MINISTRY OF JUSTICE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAININGHANOI LAW UNIVERSITY NGUYEN TRAN TUONG VAN 442949 DIFFICULTIES AND STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING TRANSLATION SKILLS OF ENGLISH-MAJOR SENI
Aims Of the Study ăăẳiăảiiiẳễỶŸầ
The research paper has three primary purposes as follows
- To explore the difficulties faced by English-major senior students at HLU in learning translation skills.
- To find out what strategies are frequently applied by English - major senior students of HLU to leverage their translation ability
- To recommend appropriate strategies for English - major senior students of HLU to enhance their translation ability
The research will be undertaken to address the following questions
1 What makes translation challenging to English-major senior students?
2 What strategies do English-major seniors apply to overcome obstacles regarding translation as well as enhance their translation skills?
Since the students of intake 44 (2019-2023) of HLU (final year) majoring in English Language have completed all the compulsory modules in translation and interpreting in their training program, this research paper focuses only on difficulties and strategies employed by this group of students Besides, due to the specific focus on the legal area of the university, this study is related only to the field of legal translation Each participant of the study is asked to complete a survey questionnaire in order to evaluate difficulties and solutions in their learning of translation processes. Surveying and collecting data period last for a maximum of one week and ends when either 100 participants have completed the survey questionnaire and/or interview.
Based on the research questions and research objectives, the study results are expected to provide English-major students, lecturers, as well as further researches.
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Organization of the StUAY 43
The study contains three central parts: Introduction, Development, and Conclusion.
The Introduction includes the Rationale, Aims, Research questions, Scope, Significance and Organization of the study.
The Development part is segmented into four chapters as follows:
Chapter 1 The Literature Review chapter sets out the theoretical framework for research and reviews of some of the earlier studies.
Chapter 2 The Methodology chapter provides research design, data collection instruments, and procedures for data collection and analysis.
Chapter 3 The Findings and Discussion chapter shows the analytical findings of the survey and a detailed interpretation of the data obtained.
Chapter 4 The Recommendations chapter makes a number of recommendations on the basis of key study results.
The Conclusion delivers a summary of the study, limitations of the study and suggestions for future studies.
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In this chapter, the researcher describes in detail the research methodology used in this study.
This study uses a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative research which aims to explore the difficulties faced by English-major senior students of HLU in learning translation skills and find out what strategies are frequently applied by them. The quantitative data were obtained by the use of a survey questionnaire which was administered to the participants via Google Form The qualitative data were generated through the method of group interview, which is a commonly used design in descriptive qualitative research of social sciences (Kumar, 2011).
The participants of the study are senior students from HLU majoring in English language Specifically, a total of 100 students of intake 44 who are in their fourth year participated in the survey 54 students (54%) come from class 4429 and
46 students (46%) from class 4430 This ratio illustrated that both classes have engaged in this survey with a nearly equal proportion With regard to their gender, 69 of them are females equivalent to 69%, 20 males accounting for 20% and 11 students (11%) preferred not to reveal their gender Eight out of 100 participants were invited to partake in the interview with the researcher, with six of them from class 4429, and two from 4430.
Only fourth-year students were selected as the population of the instant research since they have completed all the compulsory modules in translation and interpreting in their training program while the subsequent intake (K45) have just finished their first translation and interpreting module The more they are exposed to translation practice, the more they become aware of the challenges faced and the strategies to overcome them.
Moreover, 2 lecturers who have taught legal translation modules were also invited to take part in the interview with the researcher.
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Participants and Setting n6
The participants of the study are senior students from HLU majoring in English language Specifically, a total of 100 students of intake 44 who are in their fourth year participated in the survey 54 students (54%) come from class 4429 and
46 students (46%) from class 4430 This ratio illustrated that both classes have engaged in this survey with a nearly equal proportion With regard to their gender, 69 of them are females equivalent to 69%, 20 males accounting for 20% and 11 students (11%) preferred not to reveal their gender Eight out of 100 participants were invited to partake in the interview with the researcher, with six of them from class 4429, and two from 4430.
