An investigation into the effect of reading english newspapers on the english majoyed juniors in translation

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - - GRADUATION THESIS AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECT OF READING ENGLISH NEWSPAPERS ON THE ENGLISH-MAJORED JUNIORS IN TRANSLATION STUDENT’S NAME STUDENT ID NUMBER CLASS COURSE SUPERVISOR : NGO MY QUYEN : 13026571 : DHAV9 : 2013 – 2017 : NGUYEN THI BICH THUY, M.A HCMC, May 2017 MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - - GRADUATION THESIS AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECT OF READING ENGLISH NEWSPAPERS ON THE ENGLISH-MAJORED JUNIORS IN TRANSLATION STUDENT’S NAME STUDENT ID NUMBER CLASS COURSE SUPERVISOR : NGO MY QUYEN : 13026571 : DHAV9 : 2013 – 2017 : NGUYEN THI BICH THUY, M.A HCMC, May 2017 Date of submission: ………………………… Student’s Name: …………………………………………… Supervisor’s Name: …………………………………………… “I certify that this work is entirely my own and has not been accepted as part of a submission to another purpose else where.” Signed: …………………………………………………… Word length: ………………… words STUDENT DECLARATION I, Ngo My Quyen, the researcher of this Graduation Thesis declare that this writing depended entirely on my own working under the guidance of Ms Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A – my supervisor I proclaim that this thesis is original and does not involve in plagiarism or collusion I have made a photocopy of this assignment in order that I can reproduce another one in case the first one is unfortunately lost Date: _/ _/ _ Signature Ngo My Quyen TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study 1.2 Aims of study 1.3 Research questions 1.4 Significance of study 1.5 The scope of study CHAPTER LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Translation 2.1.1 The definitions of translation 2.1.2 Function of translation .5 2.1.3 Translating process 2.1.3.1 Pre-translation 2.1.3.2 While-Translation .7 2.1.3.3 Post-translation 2.1.4 Basic translation methods 2.1.4.1 Grammar translation 2.1.4.2 Word-for-word translation 10 2.1.4.3 Literal translation .10 2.1.4.4 Free translation 11 2.2 English Newspapers 11 2.2.1 Definitions of newspaper 11 2.2.2 Benefits of reading English newspapers 12 2.2.3 Difficulties when reading English newspapers 13 2.3 The effect of reading English newspapers on translation 14 2.3.1 The functions of English newspapers 14 2.3.1.1 In English language learning 14 2.3.1.2 In translation 16 2.3.2 Improvements English newspapers bring to translation 17 2.3.2.1 Vocabulary 17 2.3.2.2 Topics .18 2.3.2.3 Writing styles 19 CHAPTER REASEARCH METHODOLOGY 21 3.1 Participants 21 3.2 Research instruments 21 3.3 Data collection procedure 23 3.4 Data analysis procedure .24 3.4.1 Editing data 24 3.4.2 Coding data 25 3.4.3 Analyzing data 25 CHAPTER RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 26 4.1 Students’ attitudes towards translation 26 4.1.1 Students‟ evaluations of their own translation skills .26 4.1.2 Students‟ purposes of learning translation .27 4.1.3 Students‟ expectations of feedback 28 4.2 Students’ learning behavior after class 29 4.3 Students’ translation materials 30 4.4 Students’ ways to study translation 33 4.5 Students’ opinions of translation .34 4.5.1 Factors that affect the quality of students‟ translation 34 4.5.2 Students‟ difficulties while doing translating tasks .35 4.5.3 Students overcome difficulties in translating 36 4.6 Reading English newspapers .37 4.6.1 Kinds of English newspapers students read 37 4.6.2 Students‟ general evaluation about the effect of reading English newspapers…… .38 4.6.3 Students‟ assessments of the effects of reading English newspapers on translation 41 4.6.4 Reading English newspapers to improve translation .42 4.6.5 Difficult topics in English newspapers 43 4.6.6 Reasons for difficult topics 43 *TRANSLATION PRACTICE 45 I TRANSLATE INTO VIETNAMESE 45 II TRANSLLATE INTO ENGLISH 46 CHAPTER CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 49 5.1 Conclusion 49 5.2 Recommendations 50 REFERENCES 51 APPENDIX 55 APPENDIX SAMPLE OF TEACHER’S QUESTIONNAIRE 55 APPENDIX SAMPLE OF STUDENTS’ QUESTIONNAIRE 61 APPENDIX INTERVIEW QUESTIONS 69 APPENDIX TWO PIECES OF NEWSPAPERS 70 TABLE OF FIGURES Table 1: Students‟ general evaluation about English newspapers Table 2: Reasons for difficult topics Figure 1: Translation process by Larson (1984: 4) Figure 2: Students‟ translation ability Figure 3: Students‟ purposes of learning translation Figure 4: Students‟ expectations of feedback Figure 5: Students‟ learning after class Figure 6: Students‟ translation materials Figure 7: Some websites on online sources Figure 8: Students‟ ways to study translation Figure 9: Factors that affect the quality of students‟ translation Figure 10: Students‟ difficulties while translating Figures 11: Students