Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University

Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University

ABSTRACT Translation is a compulsory subject for the students of English major at Thuongmai University Despite its importance, most learners consider traslation as the most difficult language skill to learn Because English now is not just simple basic communication or conversation with foreigners, it requires students must be able to read and understand well In other words, it is the ability to compile international documents well which related to work This is the reason why translation is one of the most important and needed skills for students to have access to the job The aim of this study is to find out, analyze difficulties in translating documents from English to Vietnamese and vice versa of third – year students at Faculty of English, Thuong Mai University The thesis will study students’ subjective and objective difficulties in learning the translation skills Then, it would like to find out the reasons for those problems and the possible solutions for both teachers and students in teaching and learning the transaltion skills and through findings collected to understand the students’ expectation in learning the translation course I hope that, with this study, students will be aware of necessary translation skills and find new ways to overcome all the difficulties faced during their translation courses at school Due to limited time, awareness and practical experience, the study could not avoid shortcomings and errors Therefore, I look forward to receiving comments and suggestions in order to perfect the study ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the process of implementing and completing the study "Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University", I received enthusiastic help from my teachers and friends My graduation paper is completed based on actual surveys from third year students in English department, selective reference from sources, the study of research results of relevant researches, books, articles, etc First and foremost, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Mrs Nguyen Bich Hong, for her guidance and encouragement during my study Like a mother walked by a child, she was always willing to help him get up whenever he falls on the ground Her deep understanding of science as well as her experience are the prerequisites for completing my thesis Without her valuable advice, inspiration and support, this thesis could not have been completed on schedule Secondly, I also would like to take this opportunity to show my sincere thanks to all my teachers of the English Faculty at Thuongmai University for their useful lessons and whole-hearted advice during four years studying here The knowledge gained in the learning process is not only the basis for the thesis research process but also valuable asset for me to enter the life in a firm and confident way In addition, we would like to extend special thanks to the third-year students of the English department who enthusiastically participated in my survey process Thanks to a large group of English-major students' cooperation, I obtained valuable data that unquestionably contributed to the matter's study Additionally, I would like to acknowledge my thanks to all the authors of the books, magazines, and other materials listed in the reference part for their ideas that have been reflected and developed in the study Especially, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my parents and my family for their love, prayers, caring and sacrifices for educating and preparing me for my future They are always my motivations that help me overcome all difficulties and challenges in life Thanks to their care, love and encouragement, I have completed my thesis in the best way I know my graduation paper still keeps mistakes for my shortcomings I would like to receive your comments, suggestions and corrections for the perfect of my own graduation paper I sincerely thank you! Hanoi, April 16th 2021 Student Nguyen Thi Thao TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii TABLE OF CONTENTS .iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v LIST OF TABLE AND FIGURES vi CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1.Rationale 1.2 Previous studies 1.3 Aims of the study 1.4 Research Subjects 1.5 Scope of the study 1.6 Research methodology 1.7.Organization of the study CHAPTER 2:LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Translation theory 2.1.1 Definition of translation 2.1.2 The importance of translation 2.1.3 Translation methods 2.1.4 Criteria of a good translation .15 2.1.5 The factors influence the translation process 18 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 24 3.1 Results from the survey questionnaire 24 3.1.1 The students’ attitude toward studying translation .24 3.1.2 Difficulties in learning translation of third-year students at TMU 29 3.1.3 How the students study translation subject? 