MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
DONG THAP UNIVERSITY
FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT


NGUYEN THI HONG THAM
BUI THI HUYEN TRAN

ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ DIFFICULTIES AND
EXPECTATIONS IN LEARNING
WRITTEN TRANSLATION
AT DONG THAP UNIVERSITY

B.A THESIS

Degree: Bachelor of Arts Dong Thap, 2013
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
DONG THAP UNIVERSITY
FOREIGN LANGUAGE DEPARTMENT


NGUYEN THI HONG THAM
BUI THI HUYEN TRAN

ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ DIFFICULTIES AND
EXPECTATIONS IN LEARNING
WRITTEN TRANSLATION
AT DONG THAP UNIVERSITY

1.3.7 Idiomatic translation 15
1.3.8 Communicative translation 16 v
1.4 Strategies for translation 18
1.5 Some useful techniques for translation 28
1.5.1 Addition 28
1.5.2 Omission 29
1.5.3 Replacement 29
1.5.4 Transposition 30
1.5.5 Expression 31
1.6 The factors influencing translation process 32
1.6.1 Influence of the mother tongue 32
1.6.2 Words and choice of word meanings 34
1.6.3 Grammatical structure 35
1.6.4 Context 36
1.6.5 Characteristic of language 37
1.7 Common errors in written translation 41
1.7.1 Word order 41
1.7.2 Syntax/ Grammar errors 42
1.7.3 Vocabulary errors 45
1.7.4 Spelling/Punctuation errors 50
1.7.5 Culture errors 52
Chapter 2: METHODOLOGY 54
2.1 Research questions 54
2.2 Research participants: 54
2.2.1 The researcher: 54
2.2.2 The subjects 54
2.3 Research procedure 54

Table 2: The reason why students study translation………………………………… 59
Table 3: The students‟ opinions about the usefulness of studying translation……….60
Table 4: Kind of text that students feel difficult to translate…………………………61
Table 5: The biggest challenges that students have to face when translating a passage
from English to Vietnamese ……………………………………………… ….62
Table 6: The biggest challenges that students have to face when translating a passage
from Vietnamese to English……………………………………………… ….63
Table 7: How students will do when they encounter a new word in a
translation text…………………………………………………………………………65
Table 8: How students prepare for new lesson before class………………………… 66
Table 9: What students will do after they finish their translation…………………….67
Table 10: What do students do to improve their translation skill…………………… 68
Table 11: Kind of text students usually practice translation at home…………………69
Table 12: The amount of time students usually spend on studying translation (as self-
study) ………………………………………………………………………… 71
Table 13: Things have a great influence on students‟ interest in translation…………72
Table 14: The topic which students are interested in………………………………….73
Table 15: The students‟ opinion about the influence of teaching method……………74 viii
STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
We guarantee that the thesis entitled “English major students‟ difficulties and
expectations in learning written translation at Dong Thap University” is the result of
our own work. All the statistics as well as the results collected from the data collection
instruments are truthfully reflected by English major students at Dong Thap University
when they first study written translation. The research reported in the study was
approved by Dong Thap University.
2011 who provided us valuable information by completing the conveying questions as
well as answering interview questions.
Finally, an honorable mention goes to our families and friends for their supports
on us in completing this thesis.
Thanks for all! Nguyen Thi Hong Tham
Bui Thi Huyen Tran
English 2009A x
ABSTRACT
Translation is a new subject for the students of English major at Dong Thap
University. There are two forms of translation: written translation and spoken
translation. At Dongthap University, written translation is taught for the students of BA
English Class from the beginning of the second year. Because translation is still new
and strange for their first time learning, most of the English major students still have
difficulties in learning this kind of subject, especially the students of the second year
from BA English class (2011-2015 curriculums). This study was conducted to find out
the students‟ difficulties as well as their expectations when they begin to learn written
translation in order to make suggestions that can partly help them overcome these
obstacles in studying this course. Besides that, the study also aims at making some
suggestions as a useful reference helping adjust learning and teaching method to get a
better result in learning and teaching process. The research methods used in this study
are the questionnaire- a list of questions to find out the difficulties that students usually
face and the interview questions which used to meeting students‟ expectations in
learning the subject.


information. Also, if we want to survive on this economic developing era, we ought to

