An investigation into common grammatical errors made by iuh english majored juniors when translating vietnamese texts into english graduation thesis faculty of foreign languages

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES -  - AN INVESTIGATION INTO COMMON GRAMMATICAL ERRORS MADE BY IUH ENGLISH-MAJORED JUNIORS WHEN TRANSLATING VIETNAMESE TEXTS INTO ENGLISH STUDENT : LE NGUYEN HONG NGOC CODE : 17040631 CLASS : DHAV13E COURSE : 2017-2021 SUPERVISOR : LE THI THIEN PHUOC, M.A HCMC, 06/2021 MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES -  - Student’s name : LE NGUYEN HONG NGOC Student’s ID : 17040631 Class : DHAV13E Course : 2017-2021 Supervisor : LE THI THIEN PHUOC, M.A Student’s declaration: I declare that this graduation report is entirely my own work and does not involve plagiarism or collusion It also has not been accepted as part of a submission to another purpose elsewhere I accept a serious penalty for any cheating or plagiarism Date submitted : Signed : Word count : 7432 words THE TITLE: ABSTRACT The translation is one of today's most important topics However, there are many difficult aspects of translation that impede learners Grammar mistakes, in particular, are a source of frustration for all students In the context of Vietnam, this issue has piqued the interest of many people, particularly students Students majoring in English at Ho Chi Minh City's Industrial University were also having difficulty learning to translate and were struggling with grammar in translation As a result, the school's research topic on grammar errors was very important to the students here The purpose of this study was to discover the grammatical errors made by 3rd-year English majors at the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City in order to assist them in identifying and correcting errors made during their studies This research combined both quantitative and qualitative methods The qualitative method was demonstrated in the study by counting the number of errors and calculating the percentage Each type of error committed by each study participant is quantitatively described Following data collection, the researcher conducted data analysis and presents the findings, discussing the findings The researcher discovered over 20 grammatical errors as a result of the analysis However, it is critical to concentrate on the eight most common grammatical errors According to recommendations, lecturers and students should work on improving and learning better translation skills For lecturers, the research desired that lecturers be able to adjust teaching methods as well as control students' grammar problems more effectively, while also offering measured assistance to students so that they no longer find it difficult to translate There were many ways for students to improve their situation, such as learning through the Internet, newspapers, social networking sites, reading many grammar books, doing many grammar exercises As a result, research not only improves students' translation skills but also makes their future work more convenient and easier Keywords: grammar, grammatical error, translation ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I'd like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Mrs Le Thi Thien Phuoc, M.A She provided me with invaluable advice and enthusiastic support, and she encouraged me to overcome the obstacles I encountered during the research period Second, I'd like to thank all of my lecturers at the Faculty of Foreign Languages for providing me with the fundamental knowledge I needed to finish this study Third, I'd like to thank the Faculty of Foreign Languages for lending me documents about final exams to assist with my research Furthermore, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my best friends and my colleagues in my graduation thesis group for all of their encouragement and support, which was instrumental in the success of my graduation paper In addition, I'd like to thank the authors of the books, magazines, and other materials listed in the reference section for their ideas, which have been reflected and developed in the study I'd like to thank everyone who has shown me frequent enthusiastic concern and invaluable encouragement during this stressful period of my research TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 RATIONALE 1.2 RESEARCH SUBJECTS 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS/CONCEPTS 2.1.1 Definitions of tranlations 2.1.2 Grammar 2.1.2.1 Definition of grammar: 2.1.2.2 Definition of grammatical errors: 6 2.2 THEOCRATICAL FRAMEWORK 2.2.1 Types of grammatical errors: 2.2.2 Grammatical errors in translation made by Vietnamese students 2.3 RESULTS OF PREVIOUS STUDIES 12 CHAPTER III: RESEARCH DESIGN 14 3.1 RESEARCH SITE OF RESEARCH 15 3.2 PARTICIPANTS OF THE RESEARCH 15 3.3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH METHODS 16 3.4 PROCEDURES 16 3.5 DATA ANALYSIS 17 CHAPTER IV:FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 18 4.1 FINDINGS 19 4.1.1 The common grammatical errors: 4.1.2 The most common grammatical errors 4.1.2.1 Verb errors 4.1.2.2 Determiner errors 4.1.2.3 Lack of subjects/verbs/objects 4.1.2.4 Incorrect subject-verb agreement 4.1.2.5 Inappropriate choice of prepositions 4.1.2.6 Misuse of pronouns 19 19 20 21 22 22 22 23 4.1.2.7 Incorrect relative clauses 4.1.2.8 Wrong word order 23 24 4.2 DISCUSSION THE FINDINGS 24 CHAPTER V:CONCLUSION 26 5.1 CONCLUSION 27 5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS 28 5.3 THE LIMITS OF THE RESEARCH 29 5.4 FURTHER STUDY 29 REFERENCES APPENDICES TABLE OF FIGURES Figure The common grammatical errors of students studying translations in IUH 19 Figure The most common grammatical errors of students studying translations in IUH 20 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Verb errors 21 Table 2: Determiner errors 