The reality of assessing speaking skill of high school students at Nguyen Tat Thanh Gifted High School and recommendations

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES TRẦN THỊ PHƯƠNG CHI TOWARDS DESIGNING A TRANSLATION SYLLABUS FOR THIRD-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT HANOI UNIVESITY OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY (Xây dựng chương trình dạy học môn dịch cho sinh viên hệ cử nhân chuyên tiếng Anh năm thứ Trường ĐH Kinh doanh Công nghệ Hà Nội) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD : English Teaching Methodology CODE : 60.14.10 HA NOI – 2010 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES TRẦN THỊ PHƯƠNG CHI TOWARDS DESIGNING A TRANSLATION SYLLABUS FOR THIRD-YEAR ENGLISH MAJORS AT HANOI UNIVESITY OF BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY (Xây dựng chương trình dạy học môn dịch cho sinh viên hệ cử nhân chuyên ngành tiếng Anh năm thứ Trường ĐH Kinh doanh Công nghệ Hà Nội) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS FIELD : English Teaching Methodology CODE : 60.14.10 Supervisor: Đỗ Minh Hoàng, M.A HA NOI – 2010 iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS FLT Foreign Language Teaching HUBT Hanoi University of Business and Technology SL Source Language ST Source Text TBLT Task-Based Language Teaching TL Target Language TT Target Text v APPENDICES Appendix 1………………………………………………… i Appendix 2………………………………………………… v Appendix 3………………………………………………… v Appendix 4………………………………………………… iii Appendix 5………………………………………………….vi Appendix 6………………………………………………… x Appendix 7………………………………………………… xi Appendix 8………………………………………………… xiv Appendix 9………………………………………………… xviii Appendix 10………………………………………………… xix TABLE OF CONTENTS CANDIDATE‟S STATEMENT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv APPENDICES ……………………………………………………………………………………………… v PART A: INTRODUCTION .1 Rationale Aim of the study Research questions Scope of the study Significance of the study Content of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Literature Review 1.1 Syllabus in language teaching 1.1.1 Definition 1.1.2 Types of syllabuses 1.2 Translation 1.2.1 Definition of translation 1.2.2 Translation in teaching 1.2.2.1 Grammar-based syllabus 1.2.2.2 Task-based syllabus (Constructivism) 1.2.2.3 Topic-based syllabus 1.2.2.4 Text-based syllabus .10 1.2.2.5 Combined syllabus 10 1.2.2.6 Skills .11 1.2.2.7 Directionality 12 1.2.3 Types of translation in translation pedagogy .14 1.2.4 What is happening in other universities 14 1.2.4.1 General situation 14 1.2.4.2 Examples 15 1.2.4.3 Summary .19 1.3 Needs analysis 20 Chapter 2: Methodology 21 2.1 Data collection instruments 21 2.1.1 Structure of the questionnaire .21 2.1.2 Structure of Interviews with the teachers 22 2.2 Subjects of the study 22 2.3 Data collection procedures 22 2.3.1 Questionnaire .22 2.3.2 Interviews with the teachers 23 Chapter 3: Results and Discussion 24 3.1 Questionnaire 24 3.1.1 Learners‟ background 24 3.1.2 Target needs 24 3.1.3 Learning needs .28 3.2 Interviews 31 3.2.1 The teachers‟ background 31 3.2.2 The teachers‟ comments .31 3.2.3 Suggestions 32 3.3 Summary 32 Chapter 4: The proposed translation syllabus .34 4.1 Introduction 34 4.2 The aims and objectives of the translation course 34 4.3 Choosing the translation content 35 4.3.1 The integration of translation theory 35 4.3.1.1 Introduction to History of translation .35 4.3.1.2 Introduction to Translation 36 4.3.1.3 Translation Methods 36 4.3.1.4 Text analysis 36 4.3.2 Grading content 37 4.4 Tasks and activities in the year 37 4.5 A proposed translation syllabus for third-year English majors at Hanoi University of Business and Technology 38 4.6 Sample translation lesson (Appendix 8) 42 Part C: CONCLUSION 43 Summary .43 Recommendations for further research 44 References 45 PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale It is without doubt the economic changes all around the world have honestly affected the language translation service and these days translators are equally involved in every part of intercultural and business communication In a world globalization, today language translation service is becoming a more significant factor for concise transfer of ideas Translation has previously been regarded as an art or a craft; now translation scholars are happy to have their activity recognized as a science and admitted to the inner circle of scholarly pursuits as a branch of applied linguistics Educating English majors to fluently use the foreign language after an undergraduate course is a becoming an ever important task now in Vietnam when we integrate more deeply into the world‟s economy One of the jobs graduates can is to work as translators or interpreters in a professional manner How can educational institutions make sure that their graduates can adapt themselves to the market changes? Therefore, gaining an insight into target needs and learning needs so as to develop a translation syllabus is an urgent task I myself, as the researcher, would like to try to build up a translation syllabus which is helpful for teachers and meets with the desires of the learners In the process of teaching translation the students, it seems that our current syllabus does not quite meet the learners‟ needs and what the