A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of secondyear Englishmajored students at Thuongmai University

52 86 0
A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of secondyear Englishmajored students at Thuongmai University

Đang tải... (xem toàn văn)

Tài liệu hạn chế xem trước, để xem đầy đủ mời bạn chọn Tải xuống

Thông tin tài liệu

A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of secondyear Englishmajored students at Thuongmai University A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of secondyear Englishmajored students at Thuongmai University A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of secondyear Englishmajored students at Thuongmai University A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of secondyear Englishmajored students at Thuongmai University A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of secondyear Englishmajored students at Thuongmai University A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of secondyear Englishmajored students at Thuongmai University A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of secondyear Englishmajored students at Thuongmai University A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of secondyear Englishmajored students at Thuongmai University A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of secondyear Englishmajored students at Thuongmai University A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of secondyear Englishmajored students at Thuongmai University A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of secondyear Englishmajored students at Thuongmai University A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of secondyear Englishmajored students at Thuongmai University

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During the process of conducting, I have received a great deal of support and assistance from the teachers, family and friends who bring me a lot of motivation to complete this thesis Thus, I would like to show acknowledgement to them First of all, I would like to express my deepest and most sincere thanks to my supervisor, Ms Pham Thi Xuan Ha, who is always willing to help me from the topic selection as well as the completing process of this study With her depth of knowledge, she convincingly guided and encouraged me to be professional and the right thing even when the road got tough Without her persistent help, the goal of this project would not have been realized Secondly, I wish to show my gratitude to Thuongmai University and especially the English Faculty’s teachers, who taught me useful knowledge and lessons about life during years Thanks to the assistance of the college board, principal, and teachers, I have been given the best condition and facilities to finish my college curriculum In addition, I would like to give my thank to my second-year English majors at Thuongmai University for their warm co-operation during the time I collected data and information for my research Finally, I would like to express my indebtedness to my family and friends who always stand by me and give me their supports to accomplish this study Because of limited time, awareness and practical experience, the study could not avoid shortcomings and errors Therefore, I look forward to receiving comments and suggestions in order to improve this study Hanoi, 10 April 2021 Student Ha Thi Quy Hong ABSTRACT Nowadays, with the development of the world economy, English has become an extremely important tool in all fields Therefore, translation also become indispensable area to help writers convey the message to reader Understanding the importance of translation, Thuongmai University has put translation subjects into operation for students as bachelor of English faculty However, most of these students met several difficulties in grammar when they conducted translation This study was carried out to find out the common grammatical errors in Vietnamese - English translation encountered by second-year English major students at Thuongmai University The data was collected from 33 students of translation class in the second years in English Department Observation, documentation and questionnaire survey are the techniques in collecting data The results of the study suggest a number of potential errors students are prone to making when translating text from Vietnamese to English The researcher found 100 errors in total from nine categories that are subject-verb agreement, tense usage, voice usage, prepositions, articles, adjectives, singular and plural forms, parallel structure, and word order Then, the study also provides some practical guidelines for teachers and students so that they can help students deal with these types of errors in Vietnamese-English translations TABLES OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS No Abbreviation Full expression s TMU Thuongmai University TL SL E.g No Target language Source language Example Number LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 Rationale Every country in the world has its own language, which creates cultural diversity However, nowadays, to communicate with each other, they need a common language and that is English In order for the process of cooperation and exchange between countries to take place smoothly, translation into English activity has become people’s urgent need Thanks to English-translated versions, countries can have a mutual understanding and a sense of global citizenship in the multilingual world It is considered an effective means to learn how to appreciate different countries, cultures, communities, and people Moreover, English translation makes people understand each other better in the process of diplomatic relations and economic cooperation, and other fields when countries tend to integrate for comprehensive development In Vietnam, when the country becomes one of the members of the World Trade Organization, Vietnamese-English translation has gradually become an indispensable and urgent tool, creating the success of individuals, organizations, and even businesses Because English is considered a second language after only the native language, Vietnamese students need professional translation skills to meet the needs of integration into the world economy and cultural exchanges with other countries The Vietnamese-English translation skill is very useful to help students in analyzing, producing the document, text