A study on difficulties encountered by the third year students in english faculty at thuongmai university in english vietnamese interpreting

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY GRADUATION PAPER TOPIC A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED BY THE THIRD YEAR STUDENTS IN ENGLISH FACULTY AT THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY IN ENGLISH VIETNAMESE INTERPRETING[.]

THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY ENGLISH FACULTY

GRADUATION PAPER

TOPIC: A STUDY ON DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED BY THE THIRD-YEAR STUDENTS IN ENGLISH FACULTY AT THUONGMAI UNIVERSITY IN ENGLISH-VIETNAMESE INTERPRETING

Supervisor : Vu Thi Thanh Hoa, MA

Student : Nguyen Thi Song Class : K54N6

Student Code : 18D170284

HANOI, 2022

Today, the trend of globalization and integration is developing strongly in countriesall around the world, including Vietnam All international commerce transactions,including import and export transactions, as well as reciprocal communication, arenow primarily conducted in English In this setting, the interpreter's role as a link ininternational relations is becoming increasingly important Interpreters play a criticalrole in translating and transmitting meaning in international talks and diplomacy,which has a direct impact on a country's image among foreign friends

One of the required subjects for English Faculty students at Thuongmai University

is interpreting There are two sessions in interpreting: English-Vietnamese interpretingand Vietnamese-English interpreting The interpreting course is mostly taught to third-year English Faculty students Many pupils, however, have difficulties in interpretingskill, particularly when interpreting from English to Vietnamese The reason for this isthat in order to be a skilled interpreter, students must not only be fluent in English, butalso have a strong command of their mother tongue and foreign language They mustalso comprehend diplomacy and international integration, as well as the culturalvariations between the two countries, in order to effectively communicate the suppliedmessage

Recognizing the impact of these issues on students' interpreting abilities, theresearcher performed a small study at Thuongmai University to learn about thedifficulties encountered by third-year English Faculty students and to offer methodsfor students how to become competent translators and earn their own skills for thefuture workplace Because they have taken an interpreting course and have experiencewith interpreting assessments, the study will focus on third-year English Facultystudents at Thuongmai University The survey questionnaire was utilized as theresearch method in this study, which is a list of questions designed to uncover theobstacles that students confront The researcher expects that this study will be valuable

to both students and teachers in creating the ideal teaching and learning environment atThuongmai University, with the goal of increasing students' interpreting skills

First and foremost, I would like to express my great gratitude to my supervisor, Ms

Vu Thi Thanh Hoa for her precious ideas and tireless efforts in guiding and aiding me

to keep me confident to accomplish this study successfully I would not have been able

to finish this graduation paper without her assistance and suggestions In addition, Iwould like to express my gratitude to all of the teachers at Thuongmai University ingeneral and the teachers in the English Faculty in particular because I have receivedgreat help from teachers since I have been studying and participating in activities atour school With your erudite knowledge and dedication, you have taught vitalknowledge and invaluable lessons to me during my study

Besides, I would like to show my sincere thanks to all the third-year students in theEnglish Faculty at Thuongmai University for their enthusiastic participation andcompleting the survey questionnaire Their cooperation is a significant contribution tothe sources of data in this study In addition, I'd like to express my gratitude to all ofthe writers of the books, papers, and other materials listed in the reference section fortheir insights and knowledge, which have been reflected and expanded upon in thisresearch

Finally, I would like to extend my sincerest thanks to my family and friends Theyare the people who have always been by my side, supporting and encouraging methroughout my study and growth They are always a great motivation to overcomechallenges in the process of doing this research And I will never forget how grateful I

am to my parents for lending wings to my dreams

There will be some flaws in this study due to the limited knowledge, practicalabilities, and time As a result, I am hoping for further suggestions and feedback tohelp me strengthen this graduation paper

Hanoi, April 14th, 2022

Song

Nguyen Thi Song

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS v

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS vii

LIST OF TABLES vii

LIST OF CHARTS vii

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.1.1 Research issues 1

1.1.2 The reasons to choose the topic 2

1.2 Previous studies 3

1.2.1 Previous studies abroad 3

1.2.2 Previous studies in Vietnam 4

1.3 Research questions 5

1.4 Aims of the study 5

1.5 Significance of the study 5

1.6 Scope of the study 6

1.7 Research methodology 6

1.8 Organization of the study 6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 7

2.1 Definition of interpreting 8

2.1.1 The concept of interpreting 8

2.1.2 The definition of E – V interpreting 9

2.1.3 The importance of E – V interpreting 9

2.1.4 Factors affect the interpretation process 10

2.2 Modes of interpreting 12

2.2.1 Consecutive interpreting 12

2.2.2 Simultaneous interpreting 13

2.3 Interpreting process 14

2.4 Necessary skills for interpreting 15

2.5 Difficulties in E - V interpreting 17

2.5.1 Difficulty in listening skill 17

2.5.2 Poor vocabulary 18

2.5.3 Lack of grammar 18

2.5.4 Cultural barriers 19

2.5.5 Difference in style 20

2.5.6 Weak re-expression ability 21

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS 21

3.1 Survey questionnaire results 22

3.1.1 Participants 22

3.1.2 The students’ attitude toward the interpreting course and the E – V interpreting section 23

3.1.3 Factors affect E – V interpretation skill 29

3.1.4 Difficulties in E – V interpreting process 32

3.1.5 The influence of teachers on learning E – V interpreting of the students 35

3.2 Discussion 37

CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 39

4.1 Recommendations for students 39

4.1.1 Recommendations for students to improve listening skill 39

4.1.2 Recommendations for students to enhance their vocabulary and grammar 40 4.1.3 Recommendations to overcome difficulties of cultural barriers and differences in literature style 41