32 3.1.4 The effects on the translation learning process 36 3.2 Results from interviews 37 CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 44 4.2 Suggestions for students .46 4.3 Suggestion for Thuongmai university 50 CONCLUSION 52 REFERENCES .I APPENDIX II LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS No Abbreviations TL SL US UK VOA UEE N English Target language Source language United States United Kingdom Voice of America University Entrance Exam Noun LIST OF TABLE AND FIGURES Diagram 2.1: Translation method V-Diagram (Newmark, Peter ) Source: 10 factors affecting translated text - Peter New Mark 18 Table 1: The reason why students study translation .24 Table 2: The time student have been learning English 25 Chart 3.1: Translation level of students 26 Chart 3.2: Students’s feeling toward translation 27 Chart 3.3 The frequency of of practicing translation 28 Table 3: Way of translation is difficult for students .29 Chart 3.4: Common difficulties when translating 30 Chart 3.5: Solutions to improve students' translation skills 33 Chart 3.6: Students prepare for new lesson before class 35 Table 4: The ways students often apply to improve their translation skill .35 Chart 3.7: Students’ opinions about translation studying time in the class 36 Chart 3.8: The teachers’ activities to help the students 37 CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1.Rationale In the context of globalization, English is playing an increasingly important role in communication among countries around the world Almost people assume of it as an international language: the official language of almost 60 countries and territories, the official language of the EU and the third most-spoken native language in the world (after Standard Chinese and Spanish) In Vietnam, English is considered a second language after only the native language because it will help the country gain opportunities in cultural exchange, learning and cooperation With the investment boom of foreign companies in Vietnam has created more and more job opportunities for graduates, especially language majors Furthermore, with trade liberalization and the globalization of the world economy, the need for English is more essential than ever Therefore, the Ministry of Education has introduced English into schools as an compulsory subject 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 Learning English now not only requires you to be able to communicate or talk with foreigners, but also it requires students to have good reading comprehension ability In other words, the ability to compile well international documents related to work well in professional working environment That is why translation is considered to be a viable solution to communication problems between people who don't speak a common language However, easier said than done, to grasp the art of translation is not like a piece of cake as it requires time, effort of learners Fluent translators are not only good at English in grammar, vocabulary, structure, et cetera, but they are also good at mother language, specialized knowledge and flexible transformation when translating from the language to another language It can sometimes be strenuous, even for multiple-language speakers, to translate a foreign article into their mother tongue At Thuongmai University, third year students from the English Department will begin to study translation related subjects such as: Translation Theory, Translation, Business Letters, etc, one of the most important majors for students of the English Department Most students can get high marks on the module tests of Translating, etc Many students find it quite easy when they have a tool to help solve all the difficult problems in smartphones, computers, laptops, macbooks and it is "Google translate" However, students often get confused or have a lot of difficulty in translating because these tools sometimes makes mistakes It could not understand the context, recognize the ideas, translate the text consistently but simply word by word For instance, the word “I” in English can be translated into "tôi, tao, tớ, tau, ta, mình, cháu, con, etc" in Vietnamese If using the online translation tool, it only means “tôi”, but if it is translated by the translator, it depends on the context, regional culture and specific context For those reasons, I made a decision to choose the study "Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University” This study is carried out with the hope that it will be a useful reference helping improve translation skill better for students From that, it can contribute to help students have a suitable learning method to get the best result 1.2 Previous studies Different studies about the difficulties in translation strategies by learners have been carried out With this research topic, there were also a few similar studies done both in Vietnam and around the world Most of the studies have pointed out the most common aspects about difficulties in learning Translation such as translation of billboards, about ministries in Vietnam, or difficulty related to vocabulary, structure, grammar, … Many studies have been carried out to help them recognize their common errors and give them some useful solutions to find out effective ways in leaning in order to improve their translation skill Thus, I would like to depend on these studies as references materials for my graduation paper The first study was made by Ngoc Anh and Tran Ha of the Faculty of Business English, Thuongmai University (2017) Scientific research on the current situation of translating names of ministries and organizations in the Vietnamese administrative system from Vietnamese to English This is a new research topic and the students also encounter a lot in the translation process Research results have shown that the majority of students will use Google and ask teachers when they encounter difficult words In addition, the research also gives a number of solutions to overcome for the 4th year students The second article is by Nguyen Thi Thu Hang titled "The first step to improve translation quality" - errors when translating Vietnamese - English of second-year translation students: The research was conducted to identify common errors when translating Vietnamese-English of second-year students majoring in English pedagogy, University of Foreign Languages - Hanoi National University The methods were used in the study which included document observations, questionnaires and interviews The combination of two quantitative and research methods allows researchers to streamline the data for reliable results Research results show that choosing vocabulary poses challenges for students and long and awkward wording is considered the most common problem for both students and teachers