Only fourth-year students were selected as the population of the instant research since they have completed all the compulsory modules in translation and interpreting in their training program while the subsequent intake (K45) have just finished their first translation and interpreting module The more they are exposed to translation practice, the more they become aware of the challenges faced and the strategies to overcome them.
Moreover, 2 lecturers who have taught legal translation modules were also invited to take part in the interview with the researcher.
This research paper focuses on students of intake 44 of HLU (final year) majoring in Legal English, in which bilingual English-Vietnamese translation theory and practice are one of the core courses of the curriculum For the participants of this study — senior students, the duration of translation theory lasts two credits, Legal translation module one lasts four credits and Legal translation module two lasts three credits These courses are entirely studied from the first semester of third year.
By the time of conducting the questionnaire, intake 44 English-major students have been completing the last semester Furthermore, students who chose not to write graduation thesis had to learn other courses as a replacement, including one course of advanced legal translation In general, the main goals of translation courses are to help students gain fundamental knowledge of translation theory and legal background, as well as become proficient in using and translating vocabulary on legal topics and sentence structures from simple to complex In addition, through translation modules, students also develop skills in translation, editing, and evaluation From then on, students will be equipped with relatively proficient translation — interpretation skills in the international working environment related to the fields of culture, society, education, law, etc.
Data collection instruments, procedures and anaÌySIs
The primary methods for data collection in this research were a questionnaire survey and a set of interview questions.
The first instrument is the survey questionnaire, which is divided into three parts: Part 1 - Respondents’ general information (gender, class); Part 2 — English- major seniors’ difficulties in the translation process; Part 3 - Strategies implemented by HLU’s English-major students in enhancing translation skills To be more specific,part 2 comprises 4 questions aiming to obtain specific information about students’ difficulties in the translation process (lexical and domain knowledge, subjective and objective factors) and part 3 gives 5 questions regarding strategies to help students overcome difficulties All questionnaires are self-made using a 5-point Likert scale.
The second instrument is structured interviews with student participants and lecturer participants There are 4 questions in the interview regarding specific difficulties, strategies and perceptions in enhancing translation skills of each student, in addition to statements on the online survey In addition, 3 questions regarding some other factors related to translation skills such as the duration of translation modules, lecturers’ role and activities recommended by students Moreover, 2 questions in the interview regarding the contributing factors to student’s difficulties in translation and appropriate strategies to enhancing translation skills in the viewpoint HLU’s lecturers.
The two instruments were used to gather information needed for this research and to ensure the validity and reliability of the findings.
Both survey questionnaire and interview were proceeded by the researcher to collect students’ data with the approval and consent from the university as well as from the students themselves.
The researcher created the online survey using Google Form and floated to the participants via personal emails and other social networking sites such as Zalo and Facebook The online questionnaire provides a detailed description of the intent and a straightforward explanation of how to respond The data was collected during the week from March 4 to March 10, 2023 After that, the questionnaire on Google Form was closed to ensure no more changes to the data obtained The response rate of participants is high, with 100 out of 115 responses, accounting for nearly 87%.After collecting data from the questionnaire, the student researcher conducted structured interviews with eight students and two lecturers Thanks to the utility of advanced technology, all the interviews are conducted via video calls which were all recorded with the consent of the interviewees The responses of interviewees were then transcribed and thematically analyzed To maintain the confidentiality of participants, the audio recording files (if any) from the student interviews were randomly labeled from 1 to 8, and teacher interviews from 9 to 10 then proofread to avoid any wordiness or diction mistakes.
Since this study paper uses mixed approaches, the best results are obtained by coding and interpreting data from both qualitative and quantitative sources using raw information collected from the respondents.
The results of the questionnaire survey were analyzed using Google Forms, Google Sheets and IBM SPSS software The data gathered are illustrated by the means of tables The two main types of analysis used are Google Sheets and SPSS Descriptive Statistics To begin with, variables defined in the questionnaire by qualitative values were converted to quantitative values as follows:
1 =I’ve never encountered this/I’ve never implemented this strategy;
2 = I’ve rarely encountered this/I’ve rarely implemented this strategy;
3 =I’ve often encountered this/I’ve often implemented this strategy;
4 =I’ve usually encountered this/I’ve usually implemented this strategy;
5 = I’ve always encountered this/I’ve always implemented this strategy.