21 Table 3: Lack of subjects/verbs/objects 22 Table 4:Incorrect subject-verb agreement 22 Table 5: Inappropriate choice of prepositions 23 Table 6: Misuse of pronouns 23 Table 7: Incorrect relative clauses 23 Table 8: Wrong word order 24 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS IUH : Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City FFL : Faculty of Foreign Languages 28/3/2021- the supervisor to check 3/3/2021 12 4/4/2021 + Sending a chart about data 4/4/2021- analysis for Chapter IV 8/4/2021 + Sending a shorten chart 13 17/4/2021- 17/4/2021 23/5/2021 23/5/2021 + Having an appointment with the supervisor to finish Chapter IV in Room A5.5 at IUH + Submitting Chapter I, II, III, IV & V through Zalo 14 5/6/2021 + Having an online meeting with the 5/6/2021- supervisor to correct the entire 11/6/2021 research + Be asked to correct chapters and reprepare the PowerPoint file for the “Thesis Defense Presentation 15 12/6/2021- 12/6/2021 18/6/2021 18/6/2021 16 + Submitting five chapters (rewrite version) again + Submitting the PowerPoint file 19/6/2021 + Receiving feedback for the 19/6/2021- PowerPoint file from the supervisor 20/6/2021 + Receiving feedback for five20/6/2021 chapter again + Finishing the research paper + Completing the relevant forms for the graduation thesis The supervisor’s approval of the students’ submission (Yes/ No): ……………………………… Date: …………………………… Supervisor (Signature & Full name) ……………………………… Updated in July 2018 Prepared by: Le Thi Thuy, M.A Head of the Division: Tran Kieu My An, Ph.D August 29, 2020 Second Revision Vice Dean: Phan Thi Tuyet Nga, Ph.D INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES SUPERVISOR’S EVALUATION FORM Student’s name: …………………………………… Student Code: ……………………… Supervisor’s name: ……………………………………………………………………… CRITERIA Format (3) Format And Coherence and Organization (4) Language Use Grammar mistakes (3) Introduction Research topic and objectives of research (5) Research questions (5) Written Literature Theoretical framework (5) Graduation Review Review of previous studies (5) Referencing (5) Thesis (70) Methodology Research Methodology(10) Research Collecting and analyzing data (5) Findings Relevance between research findings and objectives (5) Evaluating and discussing the findings (5) Conclusions Conclusions & recommendation (10) Oral Content (3) Presentation Performance (3) (10) Time management (10 minutes) (2) Questions response (2) Supervisor’s Communication skill (2) Appraisal Punctuality (2) (10) Supervisor’s Continuous improvement (6) Group Decision &Planning SCORE Appraisal on Roles & Distribution teamwork Establish Goals (05) Meeting Minutes Peer Contribution to the team project evaluation Taking responsibility on teamwork (05) Working with others Other comments TOTAL SCORES ………./100 Date: …………………………… Signature ……………………………… INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES EXAMINER’S EVALUATION FORM Student’s name: …………………………………… Student Code: ……………………… Examiner’s name: …………………………………………………………………………… CRITERIA Format And Format (3) Language Use Coherence and Organization (4) SCORE Grammar mistakes(3) Introduction Research topic and objectives of research (5) Written Research questions (5) Graduation Literature Theoretical framework (5) Thesis Review Review of previous studies (10) Referencing (5) (80) Methodology Research Methodology (10) Research Collecting and analyzing data (5) Findings Relevance between research findings and objectives (5) Evaluating and discussing the findings (10) Conclusions Conclusions & recommendation (10) Oral Content (6) Presentation Performance (6) (20) Time management (10 minutes) (4) Questions responses (4) Other comments TOTAL SCORES ……… /100 Date: ………………………… Signature ……………………………… Updated in July 2017 Prepared by: Le Thi Thuy, M.A Head of the Division: Tran Kieu My An, Ph.D Rubrics for Written Graduation Thesis (70%) Item/ Weight Format (3) 10 Coherence and Organization (4) Grammar mistakes (3) Research topic and objectives of research (5) Introdu ction 10 15 Unsatisfactory There are consistent mistakes in the required format The development of paper is vague; no apparent logical order of presentation There are consistent spelling and grammar mistakes in the paper The research topic area is unclearly described Little evidence shows the significance and objectives of the research topic Developing There are several mistakes in the required format Satisfactory There are minor mistakes in the required format Exemplary 10 There are hardly any mistakes in the required format The paper is presented with connected concept and ideas, clear transitions The paper is presented in logical sequence and well organized The paper is clearly stated, well-developed and well organized There are several spelling and grammar mistakes in the paper There are minor spelling and grammar mistakes in the paper The research topic is presented and the significance and objectives of the paper is justified The research topic is adequately defined The significance and objectives of the paper is well justified There are hardly any spelling and grammar mistakes in the paper The research topic is introduced in a coherent and interesting manner The significance and objectives of the paper is well justified Research questions are scientifically meaningful and challenging The literature is closely linked with the research topic and appropriately explained The key concepts related to the Research questions (5) Research questions are not successfully defined Research questions are defined Research questions are coherently and clearly defined Literature Review (5) The literature is defined in an unclear manner Definition of key concepts is insufficient The literature is linked with the research topic Key concepts are recognized The literature is linked with research topic The key concepts related to the research topic