overcome difficulties in translating Figure 12: Kinds of English newspapers students read Figure 13: Students‟ general evaluation about the effect of reading English newspapers Figure 14 Students‟ assessment of the effects of reading English newspapers on translation Figure 15: Reading English newspapers to improve translation Figure 16: Difficult topics in English newspapers Figure 17: Reasons for difficult topics TABLE 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 ABSTRACT The main function of translation is breaking the language barrier between all countries around the world Translation is absolutely necessary for human life People use translation as a method of exchanging information and narrowing the culture gap as well However, Translation as an academic subject at college is a challenging field To be good at Translation, the learners need to develop effective ways to study Firstly, the writer found out about the ways the juniors in FFL at IUH used to study Translation, the difficulties they encountered and the solutions they applied to overcome After that, the writer elicited students‟ opinions about the effects of reading English newspapers on Translation While they recognized the important role of reading English newspapers in translating a text from SL to TL, they admitted having difficulties with dealing translation tasks as well as with improving the skills on their own At the end of the thesis, some suggestions were recommended Firstly, the students should create an effective reading habit of reading English newspapers Secondly, the ways to read English newspapers were also recommended Lastly, the translation material that students used need to be improved Submitted by: Ngo My Quyen Student ID No.: 13026571 G Creation Others: ………………………………………………………………… Which considerations you think is the most important to give feedback for your students? (Number the considerations in the order from the least to the most important) 1…… 2…… 3…… 4…… 5…… 6…… 7…… What ways you usually use to teach translation? (more than option is acceptable) A Provide students the appropriate method before asking them to translate B Supply new words, phrasal verbs, structures before asking them for doing exercises in the Translation book C Ask students to translate, give feedback and then give sample translation D Choose extra materials which are more interesting and suitable for student‟s ability to translate Others: ……………………………………………………………… How you test your student’s translation ability? (more than option is acceptable) A Ask students about the knowledge which you taught in the previous lesson before starting the new lesson B Let students work individually and then ask them to write their answer on the board C Require students to work in groups, after that you correct and give feedback in the next class Others: ……………………………………………………………… What your students in translation class? (more than option is acceptable) A Listen and take notes B Do exercises you require C Use smartphone for  looking up dictionary  playing game or texting  surfing Facebook, Zalo, Skype (Tick  on the option(s) you choose) D Discuss the exercise with their friends Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A Page 56 Submitted by: Ngo My Quyen Student ID No.: 13026571 E Look up paper dictionary Others: ……………………………………………………………… What mistakes your students usually make when they translate a text? (Put a tick () in the column that provide the answers you may agree the most about (1 = never, = sometimes, = usually, = always) MISTAKES Misunderstanding of the content of the source language Overstatement or understatement of author‟s thoughts Addition or omission of the content of the source language Word choice Word order Logic between sentences and paragraphs and the whole content of a text Mistranslation the content of the original text Grammar, spelling, punctuation Wrong meaning of polysemy 10 Style 11 Ambiguous sentences 12 Too literal, word by word translation 13 Too freely translation Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A Page 57 Submitted by: Ngo My Quyen Student ID No.: 13026571 What topics you think students are afraid of in their translation practice? (more than option is acceptable A Politics B Business C Technology - Science D Society E Art and Culture F Media G Education H Sports I Tourism J Health Number the topics in the order from the least to the most popular difficult 1…… 2…… 3…… 4…… 5…… 6…… 7…… 8…… 9…… 10…… 10 Why are they afraid of these topics? (tick on the column you choose = strongly disagree, = disagree, = agree, 4= strongly agree) The content of the text is too academic They can‟t find the new words in the dictionary The content of the text is too long There are too many strange words, structures, idioms, jargons in the text Students are under time pressure Students lack