Sight translation studied by the fourth year students of translator and interpreter training division, faculty of english teacher education faculty

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI University of Languages and international Studies ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION FACULTY HOÀNG THANH AN SIGHT TRANSLATION STUDIED BY THE FOURTH YEAR ST

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

University of Languages and international Studies

ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION FACULTY

HOÀNG THANH AN

SIGHT TRANSLATION STUDIED BY THE FOURTH YEAR STUDENTS OF TRANSLATOR AND INTERPRETER TRAINING DIVISION, FACULTY OF ENGLISH TEACHER EDUCATION FACULTY, UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES, VIETNAM

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of bachelor of arts (TEFL)

Supervisor: NGUYEN PHUONG TRA, ma

Hanoi, May 2011

I hereby state that I: Hoàng Thanh An, class 07E20, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper

Hanoi, May 4 th , 2011

Table of contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i

ABSTRACT ii

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES iii

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Rationale 1

1.2 Aims and objectives of the study 2

1.3 The significance of the study 2

1.4 The scope of the study 3

1.5 The methodology 3

1.6 An overview of the paper 4

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 7

2.1 Key concepts 7

2.1.1 Translation and interpretation 7

2.1.1.1 Translation 7

2.1.1.2 Interpretation 9

2.1.1.3 The comparison between translation and interpretation 10

2.1.1.3.1 The similarity between translation and interpretation 10

2.1.1.3.2 The difference between

translation and interpretation

10

2.1.2 Sight translation 12

2.1.2.1 The definition of sight translation 13

2.1.2.2 The characteristics of sight translation 14

2.2 Related studies 15

2.2.1 An overview of related studies in the world 15

2.2.2 An overview of related studies in Vietnam 17

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY 18

3.1 Participants 18

3.1.1 Fourth year students in Translator and Interpreter Training Division, English Teacher Education Faculty, ULIS, VNU 18

3.1.2 Lecturers in Translator and Interpreter Training Division, English Teacher Education Faculty, ULIS, VNU 19

3.2 Data collection instruments 20

3.2.1 Questionnaire 20

3.2.2 Interview 21

3.3 Procedures of data collection 23

3.3.1 Phase 1 23

3.3.2 Phase 2 23

3.3.3 Phase 3 24

3.3.4 Phase 4 24

3.4 Data analysis methods and procedures 24

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 26

4.1 Research question 1 26

4.2 Research question 2 34

4.3 Research question 3 39

4.4 Research question 4 42

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION 49

5.1 Major findings of the study 49

5.2 Pedagogical recommendations 50

5.3 Suggestions for further studies 51

5.4 Limitations of the study 52

5.5 Contributions of the study 53

REFERENCE 55

APPENDICES 57

Secondly, I would like to show my gratefulness to my teacher, Mr Vu Hai

Ha, who inspired my interest in learning English

As well, I send my sincere thanks to the teachers who effectively contributed

to my research and supported me to overcome enormous obstacles

I am also grateful to the students for their enthusiastic participation in the surveys Without their help, I could not complete this research

In addition, words of thanks are addressed to my classmates who supported

me strongly

Finally, I am deeply indebted to my family and my two colleagues, Mr Audley and Ms Hong Van in ILO for their constant encouragements

Abstract

This paper investigated the actual situation of learning and teaching sight translation in the fourth-year curriculum of Translator and Interpreter Training Division, Faculty of English Teacher Education, University of Languages and International Studies The study was conducted to withdraw the pedagogical methods of exploiting sight translation in training interpreters/translators To achieve this aim, the data were collected by questionnaires and interviews Through data collection and analysis, the research showed the obstacles to an effective teaching of sight translation

Overall, sight translation has not been paid proper attentions in training interpreters/translators This could be explained by tight curriculums and students’ poor language skills to learn sight translation Therefore, the paper emphasized on the reforms for a better teaching of sight translation However, the study remained some limitations, which shed light on the further studies Finally, some pedagogical recommendations for further exploitation of sight translation were offered in the given context

