamese, and how to translate them into Vietnamese I. RATIONALE Learning foreign language is a great significance today. It is the bridge connecting countries in many fields. The mastery of foreign language enables us to communicate with people from other countries, achieve mutual understandings, and further our trade contacts, economic co- operations, and cultural and academic exchanges with other countries. I am interested in learning English so much. English, as mentioned over and over again, is an international language. In Viet Nam, English, now, is the compulsory subject for pupils in most of primary and secondary school. It is also an important subject for students at all universities. Particularly English is one of the essential requirements for those who want to find a good job. However it is not simple. We have to pay attention not only to grammar, structure, vocabulary, and pronunciation but also the culture of the new language. It is easy to make mistakes and often find a lot of difficulties in translation and when dealing with grammar, especially relative clause. You will see that, knowing relative clause in English is a matter, understanding and accurately translating them from English into Vietnamese is another one which is not as easy as some people might think. In order to help people who are learning English have deep understanding of relative clauses in English as well as in Vietnamese, I decide to choose the subject “ Relative clauses in English and Vietnamese, and how to translate them into Vietnamese” for my graduation paper. II. SCOPE OF THE STUDY Due to the limitation of time and space, in this paper I just focus on main points of relative clauses and some methods for the translation of relative clauses from English into Vietnamese in the hope of helping learners of English have better insight in this part and use it effectively. III. AIMS OF THE STUDY I have been learning English for a long time; however, I sometimes make confusion of using and translating relative clauses in sentence. Like me, many students also do the same. For the above reason, my study deals with “ Relative clause in English and Vietnamese, and how to translate them into Vietnamese” The study is concerned with: The definition and classification of relative clause The theories that are relevant with relative clause The definition of translation and its role Common problem in translating relative clause, causes and solutions - Translating relative clauses into Vietnamese in “ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” IV. METHOD OF THE STUDY To complete this paper I have conducted the following methods: + Collecting information from many materials in English and Vietnamese + Classifying and analyzing basic data relating to the study + Discussing with supervisor and other teachers V. DESIGN OF THE STUDY This graduation paper is divided into …chapters: Chapter I: Chapter II: Reference is come to the end. CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1. An overview of relative clause 1.1.1: Definition of relative clause A relative clause is a subordinate clause which relates or refers to a word in the clause before it. Some grammarians call it adjective clause or attributive clause.So among other kinds of clauses, how can you recognize a relative one? First, it will contain a subject and verb. Next, it will begin with a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, that or which) or a relative adverb (when, where or why). Finally, it will function as an adjective, answering the questions: What kinds? How many? Or Which one? In addition, relative clauses can be added to nouns in just about any part of a sentence--at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of sentences.  Let's analyze the location and type of relative clause in each of the following sentences: 1. I bought a book that was highly recommended by my sister. 2. I bought a book that my sister recommended. 3. The book that is required for this workshop comes highly recommended. 4. The book that my sister recommended was quite useful. 1-I bought a book that was highly recommended by my sister. Core sentence I bought a book. Sentence that became the relative clause The book was highly recommended by my sister. Relative Pronoun Function subject of the relative clause Location of the relative clause it's at the end of the sentence--attached to the noun that's the direct object--part of the large noun phrase that is the direct object 2- I bought a book that my sister recommended. Core sentence I bought a book. Sentence that became the relative clause My sister recommended the book. Relative Pronoun Function direct object of the relative clause Location of the relative clause it's at the end of the sentence--attached to the noun that's the direct object--part of the large noun phrase that is the direct object 3- The book that is required for this workshop comes highly recommended. Core sentence The book comes highly recommended. Sentence that became the relative clause The book is required for this workshop. Relative Pronoun Function subject of the relative clause Location of the relative clause it's at the beginning of the sentence--attached to the noun that's the subject--part of the large noun phrase that is the subject of the sentence 4- The book that my sister recommended was quite useful. Core sentence The book was quite useful. Sentence that became the relative clause My sister recommended the book. Relative Pronoun Function direct object of the relative clause Location of the relative clause it's at the beginning of the sentence--attached to the noun that's