4.1.4 Recommendations for students to overcome difficulty of weak re-expression skill 42

4.2 Recommendations for teachers 43

4.3 Some limitations and suggestion for the further research 44

CONCLUSION 45 REFERENCES I APPENDIX II SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE II

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS

Table 3.1 Students’ attitude toward E – V interpreting section 25

Table 3.2 Methods students do to improve their E – V interpreting skill 27

Table 3.3 The influence of teachers on learning E – V interpreting of the students 36

Table 3.4 Methods teachers should apply for teaching and learning V – E interpreting 36

Chart 3.1 The importance of E – V interpretation for the future work 23

Chart 3.2 The students’ attitude toward interpreting course at TMU 24

Chart 3.3 Level of E – V interpretation skill that English Faculty students have25 Chart 3.4 The amount of time per week students spend on practicing E – V interpretation 26

Chart 3.5 The most important skill in E – V interpreting 29

Chart 3.6 Factors affect the E – V interpretation process 30

Chart 3.7 Frequency of difficulties of practicing E – V interpreting 32

Chart 3.8 Difficulties students encounter during interpreting English to Vietnamese 33

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 Rationale

1.1.1 Research issues

Google Translate is currently the most extensively used translation andinterpretation application in the world, and in Vietnam in particular Because itsupports more languages than its competitors, namely 103 different languages, andbecause of its extensive, superior feature set, it is especially appropriate fortravelers This application can interpret languages straight on the device using thecamera, as well as interpret offline for a number of popular languages The process

of using Google Translate is fairly simple: users simply choose the source and targetlanguages they wish to interpret, then type the information they want to translate orspeak it which they want to interpret into the microphone The information's lengthwill be determined by the user; it could be a single word, a sentence, or a paragraph

of text The application will read aloud the interpreted content after it has beeninterpreted into the target language Aside from Google Translate, there are a slew

of other translation apps designed to fulfill the demands of people all around theworld, including iTranslate Converse, Sogou, Microsoft Translate, and others.However, no matter how advanced these applications are when combined withartificial intelligence, they will never be able to entirely replace the interpreter in allreal-world scenarios Because these apps are created and maintained by individuals,they are nothing more than a system that cannot fully comprehend the meaning ofphrases, especially when the information to be interpreted involves cultural aspects

or polysemy For example, Google Translate interprets the term "extendable ears"from J.K Rowling's Harry Potter into "tai có thể kéo dài", which can be perplexingfor the reader or the word "horcrux" which is impossible to find a word withequivalent meaning in Vietnamese Only highly trained, culturally aware, andexperienced interpreters can fully comprehend the source language's exact meaningbefore effectively and coherently translating it into the target language

TMU has designed interpreting courses for English Faculty students,particularly 3rd year students, in recognition of the importance of interpreting intoday's world During the learning process, however, students confront numerous

challenges as a result of a variety of subjective and objective causes, resulting inpoor academic achievement as well as inadequate interpretation practice abilities.

As a result of encountering many difficulties while studying for an interpretingcourse, the researcher hopes to be able to use this research to find the best solutions

to the problems, assisting students in acquiring the necessary skills, knowledge, andexperience for their learning journey

1.1.2 The reasons to choose the topic

Communication is a basic human need to share information and connect withothers It can be tough to communicate ideas, thoughts, and sentiments if you do notcommunicate with others And, as the country continues to develop in an era ofworldwide integration, the demand for people and businesses to learn from andreceive expertise from industrialized countries is growing So, how are we supposed

to learn from them if we can't understand what they're saying? A satisfactorysolution to this problem is translation and interpretation In the transmission ofinformation between countries, translation and interpretation are vital Citizens ofeach country can better comprehend each other's cultures and exchange informationthrough translation and interpretation

Nowadays, English is regarded as the most widely spoken language on theplanet According to statistics, English is spoken in more than 70 countries out ofmore than 200 countries and territories English has played a key part in the world'sintegration process throughout a long period of formation and development English

is used in the majority of scientific documents, corporate contracts, andinternational conferences However, many students in general, and English Facultystudents at TMU in particular, make a lot of blunders when practicing interpretingdue to variables such as cultural and stylistic differences, specialist terminology,complexity, and many other factors Many of them are unable to demonstrate theirinterpreting abilities in tests and classroom practice

For the reasons stated above, I have decided to choose the topic "A study ondifficulties encountered by the third-year students in English Faculty at ThuongmaiUniversity in English-Vietnamese interpreting" with the goal of enhancing theinterpreting performance of students at TMU's English Faculty, as well as the

quality of interpreting teaching and learning The researcher expects that this studywill aid students who want to become interpreters in the future in identifying andovercoming difficulties encountered when learning and practicing interpreting Itwill also aid in the development of other English skills necessary for students' futureemployment.