List of tables and figures

Table1 Comparison between essential skills for translation and

interpretation

Table 2 Comparison among sight translation, translation and interpretation

Table 3 A classification of the student participants according to their

classes

Table 4 Frequent methods used by the lecturers to instruct sight translation

Figure 1 The summary of the number of students studying sight translation

in class

Figure 2 The summary of difficulties students encounter when performing

sight translation (as perceived by students)

Figure 3 A summary of obstacles to an effective teaching of sight translation Figure 4 A summary of trainers’ attitudes toward the necessity of sight

translation in the fourth-year TITD curriculum

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

The opening chapter refers to the rationale, the aims and the objectives as well as the scope of the study Furthermore, the research questions are mentioned as an adequate instruction for the paper

1.1 Rationale

In the time of globalization, interpretation and translation have become a growing industry in Vietnam Business affair, formal conferences all need interpreters/ translators to avoid linguistic misunderstanding and language barriers As a result, interpreters/ translators have become a promising job Being aware of this issue, University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS), one of the leading language teaching universities in Vietnam, has developed a completed translator and interpreters training course to satisfy the increasing demand of this occupation Although many researches have been carried out to investigate the effective approach to teach interpretation/translation, no study on effective teaching of sight translation

in fourth-year students of Translators and Interpreters Training Division has been conducted This has stimulated the researcher to undertake the paper

“Sight translation study by the fourth year students of Translators and Interpreters division (TITD), Faculty of English Teacher Education (FETE), ULIS, Vietnam National University (VNU)” This paper is a serious attempt

to examine the utilization of sight translation in interpreters/translators training Moreover, through investigating the use of this method, the study aims at seeking feasible ways for students to overcome difficulties in studying sight translation

2 Aims and objectives

To begin with, the research is expected to find out whether the year students in Translators and Interpreters Training Division, Faculty of English Teacher Education, ULIS have been taught sight translation If already, a detailed insight into how sight translation is taught and what obstacles the students encounter Afterwards, the paper will investigate problems to an effective teaching of sight translation, thus offer some pedagogical method to a better teaching of sight translation In brief, the objective of the paper will attempt to answer these following questions:

fourth-1 Whether sight translation is taught to the fourth year TITD students

in ULIS, Vietnam National University (VNU)? If yes, in what ways?

2 What difficulties do the fourth-year TITD students encounter when they perform sight translation?

3 What are obstacles to an effective teaching of sight translation in training interpreters/translators?

4 Was sight translation considered necessary by interpreter trainers in the fourth-year TITD curriculum? If yes, what are trainers’ suggestions for

an effective teaching of sight translation to the fourth year students?

3 The significance of the paper

Once completed, the paper will serve as one of the first to study the use of sight translation as the pedagogical method in FETE, ULIS Therefore, it may be of great use for students, teachers and other researchers alike

Specifically, this paper will reveal students’ and teachers’ opinions about sight translation as a pedagogical method Therefore, the recommendations from the paper hopefully will assist teachers to have a better approach in teaching and training Furthermore, researchers who share the same interest will find useful information from this research to conduct further studies into this relatively unexplored area

4 Scope of the paper

As the title implies, the study focuses on the study of sight translation

by the fourth year students Therefore, the paper places a stronger concentration in exploring the factual situation of teaching and learning sight translation

Moreover, the samples of the paper were restricted to the fourth year TITD students Nevertheless, the samples were deliberately chosen As a

result, the results would reliably reflect the whole picture of teaching and

learning sight translation in HULIS

1.5 Methods of the study

Two popular methods of interviews and questionnaire were employed during the data collection In particular, one questionnaire was used for all fourth-year TITD students The questionnaire would help the researcher to gather the data of studying sight translation Furthermore, one set of

questions was designed to carry out the interviews with the lecturers of TITD who were teaching the fourth year students so that the in-depth inputs

of trainers about learning and teaching sight translation would be learnt

For the procedure, the interview with the lecturers would be conducted to find out whether sight translation was taught in their classroom

or not If no, the interviewees would be asked to explain the reasons for no exploitation of sight translation If yes, their pedagogical methods as well as their own problems will be investigated Furthermore, the respondents would

be asked about the students’ problems from their observation while they were teaching sight translation

