Towards designing a translation syllabus for third-year English majors at Hanoi University of Business and Technology Trần Thị Phương Chi Trường Đại học Ngoại Ngữ Luận văn ThS. Chuyên ngành: English Linguistics; Mã số: 60 22 15 Người hướng dẫn: M.A. Đỗ Minh Hoàng Năm bảo vệ: 2010 Abstract: This study was conducted to design a syllabus for third-year English majors at Hanoi University of Business and Technology (HUBT). The proposed syllabus aims at enhancing the students’ translation skills and translation-related skills. The students are exposed to theoretical knowledge and practice of translation in both directions. The course adopts a process-based approach which focuses on stages of the translation process and opts for a communicative, interactive methodology that focuses on workshop-like activities, pair works, meeting experts, with translating activities around the students’ selection of business topics. In other words, a student-centered approach is adopted. The study is expected to offer a career-oriented training program for third-year English majors. Keywords: Chương trình giảng dạy; Tiếng Anh chuyên ngành; Dịch Content: TABLE OF CONTENTS CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS iv APPENDICES ……………………………………………………………………………………………… v PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 1. Rationale 1 2. Aim of the study 2 3. Research questions 2 4. Scope of the study 2 5. Significance of the study 2 6. Content of the study 3 PART B: DEVELOPMENT 4 Chapter 1: Literature Review 4 1.1. Syllabus in language teaching 4 1.1.1. Definition 4 1.1.2. Types of syllabuses 5 1.2. Translation 7 1.2.1. Definition of translation 7 1.2.2. Translation in teaching 8 1.2.2.1. Grammar-based syllabus 8 1.2.2.2. Task-based syllabus (Constructivism) 9 1.2.2.3. Topic-based syllabus 9 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 1. Summary 43 2. Recommendations for further research 44 References 45 1 PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. 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 do 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 4 skills after the first two years. This has led to the fact that they meet some difficulties in learning translation and interpreting. Besides, it 2 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. 2. 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. 3. Research questions 1. What are the learning needs of the third-year English majors? 2. What are the target needs of the third-year English majors? 3. How should the proposed syllabus meet these needs? 4. 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). 5. 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. 3 6. 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 1 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. 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Text Analysis in Translation Theory: Methodology and Didactic Application of a Model for Translation- Oriented Analysis. Amsterdam and Atlanta:Rodopi. Nunan, D. (1988). Syllabus Design. Oxford: