AN INVESTIGATION INTO COMMON ERRORS IN VIETNAMESE-ENGLISH TRANSLATION MADE BY THIRD-YEAR ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This study aims to investigate students’ common errors in Vietnamese-English translation. Eighty-two third-year English major students (69 female, 13 male) of the Foreign Language Faculty, Thu Dau Mot University participated in the study. To identify students’ errors in Vietnamese-English translation, the participants were asked to take five weekly assignments and one translation test. The results revealed that students made grammatical, lexical, and spelling errors. The causes of the observed errors were also indicated, including interferences of native langue due to differences between English and Vietnamese, students’ inadequate culture knowledge, insufficient linguistic competence in the English and Vietnamese languages, inappropriate translation strategies, misunderstanding, and carelessness. In addition, some suggestions are provided in the light of the findings identified in the study to help improve translation learning and teaching at the University