Meanwhile, the survey would be distributed to the students in order to find out whether sight translation was taught in their classroom or not and their problems in learning sight translation

Notably, two types of data will be collated and they will follow up each other

1.6 An overview of the paper

This paper consists of five chapters as follows:

Chapter 1 (Introduction) serves as the guideline for the whole study

by stating the rationale, aims and objectives as well as scope and data collection methods

Chapter 2 (Literature Review) supplies the theoretical frame for the paper To be specific, key terms related to the context of the study would be explained and the related study would be discussed

Chapter 3 (Methodology) illustrates the participants and instrument of data collection as well as the procedure to carry out the research Furthermore, the choice of participants and data collection methods would

be justified in this chapter

Chapter 4 (Results and Discussion) analyzes the collected data in order to answer the research questions

Chapter 5 (Conclusion) summarizes the issues discussed in the study, the contribution of the research as well as its limitation and some suggestions for further studies

The last parts are Appendices and Bibliography

Summary:

In this chapter, the following points were elaborated:

(1) Statement and rationale for the study

(2) Aims and objectives of the study

(3) Scope of the study

(4) Methods of the study

(5) An overview of the paper

In general, the first chapter serves as the justification for the main content of the study as well as the guideline for the whole study

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter, all the key concepts such as “translation” and

“interpretation” as well as “sight translation” will be explained adequately

as the frame for the study Also, a brief overview of the context of teaching and studying sight translation in ULIS will be presented clearly Finally, related studies will be analyzed in order to find out the research gap

2.1 Key concepts

2.1.1 Translation and interpretation

To understand sight translation thoroughly, it is absolutely essential to clarify two major concepts, “translation” and “interpretation”

same time all factual information contained in the original text…must be retained in the translation

This standpoint is further supported by Larson(Meaning-based transaltion) In particular, he divides translation process into three main steps

as followed: study the ST, analyze the text, and reconstruct it into TL

However, many linguistics and educationalists consider translation as a skill This stance is officially given by Newmark(Approaches to Translation):

Translation is a craft consisting of the attempt to replace

a written message and/or statement in one language by the same message and/or statement in another language

By stating the word “craft” and “attempt”, he directly implies that translation requires efforts and skills to transmit the message from one language to another language

Because this scope of the paper is put into the context of teaching and studying, the paper will refer to Newmark’s definition whenever the term

“translation” is stated

In spite of clear dissimilarity between two viewpoints, both cross at one crucial point that is translation renders the meaning of a source-language text into the target-language in accordance with the original intention of the text Moreover, Newmark emphasizes that both forms of source and target texts

are written

2.1.1.2 Interpretation

Alike in the area of translation, numerous definitions are offered in the field

of interpretation Moreover, interpretation is classified into two kinds: According to National Association for Interpretation (America, 2000), interpretation should be understood:

Interpretation is a communication process that forges emotional and intellectual connections between the interests of the audience and the inherent meanings in the resource

So interpretation is a process and interpreters orally translate by conversing different languages in order to communicate between audiences and the resource

Defining interpretation in its other characteristics, Kate (1968, cited in Introducing interpreting studies, 2004, p.10-11) thinks interpretation is a

“form of translation” but in which:

• The source-language text is presented only once and thus cannot be reviewed or replayed, and

• The target-language text is produced under time pressure, with little chance for correction and revision

Kate emphasizes on the “immediacy” of interpretation, which is interpreters

have only one chance to translate in very short time More importantly, Kate

uses the word “text”, which can be understood in various ways such as

“utterance” or “acts of discourse” or “message” Therefore, this definition covers the nature of sight translation to some extent

As a result, Kate’s definition of interpretation will be utilized as the reference for this paper

2.1.1.3 The comparison between translation and interpretation

In light of the definitions of translation and interpretation, the resemblance and dissimilarity between them can be pointed out