1.2 Previous studies

1.2.1 Previous studies abroad

In the foreign context, Ai Nurfauziyah from UMY conducted a study onexploring problems experienced by students in interpreting practices The researchmethod used here is an interview This research has revealed the difficulties thatstudents at UMY confront when undertaking consecutive interpretation The study'sfindings revealed that students struggle with listening comprehension, taking notes,decoding notes, expressing, and reformulating when conducting interpretation.Students face the aforementioned issues as a result of a lack of attention to thesource language, a lack of practice, a lack of symbol knowledge, a lack ofvocabulary in interpreting exercises, and so on However, because the study onlyincluded three students who were chosen based on their results in consecutiveinterpretation practices, the research scope was too narrow and not comprehensive.Furthermore, the study simply identified the obstacles that students have whenpracticing consecutive interpreting, as well as the reasons of these issues, withoutoffering particular solutions to assist students in overcoming and improving theseissues

Another study on investigating students’ challenges and strategies wheninterpreting was conducted at UMY by Sri Rejeki Murtiningsih and Queen FiqiArdlillah in 2020 The goal of this study is to look into the challenges that studentshave when interpreting The study will also aim to explore the strategies used toovercome the challenges The data for this study was gathered by interviewing in-depth three students from UMY's Learning Express program In addition, thestudy's scope is limited and incomplete Language competence, culturalunderstanding, time restrictions, the other person's speaking speed, and students'capacity to memorize are all problems that students experience when practicing

interpreting, according to research The researcher recommended solutions to solvethe translation issues based on the challenges discovered, including teamwork,preparation, the use of dictionaries, and the use of communication tactics However,the solutions provided can only help pupils overcome the problems to a limitedextent, and they are not particularly useful when interpreting.

1.2.2 Previous studies in Vietnam

In Vietnam, for the subject of practicing interpreting, the number of studies isquite limited The first previous study the researcher wants to mention is the study

on difficulties and suggested solutions in learning E – V consecutive interpreting forthe third-year English majors at Haiphong Private University which was conducted

by Nguyen Thi Mai Anh in 2012 This study will explore interpreting students'difficulties in learning E – V consecutive interpretation, as well as offer solutions,with the goal of increasing interpreting performance, instruction, and study quality

In this study, the researcher mainly concentrates on Haiphong Private University’sthird-year English majors who are future interpreters The study explored 3 maindifficulties faced by students: listening, note-taking and memory and the researcherpresented precise and comprehensive solutions to each problem

The second previous study the researcher wants to mention is an investigationwhich was finished by Nguyen Thi Bich Giang and Nguyen Thi My Duyen Thestudy looked into difficulties in learning Conference Interpretation encountered byEnglish-majored students at Duy Tan University and strategies to cope with Theresearch has revealed the difficulties and issues that arise from interpreting curricula

as well as from the students' side, such as practice and self-study Because first-yearstudents have minimal expertise with interpretation, the study's scope is ratherbroad, encompassing all students in DTU's English Faculty As a result, the studyloses some of its accuracy

Clearly, all of the preceding studies have one thing in common: they all focus

on identifying the obstacles and challenges which students have when interpretingand proposing solutions to those problems However, there are studies in which thestudy scope is too limited, and there are studies in which the research subjects areinappropriate The researcher's goal in this study is to look into all of the challenges

that TMU's Faculty of English third-year students confront when interpreting Inaddition, the researcher will discuss E - V interpretation.

1.3 Research questions

This research will first provide an overview of the field of interpretationbefore focusing on the difficulties encountered by third-year students The studywas conducted when the students completed the interpreting course, the researcherwould pose the following three research questions:

1 What difficulties do students experience when they study and practiceinterpreting? What classification system can be used to categorize these difficulties?

2 What are the causes of these problems?

3 What strategies can be used to assist students in overcoming difficulties andimproving their interpretation abilities?

1.4 Aims of the study

This research has two key goals:

- The researcher's primary goal is to supply and examine fundamentalinterpretation knowledge

- Secondly, the researcher wishes to identify and highlight the difficulties thatthird-year students at TMU's Faculty of English have when interpreting, as well asprovide explanations and solutions

1.5 Significance of the study

The researcher hopes that this study will provide considerable benefits andserve as a useful documentation for both students and lecturers, based on the study'sgoal

- First, for students, through this study, they will be able to understand theirown inadequacies and difficulties in interpreting as a result of this research, and will

be able to devise correct solutions for themselves

- Second, teachers can notice the challenges that students are experiencing andadjust their teaching and delivery accordingly

