A survey of improving translation skill of english majored juniors at tay do university by translating movie titles from english into vietnamese

TAY DO UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF LINGUISTIC AND LITERATURE RESEARCH PROPOSAL ON A SURVEY OF IMPROVING TRANSLATION SKILL OF ENGLISH MAJORED JUNIORS AT TAY DO UNIVERSITY BY TRANSLATING MOVIE TITLES FROM ENGLISH INTO VIETNAMESE Supervisor: Đặng Thị Hạnh, MA Student’s name: Ngô Thị Huyền Trang Student’s code: 14D220201050 Class: English May 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This research proposal could hardly be finished without enthusiastic help of many people First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude toward my supervisor, Ms Dang Thi Hanh, lecturer of Faculty of linguistics and literature of Tay Do University (TDU) This proposal could not have been completed without her enthusiastic, thoughtfulness and informative guide Actually, she instructed, commented and provided me useful references and materials so that I could complete my research proposal In addition, she spent her valuable time guiding and encouraging me during the time I was conducting the research Secondly, I would like to show my special thanks to all lecturers in the Faculty of linguistics and literature of TDU for their teaching and helping me widen knowledge of English over the past four years They have given me the foundation of this research I also would like to extend my special thanks to the Faculty of linguistics and literature of TDU for giving me the opportunity and permission to carry out the proposal research Last but not least, I would like to give my heartfelt gratitude to my family for the love and support They always encouraged and motivated me during my studying process i COMMENTS  ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I COMMENTS II TABLE OF CONTENTS III ABSTRACT VI CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale 1.2 The significance of study 1.3 The organization of study CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW 5 2.1 Translation 2.1.1 The definition of translation 2.1.2 The importance of translation 2.1.3 Types of translation 2.2 Factor affecting translating skill 2.2.1 Word collocation 10 2.2.2 Part of speech 11 2.2.3 Background knowledge 12 13 2.3 Language of movie title 2.3.1 The definition of movie title 13 2.3.2 Characteristics of English movie titles 13 2.3.2.1 Brief and concise 13 iii 2.3.2.2 Descriptive 14 2.3.3 Principles and techniques of English movie title translation 14 2.3.3.1 Principles of English movie title translation 14 2.3.3.2 Techniques of English movie title translation 16 2.4 Some difficulties and suggested sollutions in translation of movie titles from 18 English into Vietnamese 2.4.1 Some difficulties in translation of movie titles from English into Vietnamese 18 2.4.2 Suggested sollutions in translation of movie titles from English into Vietnamese 19 2.5 The effects of translating movie titles on translation skill CHAPTER III: RESEARCH AIMS-RESEARCH QUESTION-HYPOTHESIS 19 22 3.1 Research aims 22 3.2 Research question 22 3.3 Hypothesis 22 CHAPTER IV: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 23 4.1 Design 23 4.2 Participants 23 4.3 Instruments 23 4.3.1 Questionnaire 24 4.3.2 Interview 24 4.3.3 Procedure 25 CHAPTER V: EXPECTED OUTCOME 26 5.1 Words collocation 26 5.2 Part of speech 26 5.3 Background knowledge 27 iv REFERENCES VII APPENDIX A IX APPENDIX B XV v ABSTRACT With large quantities of English movies being introduced into Vietnam, more and more movie titles are translated into Vietnamese, some are well done while some are poorly done This survey research presents the process of the study about “A survey of improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do University by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese” This study, which focused on English majored juniors at Tay Do University, was conducted in hope to find out the ways improving translation skill by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese Data used for analysis in this study mainly collected through observation, survey through questionnaire and interview during the time of experimenting of proposed method The results of the research will point out the benefits from translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese toward translation skill and the freshmen can apply translating movie titles to improve their translation skill vi A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This chapter presents rationale, significance of study and organization of the study 1.1 Rationale There are many languages in the world Among them, English is the foremost of all It is understood and spoken almost everywhere in the world English has become the key instrument of globalization No one denies the importance of English language in the present time as global language In some contries, it is considered as the mother tongue and in other countries as language in their school English is used in many subjects and scientific research at universities and institutes There is no doubt that English is a language of communication among the people with different cultures It is also the language of computers that help to communicate with people around the world through Internet technology Besides, people use it in various fields of life such as economy, commerce, medicine, aviation and email In addition, it is the language which is used in the tourism and travel In Vietnam, English is taught widely as a forgein language in order to help students meet their own purposes Certainly, English is one of necessary requirements for those who want to get a good job or continue higher education These reasons move the people to learn English English has been an international language of not only socio-economic, culture, polictic issue but also of entertainment aspect including movie industry Movies are reflection of society “Movie is so important that it has become the first arts of the human world,” pointed