2.1.1.3.1 The similarity between translation and interpretation

In their in-depth scholarly research, Cay Dollerup, Lena Fluger and Anne Zoëga (1992) indicate that the fundamental similarity between translation and interpretation is their aim and their mental process as well as their basic skill Both types endeavor to maintain the meaning of the source text to the greatest extent In general, translators/interpreters are required to be faithful

to the original materials Furthermore, the mental performances in both translation and interpretation are commonly delivered in the same way First

of all, translators/ interpreters need to understand the source materials Then they have to re-express the text in the target language And above all, it is compulsory for them to master equally the source and target languages

2.1.1.3.2 The difference between translation and interpretation

On the contrary, Dollerup, Fluger & Zoëga also conclude that translation differentiates from interpretation in the aspect of spatio-temporality of the

“communicative context” and the accessibility of the text

Regarding the spatio-temporality, “the performances of the sender,

translator, and receiver take place in physical separation” in translation

The translators have time to decode the source language and encode it in the target language as well as review the work in a long time before sending it to

the readers Meanwhile, in interpretation, “all parties are integrated in the

communicative situation”, that is speakers, hearers and interpreters will be

in attendance at the same time The process of decoding and conveying message will happen in a short span of time

In addition, the accessibility of the text is also the significant dissimilarity between translation and interpretation Commonly, the text in translation is written, thus, it is usually well-ordered and permanent with information succinctness, grammatical precision In the process of translating, translators can re-read the source text as many times as he/she wants and utilize any reference to understand the text better However, in interpretation, the text is commonly flexible and easily influenced by speakers and hearers For instance, the speakers can add any extra-information which they come up with when speaking Another example is the interaction between speakers and hearers such as Question-Answer part Interpreters will have only one time to transmit the message and obviously, they cannot refer to any other materials

Furthermore, Harris (1981, cited in Translation studies: perspective on an emerging discipline, 2002, p.82) and Kalina (1998, also cited in Translation studies: perspective on an emerging discipline, 2002, p.84) add one significant difference between translation and interpretation related to the forms According to their opinions and the definitions aforementioned, translation basically deals with written forms of input and output Conversely, interpretation is mainly involved with spoken materials

Besides, according to Northeast Ohio Translators Association, skills required for translation and interpretation are different as in the following table:

Translation Interpretation

- Reading and writing skills

- Cultural knowledge

- Subject knowledge

- Good ability to use the library of

dictionaries and reference materials

- Listening and speaking skills (including public speaking)

in advance because the interpreting performance only happens in minutes

2.1.2 Sight translation

As mentioned above, one of the agreed signals for distinguishing between translation and interpretation is the forms of material input and output: translation- written forms and interpretation-oral forms However, this classification causes not a big, yet troublesome overlapping problem, which

is when interpreters have to orally interpret a written document The input is written form but the output is spoken one And this type is called sight translation

2.1.2.1 The definition of sight translation

Multiple academic definitions for sight translation have been offered in numerous researches Lambert (1998, cited in Sight translation as a cognitive tool in language learning, 2009) states that

Sight translation involves the transposition of a text written in

one language into a text delivered orally in another language Since both aural and visual information processes are required, sight translation could be defined as a specific type of written translation as well as a variant of oral interpretation

Lamberts mentions two-faced characteristics of sight translation, which is written text for output and oral text for input, yet he does not classify sight translation into either translation or interpretation Sight translation is considered as their hybrid

Some other scholars such as Seleskovitch (1986, cited in Sight translation as

a cognitive tool in language learning, 2009) tend to connect sight translation

with translation when pointing out the process of “conveying message” in

sight translation is the same as the one in translation In the light of this point

of view, sight translation belongs to translation

However, Jean Herbert (1992, cited in Sight translation and interpreting: A comparative analysis of constraints and failures, 2004, p.2) categorizes sight translation as a mode of interpretation due to its traits Firstly, sight translation and other types of interpretation share the same oral outcome Moreover, sight translation requires speed Besides, interpreters can not access to reference materials when they perform sight translation This stance is support by Pratt (1991, cited in Sight translation as a cognitive tool

in language learning, 2009) Pratt concludes that “the processing of

information resembles the simultaneous interpretation at sight” This

classification is universally accepted Currently, most linguists consider sight translation as a part of interpretation