for learning, and finding the ideal jobs in the future However, translation is not an easy work and is a combination of art and skills It needs a comprehension of the structure of both source and target language indeed to make a good translation result One of the language aspects required in a good and readable translation is grammar The use of grammar influences the meaning or message of the translated text since producing the equivalent message Grammar mistakes that appear in translation will deliver different messages that are unacceptable and incomprehensible to the readership Moreover, it will be a great problem if errors occur in academic writing In particular, Vietnamese and English are two languages from the East and the West, which have obvious differences in grammar The existence of different grammar rules in English and Vietnamese is possibly the reason why students often errors For instance, English has the concept of tenses for verb and subject-verb agreement, while grammar in Vietnamese does not have any Regarding the existing problem of grammatical aspect and given that the students of English faculty at Thuongmai University in particular and other translators, in general, make some mistakes in translating Vietnamese -English text which leads to not fully convey the meaning of the original to the reader, I have decided to choose the topic: “A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of second-year English-majored students at Thuongmai University” for my graduation paper The aim of the study is to figure out common errors in translation from Vietnamese to English and offer solutions for students in improving translation skills I hope the study can help the students have a suitable learning method to get the best result 1.2 Previous studies Learning English and translation is not easy so many students sometimes meet difficulties and make errors in the translation process To find out and overcome the difficulties and the errors, research topics on issues of “common errors in translation” have been studied by many different researchers around the world in general and in Vietnam in particular Relating my graduation paper’s topic, there are several previous studies that I have consulted for my thesis 1.2.1 Foreign researchers The first study was made by Matius Tandikombong, Haryanto Atmowardoyo and Sukardi Weda The topic was "Grammatical Errors in the English Translation Made by the Students of English Study Program of UKI Toraja" In this study, they divided the sample of this study into two groups: the six-semester and the fourthsemester students to find out the different levels of UKI Toraja After handing out literature reviews, she has conducted a real survey and used the findings of the survey to verify it The grammatical errors were mentioned in that study were the wrong verb, noun, conjunction, pronoun, adjective, adverb, article, and preposition In addition, the study showed that the most frequent errors are errors in verbs and that most of the errors are due to overgeneralization and ignorance of the rule restriction The second study was "Investigating Grammatical Errors in Translation " made by Muslih Hambali in Sriwijaya University Palembang, Indonesia The sample consists of 30 students They were asked about common errors encountered during translating process After conducting the study and using a descriptive quantitative method, the research showed that the major types of errors made by the students were related to incomplete clauses having no either subject, verbs, or neither both, subject-verb agreement, and the absence of subordinators and plural nouns Out of the six types of identified grammatical errors, incomplete plural nouns ranked number one followed by the absence of verb and subject-verb agreement Through this study, the researchers also provided useful information about translation and some suggestions to correct these errors 1.2.2 Vietnamese researchers A study was made by Nguyen Thi Thu Hang and Trieu Thu Hang at VNU University of Languages and International Studies The title was “VietnameseEnglish translation errors made by second-year translation-major students” The researchers identified common Vietnamese-English translation errors made by second-year students and propose some suggestions for the improvement of the current practice After conducting the study and using the descriptive quantitative method, the researchers discovered the most common linguistic errors were lexical choice and other common errors including lengthy and awkward expressions while some grammar errors such as misuse of articles, punctuation, and plural or singular forms were not a serious problem for students Thus, they suggested some valuable solutions to improve these problems Another one is the study on “Common structural errors in Vietnamese English translation made by English majored students at Duy Tan University” implemented by Bui Thi Kim Phung The instruments in the study included document observations, questionnaires, and interviews The study indicated that common errors made by the students included Omission of Subject, Inappropriate Choice of Subject or Predicate, Inappropriate Choice of Negative Form, and Lack of Main Clause in Complex Sentences Noticeably, errors caused by “hidden” elements in Vietnamese sentences were the most common The study not only finds common errors in translating English text but also figures out factors influencing the students’ errors in doing translation and suggests solutions to improve translation skills In summary, through these studies above, the researchers investigated some common errors in the translating process and some grammatical errors in translating into English However, English grammar is extensive and these studies did not cover all problems Therefore, I hope my study can bring full of these errors and comprehensive solutions to improve this problem 1.3 Aims of the study Firstly, the main aim of the thesis is to figure out the common grammatical errors in translating from Vietnamese text to English faced by second-year English major students at Thuongmai University so that they are fully aware of and able to avoid them The study also classifies the difficulties and explains the causes which lead to the difficulties in translating processes Secondly, the report also suggests some possible strategies for students to help them gain the best learning