Script:

"Good morning, esteemed committee members and fellow students. My name is Do Cao
Duong, and I am a student of English Language at Thu Dau Mot University. Today, I will
be presenting my graduate paper titled: 'Challenges In Translating Vietnamese Cultural
Elements Into English Among Third-Year English Majors At Thu Dau Mot University'.
My supervisor for this research was MA. Nguyen Thi Kieu Huong."
Script:
"Moving on to the introduction, I'd like to briefly explain the reason for choosing this
topic. In today's globalized world, translation is crucial for cross-cultural communication.
However, translation is not just about language; it deeply involves navigating cultural
differences. Vietnam has a rich and unique cultural heritage, and translating these
elements into English requires not only strong language skills but also deep cultural
understanding. This study specifically focuses on the challenges faced by third-year
English Majors at Thu Dau Mot University in this task, aiming to contribute to enhancing
translator training programs."
Script:
"The scope of this study is limited to third-year English Majors at Thu Dau Mot
University, focusing specifically on challenges when translating Vietnamese cultural
elements into English. The main aims were to investigate these specific problems,
identify which types of cultural elements are most difficult, understand the perceived
causes, and explore how these challenges affect translation quality. This led to three
research questions: What are the main challenges and problematic types? What are the
perceived causes? And how do these challenges impact quality? The study is significant
as its findings can directly inform translation teaching at TDMU and provide empirical
evidence for Vietnamese-English cultural translation studies."
Script:
"Chapter 2 provides the literature review. Theoretically, translation is defined by scholars
like Nida and Newmark as transferring meaning, aiming for equivalence. It's increasingly
seen as a cultural and ideological act, not just linguistic. Cultural elements are the
defining beliefs, customs, and values of a society, often carrying implicit meanings.
Cross-cultural theories, particularly Hofstede's dimensions and Hall's high/low context
communication, are crucial for understanding the inherent differences between
Vietnamese and English-speaking cultures, which directly impact translation."
Script:
"Based on the literature, common challenges in translating Vietnamese cultural elements
include the significant lack of direct equivalents for culture-specific items like food or
clothing, leading to potential loss of meaning. There's also the difficulty in conveying the
deep connotative and symbolic implications embedded in many cultural terms, which
literal translation often misses. Idioms and figurative language, closely tied to
Vietnamese culture, pose a challenge due to their non-literal meaning, requiring specific
translation strategies. Finally, implicit cultural elements, common in high-context
Vietnamese communication, can be easily misunderstood by English readers without
careful handling, such as explicitation."
Script:
"For third-year students, these challenges are compounded by their developing translation
and intercultural competence. They may struggle to identify cultural elements, lack a
wide range of strategies, and have limited practical experience. Previous studies,
including those by Vietnamese scholars, have specifically examined the translation of
Vietnamese proverbs, idioms, and culture-specific terms, highlighting common errors
and strategies. Research on Vietnamese English majors at other universities also points to
difficulties in understanding and expressing cultural nuances and handling culturally
loaded language, confirming that students face a mix of linguistic, cultural, and strategic
challenges."
Script:
"Chapter 3 outlines the research methodology. This study employed a mixed-methods
design. The quantitative component, primarily through a survey, measured the frequency
and perceived difficulty of translation issues and cultural items. The target population
was all third-year English majors at TDMU, chosen because they encounter more
complex texts. A sample of around 120 students was selected using simple random
sampling for the survey."
Script:
"The main instrument was a structured survey questionnaire in English, covering
participant background, translation experience, perceived general challenges, challenges
with specific cultural types, and perceived causes. Data collection involved obtaining
necessary approvals, getting informed consent from participants, and administering the
survey while ensuring anonymity. For data analysis, descriptive statistics were used for
quantitative data. The findings were then integrated to provide a comprehensive picture."
Script:
"Moving on to the results and discussion. Regarding their experience, the survey showed
that third-year students very frequently encounter Vietnamese texts containing cultural
elements in their translation practice. When asked about the overall difficulty compared
to non-cultural content, perceptions were mixed. While a large portion found it about the
same or slightly easier, a significant minority still perceived translating cultural elements
as slightly or much more difficult, indicating that culture adds a layer of complexity for
some."
Script:
"The results on perceived general challenges revealed several issues that students face
very frequently. These include the difficulty in finding direct equivalents, conveying the
full meaning and cultural connotation, and making the cultural elements understandable
to the target reader. Students also frequently worry about misrepresenting Vietnamese
culture, struggle to balance naturalness in English with retaining the cultural feel, and
find it hard to decide on appropriate strategies or whether to explain cultural items.
Feeling uncertain about their choices for cultural elements is also a very common
experience."
Script:
"When looking at specific types of cultural elements, the perceived difficulty varied.
Categories rated as most difficult by the majority of students included terms for social
roles and kinship, idioms and proverbs, allusions to history or literature, terms related to
beliefs and religions, traditional objects or practices, culturally-specific politeness terms,
and implicit cultural information. In contrast, more tangible items like terms for food,
clothing, and festivals were generally perceived as less difficult. This suggests that
challenges increase with the level of abstraction and cultural embedding of the element."
Script:
"Regarding the perceived causes of these difficulties, students showed high agreement on
several factors. They strongly believe that their limited English vocabulary, insufficient
knowledge of both Vietnamese and English-speaking cultures, and a lack of specific
translation strategies for cultural elements are major causes. They also find it hard to
apply the strategies they've learned. Lack of practice, inadequate guidance in textbooks,
and the limited helpfulness of online tools for cultural elements were also seen as
significant issues. Finally, the inherent cultural difference between the two languages was
identified as a fundamental problem."
Script:
"In conclusion, this study found that third-year English Majors at TDMU frequently
encounter Vietnamese cultural elements in translation and many perceive this as more
challenging than non-cultural content. The key difficulties lie in finding equivalents,
conveying meaning and significance, making elements understandable, choosing
strategies, and dealing with uncertainty and the fear of misrepresentation. The most
challenging types are often abstract or deeply embedded cultural items like idioms,
allusions, beliefs, and social terms. Students attribute these difficulties to limitations in
their linguistic and cultural knowledge, insufficient strategic training and practice,
limitations of resources, and the fundamental cultural difference between Vietnamese and
English."
Script:
"This study has some limitations, primarily its reliance on self-report data, which reflects
student perceptions rather than objective competence, and the sample being from a single
university, limiting generalizability. For future research, I recommend using mixed
methods including translation task analysis, conducting comparative studies across
different universities or translator levels, focusing more deeply on specific challenging
categories like idioms or allusions, and testing the effectiveness of new teaching
approaches or materials designed to address these issues."
Script:
"Based on the findings, I have several recommendations. For students, it's important to
actively improve their knowledge of both cultures, learn and practice specific strategies
for cultural elements, and utilize specialized resources. For teachers, I recommend
integrating more targeted cultural translation training, focusing on the most difficult
types, teaching specific strategies, providing authentic practice texts, and reviewing
course materials. Researchers can conduct further empirical studies and develop new
pedagogical approaches.