Lambert’s definition will be taken as the hypothesis for the whole paper Finally, it is also noteworthy that sight translation is mainly used as a pedagogical method/ exercise in teaching translation and interpretation

2.1.2.2 The characteristics of sight translation

Despite the controversial categorization, it can be pointed out some distinctive characteristics of sight translation This paper will point out the traits by comparing sight translation with translation and interpretation in the table below

knowledge(acquired pre-, in-stage and post- translation process)

- Good ability to use the library of dictionaries and reference materials

- Analytical skills -Ethical behaviour

- Listening and speaking skills (including public speaking)

-Cultural knowledge -Subject knowledge (acquired before translation

process)

- Good memory -Note-taking skills

behaviour - Analytical skills

1 Listening and understanding the text in source language

2 Interpreting

performing in target language

Table 2 Comparison among sight translation, translation and interpretation

2.2 Related studies

Despite numerous studies on translation or interpretation, sight translation is unexplored topic or may be paid little attention to Moreover, the heated controversy on the nature of sight translation as well as the effective way to utilize sight translation as pedagogy has been a matter of great concern for teachers and researchers not only in Vietnam but also in the world

2.2.1 An overview of related studies in the world

Sight translation is popularly considered a simple task and has little usage in real life Commonly, sight translation is thought to be used in health care, judicial interpretation Even in training interpreter/translator training, sight translation is often given short time as Romero comments in her article

“Sight translation: A Prelude to Simultaneous Interpretation” Therefore, only few remarkable efforts are made to address the role as well as the utility

of sight translation

In her research “Sight translation and interpreting: A comparative analysis of constraints and failures”, Agrifoglio tries to point out the differences among sight translation, translation and interpretation as well as the failure of interpreters/translation when they carry out sight translation Therefore, she suggests some methodology to train sight translation in general

Additionally, some scholars study sight translation as an effective tool of learning language For example, Visintin & Campos, in their research “Sight translation as a cognitive tool in language learning” point out the assistance

of sight translation in improving linguistic performance

Notably, several studies have been conducted to link the connection among sight translation and two popular types of interpretation: simultaneous and consecutive interpretation In “Shared Attention during Sight translation, Sight interpretation and Simultaneous Interpretation”, Lambert confirms that

sight translation should be used as “a cognitive approach to a simultaneous

–interpreter training program” Shared the same opinion, Romero in her

article “Sight translation: A preclude to Simultaneous Interpretation” states that sight translation is a crucial step to move from consecutive to simultaneous interpretation Notably, in 2008, Charles W Standsfield developed a complete assessment for sight translation, which is very useful for teaching it

While few systematic researches have been found, numerous of quick guidance for sight translation has been offered, mainly by interpreters and translators training institutes

2.2.2 An overview of related studies in Vietnam

Professional training for interpreters/translators has been developing recently and the skill standards for interpreters/translators have not been built up The curriculum in professional training institutes has been in the development process Additionally, limited class hours, tight study schedule and student’s low incentive for self-studying provide teachers with little time to introduce and instruct sight translation Consequently, it can be said that no study is carried out to investigate sight translation in Vietnam in general and ULIS, VNU in particular

Summary

This chapter provides readers with the explanation of key terms as well as the general idea about sight translation’s role in previous researches

an essential role in this study

The fourth-year students were selected because they were supposed to have some learning experience as well as some ideas about sight translation at least through the lessons of Translation Theory Meanwhile, in the training course, interpretation and translation are actually taught at the beginning of the third year The second-year students only get familiar with translation practice The third year students do not have enough experience with interpreting and just perform some basic interpretation Hence, fourth-year students will provide the best picture of the sight translation study in ULIS

Below is the graphic demonstration of the student participants, from both mainstream and fast track classes Therefore, the differences in studying and teaching sight translation can be investigated

Mainstream class

Fast track class E20 6

Table 3 A classification of the student participants according to their classes

Notably, to compensate to some extent for the limited number of student participants

