A survey in students reading habits and problems in translation some suggestions for the improvement

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - - GRADUATION THESIS TITLE: A SURVEY IN STUDENTS’ READING HABITS AND PROBLEMS IN TRANSLATION SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT STUDENT’S NAME: HUYNH THI NGOC HANH STUDENT ID NUMBER: 13015981 CLASS: DHAV9 COURSE: 2013 – 2017 SUPERVISOR: Senior Lecturer NGUYEN KHANH DU,DBA HCMC, May 2017 Date of submission: 25/05/2017 Student Name: HUYNH THI NGOC HANH Supervisor’s Name: Senior Lecturer NGUYEN KHANH DU, DBA “I certify that this work is entirely my own and has not been accepted as part of submission to another purpose elsewhere” Signed: ………………………………………………………… Word length: 14860 words DECLARATION My full name is Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh I declare that this graduation thesis entitled “A Survey in Students‟ Reading Habits and Problems in Translation Some suggestions for the improvement” is my original work I also certify that the content of the thesis is the result of my creation and effort, and does not include any plagiarism TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 Statement of the Problem 1.3 Purpose of the Study 1.4 Research Questions 1.5 Significance of the Study 1.6 Scope of the Study CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 An Overview of Translation 2.1.1 Definitions of Translation 2.1.2 The Importance of Translation 2.1.3 Translation Process 2.1.3.1 Pre-translation 2.1.3.2 While-translation 10 2.1.3.3 Post-translation 12 2.1.4 Some Difficulties in Translating 13 2.2 An Overview of Reading Habits 15 2.2.1 Reading and Reading Comprehension 15 2.2.1.1 Definitions of Reading 15 2.2.1.2 Definitions of Reading Comprehension 16 2.2.1.3 The Importance of Reading Comprehension 18 2.2.2 Definitions of Reading Habits 18 2.2.3 The Correlation between Reading Habits and Reading Comprehension 20 2.3 The Benefits of Reading Habits 20 CHAPTER METHODOLOGY 24 3.1 Research Procedure 24 3.2 Participants 24 3.3.1 The Researcher 24 3.3.2 The Subjects 24 3.3 Data Collection Instrument 25 3.4 Data Collection Procedure 27 3.5 Data Analysis Procedure 27 3.6 Summary 28 CHAPTER RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 29 4.1 Results from the Questionnaire 29 4.1.1 The Reality of English-majored Juniors’ Translation Learning 29 4.1.2 The Reality of English-majored Juniors’ Reading Habits 33 4.1.3 Students’ Opinions on the Relationship between Reading Habits and Translation 39 4.2 Results from Translating Exercises 44 4.2.1 Translating from English into Vietnamese 44 4.2.2 Translating from Vietnamese into English 45 4.3 Discussion 45 CHAPTER CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 47 5.1 Overview and Summary of the Thesis 47 5.2 Recommendations 47 5.2.1 For Students 47 5.2.2 For Teachers 48 5.3 Limitations of the Study 49 REFERENCES 50 APPENDICES 54 APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS 54 APPENDIX 2: TRANSLATING EXERCISES 60 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS IUH: Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City FFL: Faculty of Foreign Languages SL: Source Language TL: Target Language ST: Source Text TT: Target Text TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 2.1: A simplified Translation Process Figure 2.2: Translation process by Nida (1969) Figure 2.3: Comprehension‟s elements Table 3.1: Questionnaires for part Table 4.1: The level of satisfaction of English-majored juniors from translation marks Table 4.2: Materials/sources used for learning and practicing translating skills Table 4.3: Students‟ perspective on the relationship between reading habits and translation Chart 4.1: The level of satisfaction of English-majored juniors from translation marks Chart 4.2: Students‟ translation process Chart 4.3: Students‟ difficulties in learning translation Chart 4.4: Students‟ methods for improving translating skills Chart 4.5: Materials/sources used for learning and practicing translating skills Chart 4.6: Favorite topics of students Chart 4.7: Students‟ difficulties in reading the above materials/sources Chart 4.8: The benefits of reading mentioned materials/sources Chart 4.9: The frequency of reading Chart 4.10: Factors affecting students‟ reading habits Chart 4.11: Students‟ opinions on the relationship between reading habits and translation Chart 4.12: Students‟ attention to factors in reading materials/sources Chart 4.13: Methods of improving students‟ reading habits Chart 4.14: Methods of improving translating skills through reading habits ABSTRACT Translation plays a significant role in people‟s lives because it reduces the impact of language barriers However, translation learning is still a hard job for students and translators