- Third, once this study is completed, the data and recommendations itcontains may be beneficial as a resource for further in-depth research

1.6 Scope of the study

Due to a lack of time, knowledge, and information, this study focuses solely

on assessing and identifying the primary challenges in the process of learning andpracticing E - V interpretation, as well as suggesting solutions Furthermore, tomake the study more detailed and clearer and because there are too many EnglishFaculty students to research and analyze all of them, the research's target audience

is prospective interpreters, who are TMU's English Faculty third-year students tohelp them find out their difficulties when learning and practicing interpreting andthe way to study this subject effectively

- The study will include a survey questionnaire for TMU third-year Englishmajors The poll looked at 100 TMU students who had taken or are taking aninterpreting course

- Following receipt of the survey findings, the researcher compiles them andbegins to analyze them using tables and charts

1.8 Organization of the study

My graduation paper is divided into 4 main chapters:

- Chapter I is the Introduction of the study introduced above The rationale isthe general introduction about interpreting and the current situation The previousstudies provide information on previous studies, their successes and limitations.Next, significance and the aims of the study state the expectations the researcherwants to contribute and the purpose of the study The organization of the studyoutlines main parts of this graduation paper

- Chapter II is the Literature Review that consists of 5 sections as definition ofinterpreting, modes and process of interpreting, necessary skill for interpreting andmain difficulties in interpreting

- Chapter III is the Research Findings which mention data analysis andresearch findings, present the method used for data collection and data analysisprocess Besides, it will discuss the findings of data analysis.

- Chapter IV is the Recommendations and Suggestions in which the researchergives a brief summary of the main points mentioned in the previous parts and somesuggestions for further study (experiences acquired and state the orientation forfuture study)

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definition of interpreting

2.1.1 The concept of interpreting

After reviewing the work of a number of linguists on the issue ofinterpretation and translation, I have come to the opinion that there is no such thing

as a standard definition of interpretation Writers can describe interpreting in avariety of ways, depending on how they think about language and interpretation.The researcher would want to give the definitions used by other scholars andresearchers in order to establish a clear explanation of interpretation

According to Oxford Dictionary, interpretation is simply defined as thetranslation of one language into another as it is spoken And according toCambridge Dictionary, interpreting is defined as changing what someone is sayingfrom the source language into words of another language (the target language).Another concept of interpreting given by International Organization ofStandardization (ISO) in Guidelines for Community Interpreting (2014) is that:Interpreting is rendering a spoken or signed message into another spoken or signedlanguage, preserving the register and meaning of the source language content

ASTM International also provides a different definition for the term

"interpretation" in Standard Practice for Language Interpreting (2015): Interpreting

is the process of first fully understanding, analyzing, and processing a spoken orsigned message and then faithfully rendering it into another spoken or signedlanguage

Freeman Tilden (1957) indicated that: “Interpreting is an educational activitywhich aims to reveal meanings and relationships through the use of original objects,

by firsthand experience, and by illustrative media, rather than simply tocommunicate factual information.”

Generally, we can see that they share certain significant characteristics based

on the definitions and concepts provided above First of all, interpretation is theprocess of translating thoughts, messages, or texts from one language (languagesource) into another (target language) via voice The goal of interpretation is todiscover the target language equivalent of the source language utterance As a

result, the meaning that is being interpreted is critical, and it must be maintained in

a consistent manner This means interpreters must maintain the equivalenciesbetween two languages Second, interpreting is a quick action, and culturalengagement is a critical component of that action As a result, each interpreter mustpay close attention and study thoroughly before beginning their work Thedefinitions above can assist us in grasping the notion of interpreting and gaining ageneral understanding of the interpreting process

2.1.2 The definition of E – V interpreting

We can indicate from the preceding definition of interpreting that E - Vinterpreting is a small branch of the interpreting process in general This is a method

of communication that uses speech to convey concepts and information fromEnglish to Vietnamese The main thing to remember here is that the interpretationmust assure the accuracy of the interpreted material in terms of both vocabulary andgrammar, and the interpreter must be familiar with both Vietnamese and English-speaking cultures

For examples, there is an English idiom "Don't count your chickens, beforethey are hatched" which can be translated into Vietnamese as “Chưa đỗ ông Nghè,

đã đe hàng tổng” This idiom is meant to refer to people who have not had a name

or a career, but they are arrogant, condescending, and unconcerned about others Ifthe interpreter does not comprehend both cultures in this setting, he or she caninterpret word by word into: Đừng đếm gà của bạn cho đến khi chúng nở Listenersmay be confused as a result, and the accuracy of information in the source languagemay be compromised

2.1.3 The importance of E – V interpreting

The obligation to utilize a common language to convey information is moreimportant than ever in the setting of constantly developing countries As a result,English is the most widely spoken language in the world, and it is especiallyrespected in Vietnam today English is now used in practically every aspect ofsociety, including the economy, politics, and education In terms of the economy,our country collaborates with numerous western countries in terms of commerce,exchanges, and trade Phone conversations, meetings, and meetings with heads of

Western countries are all conducted in English in politics Many classicmasterpieces and scientific research works are written in English in schooling.