Notably, the limited number of student participants was made up to some extent when the interviewed lecturers reported the students’ performance as well as the evaluation

3.1.2 Lecturers in Translator and Interpreter Training Division, English Teacher Education Faculty, ULIS, VNU

As “the study of sight translation” is clearly clarified as the subject of the paper, the lecturers’ position is extremely significant to the study Because they directly facilitate and evaluate the students’ sight translation performance, they have a detailed insight into the difficulties that students face as well as their own obstacles when teaching sight translation Moreover, they can share their invaluable experience for the better

exploitation of sight translation from the viewpoint of a professional translator/interpreter and the stance of a teacher Furthermore, the lecturers’ teaching experience ranges from 3 to 15 years This provides diverse viewpoints on sight translation Last but not least, these teachers have experience in both teaching fast track and main stream class

Based on the factual situation and time limitation, the number of the lecturers participated in the paper is 5

3.2 Data collection instruments

Questionnaire and interviews are fully employed for a quantitative and qualitative data collection to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the input

of any personal information as well as the instruction for answering questions On the following rows, both close-ended and open-ended questions were employed to facilitate the data gathering and comprehensive analysis of factual, behavioral and attitudinal information ( Brown, 2001, cited in Hoang & Nguyen, Research Methodology, 2007, p.17) of the fourth-year students about sight translation

Thanks to its advantages, questionnaire is utilized in this paper Due

to time-constraint, using the questionnaire helped the researcher to immediately collect a large amount of information from the fourth-year students (approximately 60) Moreover, the result from the questionnaire can

be processed rather fast and conveniently (Gillham, 2000, cited in Hoang& Nguyen, 2007, p.18) More importantly, the short questionnaire made the unmotivated students more willing to finish all the questions

The questionnaire is intimately related to the research questions In particular, the two first questions in the questionnaires served as the collation between the factuality of studying sight translation and the lecturers’ interviewing response Therefore, it helps to find out the answer

for the first research question (Whether sight translation is taught to the

fourth year students in TITD, ULIS, Vietnam National University?) The

third questions were mainly to answer the second research question (What

difficulties do the fourth-year students encounter when they practice sight translation?) The last question provided students’ personal opinion in the

usefulness of sight translation for assisting them in mastering translating/interpreting skills As a result, this opinion would help to back up the lecturers’ suggestion for finding out the effective pedagogical method for teaching sight translation together with instructing translation and interpretation in the fourth research question

3.2.2 Interview

The researcher chose interviews (Appendix 2) as a qualitative method

to collect the lecturers’ perspectives in teaching sight translation Firstly, the

researcher introduced the research topic and the aim to the lecturers so that they could have an overall picture All the interviews were not time-fixed Unlike the questionnaire, only open-ended questions were selected and all interviews are semi-constructed because this type offers the interviewees

“power and control” during the interview and the interviewer “a great deal

of flexibility” (Hoang & Nguyen, 2007, p 52) For example, in-dept

questions and additional necessary inquiries can be included in the interviews Moreover, the interviewees were encouraged to share all their knowledge about sight translation as well as their stances as both the professional interpreter/translator and lecturers As mentioned in

Questionnaire (3.2.1), the interview and the questionnaire will be collated

and support each other to produce an adequate answer for the research questions

Similarly to the questionnaire, the interviewing questions also focused

on answering the research questions The first main question was aimed at investigating the current situation of studying sight translation by the fourth year students Teaching methods were also expected to be explored Afterward, the lecturers were asked to evaluate students’ performance on sight translation, students’ problem and the difficulties in teaching sight translation These answers were to respond to the second and the third

questions (What difficulties do the fourth-year students encounter when they

practice sight translation? and What are obstacles to an effective teaching of sight translation in training interpreters/translators?) Followed are the

lecturers’ different standpoints of the necessity of sight translation in the interpreter/translator training course Consequently, they could offer a more exhaustive exploitation of sight translation in training interpreters/translators Their answer helped the researcher to collect data for

the last research question (Was sight translation considered necessary by

interpreters trainers in the fourth-year TITD curriculum? If yes, what are suggestions for an effective exploitation of sight translation in training interpreters/translators?)