the subject--part of the large noun phrase that is the subject of the sentence 1.1.2: Classification There are two types of relative clause 1.1.2.1: Defining relative clause: with other names in different books that you can encounter: restrictive clause (mệnh đề quan hệ hạn định), essential clause (mệnh đề quan hệ thiết yếu). Definition Defining relative clause gives essential information about the noun or noun phrase it modifies, the purpose of a defining relative clause is clearly define who or what we are talking about. Without this information, it would be difficult to know who or what is meant. Obviously, this is only necessary if there is more than one person or thing involved. For example: The hotel that we stayed in wasn’t bad. (“that we stayed in” tells the listener which hotel we are talking about; it defines the hotel) PunctuationCommas are not used in defining relative clauses. Relative pronounsThe following relative pronouns are used in defining relative clauses: Person Thing Place Time Reason Subject who/that which/that Object who/whom/that/ø which/that/ø where when why Possessive whose whose Notes: 1. The relative pronoun stands in place of a noun. This noun usually appears at the beginning of the sentence: The book which you lent me was very interesting. Noun, subject ofmain clause relative pronoun referring to “the book” verb + rest of relative clause verb + rest of main clause 2. Who, whom and which can be replaced by that. This is very common in spoken English. 3. The relative pronoun can be omitted (ø) when it is the object of the clause: The flowers which/that I cut this morning are still fresh.OR The flowers I cut this morning are still fresh. Both of these sentences are correct, though the second one is more common in spoken English. The flowers which/that/ø I cut this morning are still fresh. Noun, subject of main clause relative pronoun, referring to “the flowers” verb + rest of relative clause verb + rest of main clause. (You can usually decide whether a relative pronoun is an object because it is normally followed by another subject + verb.) 4. Whose is used for things as well as for people. Examples:The woman whose child has just been lost is crying.The house whose windows are broken is mine. 5. Whom is very formal and is only used in written English. You can use who/that, or omit the pronoun completely : The doctor whom/who/that/ø I was hoping to see wasn't on duty. 6. That normally follows: + words like : all, any, only, the first, the last, and sometimes follows: It is/It was. I have said all that I want to say. Any paper (that) you read will give you the same story. He is the only boy that can answer all the questions in the test. It is his wife that makes the decisions in his family. It was the first time that John heard of it. + superlatives He was the best man that I have ever seen. He is the most courageous man that ever lived. + indefinite pronouns: noone, nobody, nothing, someone, somebody, anything,… She always had everything that she wanted. He never says anything that is worth listening to. It was not for nothing that he studied carpentry. 1.1.2.2: Non- defining relative clause ( mệnh đề quan hệ không hạn định hay mệnh đề quan hệ bổ túc) Other materials can refer this kind of clause as non- restrictive clause or: +) Parenthetical clause (mệnh đề quan hệ chêm) +) Amplifying clause (mệnh đề quan hệ giải thích) +) Non- essential clause ( mệnh đề quan hệ không thiết yếu) Definition Non- defining relative clause provides interesting additional information which is not essential to understanding the meaning of the sentence. It tells us more about someone or something, but do not define it. For example: My sister, who lives in France, is coming to stay with me next week. Punctuation Correct punctuation is essential in non-defining relative clauses. If the non-defining relative clause occurs in the middle of a sentence, a comma is put before the relative pronoun and at the end of the clause. If the non-defining relative clause occurs at the end of a sentence, a comma is put before the relative pronoun. For example My friend John, who went to the same school as me, has just written a best-selling novel. Relative pronouns in non-defining clauses Person Thing Place Subject who which Object who/whom which where Possessive whose Notes: 1. In non-defining clauses, you cannot use ‘that’ instead of who, whom or which. 2. You cannot leave out the relative pronoun, even when it is the object of the verb in the relative clause: - He gave me the letter, which was in a blue envelope. - He gave me the letter, which I read immediately 3. The preposition in these clauses can go at the end of the clause, e.g. - This is Stratford-on-Avon, which you have all heard about. This pattern is often used in spoken English, but in written or formal English you can also put the preposition before the pronoun: Eg: Stratford-on-Avon, about which many people have written is Shakespeare’s birthplace. 4. Non-defining clauses can be introduced by expressions like all of, many of + relative pronoun: Person Thing all of + whom + which any of + whom + which (a) few of + whom + which both of + whom + which each of + whom + which either of + whom + which half of + whom + which many of + whom + which most of + whom + which much of + whom + which none of + whom + which one of + whom + which two of etc… + whom + which Examples: a. There were a lot of people at the party, many of whom I had known for years. b. He was carrying his belongings, many of which were broken. 