Besides, reading is considered to be one of the most important factors to improve translation ability If this activity is performed regularly, the translation ability is also affected Therefore, this thesis aims at finding out the reality of student‟s reading habits and problems in translation as well as the benefits of reading habits to translation Besides, some suggestions to improve both students‟ reading habits and translation‟s difficulties will be concerned The study was carried out at Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City with the participation of 155 English-majored juniors The main data collection instrument is questionnaires, comprising 15 questions and translating exercises After the study, students and teachers can realize their reading habits and problems in translation as well as the benefits of reading habits As a result, students enhance their awareness of the significance of reading habits as well as translation Moreover, possible solutions can be inferred to help them overcome difficulties of translation through reading habits and improve their reading culture Key words: reading habits, translation, difficulties, suggestions, reality, benefits ACKNOWLEDGEMENT During the period of carrying out the thesis, the writer received a plenty of enthusiastic help and support that guide and encourage her to overcome all obstacles and finish all tasks in the best way Firstly, the writer would like to express her deep gratitude to the School Board of the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City and the Faculty of Foreign Languages creating favorable conditions for her to accomplish the thesis Secondly, she sincerely thanks her supervisor, Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA He conscientiously instructed and organized her how to deal with the graduation thesis from the beginning During the process of studying, he enthusiastically provided interesting information and useful materials for her, which enhanced her knowledge about the concerned issue Furthermore, with professional experiences and insightful comments, he gave her helpful advice which helped her to correct serious mistakes After completing the thesis, she can have a deeper view of the correlation between reading habits and translation In addition, she would like to express her sincere thanks to class DHAV9 All members shared her feelings and gave her advice during the internship As a result, she can overcome this hard period Finally, the writer sincerely thanks her parents for their considerable support in finance and spirit so that she could focus on my work and complete her graduation thesis successfully In short, she is really grateful to all people helping her to finish this graduation thesis SUPERVISOR’S REMARKS ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………… ………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………… ………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………… ………………………………………………………………… ………………………… SUPERVISOR: …………………… SIGNED: …………………………… Student‟s name: Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh Student ID Number: 13015981 In fact, a large number of students run into difficulties because of inappropriate translation processes, improper methods, new vocabulary, unknown cultural knowledge, grammar, etc Among methods offered to students, reading is regarded as one of the most effective ways Thus, students try to read many kinds of reading materials/sources or topics written in English – Vietnamese However, translation 1‟s topics comprise economics, social issues, education, etc while a significant of students tend to read about entertainment This is the main reason why their translating ability is still limited because translation learning requires a wide knowledge of many issues or a particular domain Third, 100% of students highly appreciate the relationship between reading habits and translation Clearly, reading habits provide them with all aspects related to translation such as vocabulary, knowledge of culture, writing styles, grammar, equivalent meanings, etc Moreover, the writer suggested some approaches to improve translating skills through reading habits Although there are many obstacles to maintaining reading habits, students still perform according to these recommendations Finally, facts based on translating exercises confirm errors caused by the actual difficulties of students Besides mentioned factors, students have a problem that they not review what they translated After all, the writer still highly appreciates the efforts of students because they has tried to enhance both reading habits and translating ability Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA 46 Student‟s name: Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh Student ID Number: 