methods to overcome the problems 1.4 Research Subjects The research subjects of the study are common grammatical errors faced by second-year students when translating from Vietnamese text to English The study also offers solutions for students and teachers to obtain the best learning and studying translation methods 1.5 Scope of the study According to the curriculum of Thuongmai university, students of English major at Thuongmai University will take a translation course in the third year However, to meet the practical needs of students, now second-year students can also register to study translation earlier than the program of study In this subject, they have to study both English-Vietnamese translation and Vietnamese- English translation Because of the limitation of time, resources, and my knowledge, this study focuses on analyzing the errors in grammar in the Vietnamese-English translation The study is conducted for second-year students of English faculty who study translation earlier than the program of study at Thuongmai University The reason is that they have knowledge about English and have just got a grammar review in the first year They understand the importance and difficulty level of learning English in general and practice translating Vietnamese-English in particular The study is conducted in semester of the school year 2020-2021 1.6 Research methodology To study the grammatical common errors in translating from Vietnamese into English and get accurate findings, the researcher attempts to address the research questions from both qualitative and quantitative approaches, then compare, contrast, supplement, and especially produce the most adequate outcomes - Document observations All of the databases are collected some necessary documents from reliable sources via the internet, websites, and books Besides, I read some previous studies related to translation and grammar to get more knowledge to conduct the study - Questionnaire survey A survey questionnaire is a method of data collection that has been implemented for the surveyed students The questionnaires were designed for students in the way that the researcher finds information easily to summarize and analyze the collected data The researcher research and design questions for participants It includes questions related to common mistakes made when translating, the factors that cause them, and their solutions to improve The questionnaire was conducted through the internet, there will be an application system that will statistically answer specific questions The questionnaire was designed in the form of Numerical rating scales and Multiple-choice items and comprised both closed-ended and open-ended questions Then the researcher seeks help from second-year students major English who are studying translating subjects For the most objective results, the researcher asks them to pay attention and seriously answer the questions in their own views Participants included 34 students from K55N in translation class The quantitative method will help the researchers 10 parallel structure thay đổi transforming virtually transforming virtually ngành, không every industry, every industry, not thay đổi cách changing not only how only changing how công ty vận hành nội firms operate internally firms operate thu hút khách and engage their internally and engage hàng họ, mà customers, but also their customers but thách thức mô challenging the also challenging the hình kinh doanh underlying business underlying business toàn models of entire models of entire ngành industries industries.” Table 3.12: Error in parallel structure 3.3.9 Word order Only a few grammatical errors are classified into this grammatical error classification Percentage of this error is only 5% of total errors found Error Type Error of word order Original text Identification of Error Các hoạt động giải Activities leisure at tourist trí điểm du sites were halted due to the lịch bị tạm dừng effects of the covid-19 ảnh hưởng epidemic dịch covid-19 Table 3.13: Error of word order Correction Leisure activities at tourist sites were halted due to the effects of the covid-19 epidemic 3.3 Discussion The study was conducted to a small group of 33 second-year students of English faculty at Thuongmai University Through ten questions of the survey questionnaire, we have an overview of the students' translation study and practice The study also classifies the common errors and explains the causes which lead to the errors in translating processes After pointing out the common errors during translating texts from Vietnamese to English, the study suggests some solutions for students and teachers to overcome the difficulties above and to improve the students’ translation skills and help them gain best learning methods Based on the result of analysis, all students are aware of the importance of translation, especially the importance of grammar in Vietnamese-English translation The findings of the survey questionnaire also reveal the benefits of translation subject The primary benefit is enlarging students’ vocabularies and grammar, broadening their knowledge and getting a good job I also asked these students to rate their translating English - Vietnamese skills and most of them rated normal level (58 percent) for theirs It is possible that these students are in the time of studying the translation subject so they are not confident in their ability too much Then, the response of the questionnaire reveals these students’ reality in the translation subject Most of them spend less than an hour on their translation practice We can realize that the amount of time is not enough for translation practice because translation takes a lot of time to look up related documents and to a complete translation Thus, we should consider the amount of time for translation practice Errors are merely unavoidable in the process of language translation The causes of errors change from students to other students From data collected through test papers, most of them have encountered some errors, namely: subject-verb agreement, tense usage, voice usage, prepositions, articles, adjectives, singular and plural forms, parallel structure, and word order Among all types of errors, the errors in voice usage, subject and verbs agreement, preposition, and parallel structure were the most common mistake, encountered by more than 70% of students In relation to the causing factors of