Exploring Challenges Encountered by Business-English Major Students in Translation of Business Contracts

Abstract

This study aims at figuring out the challenges faced by business-English majored students at a Faculty of Foreign Languages of a university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam when they translate business contracts from English into Vietnamese and vice versa. The study also proposes the techniques that may be employed to tackle these difficulties. The questionnaire and they are used in the study. The study results revealed the challenges that business-majored students face including vocabulary, grammar, teaching material, style, term equivalents, and cultural differences between the source and target texts. Techniques may be adapted to tackle these difficulties as reading all samples of business contracts in both English and Vietnamese, being familiar with professional knowledge of business English, availability of more business contract translation-specialized books, exercises and websites, and participation of teachers and experts on workshops related to business contract translation. Most importantly, students or those who would like to learn business contract translation should apply themselves to their studies of business contract translation and expose themselves to different business contracts texts and systems.