Oral interpretation skills among English-majored graduates: A case of those from a university in Vietnam

Du Thanh Tran; Thao Ngoc Phan

doi:10.31893/multirev.2025051

Keywords:

challenges

English-majored graduates

oral interpretation skills

Abstract

It is undoubtedly believed that the ability to deliver effective presentations in English is not merely an academic requirement but also a vital skill for success in the professional world. Students who excel in delivering presentations often demonstrate higher levels of critical thinking, research ability, and overall academic achievement. Unfortunately, delivering presentations in English poses a significant challenge for many students, particulary those in non-native English-speaking countries like Viet Nam. Via a mixed-methods approach, the current study investigates the oral consecutive interpretation skills of English-majored graduates from Thu Dau Mot University (TDMU), finding out the challenges faced by these students in oral interpretation, focusing on four key stages: listening and understanding, notetaking, decoding notes, and expressing and reformulating. In the quantitative process, 150 graduates completed a survey questionnaire, providing broad data for statistical analysis. The qualitative process involved direct observations and semistructured interviews with 10 graduates. The observations in real-world settings utilized a structured checklist to assess four critical phases of consecutive interpretation: listening and understanding, note-taking, decoding notes, and reformulating and expressing. Key findings indicate that graduates face significant challenges in each phase. In the listening and understanding phase, difficulties include maintaining focus and comprehending complex content. Note-taking challenges involve developing effective techniques and balancing listening with writing. The note-decoding phase reveals issues with accurately reconstructing messages under time pressure. In the reformulating and expressing phase, graduates struggle with delivering fluent and coherent interpretations, especially under stress. The study highlights the importance of cognitive and memory skills, effective notetaking, stress management, and public speaking abilities in successful interpretation. This research underscores the need for a practical approach to interpreter training that addresses both technical and psychological aspects.
References
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35. Schjoldager, A. (1995). Interpreting research and the “manipulation school” of translation studies. International Journal of Translation Studies, 7(1), 29-45.
36. Signorelli, T., Haarmann, H., & Obler, L. (2011). Working memory in simultaneous interpreters: Effects of task and age. International Journal of Bilingualism, 16(2), 198–212.
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38. Thu Dau Mot University (2020). Descrition of the English language curriculumn, 1-5. https://tdmu.edu.vn/hinh/thuvien/taptin/Ban%20m%C3%B4%20t%E1%BA%A3%20CT DH%202020.pdf
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to cite

Tran, D. T., & Phan, T. N. (2024). Oral interpretation skills among English-majored graduates: A case of those from a university in Vietnam. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 8(2), 2025051. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2025051

[1] Albl-Mikasa, M. (2013). Developing and cultivating expert interpreter competence. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 18(1), 17-34.

[2] Alhiyari, I. A. (2013). Challenges that Novice Interpreters Encounter when Interpreting Scientific Texts from English into Arabic. [Unpublished master's thesis, Middle East University]. Amman, Jordan.

[3] Al-Nouh, A. N.; Taqi, H. & Abdul-Kareem, M.M. (2014). EFL primary school teachers' attitudes, knowledge and skills in alternative assessment. International Education Studies, 7(5), 68-84. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ies.v7n5p68

[4] Al-Nouh, N. A., Abdul-Kareem, M. M., & Taqil, H. A. EFL college students’ perceptions of the difficulties in oral presentation as a form of assessment. International Journal of Higher Education, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 136-150.

[5] Chinh, D. H. (2010). A study on mistakes and errors in consecutive interpretation from Vietnamese to English [Unpublished master's thesis, Vietnam National University]. Viet Nam.

[6] Chunli, Y., Mansor, N. S., Ang, L. H., & Sharmini, S. (2021). Factors influencing the quality of consecutive interpretation from the perspective of interpreter. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(3), 1356-1369. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v 11-i3/8955

[7] Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2011). Research methods in education (7th ed.). Routledge.

[8] Dang, H. C. (2010). A study of mistakes and errors in consecutive interpretation from Vietnamese to English. [Bachelor's dissertation, Vietnam National University]. Dokumen.

[9] Davies, A. (2006). A glossary of applied linguistics. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315045597.

[10] Denzin, N. K. (1989). Interpretive interactionism. Sage.

[11] Fügen, C., Waibel, A., & Kolss, M. (2007). Simultaneous translation of lectures and speeches. Machine Translation, 21(4), 209-252. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10590-008-9047-0

[12] Gile, D. (2001). Consecutive vs. simultaneous: Which is more accurate. Interpretation Studies, 3(1), 8-20.

[13] Gile, D. (2009). Basic concepts and models for interpreter and translator training. John Benjamins.