out by French artist and novelist Mona (Baker, 2004, p.40) Movie is considered to be an important art form, a source of popular entertainment and A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese powerful method for educating or indoctrinating to citizens Some movies have become popular worldwide attractions by using dubbing or subtitles that translate the dialogues When learning English, students often concentrate on many skills Among these skills, translation is an important skill which needs to be developed However, there are difficulties in English-Vietnamese translation because of different in structure and culture Of course, between a foreign language and native language, there are some problems in translation in general and in translating English movie titles in particular As Ignacy Krasicki said that “Translation is in fact an art both estimable and very difficult, and therefore it is not the labor and portion of common minds; it should be practiced by those who are themselves capable of being actors, when they see greater use in translating the works of others than in their own works, and hold higher than their own glory the service that they render their country” To study translating subject well, students should try to study and practice regularly However, English majored juniors at Tay Do University still face difficulties because of three reasons Firstly, lack of words collocation is a big problem for them They not have enough vocabulary as well as words collocation to express or translate their thoughts Secondly, the mistakes about parts of speech are a reason affecting the student’s translation However, a good translator should limit the grammar error Finally, background knowledge is also a big obstacle because it is difficult to convey their ideas if they not have information related to what they want to mention As a result, it is hard to have a perfect text when students usually make mistakes in translating To solve these difficulties, there are many methods to help students improve their translation skill Nevertheless, translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese is one of the effective ways to develop their translation skill Furthermore, translating A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese movie titles written by native people also provides opportunities for students to learn practical language such as words collocation, parts of speech and background knowledge From these reasons above, the reasearcher decided to carry out a study about “A suvey of improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do University by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese” The research is done to help the juniors majoring in English at Tay Do University appreciate the positive effects of translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese on translation skill Hence, the researcher hopes that the juniors can apply translating movie titles in order to improve their translation ability in learning English 1.2 The significance of study Translation is extremely large in study However, due to the limit of time and knowledge, it could not be covered all matters about translation As mentioned above, in this study, only translation of movie titles from English into Vietnamese are presented and analyzed The research is conducted to help the juniors majoring in English recognize the benefits of translating movie titles Through the research results, they can realize that translating movie titles has some positive effects in translation skill and they can apply this way to improve their translation skill in learning English A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese CHAPTER IV RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 4.1 Design The research is performed to find out the common difficulties that juniors have faced in learning translating subject and the positive effects of translating English movie titles on translation skill The reliability and validity of the research results are based on the instruments To achieve the above mentioned purpose, the juniors majoring in English are chosen the sample to the survey The data from the participants will be collected through the questionnaire and interview for students The collected information of these two instruments will be analyzed to show the common difficulties in learning translation subject, especially the benefits of translating English movie titles to translating ability 4.2 Participants The participants of study are juniors majoring in English studying in the same class, course 12 at Tay Do University There are 60 students including male and female The age of students is from 19 to 22 years old They have been studying English from to 10 years The students speak Vietnamese as their mother tongue and English as a foreign language Students of class English 12 have been studying theory of translation book from the third year at Tay Do University 4.3 Instruments Questionnaire and paper interview are used to collect the participants’ ideas about the difficulties in translating from English into Vietnamese and the benefits from translating English movie titles into Vietnamese The students share their opinions and 23 A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese answers which are essential in the research process Hence, the instruments are used in this research: questionnaire- a list of question to find out the difficulties that student usually faced and the positive effects from translating English movie titles into Vietnamese The paper interview which used to ask the students’ attitude about those difficulties and benefits of translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese 4.3.1 Questionnaire The questionnaire for students consist of questions that were designed following multiple choices (a, b, c, d and e) and 28 statements were made according to checking the opinion Group Description a Q1 to Student’s background b Q7 to Student’s attitude toward translating c Q10 to 20 The problem