3.3 Procedures of data collection

The data collection process can be divided into four phases

3.3.1 Phase 1

The initial phase was spent for preparing data collection The schedule for distributing questionnaire and conducting face-to-face interviews were arranged Notably, all personal information of all participants will certainly

be kept confidential

Furthermore, the questions for the questionnaires and the interviews were designed To carry out this work, some small talks or informal conversations with students and lecturers took place so that the researcher could adjust the drafted questions For example, the small talk with some fourth year students revealed that they did not know about sight translation

Thus, the research put the first questions “what is sight translation” to check students’ basic understanding of sight translation

3.3.2 Phase 2

The final versions of the questionnaires and interviews were completed Afterward, the timetable of the fourth-year students was checked to have a convenient available time for the students in order to avoid their unwillingness

Before filling in the questionnaire, the research topic was fully explained to the students Moreover, the confidentiality of personal information was affirmed so that the students could feel free to answer all the questions To avoid any misunderstanding, all students’ doubt about the questionnaire were adequately answered while they were filling into the survey

3.3.3 Phase 3

In this phase, the interviews were carried out The appointments for the interviews together with the brief introduction of the research topic and the purpose were made via telephone

At first, the interviewed lecturers were given time to read quickly the questions Afterward, the interviews were conducted and recorded During the interviews, additional questions were often asked to have in-depth information from the lecturers Besides, the interviewees were encouraged to share all their knowledge and experience about sight translation, especially

in teaching sight translation

3.3.4 Phase 4

In the last phase, the interviews were transcribed and translated into English to serve as the reference later on Afterward, all the collected data were synthesized and analyzed thoroughly and adequately to provide a full answer for all the research questions

3.4 Data analysis methods and procedures

All the data collected from the students and the lecturers were utilized

to answer all the research questions, as mentioned clearly in Questionnaire

(3.2.1) and Interview (3.2.2) However, their responses were combined and

analyzed to answer each research question

Particularly, to address the first question on the ways of teaching sight translation, the data were gathered from the interviewed lecturers and categorized into different groups From the classification, the advantages as well as the weak points of each method were evaluated thoroughly

For the second question, the responses from both the students and lecturers were employed to find out the difficulties which students encounter

in sight translation performance The answers from the questionnaires were graphically illustrated Moreover, the lecturers’ comments on the students’ performance in the interviews were to mainly explain the reasons for the difficulties

The data to address the third question were taken from the interviews Chart and graphs were utilized for a clear illustration The last questions were mainly answered by the lecturers’ responses However, the opinions from the students were considered to some extent

Last but not least, quotations from the interviews and the questionnaire were frequently cited to support data analysis

Summary

Overall, the selection of two groups of respondents was adequately explained in this chapter Moreover, the data collection instruments were introduced and justified Also, the detailed data process was described in detail This chapter helped to justify the credibility of the outcome in the next chapter

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The preceding chapter has described fully and justified the selection

of respondents, data collection instruments as well as the data analysis methods Relying on collected data, this chapter will provide the answers for all the research questions Notably, the theoretical framework mentioned in the Literature Review will be referred to compare with the findings of the paper

4.1 Research question 1: Whether sight translation is taught to the fourth year TITD students in ULIS, VNU? If yes, in what ways?

This research question aims at exploring the actual situation of teaching sight translation in ULIS, especially for the fourth year students The collected information from the interviewed lecturers revealed that due to various reasons which are preferably discussed later on, sight translation has not been employed much in interpreter and translator training course in TITD, ULIS

The outcome coincides to some extent with the result from the questionnaire More than 60% of surveyed students said that they only knew sight translation through the subject “Translation Theory”, which only introduced briefly the definition of sight translation with few lines No instruction for sight translation is mentioned in “Translation Theory”, thus it can not be confirmed that sight translation has been adequately taught to this group

Translation theory Interpretation Transaltion

Do not remember

Figure 1 The summary of the number of students studying sight translation in class

