Designing a syllabus of translation module 1 for college english majors in the teacher training section of hoa lu university, ninh binh

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES - - PHẠM THANH TÂM DESIGNING A SYLLABUS OF TRANSLATION MODULE FOR COLLEGE ENGLISH MAJORS IN THE TEACHERTRAINING SECTION OF HOA LU UNIVERSITY, NINH BINH (Xây dựng chương trình chi tiế t ho ̣c phầ n Dịch cho sinh viên Cao đẳng sư phạm tiếng Anh trường Đại học Hoa Lư, Ninh Bin ̀ h) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Hanoi - 2015 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HA NOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES - - PHẠM THANH TÂM DESIGNING A SYLLABUS OF TRANSLATION MODULE FOR COLLEGE ENGLISH MAJORS IN THE TEACHERTRAINING SECTION OF HOA LU UNIVERSITY, NINH BINH (Xây dựng chương trình chi tiế t ho ̣c phầ n Dịch cho sinh viên Cao đẳng sư phạm tiếng Anh trường Đại học Hoa Lư, Ninh Bin ̀ h) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Assoc.Prof Lê Hùng Tiến, PhD Hanoi - 2015 CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT I hereby declare that this thesis is a presentation of my original research work Wherever contributions of others are involved, every effort is made to indicate this clearly, with due reference to the literature, and acknowledgement of collaborative research and discussions The work was done under the guidance of Assoc.Prof., PhD Le Hung Tien at University of Languages and International Studies-VNU Ha Noi, 2015 Pham Thanh Tam i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am greatly indebted to Mr Le Hung Tien, my supervisor, to whom I wish to extend my sincere gratitude for his guidance, constructive criticisms, valuable suggestions and encouragement, without which the thesis might not have been completed I would also like to express my gratitude to Management Board of the Postgraduate Department, University of Languages and International Studies – VNU for their helpful support Special thanks are due to all the English staff, especially translation teachers and 40 English-major students of English teacher training section at Hoa Lu University for their contribution to the data collection and their constructive suggestions for this research Finally, I owe the completion of this study to my beloved family for their endless support, patience and understanding ii ABSTRACT This study was conducted to design a syllabus for translation module for college english majors in the teacher-training section of Hoa Lu university In establishing essential foundation for the syllabus design, the study has investigated relevant literature and carried out through analysis on students‟ needs, teachers‟ opinions and situation factors The proposed syllabus aims to develop students‟ English competence through translation practice The students are introduced to basic theoretical knowledge and provided with practice of translation into and out of English The course adopts learningcentered approach with a combination of topic-based and text-based syllabus The study is expected to offer an appropriate syllabus for translation course and, therefore, effectively solve the urgent problem in teaching translation of English Section at Hoa Lu University, Ninh Binh iii TABLE OF CONTENTS CANDIDATE‟S STATEMENT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii ABSTRACT iii TABLE OF CONTENT iv LIST OF ABBREVIATION .vii LIST OF TABLES viii INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims and objectives Research questions Scope of the study Methods of the study Design of the study CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1 An overview of translation 1.1.1 Definition of translation 1.1.2 The use of translation in teaching FLT 1.1.3 Translation as the fifth skill in FLT 1.1.3.1 The role of translation as the fifth skill in FL teaching and learning 1.1.3.2 Application of translation in FL teaching and learning 1.2 An overview of syllabus design 11 1.2.1 Definition of syllabus 11 1.2.2 Approaches to syllabus design 12 1.2.2.1.Language-centred approach…………………………………… 12 1.2.2.2.Skills-centred approach 12 1.2.2.3.Learning-centred approach 13 1.2.3 Translation syllabus design 12 iv 1.2.3.1 Grammar-based syllabus 13 1.2.3.2 Culture-based syllabus 14 1.2.3.3 Text-based syllabus 14 1.2.3.4 Topic-based syllabus 14 1.2.4 Steps to design a syllabus 15 1.2.5 Needs analysis 16 1.3 Summary 17 CHAPTER 2: THE STUDY 18 Introduction 18 2.1 Training Institution 18 2.2 Facilities 18 2.3 The teaching staff of the English section 19 2.4 The students 19 2.5 The study 20 2.5.1 The subjects 20 2.5.2 Instruments for collecting data 20 2.5.3 Procedure 21 2.5.4 The findings 21 2.5.4.1 The survey 21 2.5.4.2 Interviews with translation teachers 30 2.6 Summary 32 CHAPTER 3: DESIGNING A TRANSLATION SYLLABUS MODULE FOR COLLEGE ENGLISH MAJORS IN THE TEACHER-TRAINING SECTION OF HLU 33 3.1 Aims and objectives of the translation syllabus 33 3.2 Selecting the type of Translation syllabus 34 3.3 Sequencing