background knowledge about these topics Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A Page 58 Submitted by: Ngo My Quyen Student ID No.: 13026571 11 Which aspects you think your students need to improve further to be better at translation? (more than option is acceptable) A General English B Background knowledge about various topics C Vocabulary D Reading speed E Writing skills Others: ……………………………………………………………… 12 In what ways you think reading English newspapers can help students improve their translation skill? (more than option is acceptable) A Grammar B Vocabulary C Terms D Idioms E Expression F Phrasal Verb G Structures H Topics Others: ……………………………………………………………… 13 In your opinion, what benefits does reading English newspapers bring to students studying translation? (more than option is acceptable) A Using the target language in a natural way B Enriching students‟ background knowledge about lifestyle, cultures of foreign countries C Enhancing the number of new words, structures, idioms, etc D Supporting students‟ reading and writing skills, group work, learning skills and self – study E Broadening specialized English of any majors 14 What topics in English newspapers you choose for your students to practice translation? (more than option is acceptable) A Politics B Business C Technology - Science Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A Page 59 Submitted by: Ngo My Quyen D E F G H I J Student ID No.: 13026571 Society Art and Culture Media Education Sports Tourism Health 15 How many articles a day you recommend to your student to be better at translation? A One article B Two articles C Three articles D More than five articles 16 How long of an article you think should be? A 300 words B 400 words C 500 words D More than 500 words 17 What you expect from your students? (more than option is acceptable) A Passing the exam B Getting good marks C Being able to translate the various topics after finishing translation course D Becoming a professional translator in the future Others: ……………………………………………………………… THE END THANKS FOR COOPERATION Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A Page 60 Submitted by: Ngo My Quyen APPENDIX Student ID No.: 13026571 SAMPLE OF STUDENTS’ QUESTIONNAIRE Topic of the research: “An Investigation Into The Effect Of Reading English Newspapers On The English-Majored Juniors In Translation” The questions are designed to collect data for the research The information you supply from the questions will be the valid and reliable data for me to the research Please read the question carefully and give your answer honestly Thank you for your cooperation and assistance Do you think you are good enough at translation? A Yes I am good at translation and I don‟t need any methods to improve my translation skills B Yes I am quite good at translation but I also want to find new methods to improve my translation skills more C No I still lack knowledge to be good at translation What you expect when taking a translation course? (more than one option is acceptable) A To get good marks B To become a professional translator in the future C To pass the exam D To be able to translate various topics after finishing the translation course Others: …………………………………………………………… What feedback you expect from your teachers and/or classmates? (more than one option is acceptable) A Corrective feedback from the teacher (tell me if there is something wrong with my style, word choice, grammar, punctuation, etc.) B Informative feedback from the teacher (guide me to correct my mistakes) C Sample translation from the teacher D Sample translation from classmates who are good at translation in class E Sample translation you found in the reference books F Teacher‟s compliment G I don‟t need feedback Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A Page 61 Submitted by: Ngo My Quyen Student ID No.: 13026571 What you at home after finishing a translation class? (more than one option is acceptable) A Read the translation sample again B Translate the text again C Learn by heart the new words, structures, idioms and terms teacher taught D Read new source text for the next class E Work as a contributor in a translation company F Find online sources to practice translation G Do nothing Others: ………………………………………………………………… Which materials/ sources you use to study translation? (more than one option is acceptable) A Translation B Reference books  Nguyễn Thu Huyền, Cẩm nang luyện dịch Việt – Anh, , nhà xuất đại học quốc gia Hà Nội  Nguyễn Quốc Hùng, M.A (2007), Hướng dẫn kỹ thuật biên dịch Anh – Việt, Việt – Anh, NXB Văn Hóa Sài Gòn  Others: ………………………………………………… C Online sources  http://tuoitrenews.vn/ : Tuổi trẻ News  http://vietnamnews.vn/ : Việt Nam News  http://www.thanhniennews.com/ : Thanh Niên News  http://www.voanews.com/ : VOA News Others: ………………………………………………………… Which factors