A survey in students reading habits and problems in translation some suggestions for the improvement

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES  GRADUATION THESIS TITLE A SURVEY IN STUDENTS’ READING HABITS AND PROBLEMS IN TRANSLATION SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT STUDENT’S NAME HUYNH THI NGOC HANH STUDENT ID NUMBER 13015981 CLASS DHAV9 COURSE 2013 – 2017 SUPERVISOR Senior Lecturer NGUYEN KHANH DU,DBA HCMC, May 2017 Date of submission 25052017 Student Name HUYNH THI NGOC HANH Supervisor’s Name Senior Lecturer NGUYEN KHANH DU,.

MINISTRY OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY

FACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

- -

GRADUATION THESIS

TITLE:

A SURVEY IN STUDENTS’ READING HABITS

AND PROBLEMS IN TRANSLATION

SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR THE

Date of submission: 25/05/2017

Student Name: HUYNH THI NGOC HANH

Supervisor’s Name: Senior Lecturer NGUYEN KHANH DU, DBA

“I certify that this work is entirely my own and has not been accepted as part of submission to another purpose elsewhere”

Signed: ………

Word length: 14860 words

My full name is Huynh Thi Ngoc Hanh I declare that this graduation thesis entitled “A Survey in Students‟ Reading Habits and Problems in Translation Some suggestions for the improvement” is my original work I also certify that the content of the thesis is the result of

my creation and effort, and does not include any plagiarism

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Statement of the Problem 2

1.3 Purpose of the Study 2

1.4 Research Questions 3

1.5 Significance of the Study 3

1.6 Scope of the Study 3

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 5

2.1 An Overview of Translation 5

2.1.1 Definitions of Translation 5

2.1.2 The Importance of Translation 6

2.1.3 Translation Process 8

2.1.3.1 Pre-translation 9

2.1.3.2 While-translation 10

2.1.3.3 Post-translation 12

2.1.4 Some Difficulties in Translating 13

2.2 An Overview of Reading Habits 15

2.2.1 Reading and Reading Comprehension 15

2.2.1.1 Definitions of Reading 15

2.2.1.2 Definitions of Reading Comprehension 16

2.2.1.3 The Importance of Reading Comprehension 18

2.2.2 Definitions of Reading Habits 18

2.2.3 The Correlation between Reading Habits and Reading Comprehension 20

2.3 The Benefits of Reading Habits 20

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 24

3.1 Research Procedure 24

3.2 Participants 24

3.3.1 The Researcher 24

3.3 Data Collection Instrument 25

3.4 Data Collection Procedure 27

3.5 Data Analysis Procedure 27

3.6 Summary 28

CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 29

4.1 Results from the Questionnaire 29

4.1.1 The Reality of English-majored Juniors’ Translation Learning 29

4.1.2 The Reality of English-majored Juniors’ Reading Habits 33

4.1.3 Students’ Opinions on the Relationship between Reading Habits and Translation 39

4.2 Results from Translating Exercises 44

4.2.1 Translating from English into Vietnamese 44

4.2.2 Translating from Vietnamese into English 45

4.3 Discussion 45

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 47

5.1 Overview and Summary of the Thesis 47

5.2 Recommendations 47

5.2.1 For Students 47

5.2.2 For Teachers 48

5.3 Limitations of the Study 49

REFERENCES 50

APPENDICES 54

APPENDIX 1: QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STUDENTS 54

APPENDIX 2: TRANSLATING EXERCISES 60

1 IUH: Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City

2 FFL: Faculty of Foreign Languages

3 SL: Source Language

4 TL: Target Language

5 ST: Source Text

6 TT: Target Text

Figure 2.1: A simplified Translation Process

Figure 2.2: Translation process by Nida (1969)

Figure 2.3: Comprehension‟s elements

Table 3.1: Questionnaires for part 1

Table 4.1: The level of satisfaction of English-majored juniors from translation marks

Table 4.2: Materials/sources used for learning and practicing translating skills

Table 4.3: Students‟ perspective on the relationship between reading habits and translation Chart 4.1: The level of satisfaction of English-majored juniors from translation marks

Chart 4.2: Students‟ translation process

Chart 4.3: Students‟ difficulties in learning translation

Chart 4.4: Students‟ methods for improving translating skills

Chart 4.5: Materials/sources used for learning and practicing translating skills

Chart 4.6: Favorite topics of students

Chart 4.7: Students‟ difficulties in reading the above materials/sources

Chart 4.8: The benefits of reading mentioned materials/sources

Chart 4.9: The frequency of reading

Chart 4.10: Factors affecting students‟ reading habits

Chart 4.11: Students‟ opinions on the relationship between reading habits and translation Chart 4.12: Students‟ attention to factors in reading materials/sources

Chart 4.13: Methods of improving students‟ reading habits

Chart 4.14: Methods of improving translating skills through reading habits

Translation plays a significant role in people‟s lives because it reduces the impact of language barriers However, translation learning is still a hard job for students and translators Besides, reading is considered to be one of the most important factors to improve translation ability If this activity is performed regularly, the translation ability is also affected Therefore, this thesis aims at finding out the reality of student‟s reading habits and problems in translation as well as the benefits of reading habits to translation Besides, some suggestions

to improve both students‟ reading habits and translation‟s difficulties will be concerned

The study was carried out at Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City with the participation of 155 English-majored juniors The main data collection instrument is questionnaires, comprising 15 questions and translating exercises

After the study, students and teachers can realize their reading habits and problems in translation as well as the benefits of reading habits As a result, students enhance their awareness of the significance of reading habits as well as translation Moreover, possible solutions can be inferred to help them overcome difficulties of translation through reading habits and improve their reading culture

Key words: reading habits, translation, difficulties, suggestions, reality, benefits

During the period of carrying out the thesis, the writer received a plenty of enthusiastic help and support that guide and encourage her to overcome all obstacles and finish all tasks in the best way