13015981 CHAPTER CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 5.1 Overview and Summary of the Thesis It cannot be denied that translation not only provides a link between a language and others but also plays a vital role in expanding people‟s knowledge about linguistic aspects, culture, etc Nonetheless, translation learning and practice are considered to be the most challenging tasks for students as well as translators Therefore, enhancing translating skills is the top priority Thanks to good reading habits, students can gradually acquire all factors related to translation, including vocabulary, cultural knowledge, writing styles, grammar, etc In fact, although all students realize reading habits‟ benefits and spend time on reading English and Vietnamese materials/sources, they not have good reading habits Therefore, the writer hopes that this study will help students realize the reality of their reading habits and the benefits of them as well as have a deeper view of difficulties of translation Then, students can find some methods to improve both reading habits and translating ability She also realizes that efforts and attitudes are the most important factors influencing the improvement of both translation learning and reading habits The study has five main chapters as below: The first part is Introduction which provides readers with reasons for carrying out the study, research questions, the statement, the significance and the scope of the study The second one is Literature Review The writer intends to find out the perceptive of previous scholars on the translation‟s theory as well as reading habits Besides, she points out some obstacles to translation learning, the impacts of reading habits on these problems and attempts to develop students‟ awareness of what they should enhance In the Methodology, the writer interprets the participants, the research methodology, research methods as well as the process of collecting and analyzing data The important part is the Results and Discussion which assists the writer to confirm what she mentioned in previous parts Finally, the writer summarizes and gives students and teachers some suggestions to enhance reading habits and improve translation learning through reading habits 5.2 Recommendations 5.2.1 For Students Firstly, students should practice translating according to the appropriate process and methods instead of translating word-by-word or using dictionaries excessively This is because the version will provide misleading information and make readers dissatisfied with Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA 47 Student‟s name: Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh Student ID Number: 13015981 the TT‟s content There are two important things that students have to remember, including reading the ST carefully and revising the TT thoroughly The quality of the final work will depend on these steps Furthermore, through reading habits, translation learners should highlight new words, phrases to guess the closest equivalent in the TL, analyze sentence structures to avoid grammar mistakes and pay attention to the differences in writing styles and culture of English and Vietnamese Notably, students can read reading materials (written in English or Vietnamese) many times to get a thorough understanding of the content and the author‟s intention, then say the text in the TL Secondly, students can improve their reading habits by keeping reading materials/sources handy because this way will connect reading to their daily life To gain the best effect of reading habits, students should get themselves a purpose and integrate their cognitive ability, background knowledge and reading skills For those who not have reading habits, they can begin reading their favorite topics in 15 minutes every day and then steadily increase the reading time and discover other topics To make reading habits more pleasurable, they can use many types of reading materials Finally, positive attitudes, efforts and regular practice will better both students‟ translating skills and reading habits They should try to reduce the time spending on social websites and practice translating a lot 5.2.2 For Teachers Before studying translation, students learned other subjects which are the basic of translation, especially reading Thus, the writer suggests that reading teachers should enhance students‟ reading habits during the process of learning reading Besides knowledge taught in class, they can provides other reading materials/sources related to various topics so that students can read them anywhere and anytime In addition, comprehension strategies and reading skills should be explained carefully Moreover, not only reading teachers but also translation teachers can enhance students‟ reading