In conclusion, through these studies above, during translation process we will make some common errors such as structural errors, vocabulary, grammar, lexical choice, Although there were a lot of research related to this topic, these studies only go into part or a certain aspect of the difficulty that the students are facing On the other hand, the studies of other schools, although giving many suggestions but still have some points that are not suitable for students of the English department at Thuongmai University Therefore, this is also the reason and motivation for me to continue to deploy and analyze deeply into this topic in order to complete the most clearly, detail and give the ideas, opinions and views of individual to enrich the subject 1.3 Aims of the study Translation does not simply translate the meaning of a word, a sentence or a text from one language to another, but it requires that we need to understand the author's meaning, the original material and knowledge of culture and life However, there is always a difference between the two languages due to many factors The primary aim of the thesis is to find out the specific difficulties of translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University to have a good manner of studying The study also intends to find the reasons for those problems and then proposing the solutions for both teachers and students in teaching and learning the translation as well as satisfy their expectations to improve the quality of translation I hope that this study can help students of the Faculty of English at the University of Commerce understand deeply about translation methods, translation skills, correct common errors when learning translation subject 1.4 Research Subjects 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 The research subject of the study is “common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University” The study also aims at making some suggestions as a useful reference to help students adjust learning and teaching method 1.5 Scope of the study Translation is a important subject for the students of English major at Thuongmai University There are two forms of translation: written translation and spoken translation At Thuongmai University, written translation is taught for the students from the beginning of the third year Translation subject include EnglishVietnamese translation and Vietnamese - English translation and are taught in both third and fourth year university students This thesis, however, just focuses on studying the difficulties in translation process made by third-year students at Thuongmai University with the participation of 50 students majoring in English because of the limitations of time and acknowledge, the shortage of reference materials In addition, the research also performed on a number of the 3rd year students who have studied before, but the number is only quite small 1.6 Research methodology For graduation thesis, research methodology is one of the vital factors determining the success of a research paper To finalize the above aims, the study was implemented with quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection To have the most accurate results of the research, I conducted a survey questionnaire for 50 third – year students randomly to compile data in rapid period of time In the chapter 3, basing on research’s result, students recognize errors in translation and reasons for why they often make these errors In this chapter, some suggestions are given to help them overcome the problems and improve translation skills To improve students’s translation skills, both teachers and students need to change teaching and learning methods together 4.1 Suggestions for teachers It can not deny that teachers and their teaching methods were considered necessary, which can affect the learning of translation courses It is the teacher’s responsibility to satisfy all their needs as well as concretize intended aims and objectives of the course to enhance the quality of both teaching and learning That is the reason why I would like to mention some suggestions for teachers basing on student’s expectation through the interviewing questions First of all, teachers should pay attention to "catch disease" for students' translation carefully, provide knowledge, vocabulary and structure for students while teaching and learning translation-translation modules, especially in the specialized field Before each lesson, teachers should encourage students to their own research on the topic to be learned Teacher might consider creating a welcoming atmosphere during classes by maintaining interaction with students Such a comfortable condition encourages students to be opened, and they might not hesitate to ask questions whenever a problem pops up Telling a story about her experience or a hilarious joke occasionally might be suitable Praise and encourage students with the spirit of self-study, improve their vocabulary and translation ability During the teaching process, teachers must promptly commend even small progress in order to encourage and motivate students to improvement One thing that teachers often get into is that they are too complimented Therefore, teachers shoud avoid using words like "very bad", "you are very bad", "No" If using too negative words, they will feel “inspired”, easily self-conscious They should replace with softer words like “I'm afraid…, you are wrong, try again”….Teacher must know how skillful praise will make them feel more confident and excited, thereby motivated to love the subject In addition, teachers should also pay more attention to the underperforming students, provide more support and comments to help these students improve their translation ability Make requests with increasing difficulty for students to adapt and regularly check students' translations for comments Secondly, all students of English