5. The relative pronoun which at the beginning of a non-defining relative clause, can refer to all the information contained in the previous part of the sentence, rather than to just one word. a. Chris did really well in his exams, which was a big surprise. (= the fact that he did well in his exams was a big surprise). b. An elephant and a mouse fell in love, which is most unusual. (= the fact that they fell in love is unusual). 1.1.3: Some notes on relative clause and other cases 1.1.3.1: Commas in relative clause Commas are very important in relative clause.The meaning of the whole sentence can be changed when commas are inserted. Look at two examples: The travellers who knew about the floods took another road. The travellers, who knew about the floods, took another road. As you can see, In (a) we have a defining relative clause, which defines or limits the noun travellers. This sentence therefore tells us that only the travellers who knew about the floods took the other road, and implies that there were other travellers who did not know and who took the flooded road. In (b) we have a non- defining clause, which does not define or limit the noun it follows. This sentence therefore implies that all the travellers knew about the floods and took the other road. 1.1.3.2: Preposition and relative clause Relative clause structure gets more complicated when a prepositional phrase is involved.  The basic problem is deciding what to do with the preposition--where does it go when the clause is put into the sentence.  Here's an example: 1: At TESOL, I bought a book. 2: I got new ideas about teaching from the book. Relative clause creation step 1--insert the pronoun as the object of the preposition: I got new ideas about teaching from that Relative clause creation step 2--front the pronoun: but....what to front?  Where does the preposition go? Actually, you have two choices: Choice 1: Leave the preposition at the end:  that I got new ideas about teaching from... At TESOL, I bought a book that I got new ideas about teaching grammar from. Choice 2: Move the preposition with its object to the front.  But notice that if you use this approach, you cannot use that.  You have to use which.  At TESOL, I bought a book from that I got new ideas about teaching grammar. At TESOL, I bought a book from which I got new ideas about teaching grammar. As many students struggle with making this type of combination, you'll find students leaving the preposition out altogether: At TESOL, I bought a book that I got new ideas about teaching grammar. 1.1.3.3: “That” in relative clause and appositive clause Appositive clauses look a lot like relative clauses, but they are fundamentally different in structure.  Remember that a relative clause is a changed sentence: a relative pronoun is subsituted for some noun phrase in the source sentence and thus the relative pronoun has a dual role--to connect the clause to a noun but also to be a structural part of the clause itself.  Look at this example: that is the subject of the relative clause:  How do I know that?  Well, figure out the sentence that is the source for the relative clause.  I bought the book that is required for this course. This is the sentence that is changed to make the relative clause: The book is required for this course.  To make the relative clause, that is put into the subject position: that is required for this course. So, that in a relative clause is not just a connecting word; it must be subject or object.  And that (like all relative pronouns) must have some meaning that is understandable in its sentence.  In our example, that = the book. An appositive is a phrase that names (or labels) a noun as in these examples with the appositive in bold type.  Appositives are "postmodifiers" of nouns; they mean the same thing as the noun they are attached to.  Sometimes an appositive is given without commas, sometimes with commas.   Appositives the word appositive the book Gone with the Wind the writer Flannery O'Connor Coach Steve Spurrier The teacher of my sound system course,  John Murphy, is from New Jersey. An appositive clause is a subordinate clause that has the same kind of function with a noun as other types of appositives.  It names or labels or specifies the noun. In contrast to a relative clause, an appositive clause involves a simple connection: that connects a clause without being a part of the subordinate clause. My belief that English grammar is fascinating lies behind my career. What sentences are combined?  1.  My belief lies behind my career. 2.  English grammar is fascinating. That combines the two, but it isn't a part of the second clause.  These appositive clauses are related to similar noun clauses:  I believe that English grammar is fascinating = my belief that English grammar is fascinating.... The process of changing verbs into nouns is called nominalization. Appositive clauses involve nouns like belief, thought, knowledge, conclusion; these words are the noun forms of related verbs believe, think, know, conclude that often take noun clauses as their objects. So remember in appositive clause, “that” is a conjunction, not a relative pronoun. 