Firstly, the writer would like to express her deep gratitude to the School Board of the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City and the Faculty of Foreign Languages creating favorable conditions for her to accomplish the thesis

Secondly, she sincerely thanks her supervisor, Senior Lecturer Nguyen Khanh Du, DBA He conscientiously instructed and organized her how to deal with the graduation thesis from the beginning During the process of studying, he enthusiastically provided interesting information and useful materials for her, which enhanced her knowledge about the concerned issue Furthermore, with professional experiences and insightful comments, he gave her helpful advice which helped her to correct serious mistakes After completing the thesis, she can have a deeper view of the correlation between reading habits and translation

In addition, she would like to express her sincere thanks to class DHAV9 All members shared her feelings and gave her advice during the internship As a result, she can overcome this hard period

Finally, the writer sincerely thanks her parents for their considerable support in finance and spirit so that she could focus on my work and complete her graduation thesis successfully

In short, she is really grateful to all people helping her to finish this graduation thesis

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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale

Nowadays, English, an international language, is used popularly in the world English becomes a compulsory language in many fields such as education, economy, technology, commerce and science, etc Therefore, more and more Vietnamese people are looking for translation services or translation companies to have documents translated Moreover, translation is not only a subject but also a job in the future According to Catford (1965),

“Translation may be defined as follows: the replacement of textual material in one language (SL) by equivalent textual material in another language (TL)” (p.20) Therefore, translation is considered to be one of the most intellectually challenging tasks It requires a translator to be fluent in one or more languages and have the ability to work on a number of subjects or specialize in a particular field

After finishing translation subject, the writer realizes that translation is still a hard task for English-majored students although teachers try to help them in the learning process In fact, students have to translate passages or documents in various fields or topics which they might not know Moreover, the writer also notices that many English-majored students are fond of reading some kinds of books which are easy to understand For instance, students often tend to read Chinese romance novels or novels written by Vietnamese authors instead of reading English books or English –Vietnamese books As a consequence, there are many awkward situations happened Without reading habits, students do not know how the natives use English and how to make the Vietnamese comprehend when translating from English into Vietnamese

Getting this point, the writer would like to do a research named “A Survey in Students’ Reading Habits and Problems in Translation Some Suggestions for the Improvement” The writer hopes that students will get the importance of reading habits on

translating ability and change their reading culture Besides, teacher can get students‟ difficulties and enhance both their reading habits and translating skills

1.2 Statement of the Problem

In the era of integration into the world, there is a dramatically increased need to translate documents, books and newspaper from English into Vietnamese and vice versa Nonetheless,

it is difficult to have a perfect translation Bassnett (2002) emphasized as below:

Translation is not just the transfer of texts from one language into another, it is now rightly seen as a process of negotiation between texts and between cultures, a process during which all kinds of transactions take place mediated by the figure of the translator (p.6)

In fact, even experienced translators also deal with difficulties in their job Therefore, when thinking about translation, most students may feel bored or scared of this subject

On the other hand, reading is a process that can happen anywhere and anytime For

instance, when studying at school or university, students, especially English-majored students, have many chances to approach lots of English materials However, it is hard to know whether they maintain this habit regularly It is said that reading can help students enhance their knowledge and then improve their translating skills Other words, some students have problems with translation because of a lack of reading habits In some cases, some students often read many kinds of books but their translating skills cannot be improved upon Meanwhile, those who read a few books can translate from English into Vietnamese and vice versa easily and quickly

To recognize how reading habits actually affect English-majored students‟ improvement of translating skills is not easy

1.3 Purpose of the Study

Obviously, a perfect translation must be not only attractive but also beautiful However, it is hard for English-majored students to have one when translating from English into Vietnamese and vice versa During the learning process, the writer realizes that the lack

of reading habits in students‟ daily life is one of the main reasons

As a result, there are two principal purposes of this study First, the writer wants to find out the reality of English-majored students‟ reading habits, translation‟s difficulties as well as the benefits of reading habits to translation Second, the writer hopes that the study‟ results may provide some possible solutions to improve not only translation teaching and learning but also students‟ reading culture in the future

1.4 Research Questions

1 What are English-majored students‟ reality of reading habits?

2 What difficulties do English-majored students face when translating from English into Vietnamese and vice versa?

3 What should English-majored students do to enhance their translating skills through their reading habits?

1.5 Significance of the Study

The study has a significant effect on participants, readers and the writer

Firstly, the study helps students realize their translating skills as well as difficulties which they are facing through the learning process In addition, the study‟ results can bring out the prominent effects of reading habits and give students an opportunity to consider their attitudes to reading culture As a result, this can lead to a remarkable change in students‟ translation learning On the other hand, teachers are able to have a deeper view of students‟ obstacles Then, they can find some possible solutions to combine reading habits with translation learning and teaching effectively and interestingly

Secondly, this study will provide useful information for readers who have a great passion for reading books and translation Besides, it can become a source for those who want

to do a dissertation about the correlation between reading and translation

Finally, the writer has an opportunity to delve into the topic which she is very curious about By spending time and great efforts doing an action research, the writer can learn valuable knowledge about translation as well as reading habits Moreover, the experience getting from the research process also enhances her translating skills and it is useful for her career afterwards

1.6 Scope of the Study

The writer conducts an investigation into the correlation between reading habits and English-majored students‟ improvement of translating skills at IUH with the participation of

200 juniors Besides, she will discuss the reality, difficulties of students‟ translation learning and reading habits as well as their perception of the relationship between reading habits and translation Some translation errors made by learners during the learning process are

mentioned; however, the solutions to these mistakes are not the main concern Due to the limited time, the writer carries out the survey by using questionnaires as the main tool