habits by sending them reference materials/sources Thanks to this, they can get accustomed to many types of translation materials, writing styles, expand vocabulary and practice translating Translation teachers should point out prominent details so that students can analyze information in the ST before starting to translate Last but not least, teachers‟ encouragement plays a significant role in fostering students‟ efforts and attitudes towards translation and reading habits Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA 48 Student‟s name: Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh Student ID Number: 13015981 5.3 Limitations of the Study Though the writer puts considerable efforts into the issue she concerns, there are some limitations in this study First, due to the limited time, she cannot carry out a large-scale survey with the participation of teachers and more students If the writer had a chance, she would deliver more questionnaires to translation teachers and students, interview them as well as observe the process of learning translation in classes Second, when studying about translation and reading habits, she realizes that there are many things which need to be considered Therefore, the thesis cannot discover all aspects of the two mentioned issues The writer hopes that other researchers who concern about this topic will avoid these limitations to make later researches more effective Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA 49 Student‟s name: Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh Student ID Number: 13015981 REFERENCES Ablog, L I (2015) Correlation of Students’ Reading Habits to Their Vocabulary Knowledge and Reading Comprehension Retrieved from http://earchivetsu.com/admin/pdf/Correlation_of_Students_Reading_Habits_to_their_ Vocabulary_Knowledge_and_Reading_Comprehension.pdf Anderson, R C., Hiebert, E H., Scott, J A., & Wilkinson, A G (1985) Becoming a Nation of Readers: The Report of the Commission on Reading Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Education Armbruster, B B (2010) Put Reading First: the Research Building Block for Teaching Children to Read: Kindergarten Through Grade (3rd ed.) Washington, D.C.: National Institute for Literacy Baker, M (1992) In other words: a course book on translation London: Routledge Bassnett, S (2002) Translation studies (3rd ed.) London and New York: Routledge Bell, R.T (1991) Translation and Translating: Theory and Practice London and New York: Longman Bui, T B., & Dang, X T (1997) Interpreting and Translation Course Book Hanoi: Hanoi University of Foreign Studies Burton, D., & Bartlett, S (2005) Practitioner Research for Teachers London: Paul Chapman Publishing Catford, J C (1965) A linguistic Theory of Translation London: Oxford University Press Chettri, K., & Rout, S K (2013) Reading Habits – An Overview IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 14(6), 13-17 Cunningham, A E., & Stanovich, K E (1998) What Reading Does for the Mind American Educator, 22(1), 8-15 Danner, U N., Aarts, H., & Vries, N K (2008) Habit vs intention in the prediction of future behavior: The role of frequency, context stability and mental accessibility of past behavior British Journal of Social Psychology, 47, 245-265 doi: 10.1348/014466607X230876 Dawson, C (2002) Practical Research Method: A User-friendly Guide to Mastering Research Techniques and Projects Oxford, United Kingdom: How To Books Frijuniarsi, N., Marlianingsih, N (2016) The Effects of Reading Habit and Vocabulary Mastery Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA 50 Student‟s name: Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh Student ID Number: 13015981 towards Students‟ Listening Skill as State Senior High Schools in East Jakarta Lingua Cultura, 10(1), 19-24 doi: 10.21512/lc.v10i1.828 Guo, M (2013) A Comparative Study on Translators‟ Styles in Literary Translation Studies in Literature and Language, 7(3), 109-112 Harmer, J (2007) The Practice of English Language Teaching (4th ed.) Harlow, United Kingdom: Pearson Education Limited Hartmann, R.R.K., & Stork, F C (1972) Dictionary of Language and Linguistics Amsterdam: Applied Science House, J & Blum-Kulka, S (1986) Interlingual and Intercultural Communication: Discourse and Cognition in Translation and Second Language Acquisition Studies T bingen: G Narr Jakobson, R (1959) On Linguistics Aspects of Translation In Brower R A (ed.) (1959), On Translation Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 232 – 239 Janthong, J., & Sripetpun, W (2010) English Reading Comprehension and Reading Habit Improvement: Use of Questioning Technique Retrieved from http://fs.libarts.psu.ac.th/research/conference/proceedings-2/3pdf/009.pdf Krashen, S (2004) The Power of Reading: Insight from the Research