1.1.3.4 “As” and “but” used as relative pronouns Let’s look at some examples: Sometimes “but” is used as a relative pronoun. Eg: There wasn’t one boy in the class but knew (= that didn’t know) exactly what the teacher was referring to. (B.D Graver, Advanced English Practice, p. 186) “As” may introduce a defining relative clause, commonly after “the same” or “such”. Eg: She wears the same kind of clothes as her sister usually does. I never heard such stories as she tells. ( Bùi Ý, Ngữ pháp tiếng Anh, Nhà xuất bản Đại học quốc gia Hà Nội, p.119) “As” may also introduce a non-defining (co-ordinate) clause. Such clause differ from all other relative clause, however, in that way they can precede the main clause, as well as interrupting or following it. E.g: As he later admitted, it was a stupid thing to do. It was, as he later admitted, a stupid thing to do. It was a stupid thing to do, as he later admitted. (B.D Graver, Advanced English Practice, p. 133) 1.1.4: Relative pronouns and relative clauses in English and in Vietnamese 1.1..4.1: Definition In Vietnamese we don’t have the concept of “relative pronouns”. Only the definition of pronoun exists. According to Đinh Văn Đức in his “Ngữ pháp Tiếng Việt”( p.199), “Đại từ là từ loại của các từ có chức năng thay thế ”( pronoun is a kind of words having the function of replacement.) Bùi Ý (Basic English sentence patterns, 1980) presents that in Vietnamese grammar, relative pronouns are rarely seen. Sometimes we use “mà” which is called “connector” or “conjunction”. (Đinh Văn Đức, Ngữ pháp Tiếng Việt ( Từ loại),p.207.) E.g: The teacher asked us to write a composition describing the seaside where we spent our holiday last summer. (Cô giáo yêu cầu chúng tôi viết một bài luận miêu tả bãi biển nơi mà chúng tôi nghỉ hè năm ngoái.) (Xuân Bá, Trau dồi NP và từ vựng Tiếng Anh, NXB Đại học sư phạm, p.417) Due to the complexity of words and parts of speech in Vietnamese, in this section we only take “who” as an example for the transformation of English relative pronouns into Vietnamse ones in terms of the name. Consider the following example and compare “who” and its equivalent in Vietnamese. E.g: The farmer who sold us some potatoes lives in the next village. (Cái anh nông dân bán cho chúng tôi số khoai tây ở ngôi làng bên cạnh.) (Ngữ pháp - Lỗi ngữ pháp tiếng Anh _ NXB Trẻ, p.87) So, “who”( relative pronoun) in English actually means “Cái anh nông dân” ( noun phrase) in Vietnamese. Nguyễn Tài Cẩn ( Ngữ pháp Tiếng Việt, 1999, p.229) refers to “Cái anh nông dân” as “danh ngữ ”or “đoản ngữ có danh từ làm trung tâm”. Similarly, “ mệnh đề quan hệ ” is not popular in Vietnamese language. In fact, we only have the concept of clause ( mệnh đề). Also in Ngữ pháp Tiếng Việt ( p.148), Nguyễn Tài Cẩn defines “ mệnh đề ” as “ một tổ hợp gồm hai trung tâm nối liền với nhau bằng quan hệ tường thuật”( a group consisting of two parts connected by the description relation.) E.g: Tài liệu này tôi tìm thấy hôm qua. mệnh đề (clause) It depends on the context that “mệnh đề ” and “ mệnh đề quan hệ” are the same in Vietnamese, like in above example. 1.1.4.2: Position Although relative pronouns are used in relative clause of both English and Vietnamese noun phrase, they still have different usages. In English, relative pronouns can only be omitted when they are object or adverb of relative clause. Eg: I like the boy (whom) I met yesterday. However, in Vietnamese, they rarely appear. In some cases, it would be very abnormal in Vietnamese if we insert relative pronoun mà, của, do, bởi,… Eg: (a) The boys who are dancing the disco are my friends. Những chàng trai đang nhảy disco là bạn tôi. (b) All the apples that fall are eaten by animal. Mọi trái táo rụng đều được động vật ăn. In Vietnamese, we can not distinguish between defining and non- defning relative clauses. The commas are used to break the intonation, to form a series of statement if we want to have more modifiers or give more explanation of the head. Eg: (a) Một em học sinh mặc bộ váy màu đỏ, đội mũ hồng, chân mang dép xanh, tay cầm một bó hoa lan trắng chạy nhảy tung tăng trên đường. Dương, em gái tôi, rất dễ thương. In English, in contrast, commas play an important role. As mentioned in the above part,the meaning of the sentence changes when the commas are inserted. 1.2: Current views on translation 1.2.1: History and definition of translation 1.2.1.1: History More than five thousand years ago (3000 B.C), the first translation was produced during the Egyptian Old Kingdom where the inscription in two languages have been found. Then translation became a significant factor in the West in 300 B.C. In 1534. the Bible was translated into German by Martin Luther. In the 19th century, translation was considered as a one-way means of communication between prominent men of letters and, to a lesser degree, philosophers and scientists with their well educated readers abroad. Thanks to translation, trade was conducted in the language of the dominant naion, and diplomacy, previously in Latin, was in French. The 20th century has been called the “ age of translation”. Translation proves its important role as an enormous activity in our modern world. Educationally, translation has become a profession that contacts between people before being separated by cultural and geographical barriers. Thanks to it, international between states, between public and private organizations are translated for all interest parties with their full meaning. Even, translation is present in every fields of life as an unlackable activity. Translation also enhances its importance through the setting up of a new international body, the constitution of an independent state, the formation of the multinational company, etc. The format of translation has partly moved away from books to reports, brochures, contracts, journals and magazines, instructions, and advertisements; its topic ranges from literature to every type of information with great emphasis to science and technology. 