student have faced in translating d Q21 to 35 The positive effects of translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese on translation skill 4.3.2 Interview The paper interview is designed to get the specific information from the juniors about translation skill and the positive effects of translating English movie titles on 24 A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese translating ability It consists of questions and focus on the two main point First of all is question about whether translating is a difficult subject, which problems they have faced when learning translating and what they have done to overcome them To sum up, the aim this instrument is to understand the juniors’s attitude toward translating English movie titles and how translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese can help them improve their translation skill 4.3.3 Procedure The study is conducted within 12 weeks and the process is divided into steps Duration (12 weeks) Activities in study process - Correct the research topic Step 1: From the 1st week to - Designing the specific outline 3rd week - Designing questionnaire and interview Step 2: From the 4th week to - Looking up the reference 7th week - Asking the supervisor for the permission of delivering questionnaire and interview to students - Collecting the data from questionaire and interview Step 3: From the 8th week to - Analyzing the collected data from questionnaire and 12th week interview - Completing the research 25 A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese CHAPTER V EXPECTED OUTCOME Translating is one of essential skills in not only learning English but also finding a good job in future Juniors majoring in English usually face many problems when praccticing it Practicing in translating English movie titles is a useful way to help them overcome the difficulties in translation subject This research aims to point out the benefits from translating English movie titles including: 5.1 Words collocation Words collocation is the most difficult challenge with the students because of its variety The students cannot remember all of the pairs of collocations so they guess and use word for word translation to deal with that difficulty In order to avoid these errors, Vietnamese who learns English-Vietnamese translation at university should create the habit of translating English, especially translating English movie titles to take notes of collocated words under the English standard Moreover, one of the good ways to learn collocations is “learn-by-heart” 5.2 Part of speech For part of speech, it is not difficult to see that the multiple function words make the students confuse when encountering because they have different parts of speech and different meaning due to their positions in sentences as well Translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese is a posible sollution for those difficulties because students can learn knowledge about parts of speech which are produced by the native speakers In addition, they can learn how to use correct functions word in sentences which is more effectively 26 A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese 5.3 Background knowledge Background knowledge has a big infulence on translating It affects the topic of the text Students with poor background knowledge are difficult to identify the topic and guess or catch the ideas, message or perspective of source text Translating English movie titles helps students widen general knowledge competence to contribute a successful translation Thanks to translating English movie titles, they can enhance knowledge about many fields such as society, movie, culture, etc, which supply them a lot of necessary information to express their ideas in translating 27 A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese REFERENCES References from books Ausubel Nathan (1968, Hardcover) Book of Jewish Knowledge Baker, Mona (2004) Routledge Encyclopedia of Translation Studies Bui Tien Bao & Dang Xuan Thu (1999) Interpreting and translation course book Nha xuat ban Giao duc Butter College (2016) The Eight Parts of Speech Butter College publisher Christopher Kasparek The Translator's Endless Toil, p 87, from Ignacy Krasicki David Katan (2004) An introduction fod Translator, Interpreters, and Mediators Eugene A Nida (2001) Language and Culture: Contexts in Translation Feng, Zheng (2005) A brief study of English movie title translation Michael McCarthy & Felicuty O’Dell (2005) English collocations in use (Intermediate) Cambridge University 10 Newmark, P (1988: 5) Approaches to Translation quoted by Machali (2000:4) Oxford: Pergamon Press 11 Newmark, Peter (2001) A Textbook of Translation 12 Nida, E A 1959 “Principles of Translation as Exemplified by Bible Translating,” in Brower (ed.), 1959: 11–31 13 Nida, Eugene A (2004) Toward a Science of Translating 14 Pourhossein, A and Reza, M (2011) A study of Factors Affecting EFL Learner’s English Listening Comprehension and The improvement Journal of Language Teaching and Research vii Strategies for A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese 15 Proverb, R (1990) Applying Strategies to Four Language Skills Language Learning Strategies: what every teacher should know 16 Toury, G 1978, revised 1995 The Nature and Role of Norms in Translation 17 Ross, N J., 2000 Interference and Intervention: Using Translation in the EFL Classroom Modern English Teacher, No 9(3) pp.61–66 18 William Collins Sons & Co Ltd Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 References from Internet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Translation https://www.vdict.com https://www.smartling.com/blog/common-challenges-translation viii A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese APPENDIX A QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS Dear friends, My name is Ngo Thi Huyen Trang and I am a senior of English major I would like to give my thanks to you for spending your valuable time helping me with this questionnaire This