However, the accumulated data from the interviews revealed that the lecturers indirectly introduced sight translation to students to some extent, yet did not say the name of sight translation Furthermore, these techniques have been used diversely in both main subjects: translation and interpretation More interestingly, it also shows the controversial nature of

sight translation as aforementioned in Literature Review (2.1.2.1), that is

sight translation is the hybrid of both translation and interpretation and can

be categorized into either of the two types

By and large, the pedagogical methods which are frequently utilized can be summed up as in the following table:

respondents

1 Integrate sight translation as a quick form of

checking exercises in translation class

2

2 Introduce and instruct sight translation as a form of

interpretation in interpretation class

3

3 Ask students to practise sight translation at home 1

Table 4 Frequent methods used by the lecturers to instruct sight translation

Notably, the lecturers have exploited sight translation with a range of purposes in different situations and adjust sight translation training to fit their intentions Each technique as well as its strengths and weaknesses are adequately demonstrated as below:

 Integrate sight translation as a quick form of checking exercises in translation class

In the curriculum, translation usually occupies 2 or 3 periods per week, thus completing all the tasks and checking students’ written performance are time-consuming Consequently, to save time for checking students’ assignment, instead of reading one by one which takes much time; the lecturers called one student and asked him/her to orally translate the

required text For example, Teacher B, revealed that: “I sometimes

integrated sight translation into my lessons I mainly used it when there was

a shortage of time and students had to give immediate answers or in case the translated sentences were simple and students could look at it and translate right away” Sharing the same opinion, Teacher E also said that “I applied sight translation as a tool of checking homework or in-class exercise, I called one student to read his/her translation and everyone will listen to it and find out any mistakes”

This technique can assist students to familiarize with the pressure of immediacy when they perform sight translation As aforementioned in the

Teacher B’s words, students have to give immediate answers after looking at the text

Even though this application can be useful for the lecturers to save time, it cannot be said that the method shows students the proper way of performing sight translation Doing this exercise sounds like students were performing sight translation However, with an in-dept insight, it can be seen that the processes are different

Initially, the essential skills for sight translation are not given in this technique Obviously, lecturers do not have enough time to complete the lesson, thus, they employ this technique for speeding up checking exercise

As a result, it is hard for the lecturers to offer some amount of time to

instruct fully the skills required to sight translation Lecturer B said that “I

have never intended to teach sight translation” and he just simply told

students to read aloud their answers for the translation exercises As a result, even students themselves are not aware that they are doing sight translation

Moreover, students can prepare the translation at home and they

actually just read aloud their prepared translation It can not be called “the

instantly oral conveying of written message”, which is the process of

performing sight translation Only the case of in-class assignment can help students to practise immediate sight translation

 Introduce and instruct sight translation as a form of interpretation in interpretation class

Currently, this technique is employed by the largest number of the interviewed trainers Simultaneously, the accumulated data from the survey also reflected this result

This method has offered a better clear objective and a more systematic pedagogical measure for teaching sight translation than the previous technique Commonly, official class time for studying sight translation lasts

2 or 3 weeks (with 2 or 3 periods per week) The first week is spent for introducing sight translation and its required skills The followings weeks are used for practicing and testing students’ performance Various material sources such as short funny stories and opening speech have been utilized to keep students interested

This approach provides students with not only theory but hands-on experience as well Step-by-step measure has been applied to develop students’ necessary skills for performing sight translation According to

Teacher D, “at first, I broke the text into some smaller units Then I required

students to do sight translation with those smaller units When students get familiar, I increased the length of the text and even the difficulty level of the text For example, the text would include the long sentences and complicated structures such as inversion… verb appears before noun” As seen in her

description, the level of difficulties has been increased gradually together with the essential skills students need to acquire They, at first, just have to analyze short text with simple words Later on, they are assigned to practise with longer complicated materials

To create a more authentic situation for sight translation, exercises which reflect real life situation has been designed For instance, students have to listen to a recorded speech and read its text at the same time This assignment requires student to do sight translation while still focusing on