Accordingly, in the results put forward from the SPSS Descriptive Statistics, the mean score (M) can be produced using the formula:
Mean (M) = (Maximum — Minimum)/n = (5-1)/5 = 0.8 Subsequently, the mean scores would be interpreted as follows:
1.00 - 1.80: I’ve never encountered this/I’ve never implemented this strategy; 1.81 - 2.60: I’ve rarely encountered this/I’ve rarely implemented this strategy; 2.61 - 3.40: I’ve often encountered this/I’ve often implemented this strategy;
3.41 - 4.20: I’ve usually encountered this/I’ve usually implemented this strategy; 4.21 - 5.00: I’ve always encountered this/I’ve always implemented this strategy. The results of interview questions were summarized and grouped into each thematic issues, such as difficulties students encounter in translation process, strategies students apply to resolve difficulties, strategies perceptions and suggestions for leveraging translation skills in both students and lecturers’ viewpoints.
In this chapter, the researcher has laid out and supported the approach in the implementation of this research and presents it with details within three main parts:
Research design, Participants and setting; Data collection instrument and procedures,and finally, Data analysis. wi)
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION . c<<<55<<sse 27
Common difficulties students encounter in translation Process
in universities of Ho Chi Minh City showed that they are less confident in both translation and specialized knowledge Otherwise, the study of Le and Tran (2022) illustrated vocabulary challenges in terms of poly-semantic words, synonyms and antonyms It is slightly different from this study results, which shows the difficulties in term of the quantity of vocabulary However, the difficulties of Le and Tran’s study are generally related to linguistics, such as complex sentences, word form, verb tenses, and relative clause, which is similar to the results of this study Vocabulary is also common difficulties that learners encounter in the translation process because it is always infinite, whether learners have a large or small amount of vocabulary. The findings also show that students have not received much practical sharing of translation experience from lecturers and industry insiders, most of whom have just assigned classwork and examinations to students The duration of the translation modules can be one of the reasons when the volume of knowledge learners needs to achieve the training goals is very large, while there are only 2 or 3 credits for each translation course, 1.e., students only have 5 weeks, or 1-2 sessions per week for a 15- week module Even the entire study period of the compulsory legal translation modules of intake 44 took place online in the third year, thus affecting the interaction between lecturers and students Although students have different opinions on the duration issue, they generally believe that this is not enough for students to improve their translation skills The limitation of study duration as well as opportunities to exchange with lecturers makes students lack orientation in translation output, leading them to look up for self-studying and self-evaluation.
Common strategies students APpPLy ccccccccccccrsccsccececcessussessssssneeesseseeeens 44
Students believe that language proficiency is the most needed factor to be improved and they choose methods to improve this area by learning new words by reading or listening to different resources and practice using them in speaking or writing (according to the survey results) Using dictionaries and studying legal documents are specific methods to deal with limitations in vocabulary (according to the results Interview result) Regularly practicing translation is the strategy that has the highest mean score in the survey and is mentioned in interviews to overcome difficulties in terms of time constraints and knowledge amount of translation modules This is an effective method of self-study to improve and memorize vocabulary, master grammar and solve mistakes in the translation process.
Students also attach importance to supplementing background knowledge to overcome difficulties in vocabulary and legal terminology For English-major students, studying basic subjects related to law (Legal Theory, Constitution, etc.) as well as enrolling second bachelor degrees in Law fields are the most effective way to overcome difficulties in background knowledge More importantly, English-major
45 students learn core subjects to build legal translation skills, 1.e., basic and advanced Legal English modules.
Previous studies have also successfully proved the importance of language proficiency as well as area knowledge in the field of translation because these are fundamental skills that English-majors need to master Therefore, the survey results on focused strategies on improving translation ability are mostly related to language skills and background knowledge Particularly, researches by Mizuno (2008) and Tanaka (2007) (cited in Dao (2022)) of many universities in Japan considered
"vocabulary and grammar ability", "background knowledge" as the two bottom lines in teaching translation skills Furthermore, research by Hao & Pym (2021) also showed that L2 skills ranked first and area knowledge ranked third out of more than
20 skills surveyed that graduates of European Masters in Translation wish to be acquired more in translator training at the university.