faculty at Thuongmai University have to study translation theory subject first so that it will be a basic premise for students to practice translation more effectively and accurately, then the students deeply and clearly understand the importance of translation subjects During teaching Translation Theory, teachers need to provide students with background knowledge about translation to help students clearly and deeply understand about the importance of translation in general and the values and benefits that translation brings to us in the future in particular Most of the students not realize the importance of the translation theory subject so they usually study to deal with teachers and to pass the examinations They often use tools on the internet to complete assignments and use forms of resistance when given homework At this time, teachers will play an important role for students so that they have passion and take the initiative in learning translation Teachers should have a variety of teaching methods to stimulate students' interest in learning For example, it is possible to hold small competitions between groups of students in the class to take the translation exam quickly, correctly and well In addition, teachers should also explain and correct mistakes to students when translating both Vietnamese-English and English-Vietnamese so that students can understand more quickly and clearly Certainly, no one could be confused when working with a sociable and helpful people, the same in teaching, a friendly atmosphere in classroom is believed to bring to a great impulse for studying Therefore, during his teaching time, the teacher should create a free atmosphere to help students study under no pressure and have chance to ask or state their opinions freely about some wondered things Last but not least, the teachers need to provide accurate sources to the students besides the books used in teaching to help them have more sources to consult and encourage them self study It is obvious that students differ in their learning styles and ability, therefore, teachers should adopt and adapt translation materials that match their students’ interest and background since the translation materials only become stimulating and motivating them when they are slightly challenging to what they have already known and suit their interest Besides, the allocation to equal the number of exercises and lessons between English - Vietnamese and Vietnamese English translations should be reviewed If you focus too much on English Vietnamese translation, you will be skewed, you can only study one way and the other will weaken your skills and knowledge Besides, teachers should provide vocabulary related to translated topic for students because most of the students lacks of vocabulary or their vocabulary is limited The topic given needs to be interesting, and fascinating 4.2 Suggestions for students As shown in Chapter 3, many students prefer English - to - Vietnamese texts to Vietnamese - to - English texts as those first are explicitly less complicated to conduct Through the findings of the survey questionnaire, we can see all the common difficulties affecting the students’ translation process so that I would like to offer some solutions to overcome the difficulties It can be concluded that most of biggest challenges for students to translate English- Vietnamese involving vocabulary, grammar structure and culture differences Firstly, each translated text belongs to a certain field, therefore we need a background knowledge of the field and the vocabulary of that discipline in order to translate a text in any field At least, understand the concept of the terms and use them correctly, and decrease all the difficulties stated above Some methods for students can apply such as read all related materials before starting to translate, consulting more knowledge on the internet to enrich their knowledge, thereby helping us to have easier access to that translation field By doing this, translators can choose the best equivalent and avoid the misunderstanding So, at this requirement, the translators must have a deep knowledge of both languages which he/she is translating for getting the equivalent in the target language, because the deficiency of the knowledge of both languages will result in a translation without logic and sense Learning vocabulary is a very important part of learning translation It is undeniable that reading is the best effective way to enlarge vocabulary Each student is advised to build a good habit of reading They should begin reading easier materials then they can raise their level up by reading more difficult one in a variety of topics but make sure that the text is appropriate for their own reading level When reading books and magazines, learners can learn many vocabulary words The context of a new word in a sentence or story was often enough for you to guess the meaning Connecting the new word with its family words can help them easily remember and enlarge their vocabulary knowledge The more word the students exposed to, the better vocabulary they will have While reading, the students should pay attention to words they not know Next, learners have to decide which words to learn because they cannot possibly learn all these new words They can learn the words that are related to the topics they are studying or learn the words that we read or hear again and again After learning a number of words, learners need to know how to choose suitable words for the context A word may work in this situation, but it can backfire in another Using the wrong word with the context, the situation of the text can turn into "hurtful words" For example, in the Vietnamese language, the word "die" has many equivalent words to denote the same meaning as “hi sinh, bỏ mạng, khuất núi, từ trần, đi, yên nghỉ, qua đời, …” In each case, the use of any alternative word will