A REVISION OF THE METHODS AND a REVISION OF THE METHODS AND PROCEDURES OF PROCEDURES OF TRANSLATION IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY AT THORESEN VINAMA CO , LTD

MINISTRY OF FINANCE ACADEMY OF FINANCE Student: Hoàng Ngọc Đại Group: CQ56/51.01 GRADUATION THESIS Topic : A REVISION OF THE METHODS AND PROCEDURES OF TRANSLATION IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY AT THORESEN VINAMA CO., LTD Major: English for Finance and Accounting Student code: 17522202010135 Suuppeerrvviissoor : Buui Thhi Tuuyyeet Maai (MMs.) Hanoi – 2022 Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis MINISTRY OF FINANCE ACADEMY OF FINANCE Student: Hoàng Ngọc Đại Group: CQ56/51.01 GRADUATION THESIS Topic : A REVISION OF THE METHODS AND PROCEDURES OF TRANSLATION IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY AT THORESEN VINAMA CO., LTD Major: English for Finance and Accounting Student code: 1872202010005 Suuppeerrvviissoor : Buui Thhi Tuuyyeet Maai (MMs.) Hanoi – 2022 Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis DECLARATION Letter of Declaration I hereby declare that the Graduation Project A REVISION OF THE METHODS AND PROCEDURES OF TRANSLATION IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY is the result of my research and has never been published in any work of others During the implementation process of this project, I have seriously taken research ethics; all findings of this project are results of my research and surveys; all references in this project are cited according to regulations I bear full responsibility for the fidelity of the number and data and other contents of my graduation project Hanoi,(day) 14th (month) March (year) 2022 Student (Signature and Full name) Dai Hoang Ngoc Dai ABSTRACTS This study investigated the factual state of working capital management efficiency at Thorasen-Vinama Ltd from the viewpoint of a fourth-year student of the Faculty Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis of Foreign Language, Academy of Finance The paper focuses on finding out the deficiencies in the company's translation department and more importantly suggesting the main methods to improve the efficiency of translating in the company In achieving these goals, the graduation paper surveys the current situation of translation and assesses whether it is effective or not using different methods From the received results, the study argues the most practical implications for Thorasen-Vinama Ltd to improve the efficiency of the translation process of the company in the upcoming future ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deep gratitude to all those who have given me the possibility to complete this graduation thesis In preparing this graduation thesis, I have had generous help and advice from my adviser, colleagues, family, and friends I would like to express my great thanks to all of them Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms Bui Thi Tuyet Mai, lecturer at the Academy of Finance, who has given immense help and constant guidance with many careful instructions and comments and valuable advice to me whenever I need Without her support, I am not able to have a complete thesis Second, I wish to show my sincere thanks to all my teachers at the Academy of Finance, who have provided me with a great education throughout my years of study Moreover, I have furthermore to thank the staff of ThorasenVinama Ltd for their valuable support during the internship period Without their help, it would be impossible for me to finish this work Last but not least, I would like to send my loving thanks to my family whose love and care in both spirit and health encouraged me to complete the thesis LISTS OF ABBREVIATIONS ST: Source Text TT: Target Text SL: Source Language TL: Target Language LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis Liisst Chart 1: General hierarchy of THORESEN - VINAMA CO., LTD Paagge 11 Chart 2: Assessment of the translation quality of documents at Thorasen-Vinama Ltd Chart 3: Criteria used to assess translation quality Chart 4: Level of each criterion assessed TABLE OF CONTENTS DEECCLLAARRAATTIIOON ABBSSTTRRAACCT ACCKKNNOOWLEEDDGGEEMMEENNTTS LIISST OF ABBBBRREEVVIIAATTIIOONNS LIISST OF FIIGGUURREES ANND TAABBLLEES TAABBLLE OF COONNTTEENNTTS INNTTRROODDUUCCTTIIOON Raattiioonnaalle of thhe sttuuddy Aiimms of thhe sttuuddy 16 17 17 Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis Scope of the study Meetthhoodds of thhe sttuuddy Orrggaanniizzaattiioon of thhe sttuuddy CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BASIS OF TRANSLATION 1.1 Overview of the theory of translation 1 Deeffiinniittiioon of trraannssllaattiioon 1 Baassiiccs of trraannssllaattion 1.2 Overview of translation methods 1.2.1 Principles of translating 1.2.2 Methods of translating 1.2.3 Difficulties of translating 1.2.3.1 Problems of equivalence 1.2.3.2 Loss and gain 1.2.3.3 Untranslatability 1.2.4 The role of translation 1.2.5 Factors affecting translation CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY 2.1 Overview of THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd2.1.1 Introduction of THORASENVINAMA Ltd 2.1.2 History of formation and development 2.1.3 Company organization 2.2 The current situation of translation of documents at THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd 2.2.1 Overview of service of THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd 2.2.2 The current translation quality of documents at THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd 12 2.2.2.1 Factors influencing the translation quality Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis 2.2.2.2 Assessment of current translation quality of documents at Thorasen-Vinama Ltd a Criteria to assess the translation quality b Data collection and analysis CHAPTER 3: SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF TRANSLATION IN THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd 3.1 Strengths and weaknesses of translation at THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd 19 3.1.1 Strengths of translation of the documents 3.1.2 Weaknesses with the translation of documents 3.2 Solutions for translator 3.2.1 Improving the translators’ knowledge of the field 3.2.2 