However, the difference of this study is that it clearly addresses specific methods to resolve each difficulty of translation skills It is also more insightful for students, especially seniors in legal English major when this research focuses directly on legal translation sector, with English-major seniors at HLU as the participants, instead of surveying graduates or undergraduates in other majors.
In this chapter, the researcher provides descriptions, comparisons and explanations for the data collected from questionnaire responses Additionally, the interpretation and discussion of the collected data from both survey questionnaire and interviews are presented, which enables the researcher to reach the conclusions in the subsequent chapter.
RECOMMENDATIONS +2046 4.1 Recommendations for English-major S€nIOTS - 55 5553 S+s>++ss++ss 46 4.1.1 Recommendations to enhance language Proficiency ôĂSSS<<<<+ 46 4.1.2 Recommendations to enhance domain knowledjg© ô<< ô<+++ 47 4.1.3 Recommendations to enhance personal skills regarding translation
Other recommendations for lecturers and Legal Foreign Languages Faculty of
For English-major lecturers, it is essential to share more with students about the reality of the translation profession, including opportunities and threats of translation in practice, career opportunities, and materials for references In addition to giving regular assignments, lecturers should focus more on giving feedback to each student, i.e., strengths and weaknesses through their translation outputs.
For the Faculty of Legal Foreign Languages, more programs regarding the legal translation profession could be implemented with invitation to experts to train translation skills for students as well as career opportunities Various activities in an academic environment are purposed by interviewed students For example, contests or extracurricular activities encourage students to work on translation tasks and get feedback from peers and lecturers; translation conferences, workshops or seminars that include professional translators or language experts Furthermore, a language exchange program is described by an interviewee as “a great way to gain both language skills and cultural knowledge" By participating in these programs, students can get the opportunity to practice their target language and connect with others in a more interactive and impressive way In addition, these events are helpful for students to explore more about the translation industry they may not have learned in a classroom setting.
In this chapter, the researcher inputs recommendations for English-major seniors as well as lecturers and the training institution to resolve constraints and identify opportunities interpreted in the study.
CONCLUSION This chapter concludes this thesis with a summary of the study Additionally, the researcher points out some existing limitations of the paper as well as puts forward a few improvements that can be made in future research.
Summary of the main findinBsS - . - s 11 vn 50 2 Limitations and suggestions for further research ô -ô<+sx<c++ 50 REFERENCES
English major seniors who participated in the survey and interview process have implemented various specific methods in order to overcome obstacles and leverage translation skills Comparing with other strategies and factors, students tend to prioritize vocabulary of target language in both quantity and quality (word forms, synonym, antonym) and regularly self-practicing translation with available resources. Difficulties that students usually encounter in translation tasks are mostly related to the lack of vocabulary and legal-specialized terms, so dictionaries and legal documents are two main resources students choose to employ to lessen obstacles during translation To enhance legal vocabulary in particular and legal translation ability in general, students also choose to improve legal knowledge by updating and researching news, legal events and occurrences in both online and offline materials. Otherwise, they expect more sharing and guidance of lecturers and professionals, not only in the classroom, but also in other academic activities Reading and proofreading skills are highly recommended for best preparation during translation process by lecturers majoring in translation of HLU’s English faculty.
Based on the results, the researcher made some recommendations for better exploitation on translation skills English-major senior students that combine learning activities at training institution with self-studying, utilizing technology, participating in discussions, and taking advantage of available learning resources, etc The suggestions are also expected to be the proposal for lecturers as well as Faculty of Legal Foreign Languages in conducting further activities and programs to support English-major students of HLU.
2 Limitations and suggestions for further research
Limitations are impossible to avoid in any research paper, no matter how carefully planned out, this thesis is no exception The first limitation is the sample size, this study research is conducted among only 100 English major seniors of intake
44 which cannot possibly represent all the HLU’s English-major students’ opinions. Also, the recommendations collected via the interview sessions are of only 8 students and 2 lecturers, more possible suggestions contributed could be mentioned in this study if the population was larger Second, this study only covers the quantity of strategies, but not particularly what each strategic is and students’ perceptions about effectiveness of each strategy.