the content and the tasks in the syllabus 34 3.3.1 Selecting the content 35 3.3.1.1 Theory 35 v 3.3.1.2 Practice 36 3.3.2 Grading content 37 3.3.3 The organization of the syllabus 37 3.3.3.1 Time allocation 38 3.3.3.2 Quantity and structures of the syllabus 38 3.4 Designing tests for the translation course 38 3.5 The proposed translation syllabus for College English majors at HLU 39 CONCLUSIONS 43 Conclusions 43 Limitations 43 Suggestions for further study 44 REFERENCES 45 APPENDIX I APPENDIX V APPENDIX VI vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ELT: English Language Teaching EAP: English for Academic Purposes ESP: English for Specific Purposes EFL: Foreign Language FLT: Foreign Language Teaching GE: General English HLU: Hoa Lu University L1: First Language L2: Second Language SL: Source Language ST: Source Text TL: Target Language vii LIST OF TABLES Table 22 Table 24 Table 25 Table 26 Table 26 Table 27 Table 27 Table 28 Table 28 Table 10 28 Table 11 29 Table 12 30 viii CONCLUSIONS Conclusions With the growing tendency to consider translation the fifth skill in language teaching and learning, designing an appropriate translation course that suits target groups in an academic setting assumes great importance Accordingly, the purpose of this minor thesis is to propose an appropriate translation syllabus for the secondyear English majors of English teacher training section at Hoa Lu University In order to achieve the aim of the thesis, some fundamental aspects needed to be considered First, insights into the nature of translation syllabus design were gained by reviewing the relevant literature The review of literature was of great help for the author to choose the appropriate approach to the design of the course Three steps to design the syllabus have been determined including needs analysis, determining aims and objectives, selecting and grading content Through the implementation of questionnaires, interviews and discussions, information about both target needs and learning needs was obtained from the translation teachers and the students and analyzed in order to identify the formulation of aims and objectives, content, and the planning of the course After this thorough analysis, topic-based and text-based syllabus were chosen as basic types for designing the translation syllabus for the second-year English majors of English teacher training section at HLU The objectives of the course as perceived by both the teachers and the students were to provide the students with vocabulary and translation skills to improve students‟ English competence It can be concluded at this point that the aims and objectives of the study presented in the Introduction have been achieved Limitations Like most research projects, limitations are unavoidable First of all, the population of the study is small Second, the author has no extra information from the target students who will take part in the translation course since there have not been new enrollments for English classes at HLU this year yet Additionally, the translation teachers of the English section who participated in the study are quite young and 43 have little experience in teaching translation All these limitations may affect the interpretation of the data Suggestions for further study Within the scope of a minor thesis, the study only focuses on designing a translation syllabus, module 1, for students of English teacher training programs This should be a valuable material to design a translation syllabus module Additionally, it is hoped that more projects will be carried out on designing a translation syllabus, that is, not only for students of English-teacher training programs but students of professional translator training programs Finally, it is hoped that the syllabus proposed in this study will be implemented in the coming years for the translation course of the target students Since course development is an on-going process, the syllabus is expected to be revised and refined through course evaluation so that it can be of great use to the students and the translation teachers in many years to come 44 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Trends in language Syllabus Design Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre Richard, J (2001) Curriculum Development in Language Teaching Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Richards, J C & Rodgers, T S , (2001) Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching Cambridge University Press Rivers, W & Temperlry, M (1978) A Practical Guide to the Teaching of English as a Second or Foreign Language Oxford University Press, Oxford 47 Ross, N (2000) Interference and Intervention: Using Translation in The Efl Classroom Published in Modern English Teacher (Vol 9/3, July 2000), Pearson Education Ltd., Basingstoke, UK Schäffner, C (1998) Translation and Quality Multilingual Matters, Clevedon (UK) Sewell, P (1996) Translation in the Curriculum In: Sewell & Higgins (eds) Teaching Translation in Universities: Present and Future Perspectices London: CILT Stern, H (1983) Fundamental Concepts of Language Teaching Oxford University Press, Oxford Tsagari, D & Floros, G (2013) Tranlastion in Language Teaching and Assessment Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Cambridge Vermes, A (2010) Translation in Foreign Language Teaching Eger Journal of English Studies X (2010) 83-93 Wiersema, N (2004) Globalization and Translation: A Discussion of The Effect of Globalization on Today‟s Translation Translation Journal, vol 8, No 1, January 2004 Wilkins, D A (1976) Notional syllabuses London: Oxford University Press Wilss, W (1982) The Science of Translation: Problems and Methods Tubingen, Gunter Narr Yalden, J (1982) Communicative Syllabus: Evolution, Design and Implementation New York: Pergamon Press 48 APPENDIX A Sample Unit UNIT 6: SOCIAL ISSUES  Part I - Use of Noun Phrases in English Noun Phrases are favorably used in English as an effective mean to express ideas Possessive adjective + Noun a Tôi xin cám ơn ngài Bộ trưởng Ngoại giao Phạm Bình Binh tiếp đón tơi I would like to thank Minister Minh for his welcome b Việt Nam cần phải tiếp tục tăng cường đổi Việt Nam needs to continue and intensify its reform Preposition + Noun Phrase a Với tơi, có sức khỏe tốt vơ quan trọng Having good health is of great importance to me b Freddy mệt nhồi sau luyện tập bóng q lâu Freddy is stiff from long football practice Compound Nouns (N1 + N2 + … + Head Noun) a Quyển sách sàn nhà tắm phình ngấm nước từ vòi hoa sen The book on the bathroom floor is swollen from shower team b Chẳng sách có cơng thức hầm mắt mực theo kiểu Manhattan Neither of these books contains the recipe for Manhattan-style squid eyeball stew Practice Translate the following sentences into English, pay attention to italic phrases I Dù bề ngồi khơng dễ coi anh người quý mến ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… Trong diễn văn, vị thống đốc cam kết có giải pháp tháo gỡ cho hồn cảnh khó khăn người vô gia cư ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… Thế giới kêu gọi họ tơn trọng hòa ước mà họ kí kết với nước láng giềng ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… Chúng tơi phải huỷ chuyến picnic thời tiết xấu ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… Vốn kiến thức đặc biệt vô quý giá suốt chiến ………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………… II Part II - Translation Task Read the following text and answer the questions What is the topic? Where is the text probably taken from? What is the writer‟s main purpose? Who is the intended reader? In what style is it written? ADVANCING GLOBALISATION Because of many countries‟ inability to deal adequately with the effects of globalization, as has happened in Asia during the financial crisis, many pundits declared the nation-state to be in retreat Multinational corporations, financial institutions, labour unions, non- government organizations and other civil groups now seem to play more important roles in the world economy This has led to the belief that the market has taken over, leaving governments on the sidelines The danger in such a view is that it prompts another belief that since globalization may not be in a nation‟s best interest, neither can it be in an individual‟s And in this may be a backlash against globalization Against this, the world leaders have responded with a “third way”, which seeks to place the nation-state firmly at the heart of globalization While a government‟s role may not be to intervene in the market, it can be in helping markets function properly and efficiently; and when there are social costs involved, it can lend a hand Understood in this way, the nation-state isn‟t retreating, just repositioning itself as an integral part of globalization But while many European leaders have responded favourably to this new view, none has successfully shown how to translate it into policy The emphasis on the importance of globalization was spelt out recently by AT& T president John Zeglis, who believes that companies in the future will have only two options: go global, or go bankrupt His idea captures the spirit of a corporate world where now, more than ever, the Darwinian theory III of the survival of the fittest holds true In many ways, this is nothing new The past century saw plenty of multinational corporations extending their influence across the globe and many of the largest and most successful are still dominating international markets Among the list of the best global companies, the majority, including Ford Motor, General Electric, and IBM, have long been favourite household names around the world Task Find the Vietnamese equivalents to the following phrases globalization: …………………………………………………………… crisis:……… …………………………………………………………… pundit:……… …………………………………………………………… nation-state ….………………………………………………………… in retreat …….………………………………………………………… multinational…………………………………………………………… non- government organization ………………………………………… backlash …… …………………………………………………………… social costs ….