can affect the quality of your translation? (You can choose more than one option) A Lack of concentration because of noise and tiredness B Doing many things while you are translating such as surfing the Internet, watching TV, listening to music, chatting C Being impatient D Practicing translating irregularly E Doing personal things without listening to the lecturer in class Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A Page 62 Submitted by: Ngo My Quyen Student ID No.: 13026571 F Lack of general English G Suffering from time pressure while doing translation practice in class H Lack of effective methods I Lack of feedback from the teacher J Being afraid to ask for teacher‟s feedback K Lack of teacher‟s guidance Which difficulties you face while studying translation? (You can choose more than one option) A A lot of new structures and vocabulary B Not knowing clearly about foreign customs, cultures, history, etc so you cannot translate exactly C Many difficult topics: Astronomy, Science, Chemistry, Medicine, etc D Lack of background knowledge E Complex grammar points F Time pressure G Not knowing any translation methods Others: ……………………… What you to overcome difficulties in translating? (more than options is possible) A I try to read the text carefully at home B I will work in group to discuss some difficult paragraphs before translating in the notebook C I ignore the difficult paragraphs and translate other paragraphs D I read similar paragraphs in the reference books E I use online translation software (Google translate, SDL Trados Studio (sdl.com), Wordfast (wordfast.net), imtranslator (imtranslator.net), etc.) F I note difficult points and ask my teacher for help Which way(s) you usually use to study translation (Vietnamese – English translation and English – Vietnamese translation)? (You can choose more than one option) A Reading English newspapers Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A Page 63 Submitted by: Ngo My Quyen Student ID No.: 13026571 B Watching the US – UK TV programs with subtitle C Doing grammar exercises D Learning vocabulary in the textbooks E Doing translating exercise in the textbooks F Reading translation samples G Taking notes of whatever you notice from what you read, hear and see H Practicing translation with my friends/groups I Reading reference books Others: ………………………………………………………………… 10 Can reading English newspapers help you improve your translation skill? Explain your answer A Definitely B Quite a lot C Not really D Not at all Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A Page 64 Submitted by: Ngo My Quyen Student ID No.: 13026571 11 Your evaluation about English newspapers (Put a tick () in the column that provide the answers you may agree the most about with = strongly disagree, = disagree, = neutral, = agree, = strongly agree) Reading English newspapers helps me get more information about many countries around the world, and broaden my horizon I can study a lot of vocabulary through reading English newspapers Grammar and structures in English newspapers are always correct so I can apply them into my translation All information in English newspapers is totally accurate Whenever I imitate a sentence in English newspapers and apply into my translation, I feel I am very professional Reading English newspapers with funny stories corner also helps me feel relax Reading untrustworthy newspapers can affect my background knowledge Reading a lot of articles proves I am good at translation Through reading English newspapers, my style in translation has improved much 10 English newspapers are so boring 11 English understand newspapers are difficult to 12 I lack reliable source of English newspapers to read Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A Page 65 Submitted by: Ngo My Quyen Student ID No.: 13026571 12 What topics in English newspapers you feel hard to deal with when translating? (more than options is possible) A Politics B Business C Technology - Science D Society E Art and Culture F Media G Education H Sports I Tourism J Health 13 The table gives you some common reasons for difficulties in translating those topics above Tick on the “YES” column for agreement and “NO” column for disagreement REASON YES NO The content of the text is new and hard to understand The content of the text is too long I am not interested in these topics There are too many strange words, structures, idioms and terms I am under time pressure I lack background knowledge about these topics Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A Page 66 Submitted by: Ngo My Quyen Student ID No.: 13026571 14 Which kinds of English newspapers you think are good for studying translation? And explain A English newspapers written by native speakers  Comprehensive newspapers: The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/), Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/)  