Thus, the researcher makes some suggestions for further studies to be carried out with larger sample size to provide better insights of the practice and opinions on the method In addition, further research should pay more attention to the sample profiles such as academic background history or the attitude of students towards each method The researcher expects that this study's results will assist in the design of more effective ways to enhance translation skills for English-major seniors in HLU.
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1 Dao, M N (2022) Lịch sử dịch thuật và thực trang dao tạo Biên phiên dịch tại Nhật Bản Tap chí Nghiên cứu Nước ngoài, 38(1), 103-114.
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3 Lê, T H (2017) Về cơ sở lý luận dao tạo biên phiên dịch ở Việt Nam Tap chí
4 Lê,T.T., Nguyễn, N T., & Nguyễn, N T Q (2012) Một số vấn đề trong đảo tạo chuyên ngành Biên - Phiên dịch Tiếng Anh Tạp chí khoa học Trường Đại học Mở
5 Tran, B T (2020, 4 30) Cách mạng công nghiệp 4.0 - Cơ hội va thách thức của giai cấp công nhân Việt Nam hiện nay Retrieved from Tạp chí Cộng sản: https://www.tapchicongsan.org.vn/web/guest/kinh-te/-
6 Truong Đại học Luật Ha Nội (2014), Quyết định số 2595/QD-DHLHN v/v ban hành Chương trình đào tạo đại học hệ chính quy ngành Ngôn ngữ Anh — Chuyên ngành tiếng Anh pháp lý
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE
2 Which intake are you in?
I Difficulties students meet in the translation process
Choose the appropriate column for each statement
1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neutral, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree
1 There are many new words that I don't know the meaning
2 Some words have multiple meanings in different contexts so it's hard to translate correctly
3 There are many technical terms used in the source language
4 I can't find a word with equivalent meaning in the target language
5 Ihave difficulty translating phrases such as idioms, phrasal verbs, and collocations
6 Ihave problems with word order when I do my translation
7 I face many grammatical challenges such as subject-verb agreements, prepositions, verb tenses, verb forms, etc when I translate texts from the source to the target language
8 I find it hard to translate some special structures such as relative clauses, passive construction, long and complex sentences, etc.
9 I don't have enough knowledge in legal areas
10.1 do not understand much legal terms (legal-specialized terms, archaic words, Latin terms, etc.)
11.1 lack the knowledge of translation theory or don’t know how to apply the translation theory in practice
12.1 find it difficult to translate properly because of different wording style and culture between English and Vietnamese
13 My knowledge In using translation tools (e.g., Google Translate, Dictionary) is limited
3 Difficulties related to subjective factors
15 My writing and/or drafting skill is not highly appreciated
16 My editing/proofreading documents skill is not good due to limitation in language using
17 I'm not confident when I work with others (Lack of Teamwork skill)
18.1 think any answers from lecturers or experts in the field are always right and more discussions are not needed (Lack of Critical thinking)
19 It's hard for me to decide which is the best option between ideas in translation process (Lack of Decision-making skill)
20.1 don't know or have enough reference materials (books, apps, websites, etc.) to learn translation skills
4 Difficulties related to objective factors
21 The time allocated to teaching translation skills is limited
22.1 don’t have many opportunities to learn translation skills with experts
23.1 don’t have an ideal environment to regularly use and improve translation skills
24 My current job or my future study/career expectations do not require translation skills
II Strategies to enhance translation skills and perceptions on their effectiveness