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master English as a demand of job‟s requirements. Today, when every country from
the world overcomes consequences of economic crisis and has a problem with a big
numbers of unemployment, every person needs to push his career forward. By that
way, it is impossible to revalue the importance of English. Its knowledge can get one‟s
dream job in any international company, earn more money and use computer more
effectively, because most computer programs are in English, too.
However, just knowing English is not enough. Sometimes, a person who can
speak, listen and read English does not mean he or she understands it carefully. One
more problem that we have to face here is the necessary of translating skills. When
Viet Nam becomes one of the members of World Trade Organization, it has more and
more requirements for Vietnamese especially students to have expert translation skill to
meet the demand of integration into the huge world economy and to exchange our
culture with other friendly countries. Nowadays, more and more contracts, emails,
news, etc. are on English also, so it is necessary to master translation to translate
documents more exactly in order to avoid regrettable misunderstanding. However, to
master translation is not easy, so not almost all learners can avoid mistakes. When
translating English into our mother tongue, it is not only translating the words we are
reading but also the meaning and the overall purpose of the text as a whole. This can be
very difficult, even for those who are fluent in several languages. As learners, the
researchers assume that almost all learners who begin to study written translation will
meet many difficulties because it is so new and strange for their first time contact, and
there is no exception for students majoring in English at Dong Thap University.
Understanding their difficulties parallel with meeting their expectations can help them
so much in overcoming these obstacles in learning process and create favorable
conditions for the study course. This is the reason we carry out this research with the
hope that the study will be a useful reference helping improve translation skill as well
as understand students‟ difficulties in learning written translation subject. Therefore,

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4. Significance of the study
Understanding the students‟ difficulties and their expectations in learning
written translation, the thesis will be a useful reference with the solutions suggested
which help the teachers recognize their students‟ requirements as well as expectations
in studying the subject. Since there, having a suitable adjustment in teaching method as
well as teaching material to satisfy the students‟ need, which is believed to bring a
good result in studying. Furthermore, it is a strong hope that the study will be a useful
reference helping improve translation skill for not only the second year students
majoring in English at Dong Thap University but also all Vietnamese people who feel
interested in the job as a translator and really want to become an expert translator.
5. Organization of the thesis
This thesis consists of the following parts:
INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1 Definition of translation
1.2 The important of translation
1.3 Method of translation
1.3.1 Word for word translation
1.3.2 Literal translation
1.3.3 Faithful translation
1.3.4 Semantic translation
1.3.5 Adaptation
1.3.6 Free translation
1.3.7 Idiomatic translation
1.3.8 Communicative translation
1.4 Strategies for translation 5

3.1 Results
3.1.1 Result collected from the questionnaire
3.1.2 Result collected from the interview questions
3.2 Discussion
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
REFERENCES
APPENDIX

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CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW
1.1 Definition of translation
Translation has been various defined. The following definitions have been

outset.”
In contrast, in English-into-Vietnamese translation, the English is the source
language and the Vietnamese is the target language as in the following example:
The source language: “Due to ill management and protection, forest resources have, in
recent years, been seriously destroyed.”
The target language: “Trong những năm gần đây, do quản lí và bảo vệ kém, tài
nguyên rừng bị tàn phá rất nghiêm trọng.”
Translation is rendering a written text into another language in a way that the
author intended the text. (Bui Tien Bao and Dang Xuan Thu, 1997).
“Translators are concerned with the written texts. They render written texts from
one language into another language. Translators are required to undertake assignments,
which range from simple items, such as birth certificates and driving licenses, to more
complex written materials, such as articles in specialized professional journals,
business contracts and legal documents”. (Bui Tien Bao and Dang Xuan Thu, 1997).
Translation, ultimately, by dictionary definition, consists of changing from one
state or form to another, to turn into one‟s own or another‟s language. (The Merrian –
Webster dictionary, 1974). Translation is a change of form. When we speak of the form
of a language, we are referring to the actual words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, etc.