So, without knowing English, how can each of us personally contribute to thecreation and dedication in all areas of life? As a result, translation and interpretationplay an increasingly important role in people's lives nowadays We can makepurchases, sign contracts with overseas partners, interact smoothly in talks andconferences with heads of state, and approach and learn from scientific works orresearches from sophisticated countries thanks to translators and interpreters Whenforeign tourists come to Vietnam to travel, they hire tour guides, which is anexample of the job of interpreters we frequently encounter in everyday life In thissituation, tour guides will serve as interpreters, leading the route and sharing theirthoughts and knowledge of the scenic sites to enable tourists to have a betterunderstanding of the people and culture of the area

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world”, LudwigWittgenstein once observed Without knowing English, how can we merge andengage with our international friends? As a result, we must prioritize teaching andteaching translation and interpreting courses in school Furthermore, Vietnamesepeople, particularly young people - the country's future - must constantly developand study English in order to maintain a high level of proficiency Young peopleneed to learn to interpret, particularly English-Vietnamese interpretation, so thatthey can absorb fresh information from industrialized countries and expressthemselves and share their experiences with friends from all over the world.Translation and interpretation skills are required if you wish to demonstrate yourexpertise and qualifications, as well as convey your country's image in theinternational arena

2.1.4 Factors affect the interpretation process

We must understand the factors that influence the interpretation process inorder to have strong interpreting skills Once we have a good understanding of thesecharacteristics, we can combine them to cultivate our interpreting abilities

- Expertise knowledge

Because interpreting is an essential talent for various areas, there will bedistinct specialized words depending on the profession and field of competence Forexample, the term "capital" might refer to money and belongings in economics, acountry's capital city in geography, or a letter type We will then utilize distinctmeanings in the different locates where we interpret Interpreters must have athorough understanding of the field in which they operate in order to deliver theinterpretation in the proper style and transmit the content as accurately andcompletely as possible If the interpreter lacks professional understanding, thesubstance that the speaker wishes to transmit to the listener may be misunderstoodand misinterpreted For particular, the word "register" is interpreted as "thanhghi" in the computer sector, but not knowing this specialist word can lead to beinginterpreted as "đăng ký" Furthermore, the interpreter must be aware of the contextand surroundings of the communication situation in order to interpret in a mannerthat is appropriate for each situation

- Experience

This is always one of the aspects influencing the interpretation's quality Theexperience mentioned here includes both the interpreting experience and theinterpreter's life experience The experience of the interpreter will be gained throughhis interpretations or even in everyday life They can handle circumstances moresmoothly with the help of an experienced interpreter If the interpreter isinexperienced, he may make a mistake because he does not know how to interpret anew word into another language correctly the first time he hears it Interpreters withmore experience will be less surprised when confronted with tough scenarios andwill be able to obtain new information more quickly

- Cultural differences between countries

Each country has distinct cultural characteristics that are indistinguishablefrom those of any other country on the planet Because cultural differences cancause differences in thinking and viewpoint, the interpreter must comprehend andlearn about the cultures of both the target and source languages in order to interpretcorrectly and without causing misunderstanding This demonstrates cultural respect

for the two cultures into which the interpreter is entering The content and meaning

of the message the speaker wishes to deliver to the audience may be utterlymisconstrued if the interpreter just interprets the meaning of the text withoutconsidering cultural considerations

- Grammatical structure and vocabulary

These are the two most important aspects that influence interpreters' ability toenhance their interpretation skills and the quality of their interpretations This is themost basic but crucial aspect of becoming an outstanding interpreter They mustamass a large and diverse vocabulary, as well as grasp basic to expert grammars inboth the source and target languages When interpreting, the interpreter mustemploy a variety of structures in addition to flexible language to fit the style andsituation Flexibility in vocabulary and grammatical structures might be consideredthe core knowledge that every interpreter must possess Other knowledge andfactors are difficult to obtain if this basic understanding is lacking

2.2 Modes of interpreting

There are 2 major modes of interpreting: Consecutive interpreting andSimultaneous interpreting Each mode will be suitable for specific circumstancesand requirements

2.2.1 Consecutive interpreting

Consecutive interpretation is a popular method of interpretation in informallegal and medical situations During consecutive interpretation, the speaker willpause for 1 to 5 minutes, generally at the conclusion of each paragraph, and theinterpreter will then step in to interpret what has been said into a language that theaudience and listeners can understand Because the speaker's content can range from

5 to 10 minutes in length, and few people can memorize the entire passage in onesitting, the interpreter will need to take notes with symbols during the speaker'sspeech The interpreter must give an organized and accurate expression of thestatement's meaning that is free of large omissions, changes in the logical order ofassertions, or major distortions in meaning Interpreters require the followingqualities to deliver a competent consecutive interpretation: Note-taking skill, goodmemory, proficiency in two languages and two cultures,

There are two distinct forms of consecutive interpreting: unilateral andbilateral.