manifest a different nuance However, in English we are often just use the word "died" to indicate the action that the person is no more Therefore, while translating English - Vietnamese documents, depending on different circumstances, students can choose the most suitable meaning The solution to this problem is similar to the above case is that you need to read a lot of both English and Vietnamese documents Expressions of the two languages are very different, so reading a lot of documents will help you realize the expressions for these cases Besides, each language has its own fixed expression Like Vietnamese, English also has a rich idiomatic system that is widely used in life It was called idioms and collocations in English However, if we are not a native, understanding idioms is not easy I want to offer two ways to learn idioms as follows First one is to learn idioms according to groups of key words Idioms in English are also divided into groups such as groups containing animal names, words indicating body parts, adjectives, etc Please write down the meaning and usage of known idioms in a notebook divided by the above keyword system Students should spend their time on reading news, books, and newspapers every day However, students should find and read the official sources such as Vietnam News, Saigon News, etc During reading process, it is necessary for students to look up the meaning of new words in dictionary and highlight these words Students can note some new words which they don’t know in notebook in order to see again or they can give some examples for these words to deeply remember In addition, they can also learn specialized vocabulary through prestigious UK and US sites such as VOA (Voice of America) Learning English and minutes BBC Learing English About grammar, it is useful to have a detailed reference book that contain not only uses and forms of all tenses in English but also many exercises of each tense for the learners to practice To be better at English grammar, the students have to practice doing grammar exercises regularly It’s a good idea to follow style guide and grammar books This will provide an idea of the different ways to approach spelling, syntax, and style, give you a better idea of the fundamentals of grammar, and show you where the language is adaptable and where it’s inflexible Nowadays, there are many grammar books in the market which are suitable for every level of learners as “English grammar in use” (Raymond Murphy), “The grammar book” (Marianne Celce - Murcia, Diane Larsen - Freeman) and “The good grammar book” (Oxford) Besides, you can seek the help of someone who’s qualified to teach you Many community colleges offer language courses, or you can ask around at your local high school or college to see if any English students want to make some extra money tutoring you Language is the most profound expression of a culture and cultural elements present in all aspects of language Language and culture are inseparable The cultural specific expressions are somehow difficult to translate, even professional translators find it difficult to deal with them That is because the cultural context is too vague The cultures of different languages are not always similar, and there are always certain differences between them During the translation process, the students face a lot of problems whether or not to translate these cultural elements into the target language For example, in British culture, they have a clear distinction between cakes include bread, donut, cake, However, in Vietnamese culture, it is almost impossible to distinguish these types of cakes Therefore, when translating these cakes into Vietnamese, the translator uses the characteristics of the cake to name that type of cake, for example cake - bánh ngọt, donut - bánh rán, bread - bánh mì On the contrary, some dishes expressing Vietnamese culture such as "banh xeo" should or should not be translated into English because there are almost no English names to describe properly Maybe this is not a problem you encounter quite often, but if you encounter it, it is very difficult to solve and practice to improve because the cultures of the countries are extremely diverse and different The best suggestion for you to deal with when encountering these problems is that students should carefully look for such cultural phrases If you cannot find a suitable translation, you should leave the word intact and use the translation method to further explain your understanding of the phrase According to my experiences news programs in English speaking countries with English subtitles are really good training materials Watching foreign films or foreign TV programs is a great way to help student both learn more about language and also about culture and cultural differences These days there are tons of films available that deal with interesting intercultural issues When studying a movie in depth, it can be very helpful to have a copy of the screenplay In this way, the dialog of the movie becomes the “text” on which the lessons are based A large number of students beleive that they should register for courses in English centers to have a practical environment to translate terms as well as difficult text This solution is considered to be useful for students who have weak translation ability, vocabulary is not rich, and use many meaningless words in the translation process Only when taking the translation courses in the center, students are often taught to their own level and the instructor also has plenty of time outside the classroom to guide the students if they have difficulty in learning translation In addition, students have the opportunity to exchange with other students to expand and improve their translation knowledge in general and the ability to translate when participating in translation courses Students should create their own motivation for study by