Specialist newspapers: Travel Daily News (https://www.traveldailynews.com/), The Economist (www.economist.com/) B English newspapers are written by Vietnamese  Comprehensive newspapers: Tuổi Trẻ News (tuoitrenews.vn/), Việt Nam News (vietnamnews.vn/)  Specialist newspapers: Việt Nam Economic News (ven.vn/), Vietnam National Administration Of Tourism (http://www.vietnamtourism.gov.vn/english/) C Both of them are good And I usually read  Comprehensive newspapers  Specialist newspapers Explain the benefits and challenges while reading these kinds of newspapers: ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………… 15 How you read English newspapers to improve your translation? (more than options is possible) A I just read the topics I am interested in B I read word – by – word C I skim the article for the main points and ignore what I not understand D I read an article many times E I read the whole article carefully, underline and take notes of new words and structures F I just read the first few parts carefully, the last few parts I usually read carelessly Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A Page 67 Submitted by: Ngo My Quyen Student ID No.: 13026571 16 Translate into Vietnamese Over the past few years, many groups of international tourists from France, Switzerland, Denmark, Canada, Japan, and Hong Kong have paid a visit to Lak and enjoyed nights of drinking “Cần” alcohol, celebrating the festival of gongs, dancing and listening to “Khan” stories together with ethnic group by the forest fire (Extract from CẨM NANG LUYỆN DỊCH VIỆT – ANH, NGUYỄN THU HUYỀN, NHÀ XUẤT BẢN ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI) ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………… 17 Translate into English Cách thị xã Buôn Mê Thuột 50km, nằm quốc lộ 27, huyện Lak thiên nhiêu ưu đãi cho cảnh quan dễ làm say đắm lòng người: cảnh quan tự nhiên, hoang sơ núi rừng bao la (Extract from CẨM NANG LUYỆN DỊCH VIỆT – ANH, NGUYỄN THU HUYỀN, NHÀ XUẤT BẢN ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI) ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………… THANK FOR YOUR COOPERATION! Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A Page 68 Submitted by: Ngo My Quyen APPENDIX Student ID No.: 13026571 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS For Teacher: Which difficulties may you and your students encounter when using English newspapers which are not the main material in translation class? Who should the person choose the topics in English newspapers? For Students: How many times did you read each paragraph above before translating? How did you translate the two paragraphs above from source text to target text? Are there any words or phrases which give you difficulties while translating the two paragraphs? What did you when you meet these difficult words/phrases in two paragraphs above? After translating the text, what you think you have learnt about of the topics? Which aspects you think you need to improve further to enhance the quality of your translation? Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A Page 69 Submitted by: Ngo My Quyen APPENDIX Student ID No.: 13026571 TWO PIECES OF NEWSPAPERS Đến hồ Lắk, du khách bỏ qua thú vui ngất ngưởng lưng voi khổng lồ thong thả lội qua hồ; tham quan, dạo chơi hồ Lắk thuyền độc mộc đầy kỳ thú Tối đến, du khách lại chìm đắm khơng gian văn hóa cồng chiêng, ngồi quây quần bên đống lửa bập bùng nhịp xoang người dân tộc thiểu số địa thưởng thức rượu cần ăn đặc sản cơm lam, gà nướng, chả cá thác lác… mà khơng nơi có (baodaklak.vn) Eco – tourism Viet Nam is bestowed by the nature the system of forests, mountains, rivers,streams, lakes and waterfalls Coming Nothern mountainous region of the S – shaped land strip, visitors have the chance to admire the magnificent mountains, the terraced fields stretching along the hillsides, the village hidden in the mist In the central of sunlight and wind, visitors also sightsee the romantic aand charming sceneries of national parks, nature reserves The South with immense fields, luxuriant fruit gardens and bustling floating markets also attracts visitors (Vietnamtourism.com) Supervisor: Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy, M.A Page 70 ... newspapers reading in the translation class Finally, there are some suggestions about combination between reading English newspapers and studying translation in order to bring into play the effect. .. The effect of reading English newspapers on translation 2.3.1 The functions of English newspapers 2.3.1.1 In English language learning Textbooks are the main material for teaching in translation. ..MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES - - GRADUATION THESIS AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECT OF READING ENGLISH NEWSPAPERS ON