- Unilateral interpreting: The interpreter must transform the speaker's

sentence by sentence or paragraph by paragraph into the target language throughoutthe interpreting process, and most of the speech in this scenario may last five, tenminutes, up to half an hour or an hour

- Bilateral interpreting: Interpreters who work in or out of two languages

sometimes use bilateral or liaison interpreting And one of the languages spoken inVietnam must be Vietnamese This type of interpretation is frequently utilized inbusiness meetings, professional conferences, and other similar situations

2.2.2 Simultaneous interpreting

In global meetings and conferences, simultaneous interpretation is frequentlyemployed This type of interpretation is commonly employed at UN meetings andpresidential addresses It is one of the most prevalent methods of translating, but it

is also one of the most difficult The interpreter will sit in the cabin and listen to thespeech through headphones during simultaneous interpretation Interpreters will notwait for the speaker to finish speaking before translating; instead, they musttranslate what has been said in the time allotted, at the speaker's pace, withoutdisrupting the speech flow They will almost definitely just have a few seconds tocomprehend and process what the speaker says

The simultaneous interpretation happens a lot in real time The speaker doesnot pause to allow the interpreter to complete the interpretation They are free tocontinue speaking while the interpreter converts their words into another language.One of the key advantages of simultaneous interpretation is that it allows you tokeep your presentation flowing Time is valuable, and there is only a little delaybefore the information is transferred from the source language to the target language

in this type of interpretation Simultaneous interpretation allows the audience toconcentrate and pay attention at the same time Attendees frequently converse withone another or peruse conference materials They don't always pay attention towhat's being said When using simultaneous interpretation, attendees must

concentrate as much as possible on what the speaker is saying through theinterpreter in order to comprehend the message.

2.3 Interpreting process

The image of interpreting process

The interpretation process is divided into seven main steps: input stage,understanding, deciphering, transference, context and culture, output 1 and output 2

- Input stage (I): During this stage, the interpreter must pay close attention to

the speaker's message and receive it without interruption

- Understanding stage (U): This is the most challenging part of the

interpreting process The interpreter must have a thorough understanding of themeaning of the message Communication will break down if they don'tcomprehend

- Deciphering stage (D): The interpreter processes the information in the

"perceptual auditory storage" and extracts required information from both languageand non-linguistic codes during this stage

- Transference (T): The thought or idea gets transmitted from one language to

the other

- Context + Culture (C + C): It is seen as a step of the transference process.

Under contextual and cultural considerations, the interpreter converts the meaning

of the communication

- Output 1 (O1): During this stage, the interpreter looks for an idiomatic

expression that is equivalent

- Output 2 (O2): In the final stage, the interpreter uses his or her voice to

convey meaning in the target language

2.4 Necessary skills for interpreting

Interpreters play a crucial part in today's society since they serve as a linkbetween the source and target languages However, it is more difficult than ever toprecisely and fluently communicate the meaning of the message As a result,professionals in the interpretation field must constantly cultivate, study, and expandtheir talents They must not only have a university diploma or an interpretationcertificate, but they must also comprehend and practice vital skills in order to be asuccessful interpreter

- Listening skill

Hearing ability is an important component and a requirement for interpreters.The ability of an interpreter to listen has a direct impact on the quality of theinterpretation they produce Hearing is an easy skill for pupils to master becausethey may do so anywhere, at any time Students should concentrate on improvingtheir listening abilities in both English and Vietnamese There will be numerousterms in English that have almost similar pronunciations or that have the samepronunciation but different spellings and meanings There are several dialects ofVietnamese, and people will utilize local vocabulary or slur their speech As aresult, interpreters must have excellent listening skills in order to break down theseobstacles and offer the highest quality, most fluent translation possible

- Public speaking skills

Being an interpreter necessitates a great deal of public speaking, thus stress issomething that every interpreter must manage They will almost certainly berequired to communicate and interact with officials and businesspeople in a variety

of scenarios Interpreters must have a confident manner and master their language insuch situations It is vital to have a clear voice, appropriate moderation, and asmooth transmission style when delivering the interpreted content Avoid

stammering, speaking too loudly or softly, as this might influence the quality of theinterpretation and make the listener uncomfortable.

- Conversion skills

Because the interpreter almost has to interpret what he or she hears directlyafter the speaker finishes (consecutive interpretation) or interpreting is roughlyequivalent to the speaker's speed (simultaneous interpretation), conversion is one ofthe abilities that an interpreter must have This necessitates quick thinking on thepart of the interpreters, who must transform the message from the source language

to the target language as soon as possible The flow of the conversation or speechwill be disrupted if the interpreter is unable to transition swiftly Furthermore,listeners will begin to distrust the quality of the interpretation as well as theinterpreter's abilities if they are kept waiting for too long