Organizing translation programs CONCLUSION REEFFEERREENNCCEES APPPPEENNDDIIX Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis INTRODUCTION RATIONALE OF THE STUDY In the maritime industry, translation plays an essential role to maintain the smooth running of a business No business can run successfully without mutual understanding between companies because it is considered the bridge beyond the borders of an enterprise Companies that have paid a lot of attention to translation and use them efficiently gain a lot of benefits to generate much more working efficiency internally, thereby lowering costs, and improving their performance This affects the fluidity and smoothness of communication between enterprises and adversely affects the whole working process Therefore, to get rid of miscommunication and errors, businesses should ask themselves “How to improve the efficiency of translation” This is not a simple question, but a hard question that enterprises aren't solving immediately They should have appropriate, proper, and reasonable methods that can draw different ways to improve the efficiency of the translation process simultaneously focusing on the quality of the translation results to be on time and keep clear communication To be aware of the importance of translating and be inspired by the necessity of an effective translation process during my intern time at Thorasen-Vinama Ltd, as well as based on the knowledge and practical experiences I got during the internship, I’m going to choose the topic: “A REVISION OF THE METHODS AND PROCEDURES OF TRANSLATION IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY AT THORESEN VINAMA CO., LTD” as my graduate thesis title AIM OF THE STUDY - To provide the knowledge and information on translation activities at Thorasen-Vinama Ltd -To understand the situation of translation activities at Thorasen-Vinama Ltd - To identify and assess the causes of the deficiencies of Thorasen-Vinama Ltd ‘s translation department - To suggest main methods to improve and strengthen the efficiency of translation during work METHODS OF THE STUDY Based on knowledge at the academy, books, and selfaccumulation and to achieve these above objectives, several methods of studying the thesis are used as follows: Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis 1.2.5 Factors affecting translation Different types of the source text The combined communicating code between the sender and the receiver is known as text Texts were divided into three groups by Newmark: (1) Expressive text: which includes serious literary works such as poetry, long stories, novels, and drama, among others; authoritative speech, such as political speeches or documents, various rules and law documents, science, philosophy works, autobiography, prose, and personal letters; and authoritative speech, such as political speeches or documents, various rules, and law documents, and science, philosophy works, autobiography, prose, and personal letters (2) Text that provides information, such as science, technology, business, industry, and the economy, as well as teaching materials, technical reports, articles, newspaper and magazine articles, essays, memos, and conference records (3) Appellative text: for example, a notification, a specification, a publicized manual, and so on Purpose of translation According to Skopos’s theory, judging translation faults cannot be only dependent on whether or not the translation is correct or faithful to the source language Skopos’s theory coherence principle dictates that the translation's text be readable and acceptable to the target language's reader It's crucial to check if it's in line with the translation's goal Different translation methodologies should be used for diverse readers and translation purposes, resulting in different functionalities in the target language The success or failure of a text translation is mostly determined by whether the translation's goal is met From this perspective, a translator's ability to select the appropriate translation objective is a necessary trait Target readers According to Peter Newmark, readers can be divided into three categories: uniformed people, educated laymen, and experts Different generations of target language readers may accept the source language and culture differently, resulting in many readings of the same work from the same historical period Because the same word can have multiple meanings at different times, the reader's knowledge, experience, and emotional items are influenced by a variety of characteristics, including age, gender, ethnicity, educational background, and occupation As a result, readers of all levels require different translation works, allowing translators to submit several translation versions to fulfill the needs of various readers Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY 2.1 Overview of THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd 2.1.1 Introduction of THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd Vietnamese name: Công ty TNHH THORESEN - VINAMA LOGISTICS International transaction name: THORESEN - VI NA MA LOGISTICS COMPANY LIMITED Abbreviated name: THORESEN - VINAMA CO., LTD Tax Identification Number: 0306464707-001 Head Office: Petroland Tower, 17th Floor, 12 Tan Trao Street, Tan Phu Ward, District 7, Ho Chi Minh City Tel: (84 028) 38 113 204 Fax: +84 28 5417 1919 Representative Office: ROOM 432, Thanh Dat Building, No Le Thanh Tong Street, Ngo Quyen District, Hai Phong, Vietnam Number of staff: 10 Hotline: Ngô Xuân Giang (Mr.): 0989199628 Tel: +(84-225) 3250998 Fax : +(84-225) 3250997 Email: giangnx@vinama.net Website: https://thoresenvinama.com/en/ Establishment: 09/05/2011 2.1.2 History of formation and development Started as Vinama Agencies in 1993 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, THORESEN - VINAMA CO., LTD is today a major player as a shipping-trading-logistics joint venture company The main shareholders are Thoresen Thai Agencies Bangkok, Elkem Chartering Oslo, and Yamamizu Singapore While the head office remains in Ho Chi Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis Minh City, they have established branch offices in Phu My, Vung Tau, and Hai Phong, where 36 dedicated professional