errors, the finding shows that the students' errors in translating Vietnamese text into English text are caused by some major factors The dominant causing factors are the influence of mother tongue with 66.7% then followed by word-by-word translating according to the source language with 51.5% and then forgetfulness (48%) while the last causing factor is being bad at grammar Finally, the results of the survey questionnaire also reveal methods which the students applied for their translating process Most of the students (about 63%) grammar exercises regularly, use the internet to exchange about grammar, and read English grammar to improve their grammar Some students practice writing English skills while only 12 % go to the English center or play games with English grammar to improve their grammar Through the findings, we have found out the solutions which the students use when translating, then we can consult the solutions for our translation improvement I also made some questions on the test paper to find out basic errors of the students in the translating process Through that, we can find out proper solutions to improve our translation skills In the chapter below, I will offer some solutions for students of English faculty and teachers to improve studying and teaching translation subjects CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS Basing on the results collected from the questionnaire as well as the paper test, it can be concluded that the common grammatical errors English major students encountered and reasons why they usually make these errors To improve students’ English – Vietnamese translation skill, I think both teachers and students should consider and change teaching and learning methods together Therefore, in this part, I will recommend some possible solutions to help students to improve their grammatical structures flexibly as well as translation skill 4.1 Some solutions for teachers and students to help improve English grammar effectively 4.1.1 Solutions for teachers Firstly, teachers should teach more grammar for first-year students so that they can have full knowledge of English grammar, which help them prepare well for translation subject In university, most teachers focus on speaking and specialized knowledge rather than English grammar Gradually, students will forget grammar knowledge Therefore, teachers should spend more time in each lesson to recall their knowledge of grammar so that students can remember more easily Secondly, teachers should create learning forums so that students can exchange knowledge about grammar or answer questions for students about grammar, which helps students consolidate knowledge of grammar Thirdly, teachers should assign many grammar exercises to students After that, teachers should spend some time to correct and explain difficult grammar sentences for students Teachers should also strictly punish students who not their homework Fourthly, teachers should have a positive attitude towards learners‘ mistakes as it is inevitable and very practical during the study Thanks to them teachers identify the types of errors learners often make to know what is needed, something that lacks to adjust lessons‘ content and teaching method more suitable Next, teachers should create conditions for learners to detect and correct errors Teachers can see this as an opportunity for students to self-identify errors and correct them as soon as they know mistakes Through error detection, correction, the independence, autonomy, and creativity of students in the English study are increased Finally, one of the efficient teaching strategies is that teachers explore learners’ psychological process in language learning to understand more about their errors By realizing the causes of their errors, teachers know when they should give students some help or support In addition, it is important that teachers care about the teaching objectives, students’ linguistic competence as well as their affective factors and the effectiveness of the error correction As a result, they can apply more flexible strategies to error correction and make more contributions to the teaching and learning 4.1.2 Some solutions for students The number of errors found in the data may not be large enough to announce that Vietnamese English-majored students always have a great deal of difficulty in handling Vietnamese – English translation exercises However, there is enough evidence to suggest that these errors still need to be identified and collected during the process of translation training To have a perfect Vietnamese-English translation, students must improve their grammar a lot The first step of learning grammar is to know the basic knowledge about the parts of speech and use proper word order and other structures These are the types of words that make up the language, and they are nouns, adjectives, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, interjections, and sometimes articles To put sentences together properly, students must understand what the parts of speech are and how they function in sentences Besides, English learners need to form habit of getting the words in the right order One of the best ways for students to that is reading books, newspapers every day It is not just reading for information but reading intensively In doing so, not only will they learn more words, structures as well as writing styles in English but also consolidate their knowledge in culture and specific industry fields Secondly, to improve English grammar, they should find out some reference books which contain not only uses and forms of all tenses in English but also many exercises of each tense for the learners to practice If they try to read and exercises regularly, their knowledge of verb tense in English will be better There are some grammar books which are suitable for every level of learners as “English grammar in use – Ngữ pháp tiếng Anh thực hành - 136 đề mục ngữ pháp” (Raymond Murphy), “English grammar in use” (Raymond Murphy), “Collins Cobuild English grammar”, “Văn phạm tiếng Anh thực hành” (Trần Văn Điền), “The grammar book” (Marianne Celce, Diane Larsen – Freeman) and “the good grammar book” (Oxford) It is a strong hope that these suggested grammar books can help the students to improve grammar easily and quickly Thirdly, students should use the Internet to improve their grammar There is lots of information about English grammar on the Internet and it is really easy for the students to learn and get the information just by simple clicks The learners just type some letters in search boxes like that of Google (www.google.com) There are a lot of various kinds of Web Pages with clear explanations which help the students to learn grammar rules and more exercises You should read a variety of material because through reading different genres and styles of writing, such as classic literature, textbooks, science-fiction, science books, biographies, blogs, essays, and articles, etc You can learn how other authors use language, how they translate from Vietnamese into English, how sentences are structured, word order, spelling, and creative variations the authors use on the Internet Fourthly, students should seek the help of someone who’s qualified to teach them Many community colleges offer language courses, or students can ask around at their local high school or college to see if any English students want to make some extra money tutoring them One more effective way is that the students should prepare a notebook to summarize English grammar points in student own arrangement The way can help the students easily remember the points of English grammar as well as review the point quickly in their own notebook After doing English grammar, students should review the errors and note them in the notebook If not, they will forget them easily Students should also concentrate on improving grammatical errors they often repeat Only students review and correct them, they remember for a long time To be better at English grammar, the students have to practice doing grammar exercises regularly It’s a good idea to follow style guide and grammar books This will provide an idea of the different ways to approach spelling, syntax, and style, give students a better idea of the fundamentals of grammar, and show them where the language is adaptable and where it’s inflexible This is one of the best ways to improve your English grammar because only students practice regularly, the more they learn, the more they improve Last but not least, it is obvious that practice is the best way to improve students’ translation skills and to reduce translation errors Practice also helps find differences between English – Vietnamese structures of sentences Consequently, students’ translation becomes smoother and more fluent CONCLUSION - Review of the study As stated earlier, the thesis is an attempt to present the common grammatical errors in translating from Vietnamese into English of English Major students at Thuongmai University In addition, the study aims at investigating some factors causing these errors in order to find out some strategies to help students improve the problem This study highlights the essential problems of grammatical errors in Vietnamese-English translation that learners have often made This study is concerned with much more interesting questions: when/ how to make mistakes and when/ how to correct them The study also suggests some practical tips for helping learners accept and learn from the mistakes as a useful suggestion way in learning translation To reach the aims of the researcher, the study was divided into four chapters The first chapter has briefly described the general theories of the research Chapter two of this study concentrates on reviewing literature directly relevant to the topic being investigated It is the theoretical background about translating skills as well English grammar The third chapter presented the research methodology and findings of the approach to English grammar of English major students at Thuongmai University through questionnaires and tests collected This chapter also helped the researcher find out the answers to three questions as mentioned previously in chapter one Chapter four is some recommendations and suggestions to improve English grammar at Thuongmai University in particular and all of the students in general It cannot deny that today English is the most widely spoken language in the world, and English has acquired the largest grammar of the world’s language The important role of English is illustrated in all fields such as politics, science, economy, culture, and so on Therefore, translation plays an important role, especially in the age of globalization Being aware of the importance of English grammar in translating skills, especially translating from Vietnamese into English in a specific field, I made up my mind on “a study on common grammatical errors in translating from Vietnamese into English encountered by English major students at Thuongmai University” Hopefully, this study can bring valuable knowledge for the future works of readers and some improvements on the Vietnamese – English translation skill as well as the quality of their skills - Limitation of the study This study aimed at dominating the most common grammatical errors in Vietnamese-English translation, illustrated by examples as well the way to correct them Because of limited time, lack of sources, and the ability of the researcher, the mistakes and the shortcomings are unavoidable in the writing duration First of all, because of the time limit, this research was conducted only on a small size of participants Only 33 students of English faculty at Thuongmai University were selected by the researcher with her own criteria Therefore, the results obtained may not be generalized to the whole people who made errors Secondly, the students’ overload work, to some extent, might affect the result of the common errors in translation between the student's motivation in learning to translate Vietnamese-English texts and their performance because they were required to take part in many studies at the same time Another drawback faced during the research process is the researcher conducts the questionnaire and collected translations through internet because of the epidemic Covid-19, so the result is limited Besides, the techniques suggested in this research are selected from different reliable but limited sources - Suggestions for further research Because of the limitation, this study could not cover all aspects of the study Besides, the study only focuses on the common errors for only second-year students at English Faculty to help them improve their translation skills The study only investigated the common errors in translating from Vietnamese into English in 33 translations of