- Memory skills

Memorization is the next essential ability for every interpreter Duringconsecutive interpretation, the speaker will usually pause after 2-3 sentences toallow the interpreter to finish However, in other circumstances where the speakercan speak continuously for 3-5 minutes, the amount of information is significant,and if the interpreter lacks memory skills, this might result in the interpreterinterpreting wrong messages It has been proposed that the ability to memorize is anatural gift, and that any successful interpreter must possess it Memorization skills,

on the other hand, may be developed with practice and must be constantly refined.Students might practice translating newspapers, translating radio, and other similaractivities to strengthen their memory skills

- Note-taking skills

Interpreters must always pay close attention to the speaker and convey thetopic accurately and efficiently As a result, note-taking capabilities are bothnecessary and beneficial for interpreters Notes aid in interpreting attention byallowing the interpreter to avoid distractions, not use too much memory, and nothave to memorize every word that is uttered in your head, as well as activating theinterpreter's memory through cues and signals that evoke the information in thespeech As soon as one party talks, the interpreter should begin taking notes

Interpreters might create their own note-taking system utilizing acronyms, signs, orsymbols to speed up the procedure Simply jot down the focal words, primary ideas,and verb tenses, as these have a significant impact on the meaning of the passage.

2.5 Difficulties in E - V interpreting

2.5.1 Difficulty in listening skill

To grasp the primary speech, the first essential of interpreting is to fully hearand understand the content of the speech The basic method of receivinginformation is through listening From "hearing" to "understanding," it is asophisticated cognitive process that is not controlled by human consciousness One

of the most challenging tasks for interpreters is hearing and understanding themessage delivered in speech Some interpreters claim they cannot see the differencebetween English sounds and homonyms, particularly ones with the samepronunciation The main reason for this is that when listening between theaffirmative and negative forms or the speaker occasionally swallows the soundwhich is posing challenges for the interpreter

Limited vocabulary and poor grammar knowledge are two factors thatcontribute to students' difficulty with listening abilities Students may have a largevocabulary in fields such as economics and literature, but only a restrictedvocabulary in fields such as politics and culture Or they hear a familiar term butcan't recall what it means, and they are so concentrated on that word that they miss alot of subsequent information The grammatical structure is determined by howmany words and structures you can recall and utilize in interpreting circumstances,not by how many words and structures you have It is more difficult to understandthe speaker when the grammatical structure is poor

Another reason for poor listening skill is that translation work is done inoverly noisy environments Students will have a harder time concentrating on whatthey are hearing No matter how hard they attempt to concentrate on listening, theywill be distracted by the noise The final reason is that the students are unable tokeep up with the speaker's pace Because they always interpret what they hear intoVietnamese, their brain will have to accomplish three tasks at once: listen, translate,and comprehend As a result, after they heard and understood one statement, the

speaker proceeded to say the second and third words, causing them to lose track ofhow fast the speech was moving And if the student cannot keep up with thespeaker's speaking speed, the student will be unable to comprehend the speaker'simportant points.

2.5.2 Poor vocabulary

As previously said, an interpreter's vocabulary will have a direct impact ontheir listening abilities, which is a vital aspect in the interpretation process.Vocabulary is frequently regarded as a crucial asset for language learners,particularly interpreters Schmitt (2000) highlights the importance of vocabulary incommunication and second-language proficiency Students will not be able topractice interpretation fluently unless they have a large and diverse vocabulary.When a speaker says anything in his speech that you do not even understand, youcannot possibly interpret all of the information, or you can, but the quality of yourinterpretation is poor Students must not only have a large vocabulary in English(source language), but also in Vietnamese (target language)

Vocabulary skill is vital in the capacity to read, write, and transmit ideasaccurately, according to a scientific study Interpreters must also be familiar withthe meanings of words in a variety of fields and professions because they may beinvolved in interpreting sessions from many fields Many English terms arehomophones, implying distinct things in different fields Students do not often payattention to this, and when they are confronted with these instances, they utterlymisinterpret the meaning that should be mentioned The reason for the poorvocabulary is because most students still learn vocabulary in a passive manner,which causes them to forget the terms rapidly

2.5.3 Lack of grammar

The skeleton of a language's naming body is grammar It aids us in adhering to

a set of guidelines Interpreters should not be restricted by theoretical grammaticalstructures if they want to interpret naturally Poor grammar, on the other hand, willmake it harder to translate You might not grasp what the speaker is saying if youdon't understand the grammatical structure

Some interpreters still lack grammatical structure, we can almost always guessthe substance of an English-Vietnamese interpretation by the vocabulary As aresult, some interpreters overlook grammatical problems However, they willfrequently be perplexed and confounded when confronted with strange and difficultgrammatical structures So, how can they get the audience to hear and absorb whatthe speaker is trying to say? Mistakes in structures that are almost identical canpotentially result in a completely incorrect interpretation As a result, interpretersmust exercise extraordinary caution when dealing with unusual constructions andmust continually enhance their grammatical skills.