1.2.1.2: Definition We all know that translation has been the subject of interest not only to linguists, professional and amateur translators, and language teachers but also to electronic engineers and mathematicians. A great number of books and articles have been written about this area of human knowledge. However, “What is translation?” is still a question in need of research because writers on translation seem to look at translation from different perspectives. Therefore, translation appears to be a complex process. The following quotes taken from diffent sources provide an overview of the range of diversity of opinion on the concept of translation. Translation consists of reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source language message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style. ( Nida & Taber 1974:12 Translation is the replacement of textual material in one language (source language) by equivalent textual material in another language (target language). (Catford 1965:20) Translation is the replacement of a representation of a text in one language by a representation of another equivalent text in a second language. (Hartmann & Stock 1972:713) Translation is the expression in another language (or Target language) of what has been expressed in another ( source language), preserving semantic and stylistic equivalencies. (Dubois 1973, cited in Bell 1991:5) Translation is a procedure which leads from a written source language text to an optimally equivalent target language text, and which requires the syntactic, semantic, stylistic and text pragmatic comprehension by the translator of the original text. (Wills 1982a:112) Translation, as the process of conveying messages across linguistic and cultural barriers, is an eminently communicative activity, one whose use could well be considered in a wider range of teaching situations than may currently be the case. (Tudor, cited in Duff 1989:5) Translating is a communicative process which takes place within a social context. (Hatim & Mason 1990:3) Translating is the transformation of a text originally in one language into an equivalent text in a different language retaining, as far as possible the content of the message, and the formal features and the roles of the original text. (Bell 1991 : XIII) 1.2.2: The importance of translation We now live in the modern age. It is the age of rapid development of industry, high science and technology. Everyday, in each continent, the word characteristics have appeared higher and higher. In fact, each nation and each country has its own language. Even with the most up-to-date and sophisticated communicative system, we can never know exactly how many languages that human beings have used during the process of the development. It is said that there are some two or three thousands of languages used in the world, but some others say that the number may reach to eight thousands. How can we communicate with people from different countries in the world and how can we know the different cultures? There are so many languages that create barriers for mankind to common understanding. One way to solve this problem is to study foreign language. However, even anyone with the best memory cannot know all the language in use, so translation and interpretation can be the acceptable solution. Accurate and successful translation plays a crucial role in effective communication through words between people – an activity only exists in human being. Along with the interpretation, translation bridges the gaps between people who live in different nations. In other words, translation helps remove the language barrier and make people closer to each other. Translation is used for report papers, articles, correspondences, text books to convey information, advice of recommendation for every branch of knowledge. It is very necessary for mankind. It helps people know the great knowledge of human beings. That is the history of the world, the cultures from different countries in the world. Without vivid and successful versions of translation, classical works such as Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchel), The God Father (Marit Puzio), Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte), Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte), The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough), etc. can’t reach readers in countries all over the world and can’t stand the test of time like that. As a result, an exact translation is good, but a vivid one ensuring the accuracy is better, especially in art fields such as literature, motion picture, film and so on. 1.2.3:Translating process 1.2.3.1: According to Tank (1976), the translating process includes: Tasks of intellectual, heuristic nature, which cannot be formalized: comprehension, evaluation, appreciation, and creation. Tasks of routine nature, which can be formed, and thus which can be mechanized: terminological research, application of simple grammatical rules. The translation process can be accomplished, for a given translation: Either in a simple operation only Source text Translation Target text Or two operations (frequently the case in the large translation sevice) Source text Translation revision Target text Or even, in exceptional cases (for example: legal text), in three operations: Target text Source text Translation Linguistic revision Revision “Subject matter” 1.2.3.2: According to Nida, translators should go through a three-stage: Analysis, Transfer, and Restructuring. According to this process, the translator first analyses the message of the source language into simplest and structurally clearest form, transfers the analyzed material in his mind from the source language into the target language, which is the most appropriate for the audience who intends