are defined research topic are also clearly defined Review of previous studies (5) Referencing (5) 10 Research Methodology (10) The previous studies are inadequately relevant with the research topic and inappropriatel y summarized References are of poor quality The format and layout are inconsistent and not in line with APA style The previous studies are relevant with the research topic and summarized The previous studies are quite relevant with the research topic and appropriately summarized The referencing is in a proper manner but the layout of the bibliography is consistent with APA style There are, however, a number of inconsistencies The referencing is in a proper manner and the layout of the bibliography is largely in line with APA style The author displays such a low level of research methodology that it can be regarded as unacceptable The author correctly presents the research methods and shows good organization and application of research methodology The author justifies his/her choice of analysis methods and demonstrates effective application of relevant research methodology The previous studies are adequately relevant with the research topic and appropriately summarized The referencing is in a proper and extensive manner The format and layout of the bibliography are correct and in line with APA style The author justifies his/ her choice of research methods systematically and demonstrates a deep understanding in the application of relevant research methodology Collecting and analyzing data (5) Researc h findings 15 Relevance between research findings and objectives (5) Evaluating and discussing the findings (5) The author describes the data collecting and analyzing stages but the description does not form a coherent and logical whole The analysis methods are mainly chosen to answer the research questions, but the author has an insufficient command of the methods The author demonstrates a poor level of understanding in the analysis of the research findings The research findings are inadequate in meeting objectives of study The thesis does not succeed in making contribution to the knowledge base of the discipline and field of study The author correctly presents the data collecting and analyzing stages and also outlines the analysis The analysis demonstrates a good command and reliable use of the method The author presents the data collecting and analyzing stages clearly The author makes good use of the data in the analysis The author chooses the methods sensibly to summarize the information provided by the data The author presents the data collecting and analyzing stages correctly and clearly The author makes great use of the data in the analysis The author chooses the relevant methods to best summarize the information provided by the data The author demonstrates a satisfactory understanding in the analysis of the research findings The research findings may be adequate but not as described The author demonstrates adequate levels of understanding in the analysis of the research findings The research findings are adequate relevant to the objectives of the study The author demonstrates advanced levels of understanding in the analysis of the research findings The research findings are relevant to the objectives of the study The research findings make a minor contribution to the knowledge base of the discipline and field of study The research findings make a good contribution to the knowledge base of the discipline and field of study The research findings make a significant contribution to the knowledge base of the discipline and field of study 10 Conclusions & reconmmendati on (10) No logical conclusions are reached Answers to research questions studied and discussion about them is almost entirely missing or it is unconnected from the perspective of the research The final summary in no way communicates the purpose and findings of the study The author demonstrates inadequate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his/her own research The conclusions are partially logical The link between the conclusions and research questions is left somewhat unclear The final summary only partially communicates the purpose and findings of the study The author demonstrates quite adequate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his/her own research The conclusions are presented logically and answers to research questions are explained in a good manner The final summary communicates the purpose and findings of the study The author demonstrates adequate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his/her own research The conclusions are presented logically and answers to research questions are explained in a coherent manner The final summary is relevant and communicates the objectives and findings of the study The author demonstrates good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his/her own research Rubrics for Oral Presentation (10%) Unsatisfactory Developing Satisfactory Exemplary Organizational structure present but unclear with underdeveloped introduction, body and conclusion Transitions are awkward Organizational structure present clearly with introduction, body and conclusion A few transitions Appropriate organizational pattern used and easy to follow with developed introduction, understandable body part and satisfying conclusion Main points are smoothly connected with transitions Performance (3) Very little gestures or eye contact Monotone voice or insufficient volume Reading of notes only Speech is often unintelligible Adequate use of gestures, eye contact, language, and voice Limited oral fillers and nonverbal distractions Uses a wide range of pronunciation features Time management (10minutes) (2) No regard for time constraints six or seven minutes above or below the allotted time Unable to respond many questions Little gestures or eye contact Monotone