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 An Overview of Translation

2.1.1 Definitions of Translation

Translation has become more and more important in many fields due to the fact that a lot of documents need to be translated with different aims Thanks to the development of translation tools, various kinds of dictionaries and Internet, everyone can translation from English into Vietnamese and vice versa However, it is hard to create a perfect translation Translators must be expert in the SL and the TL If they are not proficient in both languages, how they can make readers or customers understand what they translated In the Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, translation is “the process of changing something that is written or spoken into another language” The dictionary‟s definition explains the only difference between two concepts that most people often get confused In fact, according to methods (written or oral), there are two types of translation, including translation and interpretation which contains consecutive interpretation and simultaneous interpretation On the other hand, Jakobson (1959) noted that translation was divided into three types as follows:

(1) Intralingual translation, or rewording (an interpretation of verbal signs by means of other signs of the same language)

(2) Interlingual translation or translation proper (an interpretation of verbal signs

by means of some other language)

(3) Intersemiotic translation or transmutation (an interpretation of verbal signs by means of signs of nonverbal sign systems) (p.233)

Therefore, in this study, the writer just focuses on interlingual translation or translation which is the process of converting the meaning of a written text from one language into another Along with the development of translation, there is a variety of definitions of it According to Oettinger (1960), “interlingual translation can be defined as the replacement of elements of one language, the domain of translation, by equivalent elements of another language, the range” (p.110) In his definition, Oettinger focused on not only the mode of translation which was “the replacement” but also “equivalent elements” between two languages such as words, phrases, grammar rules, culture, styles, etc In The Theory and Practice of Translation, Nida (1969) systematically stated that “Translating consists in reproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalent of the source-language

message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style But this relatively simple statement requires careful evaluation of several seemingly contradictory elements” (p.12) In addition, Wilss‟s (1982) findings pointed out that “translation is a transfer process, which aims at the transformation of a written SL text into an optimally equivalent TL text, and which requires the syntactic, the semantic and the pragmatic understanding and analytical processing of the SL” (p.3) In Wilss‟s definition, translators must ensure the harmony of the

SL and TL and thoroughly understand linguistic aspects Then, they have to read, comprehend the SL and experience the analytical process in their mindset The definitions of Nida and Wilss were supported by Larson‟s (1998) analysis, he emphasized as follows:

Translation consists of studying the lexicon, grammatical structure, communication situation and cultural context of the SL text, analyzing it in order to determine its meaning, and then reconstructing this same meaning using the lexicon and grammatical structure which are appropriate in the receptor language and its cultural context (p.3)

On the other hand, Newmark (1988) indicated that “Translation is rendering the meaning of a text into another language in the way that the author intended the text” (p.5) According to Newmark‟s view, instead of analyzing elements such as lexicon, grammatical structure, a translator has to make the meaning of the TT meet the author‟s intention Though the above definitions are quite different from one another, they have a similarity in the key term “equivalence” It means that translators not only find equivalent elements or nearly equivalent elements in the process of transferring from the SL into the TL but also assure the meaning and styles of the TL

From these opinions, the writer supposes that translation is the transference of meaning from one language (SL) to another language (TL) using equivalent materials This is

a difficult task because the translators need to be good at two or more languages, have cultural knowledge, good writing skills, etc Moreover, they must attach special importance to the equivalence and the style in order to not only keep the version remain its meaning but also make it attractive

2.1.2 The Importance of Translation

Translation is considered as a link between languages and cultures of countries in the world According to Ethnologue (2017), the most far-reaching catalog of the world‟s languages, 7,099 living languages are used all over the world in 2017 Therefore, translating

popular languages appropriate to the needs of people is in such high demand Newmark (1991) indicated that “translation can be described as filling up the gaps between languages” (p.25)

The most prevalent application of translation in language teaching is the translation method From the late eighteenth century to the nineteenth century, this method was first used to teach classical Latin and Greek with the aim of helping students read and comprehend foreign language literature (Larson-Freeman, 2000, p.11) Then, it was applied to other languages such as German, French and English popularly In Vietnam, it was also considered to be a traditional teaching approach from 1970s until 1990s In the learning process, students had been provided with unconnected grammatical rules and structures before they translated sentences exemplifying these points from the TL back to their first language or vice versa (Harmer, 2007, p.63) Obviously, translation plays an important role in the learning process of ESL/EFL learners because it helps them to realize the differences and similarities between the foreign language and their native language Though there are some disadvantages, grammar-translation method still persists nowadays in some countries and contexts (Munday, 2001, p.8)

grammar-Moreover, the influence of translation has become more and more extensive According to Munday (2001), “Throughout history, written and spoken translations have played a crucial role in interhuman communication, not least in providing access to important texts for scholarship and religious purposes” (p.5) In fact, translation has a great significance

in language learning Becoming an academic subject in universities and colleges, translation has met the demand of both English-majored students and non-English majored students who want to be expert translators afterwards Actually, the translation study became an academic discipline only in the late twentieth century though the process of translating is established for

a long time (Munday, 2001, p.7) In addition, the translating process has been applied to not only the field of publishing but also educational materials for learners and scholars A prominent example of this development is the issue of translation books such as A Textbook

of Translation, About Translation, Approaches of Translation by Peter Newmark and books, newspapers, etc translated from English into Vietnamese or vice versa such as Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, Harry Potter by J K Rowling, Saigon Times Daily, etc Furthermore, in the age of internationalization and globalization, rendering certificates, manuals, documents, agreements from SL to TL is extremely essential for education and business In order to keep abreast of the translation‟s development, the number of translators,

translation services and translation companies has significantly increased in foreign countries

in general and Vietnam in particular

To summarize, translation has a great significance in many aspects of daily life and it

is extensively applied to many fields such as language teaching and learning, economy, etc

In About Translation, Newmark (1991) stated that “Translation is a modest but rapidly developing growth industry” (p.15) Since language will continually change, the process of studying translation has helped people get approach to problems of language and culture

2.1.3 Translation Process

Finding the process of translating not only helps people have a deeper perspective on this concept but also enhances the ability to deal with some obstacles in translation Until now, experts in this field are constantly trying to study activities happening in a person‟s translation process

