Vietnam is an attractive target market for global enterprise as it has a huge population of over 100 million people (50% is working age population) and it is Asia’s fastest growing economy.
As more businesses choose to develop their business in the Vietnamese market, the requisite for English to Vietnamese translation has rocketed in recent years. Business, though, will face several challenges when managing English to Vietnamese translation projects.
To get professional Vietnamese language translation from English at affordable prices, knowing the difference between Vietnamese and English and understanding of Vietnamese culture is essential.
Thus, in this article, we will provide some useful tips for affordable English to Vietnamese translation and a complete guide to the Vietnamese language. Let us first learn about some basics of the Vietnamese language.
About Vietnamese language and Vietnamese writing system
Vietnam is recognized as a minority language in the Czech Republic and modern Vietnamese is the official language of Vietnam. It is the second language of other 53 ethnic minorities in the country and is the first language of over 86% of the Vietnamese population.
Vietnamese speakers can also be found in diverse countries in Australia, North (Canada and the United States) America, Europe (Germany, France, Czech, etc.) and Asia (Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, etc).
Vietnamese is a tonal language with six tones and five tone marks (i.e. the tone with which a word is marked has a major impact on its meaning). Among a variety of dialects of the Vietnamese language, the Southern dialects, Central dialects and the Northern dialects are the three primary dialects.
In Vietnam, up until the late nineteenth century, except for two brief interludes, all certified writing, including formal literature, academia, and government business, was done in Literary Chinese, printed with Chinese characters.
It was till the 13th century that Vietnamese scholars, by means of their accepting of the Chinese script, began developing chữ Nôm. There are 29 letters in the modern Vietnamese script, with 12 vowels and 17 consonants.
3 tips for English to Vietnamese translation
When translating your content from English to Vietnamese, you should get some tips from our guide below and should pay attention to the following challenges.
1. The Differences in Vietnamese and English personal pronouns
There are several factors that regulate the use of pronouns in Vietnamese. The speaker's social relationship with the person’s age disparities as well as the speaker's attitude towards that person and the person being referred to, are presented in the speaker's choice of pronouns.
A pronoun in Vietnamese usually indicates a familiar tie or degree of kinship. The kinship language element is used in polite discourse when referring to oneself, a third party, or the audience.
Using the apt particular pronouns refers to their social position or establishes respect for persons of several ages. When speaking to the old, for instance, using “Tao” or “Tôi” is considered impolite. In this situation, the pronoun to use is “Cháu.” Though “Cháu”, “Tao,” and “Tôi,” all mean “I” in English, the last two pronouns are used for persons your age, while the former is used for old people.
Due to the difficulty of Vietnamese pronouns, it's vital to choose suitable personal pronouns while translating data from English to Vietnamese. When speaking with Vietnamese customers, businesses like to operate official pronouns such as “Ban.”
Still, you should tell your practiced native Vietnamese linguistics about your target audience and get guidance from them to ensure that the pronouns you use make a positive impact and are suitable for the audience.
2. Word expansion when translating into Vietnamese
When translating words from English into Vietnamese, the size of texts is often improved. Text expansion does have a great impact on the style and layout, particularly for high-visual content like websites, posters and brochures.
Built on know-how, translated Vietnamese content is likely to be 30 to 37 % longer than its original in English. This is owing to the point that Vietnamese expressions are more elaborate and often lengthier than English expressions.
If you have requirements for character limits or you want the layout of your English to Vietnamese translation to be intact, you should let the translator know earlier so they can come up with the top solution.
In maximum cases, translators will try to use shorter sentence structures and words to fulfill the standards. Otherwise, we commend you for taking an additional step. It is desktop publishing so that your document can be laid out by experts.
3. Regional vocabulary and spellings
Vietnam is parted physically into three main regions: Southern Vietnam, Central Vietnam and Northern Vietnam, each has its own vocabulary and spelling in spoken and written communication.
Spelling: Commonly, Vietnamese people can understand the meanings of words with slight spelling variances, irrespective of where they live. The spelling used in Hanoi, Northern Vietnam, is measured “standard” Vietnam and is used in media, government documents, course books, and schools. As a result, the popular Vietnamese information is written in the Northern Vietnam meaning.
Vocabulary: Unlike spelling, Vietnamese vocabulary differs significantly by area. Even native speakers from diverse regions can misinterpret one another or misuse words.
Due to the difficulty of Vietnamese dialects, businesses should pay special attention to picking the proper vocabulary and regional spellings when entering the Vietnamese market. Northern Vietnamese terminology should be used for certified documents such as agreements and contracts because it is the standard language.
Though, it is strongly instructed that you tailor your messaging and content for marketing materials by using the dialects of the targeted places to provide a better image and experience of your company to the audience.
Wrapping Up
Because of the difficulty of the Vietnamese culture and language as well as the great difference between Vietnamese and English, global organizations must conduct a detailed study in order to have a better chance of thriving in the Vietnamese market.
With the help of the above tips you will be able to cultivate a certified English to Vietnamese translation plan that will help you create an effect in this flourishing market.
If you are searching for a native and experienced Vietnamese language translation service provider to assist you in your business projects, then connect with Acadestudio! Based in Vietnam, Acadestudio has a deep network of native Vietnamese translators that provide you with quality English to Vietnamese services at affordable prices.
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