instructors want them to learn during the course There are different opinions among the teachers about the content of the course At least the syllabus should give teachers and learners a direction of what to be taught and how to be taught Both the teachers and students have complained about the time available for the learning of skills in the first and second years This is the time when acquisition of English skills is so important to be used as the foundation for the third year when more time is spent on translation practice As for the students, they are not proficient in the skills after the first two years This has led to the fact that they meet some difficulties in learning translation and interpreting Besides, it seems that theoretical backgrounds as well as the methodology have not been paid much attention to Another point is that the researcher sees that little time is spent on teaching students translation-related skills such as the use of computers as a tool for would-be translators and interpreters Ulrych (2005) in her paper asserts that technological aids improve translators‟ status and self image Aim of the study The study is aimed to identify the needs, wants and lacks of the third-year English majors and expectation of trainers or course designers so that the researcher can use them as the foundation for putting forward an appropriate syllabus including content, method of teaching, time To achieve the aim, a needs analysis was done to find out the target needs and learning needs of the students Research questions What are the learning needs of the third-year English majors? What are the target needs of the third-year English majors? How should the proposed syllabus meet these needs? Scope of the study The study is done based on the circumstance for third-year English majors at Hanoi University of Business and Technology (HUBT) Due to the size of the thesis, this is aimed at designing a written translation syllabus for them (an oral translation syllabus is therefore not within the scope of this thesis) Significance of the study This is aimed at making learning of translation more efficient in terms of learners‟ desires, trainers‟ objectives based on the learning needs and target needs Theoretically, this will help provide teachers with basic knowledge of syllabus design in general and translation syllabus design in particular Hopefully, this syllabus will give teachers as well as students the profile of what and how should be taught and learnt in order to achieve the course‟s objectives Content of the study Part A: Introduction is aimed at providing the background, rationale, the aims, research questions and significance of the study Part B: Development Chapter Literature Review reviews the literature of syllabus design, translation teaching and translation syllabus The first part is about syllabus design and types of syllabi which are used as a base for designing the proposed syllabus The second part taps into translation in terms of definition, types of translation syllabi, types of translation and the training situations in some European and Asian countries From the situation, the researcher may apply some good ways in designing the proposed syllabus The last part will provide some facts about The English Department, Hanoi University of Business and Technology Chapter 2: Methodology deals with methodologies of collecting data Chapter 3: Results and Discussion consists of an analysis of a post-course questionnaire, a semi-structured interview with the translation teachers Chapter 4: The Proposed Translation Syllabus is devoted to the proposed translation syllabus including the aims, objectives of the translation course, the translation content, tasks and activities, the proposed syllabus and a sample translation lesson Part C: Conclusion and Recommendations This chapter summarizes what has been done and arrive at recommendations for further research PART B: DEVELOPMENT Chapter 1: Literature Review 1.1 Syllabus in language teaching 1.1.1 Definition A syllabus can also be seen as a "summary of the content to which learners will be exposed" (Yalden 1987: 87) By looking at the syllabus, learners can know where they are during the course, and what they will have achieved Therefore, the syllabus is actually a very basic guide for them Hutchinson and Waters (1987: 80) define syllabus as follows: At its simplest level a syllabus can be described as a statement of what is to be learnt It reflects of language and linguistic performance There is another view further with the aim of a syllabus Breen (cited in Read 1984a: 1) asserts that syllabus can also be seen as "a plan of what is to be achieved through our teaching and our students' learning" I quite agree to this approach as teachers often base themselves on a certain syllabus to make their lectures detailed In Wilkins' (1981: 1) words, syllabuses are "specifications of the content of language teaching which have been submitted to some degree of structuring or ordering with the aim of making teaching and learning a more effective process.” If the above authors focus on the content factor in the process of syllabus design, some other authors tend to have a quite different point of view Candlin (cited in Nunan 1988: 46) wondered whether it is possible