A survey of various ways to translate the modal prediction should from English into Vietnamese

Abstract

The modal verb “should” is frequently encountered in English. In addition to its use in advice, “should” also denotes a variety of meanings that would require different translation into Vietnamese. This article reiterates a few key points regarding modality and its various expressions in English and Vietnamese. They will provide a basis on which instances of “should” in five books by American and British authors get contrasted with their corresponding Vietnamese translations, from which different ways to appropriately translate “should” into Vietnamese may be drawn.