voice or insufficient volume Little poise Heavy reliance on notes Abundant oral fillers and nonverbal distractions Mispronunciatio ns are frequent and cause some difficulty for the listener Presentation given within four or five minutes above or below the allotted time Most questions are responded competently 10 Organizational pattern is compelling and moves audience through speech with ease Introduction draws in the audience and conclusion is satisfying Main points are clearly made and smoothly connected with transitions Effective use of gestures, eye contact, vivid language, and voice to add interest to speech Poised with use of notes for reference only No oral fillers and nonverbal distractions Clear pronunciation Item/ Weight Content (3) Questions response (2) Presentation given within two or three minutes above or below the allotted time Presentation given within time constraints (from 9-11 minutes) Nearly all questions are responded knowledgably and respectively All questions are responded knowledgably and respectively Rubrics for Supervisor’s Appraisal (10%) Item/ Unsatisfactory Developing Satisfactory Exemplary Weight 10 Communic Students show a weak Students show an Students show Students show a ation skill communication skill in adequate a good very good (2) meetings with the communication skill communication communication supervisor and group in meetings with the skill in members supervisor and group meetings with with the members the supervisor supervisor and and group group members skill in meetings members Punctuality Students are always late Students are Students are Students are (2) in meetings with the sometimes late in usually always punctual supervisor meetings with the punctual in in meetings with supervisor meetings with the supervisor the supervisor Continuous Students show an Students show a Students show Students show a improveme unwilling attitude positive attitude a positive willing attitude nt towards assigned work, towards assigned attitude towards assigned (6) complete work late often work, complete towards work, complete and make no reference work late sometimes assigned work, work on time or from the supervisor and can make a complete work make alternative relevant reference on time or arrangement and from the supervisor make make a good alternative reference from arrangement the supervisor and make a good reference from the supervisor Rubrics for Teamwork (10%) Rubrics for Supervisor’s Appraisal (5%) Rubrics for Peer Evaluation (5%) Rubrics for Supervisor’s Appraisal (5%) Student’s name: Student code: _ Item/ Weight Unsatisfactory Group Planning & Decision There is no planning & decision making process, decisions are made by individuals Satisfactory A procedure for planning & making decisions is established by the group, but it is not clear and/or it focuses on individuals The group establishes informal roles for each member The workload could be distributed more equally Scheduled meetings minutes Scheduled meetings are often recorded minutes are rarely and the recorded and the contribution of efforts are each team scattered members are NOT identified The group does not establish roles for each member Roles & and/or the Distribution workload is unequally distributed Meeting Minutes Developing A clear procedure for planning & making decisions in research work is informally established by all members of the group Exemplary 10 A clear procedure for planning & making decisions in research work is formally established by all members of the group The group establishes clear and formal roles for each member and distributes the workload equally The group establishes and documents clear and formal roles for each member and distributes the workload equally Scheduled meetings minutes are usually recorded and the contribution of each team members are identified Scheduled meetings minutes are always recorded and the contribution of each team members are identified Rubrics for Teamwork (10%) Rubrics for Peer Evaluation (5%) Name of member: LÊ NGUYỄN HỒNG NGỌC Item/ Weight Unsatisfactory Does not collect Contribution any relevant to the team information; no project useful suggestions (9) to address team's needs; Does not perform assigned tasks; often misses meetings and, Taking when present, responsibility does not have (10) anything constructive to say; relies on others to the work; Rarely listens to, shares with, and Working with supports the others efforts of others; (10) often uses inappropriate language; often is not a good team member Evaluator's name: VŨ THỊ THU HÀ Date of evaluation: June 19th 2021 Updated in July 2019 Developing Satisfactory Collects information when prodded; tries to offer some ideas, but not well developed, and not clearly expressed, to meet team's needs; Performs assigned tasks but needs many reminders; attends meetings regularly but generally does not say anything constructive; sometimes expects others to his/her work; Usually listens to others but sometimes does not pay much attention when others talk, and assumes their ideas will not work; Collects basic, useful information related to the research, occasionally offers useful ideas to meet the team's needs; Exemplary 10 Collects and presents to the team a great deal of relevant information; offers well-developed and clearly expressed ideas directly related to the group's topic Performs all assigned tasks; attends meetings regularly and usually participates effectively; Performs all tasks very effectively; attends all meetings and participates enthusiastically; Generally listens to others' points of view; always uses appropriate and respectful language; tries to make a definite effort to understand others' ideas; Almost always listens to others and their ideas; helps them develop their ideas while giving them full credit Prepared by: Le Thi Thuy, M.A Head of the Division: Tran Kieu My An, Ph.D