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The forms are referred to as the surface structure of a language. It is a structural part of
a language, which is actually seen in print or heard speech. In translation, the form of
the receptor or target language replaces the form of the source language. But how is
this change accomplished? What determines the choice of form in the translation?
1.2 The importance of translation
Even with the most up-to-date and sophisticated communication system, we can
never know how many languages man used today in the world; let alone how many
languages man has used during the course of his development. Some sources say there
are two or three thousand languages being used in the world, but some others say the
number may be as large as eight thousand. What a habit man has that of speaking

appears, translation becomes necessary and significant. Imagine that one day you have
a trip visiting a green and beautiful oasis. Unfortunately, you get lost from your group
and you have not done any research about this oasis before; you do not know any
information about the people as well as their language and many other things related to
this place. At that time, a crowd of inhabitants appears, and you are excited and happy
to say “Hello” to them with a friendly face. Suddenly, they bit you. You fail to
understand anything and try to escape this place. Later, when you spend time doing
research to find out what “Hello” means in this oasis, you realize that the word “Hello”
in this oasis sounds like “I will destroy you!”. On a serious note, translation is one of
the most critical jobs in modern society. Translation becomes more and more important
when all countries in the world have exchanged and cooperated in variety aspects like
culture, education, business, etc. However, no one has enough ability to translate;
therefore, we need to have translation.
In order to meet the demand of this multilingual world‟s whole development, it
is required an appearance of a common language that all of countries in the world can

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use. Nowadays, English has been used as the universal language all over the world. In
our country, English play an indispensable role in the economic aspect. Especially
when Viet Nam has become member of World Trade Organization, the demand to have
expert translation is necessary. It is true that all of the contracts, emails, agreements, or
conventions, etc, in English need to be translated exactly and effectively to avoid some
regrettable misunderstandings.
1.3 Types of translation
1.3.1 Word-for-word translation:
Here the source language (SL) word is translated into another language by their
most common meanings, which can also be out of context at times, especially in
idioms and proverbs.
- The following are the characteristics of this approach:
+ SL word order is preserved.

+ Words are translated in context but uncompromising to TL.
+ Transfer cultural words
+ Does not naturalize
+ Often read like a translation
Ex: He is as fast as a kangaroo.
 Nó nhanh như một con kanguru.
- This kind of translation used for:
+ Literary translation

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+ Authoritative texts
+ Drafts
1.3.4 Semantic translation:
Semantic translation refers to that type of translation, which takes into account
the aesthetic value of the SL text.
- The following are the characteristics of this approach:
+ More flexible than faithful translation
+ Naturalize a bit while faithful translation is uncompromising (but in order
to achieve aesthetic effect), for instance, it may translate cultural words
with neutral or functional items.
+ Great focus on aesthetic features of source text (at expense of meaning if
necessary).
+ Close rendering of metaphors, collocations, technical terms, slang,
colloquialisms, unusual syntactic structures and collocations, peculiarly
used words, neologism, badly written or inaccurate passages.
- This kind of translation used for:
+ Texts that have high status, e.g., religion texts, legal texts, politicians‟
speeches
+ Expressive texts, e.g., literature
Ex

But it‟s hard to hear
What I sing today
Is what I feel tomorrow?
Cảm xúc nào tôi đang mượn
Có những lúc trong tôi là hạnh phúc
Có những lúc sầu muộn lại đong đầy
Trái tim tôi tâm sự với tôi đây:
Tôi thấy xấu, buồn đau và khổ ải!
Đang trên cao cảm thấy lòng thoải mái
Bỗng ngờ đâu phút chốc lại vơi đầy
Sợ hãi nào tôi đang giữ trong tay
Nó giẫy giụa, quấy rầy cho tôi khổ
Tôi đang hát một bài ca nào đó
Lời nhạc này – cảm giác của ngày mai

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I can hear my thoughts
“What I am to borrow?”
My feelings change
Nearly every minute

I can feel my heart
Still holding fear in it

Tôi đang nghe trí óc tôi tâm sự:
Cảm giác nào cần phải mượn nữa đây?
Dẫu biết rõ cảm xúc tựa gió mây
Luôn luân chuyển vô thường trong mỗi
phút
Tôi thương cảm trái tim tôi nhỏ dại

readers.
- The following are the characteristics of this approach:
+ Bee freer than semantic translation
+ Give priority to the effectiveness of the message to be communicated
+ Focus on factors such as readability and naturalness
+ Both the content and the language are readily acceptable and
comprehensible to the reader.
- This kind of translation used for informative texts.
Ex: a small conversation between friends