Portsmouth: Heineman Kruidenier, J (2002) Research-based Principles for Adult Basic Education Reading Instruction Washington, D.C.: National Institute for Literacy Kumar, R (1996) Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners (3rd ed.) Los Angeles: SAGE Publications Larson, M L (1998) Meaning-Based Translation: A Guide to Cross Language Equivalence (2nd ed.) Lanham, Md.: University Press of America Larson-Freeman, D (2000) Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching (2nd ed.) Oxford: Oxford University Press Lee, S.Y., & Krashen, S (1996) Free Voluntary Reading and Writing Competence in Taiwanese High School Students Perceptual and Motor Skills, 83, 687- 690 Lewis-Beck, M S., Bryman, A., & Liao, T F (2004) The Sage Encyclopedia of Social Science Research Methods Thousand Oaks: Calif Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA 51 Student‟s name: Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh Student ID Number: 13015981 Lone, F A (2011) Reading Habits of Rural and Urban College Students in the 21st Century Library Philosophy and Practice, 2011, 1-9 Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/586 Lotman, J., & Uspensky, B A (1978) On the Semiotic Mechanism of Culture New Literary History, 9(2), 211-232 Maula, I (2015) The Correlation between Students’ Reading Habit and Their Ability of Writing Narrative Text Retrieved from http://lib.unnes.ac.id/20505/1/2201411051S.pdf Munday, J (2001) Introducing Translation Studies Theories and Applications London and New York: Routledge Newmark, P (1988) A Textbook of Translation New York: Prentice Hall Newmark, P (1991) About Translation Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Newmark, P (1998) More paragraphs on translation Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Newmark, P (2001) Approaches to Translation Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press Nguyen, Q H (2012) Hướng dẫn kỹ thuật biên dịch Anh – Việt, Việt – Anh NXB Tổng hợp TP.HCM Nguyen, T H (2015) Cẩm nang luyện dịch Việt – Anh NXB Đại học Quốc gia Hà Nội Nida, E A., & Taber, C R (1969) The Theory and Practice of Translation Leiden: E.J Brill Nord, C (2005) Text Analysis in Translation: Theory, Methodology, and Didactic Application of a Model for Translation-Oriented Text Analysis (2nd ed.) Amsterdam, New York: Rodopi Oettinger, A G (1960) Automatic Language Translation: Lexical and Technical Aspects, with Particular Reference to Russian Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press Ögeyik, M.C., & Akyay, E (2009) Investigating Reading Habits and Preferences of Student Teachers at Foreign Language Departments The International Journal of Language, Society and Culture, 28, 72-78 Retrieved from http://www.educ.utas.edu.au/users/tle/JOURNAL/issues/2009/28-7.pdf Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA 52 Student‟s name: Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh Student ID Number: 13015981 Oguz, E., Yildiz, A., & Hayirsever, F (2009) Assessing Reading Habits of Future Classroom Teachers in the Context of Their Socio-Demographic Features International Scholarly and Scientific Research & Innovation, 3(7), 1499-1502 Retrieved from scholar.waset.org/1999.10/2801 Palani, K K (2012) Promoting Reading Habits and Creating Literate Society International Refereed Research Journal, 3(2), 90-94 Pym, A (2010) Exploring translation theories London: Routledge Reiß, K., & Vermeer, H J (1984) Grundlegung einer allgemeinen Translationstheorie T bingen: Niemeyer Richards, J C., & Schmidt, R W (2002) Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics (3rd ed.) New York: Longman Shen, L (2006) Computer Technology and College Students‟ Reading Habits Chia-nan Annual Bulletin, 32, 559-572 Simons, G F., & Charles D F (2017) Ethnologue: Languages of the World (20th ed.) Dallas, Texas: SIL International Snow, C (2002) Reading for Understanding: Toward an R&D Program in Reading Comprehension Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation Westwood, P (2008) What Teachers Need to Know About Reading and Writing Difficulties Camberwell, Australia: ACER Press Wilss, W (1982) The Science of Translation Stuttgart: Gunter Narr verlag Tubingen Wixson, K., Peters, C., Weber, E., & Roeber, E (1987) New directions in statewide reading assessment The Reading Teacher, 40, 749-754 Woolley, G (2011) Reading Comprehension: Assisting Children with Learning Difficulties Netherlands: Springer Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA 53 Student‟s name: Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh Student ID Number: 13015981 APPENDICES APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS My name is Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh, I am now a senior student majoring in English at