Bell (1991) considered translating as a process which occurs in translators‟ memory Firstly, the SL text is analyzed into semantic representation and then, the object of this process (the TL text) is formed by the synthesis of the semantic representation in the first stage

Furthermore, according to Nida (1969), translation process involves three main phases

2.1.3.1 Pre-translation

Bell (1991), Bui and Dang (1997) and Nguyen (2012) shared the same opinion that the first essential task in translation process is reading the source text Like listening, reading is regarded as input which assists translators in gathering the text‟s information or even forming

an equivalent TT in their head Hence, without reading, they cannot get the main ideas and decide the content that will be translated

Next, according to Bui and Dang (1997), Newmark (2001), translators need to examine the intention of the text as well as of themselves, text types and the readership respectively One can say that finding the main idea of the text is identifying the intention of the text For instance, in reading classes, the teacher always asks students to find out the topic

or the main idea of a text because it is the main purpose of the author (the intention of the text) Consequently, it is compulsory for translators to do the same thing so that a translation

is able to express the author‟s implication to receivers The second element is the intention of the translator Though the task of translators is to communicate the author‟s idea to readers, they cannot be completely loyal to the intention of the source text It is clear that they will be affected by factors such as their language, style and idiosyncratic features and then have to cope with complex differences between English and Vietnamese (Nguyen, 2012) To illustrate, a Vietnamese translator is required to translate an idiom “Đừng có trứng khôn hơn vịt” There are two ways of translating which depend on the culture One is “a duck‟s egg cannot be wiser than the duck itself” and the other is “don‟t teach your grandmother how to

suck eggs” (Nguyen, 2012) The writer can infer that the translator himself or herself is one of the factors affect the quality of a translation The next concerns are the readership and text types including narrative, description, discussion and dialogue These are two other factors influencing the translator‟s process of choosing the writing styles, words, emotional expression, etc Nord (2005) pointed out that “the reception of a text depends on the individual expectation of the receivers, which are determined by the situation in which they receive the text as well as by their social background, their word knowledge, and/or their communicative needs” (p.17) For example, newspapers translated from English into Vietnamese or vice versa will use common words and the plain style rather than terminologies, the scientific style as the subject of this material is the public Last but not least, the quality of the writing needs to be considered In fact, there are many circumstances that the source text is ambiguous, incomprehensible and also has errors in punctuation, spelling (Nguyen, 2012) To resolve these problems, translators have to edit the content, rearrange information but assure the intention of the author, the style and the comprehension

of receivers

The writer realizes that the pre-translation is like the analytical stage and has a close relation with the reading process Through reading, translators acquire full understanding of all aspects of the source text such as the author‟s implication, the translator‟s intention, the requirement of text styles and readership as well as examine the quality of the source text The result of this analysis is considered as a primary product based on translators‟ cognitive abilities, perspective, flexibility, accuracy Nonetheless, it is not easy to carry out reading comprehension since it demands an intensive concentration of translators

2.1.3.2 While-translation

The principal objective of this stage is transferring texts from the SL into the TL Therefore, the writer supposes that translation methods need to be concerned Bui and Dang (1997) suggested two ways of approaching translation In the first approach, translators will render the first paragraph of the whole text from the SL into the TL sentence by sentence Thanks to this step, they are able to get the purpose as well as the writing style of the author After reading the rest of the SL text, translators examine errors and modify the translation in accordance with the mentioned elements Other paragraphs are constantly translated according to previous steps The second one begins with reading the whole text two or three times so that translators find the author‟s idea, assess the style and point out difficult words, phrases The translation process only starts when all translators‟ queries are satisfied Some

factors such as translations‟ nature, the style of the SL text, the context, etc will affect their choice between the first and second approach In addition, according to Newmark (2001), there are two main methods of translating as follows:

(1) Communicative translation, where the translator attempts to produce the same effect on the TL readers as was produced by the original on the SL readers

(2) Semantic translation, where the translator attempts, within the bare syntactic and semantic constraints of the TL, to reproduce the precise contextual meaning of the author (p.22)

Communicative translation emphasized message, reader and utterance while semantic translation stresses meaning, author and thought process Moreover, there are other translation methods classified according to the emphasis on SL (word-for-word translation, literal translation, faithful translation and semantic translation) or TL (adaptation, free translation, idiomatic translation and communicative translation) (Bui & Dang 1997) The writer notes that there is a difference between the two terms „approach‟ and „method‟ Translation methods‟ object is the whole text whereas translation approaches help translators adapt to the

SL text and deal with it through sentences, clauses, collocations, phrases and words

After determining the approaches and methods, translator will experience four levels during the translation process, including the textual level, the referential level, the cohesive level and the level of naturalness (Newmark, 1988) In the first level, the text is translators‟ base level and this is also the level of literal translation of the SL into the TL Transposing the

SL grammar and translating the lexical units into TL equivalents appropriate to the context are the main tasks of translators in the text level It is undebatable that translation demands translators‟ critical thinking and intellectual ability to deal with several problems at the same time The second level is the referential level related to translators‟ process of considering and assessing the text, sentences as well as other problems happening in translation Newmark (1988) pointed out that “all languages have polysemous words and structures can be finally solved only on the referential level” (p.23) Next, the cohesive level pursues the structure and the moods, which assures the coherence, the cohesion and the emphasis of the text With the first factor, this level deals with the correlation between connective words and sentences of the SL and TL With the second factor, it corrects the tone (positive and negative, emotive and neutral) The last one is the level of naturalness In this level, translators have to guarantee the natural harmony of related elements in a translation such as grammar structures, sentences, words, idioms, context, author‟s intention, topic, audiences, etc To do this, they need to put themselves in their own text instead of the SL text and check the reasonable use of units of

language and writing style The four separate levels stated above not only impact one another

but also affect the translation‟s quality

To sum up, the while-translation is the process of transferring between the SL and TL, which consists of lots of decision-making An expert translator is the one who can determine the suitable approach or method in specific context and apply four levels in the best way Thus, translators must scrupulously consider and evaluate important factors in both texts as well as combine necessary skills with their cognitive capacity to overcome difficulties in translation process

