A Case Study of Technology- assisted Language Learning in Enhancing Learners’ Translation Capabilities at BUH during the post-Covid period Research paper presented to Faculty of Foreign Languages Banking University of Ho Chi Minh City In the fulfillment of Research Activities at the Institutional level by NGUYEN NGOC PHUONG DUNG NGUYEN QUANG NHAT HCMC, 2022 Word count: 21896 PHUONG DUNG + QUANG NHAT – ABSTRACT ABSTRACT This study provided a technology-assisted language learning (TALL) model to teach a Vietnamese-English Translation module. The study aimed to (1) provide an in-depth insight into how the TALL model was actually implemented in a specific scenario, to (2) investigate the effectiveness of the model towards learners’ translation performance through various assessments, and to (3) find out how this model could re-orientate learners’ usage of translation strategies. 39 English-majored juniors at Banking University of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam participated in the study during the second semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. The study implemented a case-study mixed method design, applying document analysis of one specific learning scenario, error analysis of learners’ various assessment activities, and in-depth interviews to clarify how the model enhanced their translation strategies.
Results show that a careful design of the TALL model not only contributed to the relevant literature on how to implement technology in actual classroom settings, but also effectively improved learners’ performance in translation studies. Keywords: TALL model, translation strategies, students’ performance, effectiveness. iii PHUONG DUNG + QUANG NHAT – TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION. 1 Definitions of key terms.
1 Problem statement and rationale of the study. 5 Scope of the study. 8 Definition of translation training. 12 Translation quality assessment.
14 Translation training in the Vietnamese context. 18 Translation training at BUH. 20 Technology-assisted language learning. 22 iv PHUONG DUNG + QUANG NHAT – TABLE OF CONTENTS Technology as a mean in translation training.
22 Technology-assisted language learning as a mediational tool in translation training. 35 Assessment methods and rubrics. 43 Procedure of the study. 45 The online platform.
45 Pre-class activities. 45 In-class activities. 45 Post-class activities. 48 Data instruments and analysis.
49 Semi-structured interview. 51 v PHUONG DUNG + QUANG NHAT – TABLE OF CONTENTS Trustworthiness and authenticity. 53 Ethical Issues and Considerations. 55 RESULTS AND FINDINGS.
56 A snapshot of the TALL model. 56 Learning contents and learning outcomes. 70 Student’s improved competence through assessments. 79 Learners’ performance in this specific scenario (N=39).
79 Error analysis through assessment tasks. 90 Learners’ mastery of translation strategies. 91 Learners’ approach to translate a text. 97 Learners’ evaluation of a translated version.
103 The TALL model approach is suited in the Vietnamese context with a well-aligned procedure. 103 The TALL model approach enhanced learners’ competence to achieve the expected learning outcomes. 107 vi PHUONG DUNG + QUANG NHAT – TABLE OF CONTENTS The TALL model approach fostered learners’ use of professional trastrategies. 112 Key contributions of the research.
112 Limitations of the study. 115 Recommendations for further study. 119 vii PHUONG DUNG + QUANG NHAT – LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1-1: Conceptual framework. 6 Figure 2-2: Five-step approach to navigate learners’ translation habits.
13 Figure 3-1: Aligned elements of the research design. 32 Figure 5-1: Translation strategies employed by students. 108 vii PHUONG DUNG + QUANG NHAT – LIST OF TABLES LIST OF TABLES Table 2-1: Translation Rubric. 17 Table 3-1: Competences and learning outcomes of the module.
33 Table 3-2: Course assessment activities. 36 Table 3-3: Translation rubric for 4-point assessment tasks. 39 Table 3-4: Translation rubric for peer-assessment. 40 Table 3-5: Translation rubric for self-assessment.
41 Table 3-6: The final test-structure and its constructs. 42 Table 3-7: Distribution of participants. 44 Table 3-8: Matrix for interviewer selection. 51 Table 4-1: Learning contents in Module 3.
56 Table 4-2: Assessment activities and descriptions. 59 Table 4-3: In-class activities. 73 Table 4-4: Descriptive analysis of participants’ scores. 79 Table 4-5: Frequency of score range.
80 Table 4-6: Frequencies of lexical errors in the first assessment. 80 Table 4-7: Error analysis of lexical items. 82 Table 4-8: Error analysis of syntactic items (N=39). 83 Table 4-9: Examples of error analysis at the lexical and syntactic level.
84 Table 4-10: Descriptive analysis of translating errors (N=39). 87 vii PHUONG DUNG + QUANG NHAT – CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Introduction This chapter introduces key term definitions upon which the foundation of this study was made. Then, it describes the problem statements and rationale for the study. The next sections highlight research questions and research objectives.
Afterwards, a conceptual background is presented with an aim to place their relevance to translation training. Finally, the chapter discusses the scope of the study. Definitions of key terms Translation is a linguistic activity at high level to render meaning from one source language into a target language (Newmark, 1988). Translation training is a profession-orientated discipline that caters to the preparation and equipping of trainees for the market.
Technology-assisted language learning (TALL) is a pedagogical approach in which technologies and technology-assisted platforms (e., computers, laptops, Ipads, mobile devices, online resources) are exploited to develop learners’ profound knowledge and language skills via meaningful practice and real-life exercises. The TALL model provides a guiding framework for the implementation of technology into a particular educational context. This study includes a suggested procedure with various group works and individual activities with the usage of technology as a mediational tool. 1 PHUONG DUNG + QUANG NHAT – CHAPTER 1 Perceptions are the emotional feelings of the students towards the implementation of a specific pedagogical method (Bergmann & Sams, 2012).