the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City (IUH) I am currently studying the topic “The Correlation between Reading Habits and English-Majored Students’ Improvement of Translating Skills” Your assistance in completing the following items is greatly appreciated Hopefully, I will receive your willing co-operation to complete this study Thank you for your co-operation! Instructions: Circle or tick  the answers which are right or suit you Some questions allow you to choose more than one answer or write down your own answers Please carefully read the instruction for each question before you select the answers Are you pleased with your translation marks? (only one option is possible) A Yes I got high marks because I had translation methods B Yes My marks were quite high but I haven‟t had my translation methods C No I need to improve my translating skills more What is your translation process when translating a source text? (more than one choice is possible) A Translate word-by-word, sentence-by sentence, without reading the source text in advance B Read the source text to understand thoroughly the writer‟s thought Then, identify difficult words and phrases, grammar structures and start translating Finally, review the target text C Look up dictionaries while reading the source text, then start translating D Translate the contents that you understand and ignore some difficult words and phrases, etc E Others: What difficulties you face when translating from English into Vietnamese and vice versa? (more than one choice is possible) A Do not understand thoroughly English and Vietnamese writing styles B Cannot understand thoroughly the content of the source text Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA 54 Student‟s name: Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh Student ID Number: 13015981 C Lack background knowledge (culture, customs, etc.) D Too many terminologies, difficult words and phrases, etc E Cannot find equivalent meanings of words in Vietnamese and English F Make mistakes in grammar and sentence structures G Do not know translation methods H Get confused about polysemy, metonymy, metaphors, etc in English I Add or omit the content of the source text J Translate too freely or mistranslate into the target language K Others: ……………………………………………………………………………… What you often to improve your translating skills? (more than one choice is possible) A Translate what you studied in class again B Read some materials/sources in English, English – Vietnamese and try to translate into the target language C Highlight new words, phrases, idioms, etc and make sentences using those words D Find useful translation methods that suit you E Ask feedback from your teachers and friends F Do grammar exercises G Others: …………………………………………………………………………… What materials/sources you use to learn and practice translating skills? (more than one choice is possible, tick () the box that suits you) A Translation B Reference books  Nguyễn Quốc Hùng, M.A (2012) Hướng dẫn kỹ thuật biên dịch Anh – Việt, Việt – Anh NXB Tổng Hợp TP.HCM  Nguyễn Thu Huyền, (2015) Cẩm nang luyện dịch Việt – Anh NXB Đại Học Quốc Gia Hà Nội C Online sources:  http://tuoitrenews.vn/: Tuổi Trẻ News  http://thanhniennews.com/page/default/aspx: Thanh Niên News  e.vnexpress.net: VNExpress International  http://www.bbc.com/news: BBC News  https://www.bloomberg.com/: Bloomberg Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA 55 Student‟s name: Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh Student ID Number: 13015981  Others: D English, English – Vietnamese books, novels E English, Vietnamese newspapers F TOEIC, IELTS materials G English and Vietnamese contracts, documents H Others: ……………………………………………………………………………… What topics in the above materials/ sources would you like to read? (more than one choice is possible) A Economics – Politics B Science – Technology C Entertainment D Health E Sports F Education G Tourism H Food I Culture - Arts J Nature What difficulties you face when reading materials/sources stated above? (more than one choice is possible) A Unknown vocabulary, phrases, idioms, etc B Grammar structures C Misunderstanding of the content D Unknown cultural knowledge E Writing styles F Lack of attention G Others: …………………………………………………………………………… After reading materials/ sources stated above, you can: (more than one choice is possible) A Learn new words, phrases, idioms, etc B Use grammar structures correctly C Widen your background knowledge about culture, customs, etc Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA 56 Student‟s name: Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh Student ID Number: 13015981 D Learn writing styles of English and Vietnamese E Satisfy your hobby which is reading F Satisfy your interest in the topics G Others: …………………………………………………………………………… How often you read materials/ sources stated above? (only one option is possible) A Seldom (less than 20%) B Sometimes (about 20%) C Often (about 60%) D Usually (more than 80%) E Always (100%) 10 What are factors that affect your reading habits? (more than one choice is possible) A Reading is not your hobby B You would like to read other kinds of books (Chinese novels, romance books, etc.) C You cannot understand thoroughly the content of these materials/ sources D You are tired of looking up dictionaries due to difficult words, phrases E You spend time on social websites (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) F You have no time to read G You not have conditions to approach these materials/ sources H Others: ……………………………………………………………………… 11 Do you think that your reading habits can improve your translating skills? (only one option is possible) A Yes B No 12 Why you think reading habits can/ cannot improve your translating skills? (Tick  on the “Yes” column for agreement and “No” column for disagreement) Reason Yes No There is no connection between reading habits and translating skills Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA 57 Student‟s name: Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh Student ID Number: 13015981 Reading frequently provides you with new words, phrases, idioms, etc Reading habits help you have deeper perspectives on Vietnamese and English writing styles Reading habits give you a wide knowledge of English and Vietnamese culture to translate Through reading habits, you use grammar structure correctly Reading habits improve your writing skills Through reading habits, you translate the source text into the target text quickly and easily Thanks to reading habits, you can quickly choose proper words appropriate to the source text‟s style 13 What you notice when reading the above materials/ sources regularly? (more than one choice is possible) A New vocabulary, phrases, etc B Idioms, proverbs, slang, etc C Grammar and sentence structures D Writing styles in both English and Vietnamese E Equivalent meanings of words in Vietnamese and English F Figures of speech (simile, metaphor, metonymy, etc.) G Contents H Cultural knowledge, customs I Others:…………………………………………………………………………… 14 What you often to improve your reading habits? (more than one choice is possible) A Create a reading list B Choose the topics that you like (written in English/ English – Vietnamese) Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA 58 Student‟s name: Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh Student ID Number: 13015981 C Choose carefully kinds of materials that you read (written in English/ English – Vietnamese) D Use various means to read (books, newspapers, smartphone, computer, etc.) E Reduce social media distractions F Others: ……………………………………………………………………………… 15 What you to improve your translating skills through reading habits? (more than one choice is possible) A Find many materials/ sources related to the source text and read regularly B Highlight or note new words, phrases, idioms in materials/ sources, then try to find the meaning of them in English or Vietnamese without using dictionaries C Highlight or note sentences, analyze grammar structures, then find other ways to express in English or Vietnamese D Read materials/ sources many times and immediately translate into the target language in your mind E Others: ……………………………………………………………………………… Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA 59 Student‟s name: Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh Student ID Number: 13015981 APPENDIX 2: TRANSLATING EXERCISES I Translate from English into Vietnamese: My life passed by like a New York minute When Mexicans position themselves half a meter away from English people, they are ready to talk business II Translate from Vietnamese into English: Họa hoằn du lịch nước Bảo hiểm y tế Việt Nam thành lập sau Chính phủ nghị định 299/HĐBT ngày 15/8/1992 ban hành điều lệnh bảo hiểm y tế THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME SPENT ON MY QUESTIONS Supervisor: Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA 60 ... questions and translating exercises After the study, students and teachers can realize their reading habits and problems in translation as well as the benefits of reading habits As a result, students. .. student‟s reading habits and problems in translation as well as the benefits of reading habits to translation Besides, some suggestions to improve both students? ?? reading habits and translation? ??s difficulties... discuss the reality, difficulties of students? ?? translation learning and reading habits as well as their perception of the relationship between reading habits and translation Some translation errors