2.1.3.3 Post-translation

The last stage is the final revision of the previous work Pym (2010) emphasized that

“reviewing becomes an extremely important part of the translation process, meriting its own theorization” (p.133) In fact, when accomplishing the process of rendering, a good translator will review the whole TT at least one time, correct errors and adjust the style These tasks are usually carried out by the translator (self-revision) or many people working together with the aim at attaining the best quality of translation Most people suppose that the translation‟s quality depends on the readers‟ assessment For example, in translation companies, the TL documents have to satisfy the demand of customers However, Newmark (1998) stated that

“customer satisfaction is the proof of a translation‟s „success‟, but it is not a measure of its quality” (p.105) Clearly, the satisfaction of readers in general and customers in particular is not the same because of the differences in temperament, educational level, the class, etc Consequently, the crucial element determining the quality is the translation‟s accuracy which

is achieved through revision According to Munday‟s study (as cited in Reiss, 1971), the appropriateness of a TT is based on not only intralinguistic criteria including semantic, lexical, grammatical and stylistic features but also extralinguistic criteria comprising situation, subject field, time, place, receiver, sender and „affective implications‟ (humor, irony, emotion, etc.) Revision or restructuring is the ultimate task of translators It plays a significant role not only in the post-translation but also the entire translation process Owing to revision, translators can assess their final work as well as realize their strengths and weaknesses Moreover, the result of revision is influenced by translators‟ ability, knowledge and experience It is undeniable that translators and the process of revising interact with each other

In conclusion, the translation process consists of three main phases consisting of translation (analysis), while-translation (transfer) and post-translation (revision or

pre-restructuring) In order to create the best translation, translators need to thoroughly understand all analyzed factors in three stages and attempt to enhance their capacity for translation

2.1.4 Some Difficulties in Translating

When mentioning translation, most people think that it is not as difficult as interpretation Though translators need not give a quick response or experience time pressure, the requirement of a translation‟s quality is extremely strict As a result, translators will face many problems when rendering from the SL into the TL

Firstly, the main difficulty of translation is the equivalence It usually occurs when scholars find definitions of translation or describe translation process All scholars who have studied translation theories is still attempting to discover all aspects of this concept because it plays a highly important part in translation studies‟ development Hartmann and Stork (1972) pointed out the notion of equivalence as follows:

Text in different languages can be equivalent in different degrees (fully or partially equivalent), in respect of different levels of presentation (equivalent in respect of context, of semantics, of grammar, of lexis, etc.) and at different ranks (word-for- word, phrase-for-phrase, sentence-for-sentence) (p.713)

Nonetheless, it is extremely difficult to have a total equivalent text due to the fact that

“there is ordinarily no full equivalence between code-units” (Jakobson, 1959, p.114) Jakobson (1959) additionally stated that “equivalence in difference is the cardinal problem of language and the pivotal concern of linguistics” (p.114) Sharing the same view, Bell (1991) indicated that “Languages are different from each other; they are different in form having distinct codes and rules regulating the construction of grammatical stretches of language and these forms have different meanings” (p.6) For instance, Vietnamese has many particular words to express the shades of red such as “đỏ au, đỏ chóe, đỏ chói, đỏ chót, đỏ thẫm, đỏ tía, v.v…” while English only has about 3 words “red, scarlet, reddish” Besides, “đỏ au” or “mơn mởn” are translated as “bright and cheerful red” or “young and fresh/in the prime of youth” respectively In this case, translators will find appropriate choices to explain or paraphrase words‟ meaning, not translate them The lack of the equivalence happens when translators cannot find appropriate words, phrases, idioms and other units of language between the two languages Thus, in many situations and contexts, the equivalence is hard for translators to achieve due to the language barrier

Secondly, the difficulty in translating is caused by culture The influence of Western and Eastern culture as well as distinct features of geography, history, material and spiritual life and so on will be manifested through language Lotman and Uspensky (1978) asserted that “No language can exist unless it is steeped in the context of culture; and no culture can exist which does not have at its center, the structure of natural language” (p.211) Thus, the writer supposes culture will influence translation process For instance, Vietnam has many traditional foods such as “bánh chưng, bánh giầy, bánh tét, bánh xèo, etc.” whereas there are

no equivalent words in English On the contrary, the word “cake” in English indicates a sweet food made from flour, butter, egg, etc and then baked in the oven Therefore, it is impossible

to use “cake” to interpret “bánh” in Vietnamese In order to overcome this problem, translators often use other words to explain them or keep the name in Vietnamese Clearly, the equivalence is affected by significant differences in not only linguistics but also countries‟ culture (Baker, 1992) According to House (1986), before dealing with the SL text, translators have to thoroughly comprehend the cultural and sociocultural matters If they do not understand the culture of SL and TL, awkward situations may happen and the translation‟s quality is not highly appreciated by readers or customers

Finally, the writing style is the difficulty that needs to be concerned When referring

to the writing style, most people will think about the way that an author writes a text or a work According to Guo (2013), “writing style is the essential characteristics of every piece of writing, the outcome of the writer‟s personality and his emotions at the moment” (p.109) In other words, readers can consider the word choice, sentences, grammar structures as well as understand the implication of the author through his style In addition, it is obvious that the