to distinguish the content from the method and evaluation The researcher thinks that it is better to combine all these factors to have a more comprehensive view to what teachers are to in class Breen (cited in Nunan 1988: 46) also has the same viewpoint which does not only mention the pedagogy in the syllabus but also certain assumptions about the psychological and social processes From my own teaching experience, syllabuses in Vietnam only reflect the pedagogy but not the others mentioned by Breen as they require experts with rich knowledge of psychology and social issues Dublin and Olshtain (1986: 28) offer a very comprehensive view on syllabus They hold that it should contain the following ingredients: What the learners are expected to know at the end of the course, or the course objectives V Appendix Appendix VI Appendix QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS This questionnaire is aimed at designing an appropriate translation syllabus for third-year English majors at Hanoi University of Business and Technology We need to know your opinions regarding the essential aspects involved in a translation syllabus Your sincere answers are useful and make a great contribution to my study Please respond to all the following questions Thank you for your co-operation! Part A: Please fill in your personal information - Gender □ Male □ Female - Age: - Place of birth: - Years of learning English: Part B For the multiple choice questions, please tick in the box for your choice Target needs Who will you work with? …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… What kind of job would you like to do? Translators/Interpreters or both Businessmen Secretaries Personal assistants Any others VII Are you taught any skills or techniques? A Yes B No What are the skills or techniques you have learnt? …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… How you translate? A Right from the first sentence B Read the whole text C Translate word – for – word D Think of the way it is expressed in the target language Which activities would you like? A Teachers talking all the time B Doing pair work and group work C Attending workshops D Taking extra-curricular activities (meeting translation experts…) Why you attend this course? …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… VIII …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Which factor(s) you think makes a more successful translation course? A Teachers B Content C Facilities D Teaching methods Which of the following would you prefer to spend more time on? A practice B learning theory 10 What are the topics you prefer? A Business B News and events C Literature D Tourism Learning needs 11 Can you define what translation means? …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 12 What are your problems when you translate a text? IX A finding meaning of new words B long and complex sentences C cultural factors D new concepts E long texts 13 What facilities are available for your study? A Computers B Lab room C Multi-media D If any others, please specify: ……………………………………………………… 14 What teaching styles are you used to? …………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 15 What types of texts are available during the course? ……………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 16 How you feel about the translation class? A Interesting B Not very interesting C Boring D Very boring X Appendix INTERVIEW FOR TEACHERS Age: Sex: Graduated from: Years of teaching translation: Do you have formal training in translation and translation teaching? Have you got any extra training in translation teaching? What you think of your translation teaching? Are you happy with your teaching? How you teach translation? What should be focused on the third year? 10 What extra-curricular activities are offered during the third year? 11 What facilities are useful for students? 12 What you think about the students‟ linguistic competence after the first two years? 13 What you suggest improving the teaching of translation? XI Appendix Proposed Translation Syllabus for Term Term Time Week Lecture Session Content Theory Practice Translation -Deal with texts of 600 methods words Topics Law -Assign homework Session -Work in groups -Work on the second draft at home Week Session Translation -Hand in translation methods (cont) -Apply with texts of 600 Finance words -Assign homework Session Week Session Role-play Translation - Hand in translation methods (cont) - Role-play-texts of 700 words Session Week Study in library Session Session Week Week Session Workshop Session Share terminology Session Visit and work as interns Business XII Session Week at banks Session Session Week Session Session Week Session Presentation on results of work during week 6, & Session Mid-term test (in ways) Week 10 Session -Deal with texts of 800 words Banking -Role -play -Assign homework Session -Discuss with peers -Consult the teacher Week 11 Session _Hand in translation Law - Role-play-texts of 800 words -Assign homework Session -Discuss with peers -Consult the teacher Week 12 Session -Hand in translation Business - Share updated new terminology on law and banking -Assign homework Session -Discuss with peers -Consult the teacher Week 13 Session _Hand in translation - Role-play-texts