finding out the most suitable learning methods for themselves Once they are fond of translating, they will spend more time studying One of the best way that helps students have stronger motivation is studying with groups Instead of learning myself, working in group can create the competitiveness during studying Students can learn more things from their friends They can share ideas as well as learning method together We can find new knowledge from friends that are not always available in books In addition, students need to make use of their time in class to ask their teachers and friends to correct mistakes that they often make in their translation process If normally we translate without someone’s help to fix mistakes, thanks to teachers or friends who will help our translation become more correct, students will realize the mistakes they often make so that they can have most fluent translation Last but not least, it is obvious that practice is the best way to improve students’ translation skills and to reduce translation errors To learn a language well, specifically is English, it requires a long process, not a day or two Through practice with feedback, students learn to correct errors or mistakes and from that they can improve their translation skills Some of our friends had a chance to work as a translator for publishers in Hanoi The part-time job provided them a fair amount of money and exposed them to the works as a translator When asked about what they thought toward translation classes, they answered eagerly that the class was beneficial As a result, they passed courses with flying colors Therefore, it depends a lot on efforts as well as on the absorption of each person 4.3 Suggestion for Thuongmai university On the side of Thuongmai University, the researcher proposes a solution to invest in additional equipment necessary to serve the subject for students to learn better In addition, the school library should also supplement resources, books, magazines, especially in the political field to help students improve the efficiency of self-study The university can open a multimedia room with computers connected to the network and soundproof translation devices to help students be more interested in learning the translation subject In addition, the school should organize translation classes with fewer students to increase the interaction between teachers and students in the translation learning process Another new point, the school and the English department can organize extra-curricular lessons for students to get acquainted and practice translating as early as second and third year students CONCLUSION The importance of English is undeniable in modern society Students who are good at English certainly have more opportunities to success than those who own poor English ability Therefore, nowadays, students pay much their attention to the international language learning For most learners, however, it is not easy to master English and translation skills are considered as the most difficult to learning The important role of English is illustrated in all fields such as politic, science, economy, culture and so on Therefore, translation plays an importance role, especially in the age of globalization This research is divided into four main chapters The first chapter is Overview of the study This chapter is a short description of the study that provides general information about the study The second chapter is Literature review, it includes the concepts related to the term “translation” and the difficulties in Vietnamese-English translation process and classification of translation errors The third part is called “Research findings and Discussion” This chapter provides data analysis, results and discussion The last one is called “Recommendations and suggestion” Here are the most common problems in translation affirmed by the learners: the time they spend on self-studying is too little, their vocabulary is poor, and the leaners’ inappropriate strategies would be a hindrance for their translation skills The problems are also caused from the translation materials To improve their translation skills, the students should change their strategies and habit when translation, as well as enrich their knowledge about vocabulary, grammar, etc Above all, they should spend more time on practicing translation daily In addition, the teachers should pay more attention to their students and find out the learners’ difficulties in order to help their students overcome these problems and improve their translation skills It is a strong hope that the study with all suggestions above will be a useful reference to help improve the quality of both learning and training at Thuongmai University Hopefully, the study will also be a helpful companion for all those who are interested in written translation and want to be a professional translator Nevertheless, this study had some its own limitations Shortcomings and mistakes were unavoidable so the researcher wishes to receive positive comments and contributing ideas from others Because time is limited, research cannot cover all aspects of the problem and focus only on the most typical ones Besides, the researcher strong hopes that in study’s scope, the research is able to contribute its usefulness to help English-majored students in particular and readers who are interested in Vietnamese-English translation in general find out the most appropriate learning methods to enhance their own Vietnamese-English translation skills REFERENCES Nguyen Thi Bien (2012) “The difficulties and suggested solutions in translating tourism terms from English into Vietnamese”, Foreign Languages Department at Haiphong Private University Nguyen Thi Thu Hang and Trieu Thu Hang (2015) “Vietnamese-English translation errors made by second year translation-majored students: An initial step toward enhancing translation standards.”, Faculty