In this study, they are measured by the students’ attitudes towards the beneficial effects of the suggested model. Effectiveness is the degree to which an intervention is successful in producing the desired pedagogical results (Caliskan & Bicen, 2016). In this context, the effectiveness is measured by academic performance reflecting the student’s depth of knowledge and skills gained through various assessments. In addition, effectiveness is also measured by the changes of learners’ usage of professional translation strategies.
Process-orientated translation is related to the cognitive process, focusing on the awareness of how a translator produces a translated version as a result of decision-making and strategy-execution at the three fundamental loci of comprehension, transfer, and production (Volkova, 2014). Problem statement and rationale of the study As English becomes the lingua franca in many professional fields, competent translators are vital for non-English speaking countries that seek to integrate economy into the world for social, educational, and economic achievements (Robert et al. Hence, there is a high demand for proficient translators as well as for effective educational methods for translation subjects (Sanchez, 2017). Vietnam is a country where the improvement of translation training is undertaken as an integral part of many 2 PHUONG DUNG + QUANG NHAT – CHAPTER 1 faculties of foreign languages, and of translation lecturers' desire to adopt contemporary active, student-centred methods to enhance learners’ performance (Nguyen et al.
However, Vietnamese translation lecturers are struggling to adopt educational approaches that can enhance learners’ independence and autonomy (Pham, 2016). For example, Le et al. (2012) found that 67% of graduates from eight universities in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) stated their translation programmes did not provide sufficient skills practice, maintaining that most teachers favoured monotonous traditional training and offered few real-life activities, whereas the students still spontaneously adopted word-to-word translation techniques. While 28% of the participants considered these courses useful for their employability, others did not feel well-prepared to enter the market after graduation.
Hence, there is a need to change the current situation of translation training in Vietnam (Do, 2020; Nguyen et al. With the increased availability of web-based educational technologies, some scholars have studied the teaching of translation from the perspective of computer-aided instructions (Barr, 2012), online platform (Wang, 2017), and PEnPAL (Vale de Gato et al. While the research mentioned demonstrates beneficial effects on teaching translation using modern technology, there are some limitations, such as the limited adaptability of online resources with relevant curriculum content. Moreover, these studies neglected physical in-class interactions to boost collaborative learning and develop professional competences.
Therefore, a better 3 PHUONG DUNG + QUANG NHAT – CHAPTER 1 application of technology in the translation classroom with a more detailed description of the in-class procedures might be beneficial. Finally, a review of recent literature reveals some gaps in the TALL theories (Ha et al., 2019; Mustafa et al. First, most studies do not describe what activities are happening outside and inside the classroom and how actively the participants get involved in the technological-assisted activities to promote individualised learning. Moreover, it is still difficult to envision how these activities enable learners to master their skills with regards to the learning objectives and the course requirements (Akçayır & Akçayır, 2018).
Therefore, a further investigation is needed to clarify how technological-assisted teaching activities and assessment tasks are aligned to the course objectives and learning outcomes, in order to enhance test achievements and skill competency. These are the reasons that strongly support the conduct of this study. In summary, this research sought to provide a TALL model with a detailed description of technological-assisted activities to shed light on how technology is actually implemented in translation training. The study also proposed to clarify the extent to which the alignment of learning outcomes, assessment tasks, and teaching contents enhances learners’ test achievements and skills competency.
Finally, in-depth results with both quantitative and qualitative evidence were provided in the paper to demonstrate the benefits of this suggested model from assessment analysis and semi-structured interviews. 4 PHUONG DUNG + QUANG NHAT – CHAPTER 1 Research objectives This study aims to: 1. describe how a TALL model is implemented in a translation classroom setting to ensure that all teaching activities are systematically and coherently aligned with the expected learning outcomes and assessment tasks. investigate the benefits of the TALL model towards learners’ improvement in translation competence as measured through their formative and summative assessments.
explore the impacts of the TALL model in enhancing learners’ usage of professional translation strategies. Research questions This study aimed to answer three following questions: 1. How was the TALL model actually implemented to ensure the alignment between learning activities and learning outcomes, assessments, and educational theories in one particular scenario? 2. How does this model influence students’ improvement in translation competence, as measured by error analysis through their performance in formative and summative assessments? 3.
How did the model impact the students’ translation strategies to solve their assignments? Conceptual framework This study was built upon 2 main cores: computer-assisted language learning and process-orientated training to develop learners’ competency. Figure 1-1 illustrates this relationship as follows. 5 PHUONG DUNG + QUANG NHAT – CHAPTER 1 Effectiveness Technology as a Technology- mediational tool assisted Constructively- learning 1. Portfolio designed lessons 3.
Group forum Better academic Collaborative practice + results Training of professional Process- translation strategies oriented 1. Exploratory activities Learners’ usage 3. Joint negotiation of professional 4. Individual construction strategies 5.
Peer review Figure 1-1: Conceptual framework The technology as part of a blended learning model was employed to improve educational efficacy in the Vietnamese translation classroom. Students first gained exposure to new knowledge via watching videos and other online resources, which provided a distinct advantage for learners who performed at different paces. Class time was then used for learning-centred activities that build on the pre-class work and process-oriented training. With this model, technology is inclined to be an integrative and mediational tool for the training process, and interactions between students and teachers created by process-oriented training are of great significance with thin the training procedure.