of 900 words Business XIII -Assign homework Session -Discuss with peers -Consult the teacher Week 14 Session _Hand in translation News - Role-play-texts of 1,000 words -Assign homework Session -Discuss with peers -Consult the teacher Week 15 Session _Hand in translation News - Role-play-texts of 1,000 words Week 16 Session workshop Session Visit and work as interns at companies Session Week 17 Week 18 Session Session Study in library Session Hand in assignment on Theory and work results of week 15 and 16 Session Final test XIV Appendix Sample translation lesson Pre-translating activity: To save time in class, the students are asked to collect information about the topic the week before Then they bring to class to discuss or make presentations This will encourage team work which is a very important for a translator today Then they are given the assignment Translating - asking the students to stages *Analysis of the ST: - The students read and comprehend the ST (lexical and grammatical items) - They answer some questions on sociocultural analysis of the ST Make questions: Where and when is the TT written? Who is the author? *Translation process Make questions What is TL structure to describe the ST situation? Who is the TT audience? Doing the first draft Rewriting and reediting (doing at home) Bringing to class and discussing Dealing with the final draft XV Dash for cash HA ANH Friday, July 16, 2010 The next six months will see bankers pushing ahead with fund raising campaigns that may present opportunities for foreign investors Bankers lacking cash does not come from any market liquidity issues but from the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) setting a new registered capital limit for local Vietnamese banks All banks - especially joint stock commercial banks - must have total registered capital exceeding VND 3,000 billion ($157 million) by the end of December As at May there were about 22 banks, including one state owned commercial bank, with total registered capital still less than the required level, according to incomplete figures from the SBV “If these banks not complete their capital raising before the end of September this year, they will have to submit a plan for resolving the issue,” SBV Governor Nguyen Van Giau told a press briefing last month in Ho Chi Minh City Under government Decree 141 - issued in 2006 - the central bank has given all banks until the end of this year to raise their capital to the VND 3,000 billion minimum, depending on their total risk-weighted assets The international norm is per cent of assets, but the SBV has fixed it at per cent Rushing for funds A number of local banks have been gradually implementing capital raising plans since late last year and early this year The quantum leap in the banking sector was performed by the oncesupervised Pacific Bank, which has been renamed Vietnam Tin Nghia Bank Pacific Bank faced possible closure a few years ago and was put under the special supervision of the central bank, but it quickly raised its total registered capital to VND 3,400 billion ($179 million) from VND 1,133 billion ($60 million) in November 2009 XVI These non-listed banks usually prefer to request existing shareholders contribute more cash in capital raising, others like to convert previously-issued bonds into new additional capital, and others still are in favour of seeking new strategic partners, primarily foreign investors For example, PG Bank will convert VND1,000 billion worth of bonds into new shares to add to their new registered capital in March 2011 to meet the SBV requirement Meanwhile, the Ho Chi Minh City-based GiaDinh Bank plans to rely on the strength of its existing shareholders and will use part of the bank‟s surplus from years ago in their capital raising plan The TienPhong Bank - which has VND1,750 billion ($92 million) at the moment - combines the three options above with selling stakes to potential foreign strategic investors to meet the required VND3,000 billion No further details were available at the time of writing Nam A Bank last month gained approval from the SBV to increase its capital from VND1.25 trillion ($65 million) to VND2 trillion ($105 million) and has submitted a plan to push it to VND3 trillion ($157 million) this year For those banks wishing to attract a foreign strategic investor, the path seems smoother, as Oriental Commercial Bank (OCB) and the Southern Bank can attest In late 2009 OCB shareholders voted to sell more of a stake to the bank‟s existing partner, France‟s BNP Paribas, from the previous 10 per cent to 15 per cent, which also assists its capital raising plans Southern Bank, in April this year, also agreed to sell an additional per cent stake to its current partner, United Overseas Bank Ltd., bringing the Singaporean investor‟s ownership to 20 per cent The plan, however, must wait for final approval from the SBV The Vietnam International Bank (VIBBank) managed things itself when it sold a 15 per cent stake to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) in April this year Mr Simon Blair, Head of International Financial Services at the Commonwealth Bank said then that CBA intends to request an increase in its investment to 20 per cent at the earliest opportunity, once both sides gain