staff cover the requirements of their customers in all Vietnamese ports With longestablished connections, they are also able to serve customers in Cambodia and Laos The company today can offer full logistic services for their clients in the South of Vietnam – from bringing the vessels alongside to respective ports, to stevedoring and port captain service, to trucking and warehousing as well as all related agency and husbandry matters Through their in-house chartering team, they can also assist with freight requirements Thorasen-Vinama Ltd services include tug boats, trucking, warehouses, chartering and brokering, marine logistics, and agency The fleet today consists of two modern 5,000HP Azimuth tug boats, which are located in Baria Serece port on the Thi Vai River, allowing them to assist vessels up to DWT 100,000t to navigate safely to and from pilot station to respective berths The tug boats are staffed by a highly qualified crew and are operating 24/7 for vessels calling all Thi Vai river ports, as well as a port, calls Ho Chi Minh mid-stream ports With an increased demand concerning volume as well as vessel size, TVT has two additional 5,000HP tug boats on order and is looking to even further increase the fleet by the beginning of 2021 On 14th Dec 2021, is a special day with TVT they have reached a milestone with 1001 times port calling It means they have served 500 vessels from beginning to now as recorded 2.1.3 Company organization Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis Chart 1: General hierarchy of THORESEN - VINAMA CO., LTD The company is controlled by Mr Sigmund Stroemme – the Executive chairman who manages the company’s overall activities Below is the diagram showing the hierarchy of the company The above diagram describes the current organizational structure of THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd As can be seen from the chart, the Executive chairman is in the highest position in the company under the control of Mr Sigmund Stroemme who has full authority to perform the rights and obligations on behalf of the company Under his position is the general director-Mr La Nhat Quang Furthermore, THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd consists of four main departments: Forwarding Department, Chartering Department, Agency Department, and Management Department Each Department has its manager or team leader who performs the professional work, supplies concrete guidance in the activities of the department, and makes sure that everything is on work and able to meet the deadlines In terms of the Agency Department only, plays a critical role in the operation and development of the company as it takes responsibility for the logistics end of the company This department currently consists of five leaders: each of which manages the Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis TVA Hai Phong, the tankers/steel/dry sector, a manager in the project cargo sector, the TVA Vau Tau sector, and the port D/A-marine logistics department 2.2 The current situation of translation of documents at THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd 2.2.1 Overview of service of THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd In general, about 10-11 documents are received by THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd every day, each of which needs time to prepare before sending to the harbor During the preparation time, different departments are responsible for separate work Terms of the TVA Hai Phong Department, they have to prepare legal documents, infographics, and logistics related to the upcoming shipment’s information including time, place, and content inside the cargos, … in both Vietnamese and English forms to provide more information about the shipment for their customers as well as maintaining communication as clear as possible Besides updating the shipment’s information on the company’s worksheet, THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd also receives updates from the harbors such as receiving constant updates on the shipment arrival and Infos As a result, the customers can be informed about their cargo fast and efficiently It can be seen how well-prepared these legal documents, emails, and reports play a key position in the output of any logistical work by THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd 2.2.2 The current translation quality of documents at THORASEN-VINAMA Ltd 2.2.2.1 Factors influencing the translation quality Theoretically, there are several factors affecting translation quality Nonetheless, to examine more about these factors in fact, I have asked the staff members who are in charge of translating documents about the influences that they think critically affect the translation efficiency of documents The first thing that comes to their mind is the quality of the source text Since the meaning of the translation must be authentic to the source document, the translation's quality is primarily determined by the source text's quality The truth is that the translation can be as good as the source text only when any mistakes, omissions, or flaws are eliminated in the final product Fortunately, the source document is created by other staff in the Logistics Department who are professionals in this field, so nearly all source texts have very few errors, which helps the translation process become a breeze and the final translation can be of high quality The second factor is timing Translation cannot be rushed Once they are given the source document to translate and a deadline, they always arrange a timeline and allocate work and be able to finish the translation before the deadline Furthermore, the deadline for translation must be reasonable for the translators to work with The translators not only have to come up with a proper translation of the word or phrase but they also have to Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis focus on grammar, style, and specific terminology, which requires a considerable amount of time Besides revising the translation by going through dictionaries and other resources, they also have to revise the translation a couple of times again for finetuning, etc If they are forced to work in a hurry, they cannot guarantee