SL text expresses the author‟s writing style whereas the TT partially shows the unique style of the translator (Gou, 2013, p.109) However, there are two main problems of the writing style The first obstacle is the translator‟s limited knowledge of the TL style To the writing style of the English, they often use adjectives in various meanings, figure of speech such as metonymy, metaphor, simile, etc., relative clause, passive voice and so on On the other hand, Vietnamese rarely use words in passive voice, relative clause and determiner, etc Consequently, these differences can cause many difficulties for translators who lack experience The second one is the free translation based on the translator‟s own style Since the writing style of each person is distinct from each other, the translator is not completely loyal to the author‟s style Furthermore, the kinds of written materials also affect the way that translators render the SL text For example, legal documents not only require the precise use

of terminologies related to the law but also express objective perception Meanwhile, translators will translate romance novels expressively

In summary, the writer assumes that the equivalence, the culture and the writing style are the three main difficulties in translating To overcome these difficulties, translators should invest more time in practice, improve background knowledge as well as learn from their errors and weaknesses

2.2 An Overview of Reading Habits

2.2.1 Reading and Reading Comprehension

2.2.1.1 Definitions of Reading

Reading, one of the most familiar activities happening frequently in our daily life, is a useful way to better the mind For instance, students and teachers often read materials to get knowledge and experience or office workers have to read emails, reports and contracts to meet the job requirements In language learning and teaching, it is also the third of the four macro skills of communication Owing to the significance of reading, finding definitions of this term is an effective way to have a comprehensive perspective on this concept When referring to reading, most people immediately regard it as an act of somebody who reads silently or says aloud printed materials and then gain information from the texts In reality, it

is quite complicated to define reading Anderson, Hiebert, Scott and Wilkinson (1985) noted that “reading is the process of constructing meaning from written texts It is a complex skill requiring the coordination of a number of interrelated sources of information” (p.7) Sharing this view, Wixson, Peters, Weber and Roeber (1987) stated that “Reading is the process of constructing meaning through the dynamic interaction among: (1) the reader‟s existing knowledge; (2) the information suggested by the text being read; and (3) the context of the reading situation” (p.750) According to the two definitions, reading is a complex process due

to the fact that it requires the combination of many related factors, including the background knowledge of the reader, the information gained from the reading text, and the context of the text Clearly, these factors will affect the process of constructing meaning from a similar text because no one has the same knowledge Moreover, reading also demands the reader‟s intellectual ability to understand thoroughly the content of the text There are many cases that lots of people only read a book without comprehending its content or absorbing information This is a major concern when defining reading Therefore, to make it clearer, Lone (2011) mentioned as follows:

Reading is the ability to recognize, and examine words or sentences and understand the information within It is a cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message and to examine and grasp the meaning of written or printed characters, words or sentences (p.1)

Readers will experience the process of understanding from the lowest level (the meanings of words) to the higher level (the meanings of sentences formed by those words) and then the highest level (the meanings of the texts) Lone‟s definition was supported by Palani‟s (2012) finding, he defined that “reading is a process of thinking, evaluating, judging, imagining, reasoning and problem solving” (p.92) The above opinions emphasize the importance of readers‟ knowledge and assessment Reading only has effect on readers when the information in the text, the information that readers have already known and their comprehensive evaluation connect with one another Moreover, it is indisputable that the readers‟ assessment and comprehension will be improved through good reading skills which involves “discerning main idea, understanding sequence, noticing specific details, making inferences, making comparisons, making predictions” (Richards & Schmidt, 2002, p.444) Those micro skills are extremely challenging tasks, so readers have to put in a great deal of effort to gain them

In conclusion, the writer assumes that reading is a combination of constructing meaning from a text and understanding its content, which requires readers to integrate the information in the text with their own knowledge and complete assessment Although reading

is complex, it is still considered to be an extremely crucial activity in people‟s lives Thanks

to reading, people can develop their mind, imagination, creativeness, critical thinking and have a full view of everything happening around the world

2.2.1.2 Definitions of Reading Comprehension

When referring to reading, one of the most significant aspects is reading comprehension To have a deeper view of reading comprehension, finding the definition of the term “comprehension” is really necessary In Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, Richards and Schmidt (2002) defined comprehension as “the identification of the intended meaning of written or spoken communication” (p.99) To make

it clearer, Kruidenier (2002) noted that “Comprehension is an active process and the reader must interact and be engaged with the text for it to work well” (p.77) In fact, this process will be adjusted and changed in the readers‟ mindset and it also depends on the interaction between the text‟s content and readers‟ perception Westwood (2008) proved that

comprehension is the act of “reading a text with full understanding draws on the reader‟s background experience, general knowledge, vocabulary, syntactical awareness and word identification skills” (p.30)

THE READER THE TEXT THE ACTIVITY

Figure 2.3: Comprehension’s elements

The reader, the text and the activity is the three essential elements of comprehension because they decide the reading‟s result of one person The entity carrying out the act of comprehending (the reader) needs to have the intellectual abilities, background knowledge as well as experiences so that he or she can understand any printed text or electronic text (the text) Besides, the text provides the reader with different representations such as “the surface code (the exact wording of the text), the text base (idea units representing the meaning) and the mental models embedded in the text” (Snow, 2002, p.14) Not only the text but also the activity has a great influence on the comprehension In order to make the reading effectively, the reader has to set himself/herself practical goals, determine processes of dealing with the information in the text and consequences related to the act of reading (Snow, 2002, p.15) Obviously, there is a close correlation between the three mentioned elements

When combining the two terms “reading” and “comprehension”, most people may think the understanding of reading is called reading comprehension (Richards & Schmidt,

2002, 443) Because it is one of the requirements of reading, there are a lot of specific definitions of this concept Reading comprehension can be described as “an active thinking process through which a reader intentionally constructs meaning to form a deeper understanding of concepts and information presented in a text” (Westwood, 2008, p.31) Sharing the same view, Woolley (2011) additionally emphasized the goal of reading comprehension which is to obtain a full understanding of the whole text (the implication of the author) instead of gaining meaning of isolated words or sentences Furthermore, Snow (2002) indicated reading comprehension is “the simultaneous combination of extracting and constructing meaning through interaction and involvement with written language The words extracting and constructing are used to emphasize both the importance and the insufficiency

of the text as a determinant of reading comprehension” (p.11) According to the above