English major students at TMU Therefore, for further studies, the researcher suggests conducting the survey as well as collecting more translations with different backgrounds in order to gain deeper and clearer data about the problems which students experience with translating skills as well as grammatical errors and causes of these problems Together with using survey questionnaires and observation, the interview is also necessary to get a more persuasive conclusion Finally, other researchers may concern about English vocabulary and problems related to translating skills so that the students can improve this skill to have a good job in the further All in all, despite the study, can avoid the limitation, the research has been completed under the guidance of the supervisor and self-effort Any comments and criticism will be appreciated for better further study REFERENCES Books Cambridge Dictionary Cambridge University Press Peter Newmark (1988) A textbook of translation New York: Prentice-Hall International J Williams (2013) Theories of Translation Palgrave Macmillan UK Authors-Studies Tu Anh (2005), English-Vietnamese translation techniques (p10-11) Bui Tien Bao and Dang Xuan Thu (1997), Interpreting and translation coursebook, HaNoi University of Foreign Studies, Hanoi Roger T.Bell, R.T (1991), Translation and translating: Theory and practice, Longman, New York Catford J.C (1965), A Linguistic Theory of Translation, Oxford, Oxford University Press Duong Thi Thuy Hang and Nguyen Thi Cam Xuyen (2010), Common mistakes in learning translation subject by the second-year English major students at Dong Thap University Nguyen Thi Thu Hang and Trieu Thu Hang (2010), Vietnamese-English translation errors made by second year translation-major students, VNU university of Languages and International Studies Newmark, Peter (1982), Approaches to Translation, Pergamon Press Nguyen Thi Hong Tham and Bui Huyen Tran (2013), English major students’ difficulties and expectations in learning translation at Dong Thap University Wilss, N (1982), The Science of translation: Problems and methods 10 Sari Cahyani, Bambang Wijaya, Zainal Arifin (2014), An analysis of students’ grammatical errors in Indonesian-English translation Websites 1.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320287059_Grammatical_Errors_i n_the_English_Translation_Made_by_the_Students_of_English_Study_Program_of _UKI_Toraja https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452315117300851 http://repository.unimus.ac.id/161/1/Galih.pdf https://oapub.org/edu/index.php/ejel/article/view/1966 file:///C:/Users/ADMIN/Downloads/417-703-1-SM.pdf https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/216939-none.pdf https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/grammar https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-grammar-1690909 https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/error APPENDIX SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRES Hi guys! My name is Hong I am doing a small survey about the topic “A study on common grammatical errors in translating Vietnamese text into English of second-year English-majored students at Thuongmai University” This survey aims at finding out common grammatical errors in Vietnamese-English translation and some solutions to improve these errors Your completion of this questionnaire will provide valuable information on my thesis and your contribution is of great help for the fulfillment of my dissertation I would really appreciate it if you can give me some minutes to fill out this questionnaire Please answer the following questions as honestly as you can What is your name: ………………………… Class: ……………………… Question 1: What you think about the importance of translation? A Extremely important B Important C Less important D Unimportant Question 2: In your opinion, translation can help you………… A Find materials and learn other subjects B Enlarge your knowledge C Enlarge your vocabulary and grammar D Get a good job E It is useless to you Question 3: How you feel about translating from Vietnamese into English? A B C D Easy Quite difficult Difficult Very difficult Question 4: How you rate your translating English-Vietnamese skill? A Very good B Good C Normal D Not good Question 5: How much time you spend on translating text from English per day? A I don’t practice B Less than hour C 1- hours D More than hours Question How long does it take you to translate a paragraph (200 words) from Vietnamese into English? A Less than 20 minutes B 20-25 minutes C 25-30 minutes D More than 30 minutes Question 7: In your opinion, how important is English grammar in translating from Vietnamese into English? A Not important B Quite important C Important D Very important Question 8: Below are some of the common errors related to grammar you may encounter in translating Vietnamese to English texts Please indicate how often you make these mistakes: Types of errors 1.Errors in combination between Subject and Verb (Subject-Verb Agreement) 2.Errors in tense usage 3.Errors in voice usage (Error of selecting passive or active form) 4.Incorrect use of prepositions 5.Using inappropriate articles Always Usually Sometime s Rarely Never 6.Error of selecting adjective 7.Errors of singular and plural forms 8.Errors in parallel structure 9.Errors of order Question 9: Why you make these above mistakes? A I am bad at grammar B I forget some grammars C I am influenced by mother tongue D I translate word by word according to the source language E Others: Question 10: What you to improve your grammar A Reading English grammar B Doing grammar exercises regularly C Going to at an English center D Using Internet to exchange information about English grammar E Playing games with English grammar F Practicing writing skills everyday G Others: ... translating skills, especially translating from Vietnamese into English in a specific field, I made up my mind on ? ?a study on common grammatical errors in translating from Vietnamese into English. .. problem of grammatical aspect and given that the students of English faculty at Thuongmai University in particular and other translators, in general, make some mistakes in translating Vietnamese -English. .. the study As stated earlier, the thesis is an attempt to present the common grammatical errors in translating from Vietnamese into English of English Major students at Thuongmai University In addition,

Ngày đăng: 11/12/2021, 22:45

Từ khóa liên quan

Mục lục

  • ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  • ABSTRACT

  • TABLES OF CONTENTS

  • LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

  • LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

    • 1.2 Previous studies

    • Learning English and translation is not easy so many students sometimes meet difficulties and make errors in the translation process. To find out and overcome the difficulties and the errors, research topics on issues of “common errors in translation” have been studied by many different researchers around the world in general and in Vietnam in particular. Relating my graduation paper’s topic, there are several previous studies that I have consulted for my thesis.

    • 1.2.1 Foreign researchers

    • The first study was made by Matius Tandikombong, Haryanto Atmowardoyo and Sukardi Weda. The topic was "Grammatical Errors in the English Translation Made by the Students of English Study Program of UKI Toraja". In this study, they divided the sample of this study into two groups: the six-semester and the fourth-semester students to find out the different levels of UKI Toraja. After handing out literature reviews, she has conducted a real survey and used the findings of the survey to verify it. The grammatical errors were mentioned in that study were the wrong verb, noun, conjunction, pronoun, adjective, adverb, article, and preposition. In addition, the study showed that the most frequent errors are errors in verbs and that most of the errors are due to overgeneralization and ignorance of the rule restriction.

    • The second study was "Investigating Grammatical Errors in Translation " made by Muslih Hambali in Sriwijaya University Palembang, Indonesia. The sample consists of 30 students. They were asked about common errors encountered during translating process. After conducting the study and using a descriptive quantitative method, the research showed that the major types of errors made by the students were related to incomplete clauses having no either subject, verbs, or neither both, subject-verb agreement, and the absence of subordinators and plural nouns. Out of the six types of identified grammatical errors, incomplete plural nouns ranked number one followed by the absence of verb and subject-verb agreement. Through this study, the researchers also provided useful information about translation and some suggestions to correct these errors.

      • 1.2.2 Vietnamese researchers

      • A study was made by Nguyen Thi Thu Hang and Trieu Thu Hang at VNU University of Languages and International Studies. The title was “Vietnamese-English translation errors made by second-year translation-major students”. The researchers identified common Vietnamese-English translation errors made by second-year students and propose some suggestions for the improvement of the current practice. After conducting the study and using the descriptive quantitative method, the researchers discovered the most common linguistic errors were lexical choice and other common errors including lengthy and awkward expressions while some grammar errors such as misuse of articles, punctuation, and plural or singular forms were not a serious problem for students. Thus, they suggested some valuable solutions to improve these problems.

      • Another one is the study on “Common structural errors in Vietnamese - English translation made by English majored students at Duy Tan University” implemented by Bui Thi Kim Phung. The instruments in the study included document observations, questionnaires, and interviews. The study indicated that common errors made by the students included Omission of Subject, Inappropriate Choice of Subject or Predicate, Inappropriate Choice of Negative Form, and Lack of Main Clause in Complex Sentences. Noticeably, errors caused by “hidden” elements in Vietnamese sentences were the most common. The study not only finds common errors in translating English text but also figures out factors influencing the students’ errors in doing translation and suggests solutions to improve translation skills.

        • 1.3 Aims of the study

        • 1.4 Research Subjects

        • 1.5 Scope of the study

        • 1.6 Research methodology

        • 1.7 Organization of the study

        • CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

          • 2.1 Translation theory

            • 2.1.1 Definition of translation

            • 2.1.2 Translation methods

              • 2.1.2.1 Word-for-word translation

              • 2.1.2.2 Literal translation

              • 2.1.2.3 Faithful translation

              • 2.1.2.4 Semantic translation

Tài liệu cùng người dùng

Tài liệu liên quan