[14] Gillies, A. (2017). Consecutive interpreting: A short course. Routledge.

[15] Hasanshahi, P., & Shahrokhi, M. (2016). The relationship between simultaneous interpreters' speed of speaking in Persian and the quality of their interpreting: A gender perspective. International Journal of English Linguistics, 6(3), 11-20. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v6n3p11

[16] Jones, R. (2002). Conference Interpreting Explained. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

[17] Joughin, G. (2007). Student conceptions of oral presentations. Studies in Higher Education 32(3): 323-336. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070701346873

[18] Lee, J. (2008). Rating scales for interpreting performance assessment. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 2(2), 165-184.

[19] Lin, I. I., Chang, F. A., & Kuo, F. (2008). The impact of non-native accented English on rendition accuracy in simultaneous interpreting. The International Journal of Translation and Interpreting Research, 5(2), 30-44. https://doi.org/10.12807/ti.105202.2013.a03

[20] Miles, R. ( 2014). The learner’s perspective on assessing and evaluating their oral presentations, Proceedings of the Sixth CLS International Conference (CLaSIC). Singapore, 337-352.

[21] Murtiningsih, S. R., & Ardlillah, Q. F. (2021). Investigating students' challenges and strategies when interpreting. Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 518(1), 224-232. https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.210120.128

[22] Nguyen, T. M. (2012). Difficulties and suggested solutions and learning English-Vietnamese consecutive interpreting for the third-year English majors at HaiPhong Private University [Bachelor's dissertation, Haiphong Private University]. Viet Nam.

[23] Nurfauziyah, A. (2017). Exploring problems experienced by students in Interpreting practice. [Unpublished master's thesis, Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta]. Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

[24] Ouyang, L. (2017). Assessing meaning-dimension quality in consecutive interpreting training. Perspectives, 26(2), 196-213.

[25] Petrescu, C. (2014). Teaching interpreting. Procedia - social and behavioral sciences, 116, 3266-3270. DOI:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.745.

[26] Phelan, M. (2001). The interpreter's resource. Multilingual Matters Ltd.

[27] Pöchhacker, F. (2001). Quality assessment in conference and community interpreting. Meta, 46(2), 410-425. https://doi.org/10.7202/003847ar

[28] Pöchhacker, F. (2015). Routledge encyclopedia of interpreting studies. New York: Routledge.

[29] Pochhacker, F. (2016). Introducing interpreting studies (2nd ed.). Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

[30] Pratiwi, R. S. (2016). Common errors and problems encountered by students English to Indonesian consecutive interpreting. Journal of English and Education 2016, 4(1), 127-146. Retrieved from https://ejournal.upi.edu/index.php/L-E/article/view/4624

[31] Pujiyanti, U. & Zuliani, R. F. (2014). Cross cultural understanding: A handbook to understand others' cultures. CV.

[32] Ribas, M. A. (2012). Problems and strategies in consecutive interpreting: A pilot study at two different stages of interpreter training. Erudit, 57(3), 812-835.

[33] Rozan, J. F. (1956). La prise de notes en interpr`etationcons`ecutive. Librairie de l'Université.

[34] Russell, D. (2004). Consecutive and simultaneous interpreting. In T. Janzen (Ed.), Topics in signed language interpreting (pp. 135-164). John Benjamins Publishing Company.

[35] Schjoldager, A. (1995). Interpreting research and the “manipulation school” of translation studies. International Journal of Translation Studies, 7(1), 29-45.

[36] Signorelli, T., Haarmann, H., & Obler, L. (2011). Working memory in simultaneous interpreters: Effects of task and age. International Journal of Bilingualism, 16(2), 198–212.

[37] Tavakoli, H. (2012). A Dictionary of research methodology and statistics in Applied Linguistics. Tehran.

[38] Thu Dau Mot University (2020). Descrition of the English language curriculumn, 1-5. https://tdmu.edu.vn/hinh/thuvien/taptin/Ban%20m%C3%B4%20t%E1%BA%A3%20CT DH%202020.pdf

[39] Tkachenko, I, V. (2014). Teaching presentation skills to students of business English. Financial Space, vol. 4, no. 16, pp. 231-234.

[40] Wadensjö, C. (1998). Interpreting as interaction. Longman.

[41] Youhua, T. (2009). Factors influencing the quality of the interpretation from Chinese to foreign languages. Journal of Mudanjiang Teachers College, 3(1), 54-56.

[42] Živković, S. (2015). Language skills among students in the field of engineering. European Journal of Language and Literature, 1(3), 82-89. https://doi.org/10.26417/ejls.v3i1.p83-90

Abstract

References

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