COMPREHENSION

definitions, the writer infers that reading comprehension is a complicated process which can cause many obstacles for readers If they do not cleverly apply stated elements or cognitive skills, the comprehension cannot be reached during the reading process Woolley (2011) pointed out that “reading comprehension is a complex interactive set of operations requiring complex cognitive functioning at a number of levels simultaneously” (p.16) However, Armbruster (2010) stressed not only the great importance of comprehension in reading but also the reading‟s objective which readers need to aim at Specifically, he stated that

“Comprehension is the reason for reading If readers can read the words but do not understand what they are reading, they are not really reading” (p.41)

Thanks to experts‟ opinions, the writer suggests that reading comprehension is a cognitive process which constructs meaning and concurrently combines multiple elements (readers‟ intellectual capacities, motivation, knowledge; the text and the purposes, etc.) with the aim of forming a comprehensive understanding of the whole text

2.2.1.3 The Importance of Reading Comprehension

It is undebatable that reading has significant effects on people‟s lives, especially in education, economy, etc However, if people only read materials without understanding them, the reading activity will become meaningless Janthong and Spipetpun (2010) emphasized that “a successful reading is when the reader can thoroughly comprehend what he/she has read” (p.2) In some cases, misunderstanding can cause serious consequences For example, because of misunderstanding the SL text, translators may create a bad translation which does not represent the SL content and the author‟s implication Moreover, Palani (2012) remarked that “Reading is the identification of the symbols and the association of appropriate meaning with them It requires identification and comprehension Comprehension skills help the learner to understand the meaning of words in isolation and in context” (p.91) Although there are many reasons why people read, the primary goal is to understand the main idea of reading materials, the purpose of the author as well as obtain useful information in the text Through reading process, readers‟ comprehensive skills, analytical thinking, background knowledge, experience, vocabulary will be improved considerably To sum up, reading comprehension plays an extremely important role in the process of acquiring information of people

2.2.2 Definitions of Reading Habits

Reading habits are extremely familiar with people, especially those who love reading The writer supposes that finding the definition of the term “habit” will be the best way to

define what reading habits are According to Richards and Schmidt (2002), “habit is a pattern

of behavior that is regular and which has become almost automatic as a result of repetition” (p.236) It can be inferred that any activities happening frequently in people‟s lives will become habits In other words, habits are repetitively acts of people in the same situation and

it also need a certain period to form For example, a person who has the habit of getting up early will wake up very punctually on the next day without setting the alarm To make this habit become automatic, that person need to spend a length of time carrying out the action consciously and regularly In order to support the mentioned perspective, Danner, Aarts and Vries (2008) stated that “habits are formed when using the same behavior frequently and consistently in a similar context for the same purpose” (p.245) In spite of the different expression of the two definitions, the writer deduces that “repetitively or frequently” and

“automatically” are the key features of the term “habit”

As reading habits are one of the main concerns nowadays, a lot of researchers are trying to find its definition in a best way This concept was interpreted according to the frequency, quantity and the kinds of reading materials, namely “how often, how much, and what students read” (Shen, 2006, p.560) Nevertheless, this definition seems quite uncomplicated To make it clearer, Chettri and Rout‟s study (as cited in Wagner, 2002) specifically explained reading habits as follows:

The activity of reading is regarded as a habit when it repeatedly carried out In measurable terms reading habits is often considered in terms of the amount of materials being read, the frequency of reading as well as the average of time spent

on reading (p.13) The second definition not only supplements the nature of the term “habit” but also points out elements affecting reading habits Furthermore, Oguz, Yildiz and Hayirsever (2009) emphasized that it is “an individual‟s constant reading in a critical manner, as a result

of his considering this activity as a need to be met and a source of pleasure” (p.1499) Clearly,

it is not enough to define reading habits when people just mention the frequency of reading, the amount of reading materials as well as the materials chose to read Before making those decisions, readers have to determine their purposes and experience careful examination During the process of performing reading habits, readers‟ cognitive abilities and critical thinking will affect the reading‟s result while their enjoyment is able to influence the maintenance of these behaviors Accordingly, forming reading habits is considered to be a difficult task and needs a great deal of time and a long-term effort

In summary, reading habits are frequent and automatic behaviors associated with reading Moreover, it is also a product of conducting these behaviors purposely and pleasurably

2.2.3 The Correlation between Reading Habits and Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension and reading habits are two concepts related to the reading activity Janthong and Spipetpun‟s research (as citied in Widdowson, 1978) pointed out that comprehension is the main aim for reading and four most important components for successful reading comprehension are reader‟s linguistic competence, nature of the reading text, positive attitude toward reading and a good reading habit It can be inferred that there is interaction between reading comprehension and reading habits Through reading comprehension, readers construct meaning for the purpose of understanding reading materials‟ information completely By comprehend what they have read, readers not only get useful knowledge but also have pleasure and satisfaction Consequently, reading comprehension will promote good reading habits for readers At the same time, reading habits also affect reading comprehension Based on reading habits‟ definition of Shen (2006), the writer assumes that the more people read, the more they comprehend In fact, the frequency of reading, the time spending on reading, the amount and the types of reading materials will influence and create favorable conditions for reading comprehension‟s development For example, right from the moment when going to school, people have begun reading textbooks

or other kinds of books not only in Vietnamese but also in English This activity will last during the process of studying, working or relaxing As a result, reading comprehension and reading habits are simultaneously formed and they also affect each other

In conclusion, there is a close correlation between reading habits and reading comprehension The reading development of a person will depend on many factors, including their reading habits, cognitive ability, reading ability, background knowledge, etc

2.3 The Benefits of Reading Habits

Because of the interaction between reading comprehension and reading habits, the benefits of reading habits to translation need to be concerned