of English Language Teacher Education, VNU University of Languages and International Studies Nguyen Thi Hong Tham and Bui Thi Huyen Tran (2013) “English Major Students’ Difficulties and Expectations in Learning Written Translation” at Dong Thap University Tran Thi Ngoc Ha (2010) "A study on translation of typical terms used in labor law" at Haiphong Private University Foreign Languages Department Wilss (1982) “The science of translation: Problems and methods (292 pages)”, Han P Krings, University of Bochum Mr Abdelwahed (2010): "Students' difficulties and strategies in Translation" at Constantin University Definition of translation – Wikipedia: available at https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwGCkdRwBfZCdzFZgTbMVltdd Gf?projector=1&messagePartId=0.3 Newmark, Peter (1988) Textbook of Translation Oxford: Pergamon Press Newmark, Peter (1981) Approaches to Translation (Language Teaching Methodology Senes) Oxford: Pergamon Press, 213 pages 10 Munday.J (2004) “Introducing translation study Theories and Applications, Londres-Nova York, Routledge.” 11 El Zeini, N T (1994) Criteria for the Evaluation of Translation: A Pragmastylistic approach (Unpublished doctoral dissertation) Faculty of Arts, Cairo University 12 Laura Rebeca (2017) “Translation Problems and Difficulties in Applied Translation processes” of Western University of Arad APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE Dear, third-year students! I am Nguyen Thi Thao, the final year student at Thuongmai University This survey questionnaire is designed for my graduation paper namely: "Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University" I hope you can help me fill the questionnaire which I can collect information to my graduation paper I will instruct you how to answer each question All of your comments are valuable to my study I hope to receive honest and objective comments from your side I highly appreciate your contribution to my study The data collected is used in the research paper only, and not for any commercial purposes Thank you for your cooperation! Sincerely! What is your name? ……………………………………………………………………………… Your class: ……………………………………………………………………………… Your gender: o Male o Female Question 1: The reason why students study translation A Because it is a compulsory subject B Because it is helpful, I can get lots of information when doing translation C Because translation is my favorite subject D It is practical It helps me enlarge my vocabulary and grammar E Because I want to study more skills to make myself more perfect F High income, attractive working environment Question 2: How long have you been learning English? A More than 11 years B 6-11 years C Less than years Question 3: How you rate your translation skill proficiency? A Good B Quite good C Average D Below average Question 4: What is your feeling toward translation? A Interesting and helpfull B Difficult but boring C Difficult but interesting D Easy and helpless Question 5: The frequency of you in self-studying English translation at home weekly A Rarely B Sometimes C Usually D Always Question 6: In your opinion, which form of translation is the most difficult to translate? A English - Vietnamese B Vietnamese - English C Both English-Vietnamese and Vietnamese-English are difficult D Both English-Vietnamese and Vietnamese-English are easy Question 7: What is difficult problems you have when learning translation subject? (You can choose up to three answers) A Using structures, the grammar is still wrong B Word choice C.Misunderstanding about culture D Effects of mother tongue E Lack of reading and writing skill F Translating fixed expressions (idioms, collocations, phrase verb, ) G Context meaning H Other comments Question 8: How you deal with a translation text? A Look up its meaning by dictionary B Ask your teacher or your friends C Using the google translation tool or translating application D Translate it as tranditional meaning E Just read and ignore it Question 9: How you prepare for new lesson before class? A Prepare grammar structures need to be used B Prepare new vocabulary C Try to translate it and wait for feedback in class D Just read it and nothing E Do nothing to prepare Question 10: What you to improve your translation skill? A Learning vocabulary B Concentrating on learning grammar by doing grammar exercises C Reading translating texts from English to Vietnamese and vice versa from newspaper, magazines, article, etc D Practicing to translate texts E Others Question 11: Do you feel that translation studying time in the class (3 periods / week) is reasonable? A Very reasonable B Reasonable C Unreasonable Question 12: What is the teachers’ activities to help the students overcome these problems? A Innovate teaching methods B Give more exercises C Offer a variety of topic D Provide adequate modern equipment INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Question 1: Self-evaluating the students’ s English translation proficiency Question 2: The students’difficulties in studying English translation skills and the causes for these difficulties Question 3: What is your method of studying translation? Question 4: What ideas you have with the school or subject teacher to improve results as well as translation skills for students? ... students still have difficulties in learning this kind of subject The research subject of the study is ? ?common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students. ..ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In the process of implementing and completing the study "Common difficulties in learning the translation subject of third year English majored students at Thuongmai University" ,... Self-evaluating the students? ?? s English translation proficiency Starting the interview, the students were asked to evaluate their proficiency in translation ability Most of them supposed that their translation