1 In your opinion, how important are these factors to enhance your translation skills?
Choose the appropriate column for each statement
1 = unnecessary, 2 = unimportant, 3 = neutral, 4 = important, 5 = necessary
25 Source language proficiency (Native language)
26 Target language proficiency (Foreign language)
27 Background knowledge of the translation field
28 Background knowledge of translation skills
29 Improvement of personal skills related to translation
30 SubJective factors (limited time and resources, lectures, training programs, etc.)
31 Objective factors (teaching time, learning with experts, good environment)
2 What strategies do you use to improve your translation skills? How often do you use them?
Choose the appropriate column for each statement
1 = never, 2 = rarely, 3 =often, 4 = usually, 5 = always e Strategies to improve language proficiency
32 Learning new words related to my field of study by way of reading or listening to different resources.
33 Taking notes of collocations, idioms, phrasal verbs, etc.
34 Mastering grammar rules through practicing language skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing.
35 Improving the understanding and use of complex sentence structures
36 Learning new words from contexts and practice using them in speaking or writing.
37 Using dictionary and thesaurus to learn synonyms, antonyms, root words and related words. e Strategies to improve background knowledge in the legal field and translation theory
38 Developing a habit of regular reading documents and updating news to enhance knowledge
39 Participating in activities such as research contests, seminars, workshops, etc to gain knowledge in legal and/or translation areas
40 Discussing with mentors, lecturers, experts, etc to gain knowledge in legal and/or translation areas
41 Conducting deep research on the culture and wording style of Vietnamese and
English to enhance the quality of translation output
42 Practicing legal translation to enhance both legal and translation knowledge
61 e Strategies to leverage personal skills related to translation
43 Identifying clear learning goals and plans of each translation skill (language, domain knowledge, etc.)
44 Researching documents and on the
Internet to find out and solve problems in the translation process
45 Practicing writing more and trying to get feedback from lecturers, experts, or friends
46 Writing down translation options and analyzing pros and cons of each to come up with most appropriate option
47 Discussing with friends to find out and analyze problems in the translation process e Strategies to effectively utilize available resources
48 Learning from guidance shared by experts, lecturers at school and/or workplaces, etc.
49 Learning from guidance shared by peers at school and/or workplaces, etc.
50 Conducting tasks related to legal and translation fields as schools/workplaces require
51 Watching and/or listening to entertainment media such as movies, music, gameshows, podcasts, etc.
52.Using CAT tools to assist the translation process
53 Using dictionaries to assist the translation process
54 Self-study with available reference materials/documents
APPENDIX II: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND TRANSCRIPTION e For students
1 What makes translation challenging to you — an English-major senior student?
Student I: As an English major senior student, I find translation challenging due to multiple factors such as language, legal knowledge - legal terms, culture, personal skills, and subjective/objective factors including motivation, environment, lecturers, and documents Understanding the context and nuances of the source language and the target language is crucial for a high-quality translation.
Student 3: On translating research, I think there is nothing more difficult than vocabulary and deep understandings and knowledge about the native language to convey all the gist and ideas On translating a conversation from native speakers, I consider it is the toughest due to the foreign culture that I rarely meet (sometimes, slang is a barrier), the discontinuous flow of conversation, and some special sentences used in spoken language.
Student 4: The most challenging translation for me as an English major senior student is legal knowledge — legal term The nature of legal language and the law accounts for most of difficulties and complexities involved in legally translating a document. Legal translation is a difficult niche within the translation field in light of unique legal system and legal terminology of each country that must be accurately conveyed in the target language of a translation.
2 What strategies do you use to solve those difficulties?
Student I: To tackle those difficulties, I use several strategies, such as reading and studying the source text thoroughly, researching legal and cultural terminology, consulting colleagues or experts in the field, using software or online tools to aid translations, and practicing regularly Among the strategies mentioned above, practicing regularly has been the most effective for me Consistent practice allows me to become more familiar with the language, the terminology, and the cultural context of the source and target language, leading to a more precise and accurate translation Additionally, practicing also helps me to improve my translation speed, which is crucial for meeting deadlines.
Student 3: Looking up digital dictionaries is the most commonly-used and effective one for me Although traditional, it is quick and convenient to have a rough meaning and from the rough ones, I can find some synonyms and solutions for my translation document The problems for vocabulary can be solved by looking up new words in dictionaries to find meanings or synonyms (Merriam Webster and OZDict for contexts) or reading researches in native language so that the meaning can be closest. Otherwise, most of the research and documents are limited and rarely mention slang or spoken vocabulary Therefore, I usually ask my foreign friend to give a detailed explanation and use HiNative to share and understand the problems.
Student 4: Legal documents are used for different purposes Thus, it is advisable to consider in what context the translated document will be used This in turn might have certain implications for the style, tone, form, and terminology of the document.