government approval Last month also saw VIBBank receive the go-ahead from the SBV to issue 100 million shares this year to raise its chartered capital to VND4 trillion ($211.2 million) The issuance will be done in two stages to raise VND1 trillion ($52.6 million), with 40 million shares issued to existing shareholders in the first and 60 million shares to international strategic partners in the second The CBA is the largest lender in XVII Australia, with assets of $785 billion It has had a presence in Vietnam for 16 years and opened a representative office in Ho Chi Minh City in 2008 Foreign opportunity With the current difficulties facing the world‟s financiers, the option of seeking foreign investors has not been as easy as local bankers expected For this reason some banks want the SBV to extend the December 31 deadline But Governor Giau emphasised last month that this was not going to happen “Capital raising plans must be realistic, not where one bank‟s shareholders could lend to another bank‟s stakeholders,” he told local reporters last month “Decree 141 was issued in 2006 and gave enough time to the banks So there will be no extension.” The SBV‟s firm stance puts some smaller banks in a difficult position, as the option of issuing shares to outside investor is not beneficial when their non-listed shares are trading below their face value on the over-the-counter (OTC) market The chance for foreign investors could stem from here, according to Mr Louis Nguyen, Chairman and CEO of the Ho Chi Minh City-based Saigon Asset Management (SAM) “Foreign investors will always be interested in a good deal,” he said “Sometimes the smaller banks have little market share and find it tough to compete So those with decent market share, experienced and ethical management, and a solid plan for expansion, would attract the interest of foreign investors such as us.” Market observers forecast a possible trend in which some smaller banks may merge with each other to create a bigger bank, and they believe the idea has merit For SAM and Mr Nguyen, opportunity knocks for both sides “We would be interested in looking at banks that meet our investment criteria,” he said “But to attract potential investors, banks should be more active in meeting with foreign investors.” The problem, if there is one, is the limitation of 10 or 15 per cent on foreigners investing in a Vietnamese bank, which should be raised, Mr Nguyen said Source: http://news.vneconomy.vn/20100716104838961P0C2/dash-for-cash.htm Retrieved on 16 th July XVIII Appendix Translation techniques (By Mary Sofer) A Before doing translation work Is the text legible? Am I familiar enough with the subject to tackle with? Do I have the linguistic resources (dictionaries, human contacts) to work out unfamiliar words? Is the text complete, or are there any missing parts? Can I it within the requested timeframe? Do I have a good reason for doing it (doing it as a learning experience, or because you enjoy it, or to help a friend, or because you are properly compensated for doing it?) B During translation work Make a list of subject specific terminology; keep it in the computer database program for future reference Before submitting your translation, review your translation by following checklist Omissions – did you fail to translate any particular word, phrase or even paragraph? Format – does your format follow the original (breaking into paragraphs, for instance)? Mistranslations – did you mistranslate any particular word? Unknown words – were there words that you were not able to translate which you would like to explore further? Meaning – did you miss the meaning of any phrase or sentence? Spelling – did you misspell any word which the spell check function on your computer did not catch? Grammar – did you make any grammatical mistakes? Punctuation – did you mispunctuate or miss any punctuation marks? Clarity – did you fail to clearly convey the meaning of any particular part of the text? XIX Consistency – did you call something by one name and then another without any good reason? “Sound-alike” words – did you mistranslate a word because it looks or sounds like the word in your target language but in reality has a different meaning? Style – are you satisfied with the way your translation reflects the style of the original text (for example, the original is written in a clear, direct style, while the translation sounds more complex and direct?) Appendix 10 Translation skill cluster (By Geoffrey Samuelsson-Brown) Cultural understanding  What influences of the development of the source language National characteristics where the language is spoken Hazards of stereotyping   Project management     Resources coordination Terminology research Administration Quality control Information technology    Making decisions Translation skills   Understanding of the source language Writing skills in the target language Proof-reading and editing      Language and literary  Hardware and software used in producing translations Electronic file management E-commerce Communication      Clarity of expression Establishing rapport Giving and processing feedback Listening and questioning Observing and checking understanding Consulting Reflecting Analyzing and evaluating Establishing facts Making judgments