First of all, reading habits improve students‟ reading ability which is very essential for translation process According to Newmark (1988), before starting to render, translators have

to read the original in order to “understand what it is about and analyze it from a translator‟s point of view, which is not the same as a linguist‟s or a literary critic‟s” (p.11) Besides, House (1986) emphasized that “the translator has both a decoding task (reading) and an

encoding task (writing) such that his private negotiation/anticipation task is a duel one” It is undeniable that reading will be a necessary step during the translation process In pre-translation, it is used for grasping the implication of the author, determining the intention of translator and the writing style In while-translation and post-translation, reading is regarded

as the revision of the final work Based on Janthong and Spipetpun‟s (2010) findings, reading habits, one of crucial elements, can develop translators‟ reading comprehension Meanwhile, the translation process requires the comprehensive understanding of students In fact, when people form their own reading habits, they can become familiar with many kinds of materials

or various topics, develop analytical skills and the ability to acquire new information Ablog (2015) stated that “Accustoming a good reading habit as a daily activity will also help the students to read and comprehend text fluently and accurately” (p.1) Thus, reading habits give students indirect help with rendering the ST or examining the TT more easily

Secondly, reading habits help students develop vocabulary and overcome difficulties

of the equivalence Frijuniarsi and Marlianingsih (2016) stated that “reading is one of the several ways to increase vocabulary and knowledge By reading, the students will have more knowledge in understanding many kinds of themes and also achieve the good impacts of vocabulary mastery” (p.19) Sharing the same view, Cunningham and Stanovich (1998) indicated the effect of reading on the improvement of reading speed and fluency, vocabulary, general knowledge overall verbal ability and academic achievements Lexical items consisting

of words, collocations, fixed phrases, idioms, etc are considered to be the chief difficulties in translating (Newmark, 1988, 32) If students do not understand lexical items, they cannot conduct other steps By reading frequently, students get accustomed to a great deal of vocabulary related to different contexts For example, the word “board” in English has various meanings in Vietnamese in specific contexts Moreover, when reading English and Vietnamese materials repetitively, translators form the ability to predict the equivalent meanings of words based on contexts, then remember them longer Ablog (2015) discovered that “the more students read, the more words they exposed to, the more quickly they recognize words and the more steadily they acquire the meanings of words encountered in the texts they read” (p.4) Because the TT cannot express full value of the original, translation process involves the appropriate choice of signs for the sheer purpose of translation (Reiß and Vermeer, 1984) Although it is hard to reach the equivalence of translation, students can find the „closest equivalence‟ or „adequacy‟ to minimize the linguistic difference between the SL and the TL through reading habits

Thirdly, reading habits expand the cultural knowledge of students One of the main requirements for translation is that translators have to be familiar with the cultural issues of

the TL (House, 1986) This is because the cultural distinction between two languages will cause problems in translation process Ögeyik & Akyay (2009) noted that “reading, which is a long-term habit starting with the very early ages, is the prominent gateway to the knowledge room” (p.72) Besides, they further pointed out that “by reading such texts, learners may have

a chance to make acquaintance with the culture of the TL, which is apprehended as a constructive factor in second language learning” (p.72) The writer can deduce the considerable influence of reading habits on translation from mentioned opinions of scholars Performing reading habits in the TL (English or Vietnamese) assists students in expanding their cultural knowledge, avoiding misunderstanding between the two countries‟ culture as well as applying useful information to translation

Last but not least, reading habits provide students a deeper view of the writing style The writing style in English and Vietnamese are not the same because of the differences in culture, word choices, grammar structures and the intention of the author If a translator do not comprehend the writing style of the SL and the TL, the translation cannot satisfy the receivers‟ requirements One way to improve the writing style is develop reading habits due to the fact that those who read more will have knowledge of vocabulary, grammar structures as well as a good writing style (Lee and Krashen, 1996) Besides, Krashen‟s (2004) study discovered that “writing style does not come from actual writing experience, but from reading” (p.132) Moreover, through reading habits, students become familiar with the writing style of many kinds of reading materials As a result, when translating documents, contracts, newspapers, etc., they can use appropriate style Maula (2015) asserted that “by reading some pages every day will lead to a better writing style, vocabulary improvement, advanced grammatical competence” (p.13)

Nonetheless, people can improve their translating skills provided that they have good reading habits For instance, if a person frequently reads lots of Chinese novels, he cannot create a best translation from English into Vietnamese or vice versa Besides, in spite of reading many kinds of books, students cannot translate well without comprehending or analyzing information in those books Maula (2015) stated that “Reading provides readers with great knowledge, by reading books frequently and having a good reading habit, the reader is able to analyze other‟s idea, which makes one think more critically” (p.13) Therefore, the translating ability of students is improved when they combine reading habits with the proper process and methods, their cognitive capacity and their own knowledge

In summary, it is undeniable that reading habits have many benefits to students‟ translation learning Forming reading habits help students overcome main difficulties of translation while students can examine the accuracy of the knowledge gained from reading

habits through a translation‟s quality Both translating skills and reading habits develop only with practice Students need to put more effort and cleverly combine reading habits with other necessary elements to improve their translating ability

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY

This chapter is a description of the participants chosen to do the survey, the research methodology, research methods as well as the process of data collection and data analysis

3.1 Research Procedure

It took the writer about three months to accomplish this study The field and the topic

of the study were decided right from the beginning Thanks to the supervisor‟s assistance, the writer modified the name of the topic Then, she started writing 5 chapters in turn with the help of reference materials from the supervisor and the library of IUH, previous researches as well as relevant information on the Internet At the same time, questionnaires were also designed and distributed to the juniors When delivering these questionnaires to students, she spent time carefully instructing them to do unintelligible questions in order to gain reliable answers and authentic statistics Finally, after finishing the process of analyzing the collected data, the writer drew conclusions about the students‟ reading habits and problems in translation as well as some suggestions