3 Do you think the length of time in translation courses and the lecturers' sharing are enough for you to enhance translation ability? If yes, what knowledge/skills did you gain after translation courses? If not, what strategies do you use to improve your translation ability?
Student 5: The length of time in translation courses and the lecturers’ sharing may be helpful, but they may not be enough to enhance translation ability fully To improve translation ability, one must practice continuously, develop a solid understanding of the source and target languages, and have a good understanding of the subject matter being translated Some strategies to improve translation ability include reading extensively in both the source and target languages, practicing translation regularly, seeking feedback from peers or professionals, and attending translation workshops or seminars.
Student 7: From my experiences, the length of time in translation courses are reasonable; however, I think that the lecturers' sharing should be combined with more
65 specialized knowledge and practical skills For example, regarding the translation and interpretation course, lecturers can teach a different legal field in each two - week, such as Commercial Law, with specialized vocabulary and specific translation methods for the commercial documents I think this is an effective and apparent strategy to improve students' translation ability.
Student 8: 1 think the length of time in translation courses obviously isn’t enough to enhance the translation ability of any student, including me So, in order to improve my translation ability, I maintain a habit of reading news in both English and Vietnamese I usually read a UK newspaper called the Guardian for English and Dan Tri for Vietnamese I chose these sources because they have apps on my phone In my opinion, reading in both your source and target languages can help you build your vocabulary and develop a feel for the language.
4 Do you have any recommendations to utilize the lecturers' role in helping students enhance their translation skills?
Student 5: One recommendation to utilize the lecturers' role in helping students enhance their translation skills is to have them provide regular feedback on the students’ translation assignments The lecturer can review the translations and provide constructive feedback on the accuracy, style, and language usage of the translated texts The lecturer can also provide additional resources or materials that can help the students improve their translation skills, such as specialized dictionaries, style guides, or reference materials.
Student 6: Teachers have three main roles, in my opinion This includes:
- The role of creating a close learning environment and space for students, to practice each skill in interpreting more, and students to communicate more with others.
- The role of setting goals and priorities for students who can/want to express themselves
- The role of conveying practical experiences from the learning process and even in real work to students.
Student 7: The lecturers' role is really important It is recommended that the lecturer provides students with sample translations, especially related to legal field as we can understand clearly about how legal translation is adopted In addition, I hope the lecturer can share more about his/ her experiences in legal translation so that we can approach more practically to this skill in a professional environment.
Student 8: When lecturers assign us translation tasks, I feel like it’s a great way to practice our language skills and learn new vocabulary I also like it when they provide us with resources, like glossaries and translation software It shows that they understand the challenges we face as students, and they’re willing to help us overcome them Overall, I think these two things are really important for improving our translation skills.
5 Can you recommend some activities that help students interested in learning translation and gain knowledge effectively at school?
Student 5: In my point of view, some activities that can help students gain interest in learning translation and gain knowledge effectively at school include:
- Organizing translation competitions or challenges that encourage students to work on translation tasks and get feedback from peers and lecturers.
- Inviting guest speakers, such as professional translators or language experts, to speak to students about the translation industry, best practices, and career opportunities.
- Creating translation projects that are relevant to students’ interests, such as translating excerpts from favorite books, articles, or movies.
- Encouraging students to work on real-world translation projects, such as translating materials for community organizations or local businesses.
- Providing opportunities for students to attend translation conferences, seminars, or workshops to learn about the latest trends and developments in the translation industry.
Student 7: | think students will develop their translation skills more effectively if the assigned translations are related to the prominent legal events or daily occurrences.
Simultaneously, in the process of translating, students also need to research what those events are, their causes, etc., and as a result, their legal knowledge and practical translation skills will be enhanced.
Student 8: I think language exchange programs are a really great way to improve your language skills and gain cultural knowledge By participating in programs like this, students can get the opportunity to practice their target language with native speakers and learn about their culture firsthand It can be really helpful to hear how native speakers pronounce words and use different expressions that you may not have learned in a classroom setting Plus, it’s a fun and interactive way to learn and make new friends. e For lecturers
1 From your viewpoint, what makes translation challenging for English- major senior students?