the quality of the translation as they are concentrated on the deadline, not the quality Therefore, the manager of the department always sets an appropriate deadline, from those who are responsible for creating the source documents to those who are in charge of translating these documents The top requirement for the translators is to hand in the most complete translation with sufficient information and high-quality wordings and sentence structure to attend to customers’ concerns about their shipments and cargo The third factors that they agree on are experience and knowledge of the translator Both of them acknowledge the importance of a well-knowledged and experienced translator in creating a great translation The translator that is familiar with the text’s particular subject matter will know which sources are most suitable for researching terminology within the area and the right form to perform In some cases, translators also receive documents that are not their major, but the quality of these translations will be not as good as the translations of their specialized sector However, translators in the Logistics Department at Thorasen-Vinama Ltd are specialized in the linguistic sector (English and French) and mostly focus on translating documents from Vietnamese into English and vice versa; thus, the high quality of these documents in terms of wording can be expected During the translation process, they always try to improve their vocabulary and word usage to create a complete translation that can convey the right content of the documents Finally, the final editing is what the translators put in the list of factors affecting the translation quality of the documents According to them, the last phase of the translation process plays an important role in guaranteeing the translation’s quality In this phase, the translation will be reviewed once or twice and all the errors or inconsistent terminology will be fixed However, translators, are aware of the importance of this step The more careful they review the better the translation is They always try their best and make use of their knowledge and experience to provide the most complete translation with the best quality Therefore, this final editing phase is essential 2.2.2.2 Assessment of current translation quality of documents at Thorasen-Vinama Ltd a Criteria to assess the translation quality Commonly, the language in the source documents is Vietnamese, and the language in the target text is English Translators must translate the source text into the target text, conveying the information and content to the company’s partners and customers The translators, often evaluate the translation quality of documents by four main criteria namely: accuracy, naturalness, clarity, and consistency Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis A good quality translation should convey the tone and the message as precisely as possible The translation services should consider regional and cultural factors while translating for the target customer The following factors can determine translation quality: Translated content rightly conveys the meaning of the original text, words, and expressions used are in line with the target audience, no room for spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, follow guidelines for dates, addresses, and measurements, preserve the style of the source material, uphold consistency and flow, meet all the requirements of the client, evaluating errors The gravity of errors is equally important Some errors can be overlooked as they don’t affect the usability and understanding of the translated content However, a few mistakes are just not worth the risk A good translator will look into these errors and categorize them to produce a high-quality translation A reliable translator will use editors and translators who speak the target language It is crucial to have someone translate the document who understands the target language and technicality Expertise in the subject matter also goes a long way in assuring a high-quality translation To get the best quality translation, an experienced language translator plays a vital role, but that in itself is not enough A translation process should go through a double and triple quality check Once the first round of translation is over, it should be sent to another experienced translator for editing The editor then compares the translated piece with the source text and ensures an error-free translation The first translator incorporates changes and revises to finalize the translated document To ensure that all the client’s requirements are met, one last check of assessment is necessary In conclusion, translating is not easy, and assessing the translated document is even more taxing A high-quality translation can be achieved when a translator follows best practices, adhere to strict checking policies, and communicate at all points in the process b Data collection and analysis To understand how another staff assesses translation quality, I created a short survey for fellow staff to complete The form is created in the Google form with four questions related to the current translation quality of documents at Thorasen-Vinama Ltd Most of these questions are multiple answer ones, except for the last one which requires a written answer I have sent the survey to my fellow staff Question 1: In general, how you assess the translation quality of documents at ThorasenVinama Ltd? Before going into details, I would like to know how they rate the translation quality in general (on a scale of to 5)(1 is bad and is excellent) Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis ... Communicative translation The communicative translation aims to convey the original''s accurate contextual meaning in a way that the readership will find both content and language acceptable and. .. cultural words while maintaining grammatical and lexical ''abnormality'' (difference from SL standards) in the translation Semantic translation Academy of Finance Graduation Thesis Semantic translation. .. of ThorasenVinama Ltd, books, the internet, and internal information of the corporation - Translation assessment methods – Document evaluation, judgment, and conclusion - Method of analyzing,