to reach. Nida’s three-stage procedure of translation can be represented as follows: TL TEXT SL TEXT ANALYSIS TRANSFER RESTRUCTURING 1.2.3.3: According to Larson, translation consists of studying the lexicon, grammatical structure, communication situation, and cultural context of the source language text, analyzing it in order to determine its meaning, and then reconstructing this same meaning using the lexicon and grammatical structure which are appropriate in the receptor language and its cultural context. OVERVIEW OF THE TRANSLATION TASK Text to be translated Translation MEANING Discover the meaning Re-express the meaning SOURCE LANGUAGE RECEPTOR LANGUAGE 1.2.4 Translation skills for translator 1.2.4.1: Reading comprehension Translators are advised to master the following basic reading comprehension skills: Read for the gist and main idea. Read the details. Identify the meaning of new words and expressions using one or more components of structural analysis: clause, prefixes, roots, word order, punctuation, sentence pattern,etc. Identify the meaning of the new words and expressions using one or more of the contextual analysis: synonyms, antonyms, examples, etc. Identify the writer’s style: literary, scientific, technical, informative, persuasive, argumentative, etc. Identify the language level used in the text: standard, slang, religious, etc. Identify cultural references in the choice of words in the text. 1.2.4.2: Researching skill Translators are advised to use the following basic researching tips: Use bilingual dictionaries for looking up meanings of new words. Use monolingual dictionaries to check the usage of the new words in the source language and in the target language. Use related encyclopedias and glossary list for specialized terms. Use software dictionaries if necessary and available. Refer to specialized magazines and journals to help you familiarize yourself with the text, particularly when it is a technical text. 1.2.4.3: Analytical skill Translators are encouraged to use the following strategies in the analysis stage: Identify the “best” meaning that fits into the context. Identify the structure in the target language that “best” represents the original. Identify transitions between ideas and the “best” connectors in the target language that represent the orginal. 1.2.4.4: Composing skill Translators are invited to make use of the following basic strategies: Use the correct word order as used in the target language. Use the correct sentence structures as used in the target language. Transmit the ideas of the text in clear sentences in the target language. Rephrase certain sentences to convey the overall meaning translated. Make changes to the text as a whole to give it a sence of the orginal without distorting the orginal ideas. Try one or more strategies when facing problems of untranslateability. 1.2.5: Criteria for a good translation A good translation is one that carries all the ideas of the original as well as its structural and cultural features. Massoud (1988:19-24) sets criteria for a good translation as follows: A good translation is easily understood. A good translation is fluent and smooth. A good translation is idiomatic. A good translation conveys to some extent, the literary subtleties of the original. A good translation distinguishes the metaphorical and the literal. A good translation reconstructs the cultural/historical context of the orginal. A good translation will convey as much as possible the meaning of the original text. Meanwhile, El Shafey (1985:93) suggests other criteria for a good translation. These include three main principles: The knowledge of the grammar of the source language plus the knowledge of vocabulary as well as good understanding of the text to be translated. The ability of the translators to reconstitute the given text ( source language text) into the target language. The translation should capture the style or atmosphere of the original text; it should have all the ease of an original composition. If a translator can meet some of these requirements, the translation can be considered perfect CONCLUSION Through the above chapters, I have given you the main points of relative clauses, shown problems and discussed the way of translating English relative clauses into Vietnamese in some typical examples in some books and in the story “ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” to prove my theory. This paper is aimed at helping students approach relative clauses in a more comprehensive way in which you see obviously two aspects of them: grammatical function and stylistic function. Whether you do the translation for your learning or for your career in literature fields, for instance, being good at English grammar first, then much reading, observation and practice would be a big help for you because there are no common rules for this job at all. Luckily, however, due to no formula for every case, translating in general and the translating being discussed are challenging but very exciting and worth your trying. The study has been carried out basing on my own knowledge that I learnt from lectures on Grammar and Translation and reference books. After finishing it, I feel that my knowledge about this phenomenon is firmly consolidated. Those who deliberately or by chance read through my graduation paper may find some unavoidable mistakes. I would be very grateful to get feedbacks. I do hope that in defiance of its mistakes, my small study will be beneficial to students and readers who are interested in translating, especially those encounter obstacles in dealing with relative clauses.