2.5.4 Cultural barriers

Culture is utilized as a measure of a nation's value since it reflects allcharacteristics that make up the "soul of a nation." When we talk about acommunity's culture, we are talking about their thoughts, sentiments, ways ofthinking, behavior, and language Culture has universal and distinctive qualities andmanifestations We can draw parallels between English-speaking and Vietnamesecultures while still recognizing the differences and distinctive characteristics of eachethnic group However, due to the two cultures' variances, there will be fewsimilarities and many differences between the English-speaking country's cultureand the culture of Vietnam As a result, any cultural encounter generates twopossibilities at the same time: comprehension and disagreement The general bringsunderstanding, but the particulars bring dispute

Cultural differences will cause difficulties in interpreters' job, because thesebarriers are often difficult to overcome completely Cultural barriers arise not just as

a result of language differences, but also as a result of various dialects As a result,this barrier creates numerous challenges for interpreters, particularly students.Cultural obstacles can limit interpreters' understanding and comprehension, andthey can be a hindrance to the interaction between speakers and interpreters Whenparticipants in interpretation lack cultural knowledge, the quality of informationdelivered might suffer, causing misunderstanding or dispute for both speakers andlisteners

Cultural barriers present themselves not just in verbal communication, but also

in nonverbal communication (body language) A basic example is India's 'unique'communication style, which involves shaking heads when conversing India is one

of the English-speaking countries Shaking one's head in India does not implydisapproval or negativity, as it does in other cultures Shaking one's head is, inreality, a show of eager interest in or respectful listening to the other person, as well

as agreement with the other person's point of view A shake of the head, on theother hand, indicates disapproval and rejection in Vietnamese culture If theinterpreter or student in this scenario does not understand Indian culture, there may

be misunderstandings and the discourse would be less productive

2.5.5 Difference in style

The stylistic difference between the two languages accounts for 30% ofthe interpretation success This component is directly influenced by culturalvariations between two countries and includes variances in word usage, vocabulary,and tone These factors have a direct impact on the interpreter's capacity tocomprehend the language as well as the accessibility of the interpretation tolisteners To put it another way, many words, phrases, and sentences in thislanguage appear simple in English but are difficult to interpret into Vietnamese in apleasant manner When interpreting English speeches into Vietnamese, one of thetop notes that is often addressed is to interpret it so that it is "pure Vietnamese," that

is, to interpret it so that the listener does not think that the interpretation makes use

of corny, westernized terms that are incompatible with Vietnam's good customs andtraditions

Polysyllabic words in English, in addition, frequently feature one stress andthe stress of the sentence The capacity to understand the speaker's meaningaccurately depends on whether the interpreter or student hears the correct stress ofthe sentence The monosyllabic character of Vietnamese, on the other hand, ensuresthat words be read clearly and evenly, with no emphasis As a result, understandingthe stress of words and sentences is crucial Because translators are accustomed tospeaking Vietnamese, they frequently overlook this stress and mistake the meaning

of the sentence

2.5.6 Weak re-expression ability

The capacity to explain oneself smoothly and in a way that is interesting andappealing to the listener is a crucial communication skill When it comes tointerpreting, this ability is crucial Some interpreters admit that their poor re-expression ability makes it difficult for them to interpret The challenges that E - Vinterpreters encounter on a regular basis are numerous Bad language skills and lowthinking abilities are part of the explanation for poor re-expression ability Thischallenge will be alleviated if the interpreters have a large vocabulary, a cleargrammar structure, and a high level of flexibility Furthermore, the interpreters'confidence will help their ability to re-express themselves so that their interpretation

is apparent Many interpreters stated that they are not always confident, and thattheir lack of confidence influenced their interpretation directly If you have listened

to and comprehended the speech but are unable to complete the final step, which is

to re-express your interpretation for the customer

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS 3.1 Survey questionnaire results

The online survey questionnaire contains 16 English-language questions thatwere distributed to 100 TMU third-year English Faculty students so that they mayexpress their opinions and difficulties in each response The researcher can learn alot about the difficulties that students have when interpreting English to Vietnamesethanks to the enthusiastic and honest feedback of the students Tables and chartswill be used to present the collected data as well as the researcher's findings

3.1.1 Participants

This study was carried out at TMU and is aimed at English Faculty third-yearstudents Because of the following reasons, this study is limited to the subjects listedabove and not to the first, second or fourth year students:

Firstly, most of third-year English Faculty students are those who haverecently completed an interpreting course taught by the school and who have themost interpreting experience during their third year at the university, so they are theones who are most aware of the difficulties and barriers to learning to interpret aswell as practicing interpreting

Secondly, they have spent nearly three years at TMU, and as a result, theyhave learned English at many different levels, understand the challenges, and havethe experience to overcome them This is a critical aspect in completing this study

in the most precise and efficient manner possible

Finally, they are students set to leave university and enter the job market in thenear future, so this is a vital time for them to decide on their future professionalpath, particularly for those who plan to pursue interpreting

A group of 100 people took part in the survey questionnaire, with 79 femalefriends and 21 male friends They are all English Faculty third-year students atTMU The majority of them (96 percent) have taken the Faculty's interpretingcourse and have interpreted before, so they are well understanding of the difficultiesand emotions they face during the process The researcher communicated thestudy's goal to the participants, and the data collected was made available foranalysis