questionnaire used to collect the necessary information for my research about the study “A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do University by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese” So please take your time to finish these below questions carefully because your answers are very important and helpful to my research PERSONAL BACKGROUND Student’s full name: Age: Class: Gender: Male  Female  Please read the following questions and cricle the appropriate answer for each question Give the specific answers if needed PART 1 How long have you studied English? Years What you study English for? a Finding a good job with good salary ix A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese b Studying abroad c Living in English Speaking countries d Communicating with foreigners effectively e Others: What you think about learning translation? a Very important b Important c Normal d Not important How is your translating skill? a Very good b Good c Normal d Bad How often you encounter errors in English-Vietnamese translation? a Always b Usually c Seldom d Never What is the most difficult factor you meet when translating EnglishVietnamese? a Poor word collocations b Wrong part of speech x A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese c Lack of background knowledge d Others: …………………………………………………………… PART Please read the following statements and circle the answer to express your opinion Tick () on the number which is suitable with your opinion (1) Strongly agree (2) Agree (3) No idea (4) Disagree This below table is about your difficulties in translating English-Vietnamese Statements (1) Learning English translating subject is not easy for you You have faced difficulties when translating from English into Vietnamese Your target text has redundant words, sentences and information 10 It is hard to recognize collocations in English-Vietnamese translation texts 11 You cannot remember all the collocation because they are so variable xi (2) (3) (4) (5) A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese 12 You have faced difficulties when choosing the meaning of the word in the specific context 13 You also have difficulties in choosing the suitable Vietnamese words in particular context 14 You use word-by-word translation in English-Vietnamese texts to deal with strange or new collocations 15 It is difficult to discriminate among parts of speech based on suffixes (N, V, Adj, Adv…) 16 The multiple function words in the sentences make you confuse in translation 17 Guessing the functions of the words based on the circumstance is difficult 18 You feel confused when translating a special word that you have never been meet before 19 Because of poor background knowledge you cannot translate a special topic as history, movie, culture, economy and so on 20 You cannot translate the text smoothly and easy to understand because the target text is lack of information xii A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese The below table is about the positive effects of translating movie title from English into Vietnames on translating ability Statements (1) 21 Translating English movie titles is an interesting method to improve translating skill 22 Translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese provide you some useful material to practice translation 23 Through English movie titles you can get some new word, phrase, idioms,… and words collocations which are usually appear in the titles of movie 24 Translating English movie titles is a chance for you not only new words but also review old word ones 25 You can learn the way word combine in a language to produce natural speech 26 You can create the habit of guessing meaning from the content of movie 27 Translating English movie titles is a method to increase vocabulary effectiently in order to support your translating skill 28 You can learn some complex grammar points that they have never been meet before 29 You can learn how to use correct function xiii (2) (3) (4) (5) A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese of the words in sentences to avoid grammatical mistake based on circumstance 30 Translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese is a chance learning knowledge about parts of speech which are produced by the native speakers 31 Throughout translating English movie titles, they can recognize about tenses, sentences, clauses,… to improve ability of using language 32 Translating movie titles English- Vietnamese not ony provides some information about that happened in movie industry but also helps you improve your language learning 33 Thanks to translating English movie titles, you can increase knowledge about many fields as society, movie, culture, history and so on 34 You can understand many unfamiliar terms in some situations which help you imagine what you should mention in the translating tasks xiv A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese APPENDIX B STUDENT’S INTERVIEW QUESTIONS Dear friends, My name Ngo Thi Huyen Trang and I am a senior of English major I would like to send my thanks to you for spending your valuable time helping me with this interview question This interview will help me finish and collect the information for my research about “A survey on improving translating skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do University by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese” Please take a minute to fulfill these below questions because it is an important result to my research Student’full name: Class: Age: Gender: Male  Female  Do you think translating is an important skill for your major? Why? What difficulties you have faced when learning translating subject? xv A survey on improving translation skill of English majored juniors at Tay Do university by translating movie titles from English into Vietnamese What you to improve your translating skill? Do you think translating English movie titles is a useful way to improve your translating skill? Why/ Why not? THANKS FOR YOUR HELP xvi