…………………………………………………………… lend a hand ….…………………………………………………………… Task In groups, translate the text into Vietnamese Task Discuss possible translation versions among groups Task Complete the final IV translation individually APPENDIX QUESTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEWS WITH TRANSLATION TEACHERS Age: Gender: Graduated from: Years of teaching translation: To what extent are you satisfied with your translation teaching –much, not much, very little or not at all? Why? Do you think the translation course should focus on theory or practice? Why? What activities you use most regularly in your classes among translating by teacher, translating individually by students and translating in pairs/ groups by students? Why you prefer that activity? What problems you think are the most challenging to students in studying translation? What you to help them overcome those problems? In what way you think translation help improve students‟ English competence? 10 Can you give some suggestion to the course‟s materials? V APPENDIX QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS This questionnaire is aimed at designing an appropriate Translation syllabus for second-year English majors of Teacher-training sections The syllabus is expected to be appropriate to the training objectives of HLU and to meet the students‟ needs Your assistance in completing the following items makes a great contribution to my study Thank you for your co-operation! PART A: Please fill in your personal information Gender: a Male b Female Age: ……………………………………………………… Years of learning English: ……………………………… PART B: For the multiple choice questions, please put a tick in the box for your choice Learning needs Can you define what translation is? ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………… What you expect when taking the translation course? Order the following items from the most important to the least important  To enrich vocabulary of various areas  To adopt more native-like style of using English language  To review and consolidate basic grammatical structures  To deal with linguistic problems in pursuance of producing natural sounding translation  To take part in international seminars and workshops on translation  To develop integrated skills of using English language VI  To become a professional translators  To learn more about cultures of English speaking countries  Others (please specify) ………………………………………………… How you start translating?  Look up new words of the whole text  Translate right from the start  Translate word-for-word  Find the sentence‟s structure and think of the way to express the idea in TL  Others (please specify) ………………………………………………… What are your problems when you translating? Order the following items from the most challenging to the least challenging  Finding word‟s meaning  Long and complicated sentences  Long text  Technical terms  Idiomatic phrases  Others (please specify) ………………………………………………… To what extent does translation contribute to your English learning?  Very much  Much  Not very much  Little  Not at all When doing translation, which source of reference you use?  Materials from internet  Dictionaries  Books and newspapers  Others (specify) ………………………………………………… VII How you find the translation class?  Very interesting  Interesting  Not very interesting  Boring Target needs Who you think should decide the course content?  Teachers  Both teachers and students Among the following activities, which activities you prefer?  Students translate individually  Students discuss in pairs and groups  Teacher translates all the time  Others (please specify) ………………………………………………… 10 What you think of translation methods in translation learning?  Very important  Important  Little important  Not important 11 Please give your rating for each of the following topics based on YOUR opinion that should be included in the translation practice course  Environment  Education  Tourism  Economy  Social issues  Literature  Science  Entertainment VIII  Others (please specify) ………………………………………………… 12 Please order the following linguistic points from the most useful to the least useful to your translation  Emphasizing with cleft sentences  Collocations  Conditional sentences  Using passive voice  Describing trends  Using tenses  Expressing with noun phrases  Proverbs & idiomatic expressions The end IX ... in later teaching and learning activity where students are aware of what translation process aims at; it also provides a base for translation evaluation 1. 1.2 The use of translation in teaching... teacher- training section of Hoa Lu University, Ninh Binh is chosen for my thesis Aims and objectives The study aims at designing an appropriate translation syllabus for the second-year students of English. .. skill in FLT 1. 1.3 .1 The role of translation as the fifth skill in FL teaching and learning 1. 1.3.2 Application of translation in FL teaching and learning 1. 2 An overview of syllabus