Speaker
Description
Translating proper names in fantasy literature is a critical milestone in translation pedagogy, as it requires students to move beyond literal correspondence toward cultural and functional equivalence. This study investigates the impact of explicit instruction strategies on proper names translation among third-year English majors enrolled in a "Translation 1" course. Using a quantitative experimental design, the research evaluates the effectiveness of training students in Eirlys E. Davies’ (2003) seven-strategy taxonomy: preservation, addition, omission, globalization, localization, transformation, and creation. Data were collected through pre-test and post-test translation tasks involving short excerpts from some fantasy novels. While the pre-test results indicated a heavy reliance on "preservation" regardless of the name’s context, the post-test results for the experimental group showed a statistically significant improvement in translation appropriateness. The findings suggest that explicit training in Davies’ seven strategies enables students to move beyond literal translation toward more functional, reader-oriented approaches. These results provide empirical evidence for the necessity of incorporating specific name-translation workshops into teaching translation. The study concludes with some recommendations for enhancing the cultural and creative competence of EFL learners when handling "loaded" proper names in fantasy literature.
Biography
Ms. Nguyen Thi Kha Vi is a lecturer within the Faculty of English Language at Lac Hong University, where she has been a faculty member since 2017. With over a decade of extensive teaching experience, she has experienced in teaching a wide range of learners, from young learners to students and adults. Currently, she is further specializing her expertise as a PhD candidate in Comparative and Contrastive Linguistics at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh. Her academic research focuses primarily on the systematic comparison and contrast of the English and Vietnamese languages. Beyond pure linguistics, she is deeply invested in the practical application of translation studies within pedagogy, seeking innovative ways to bridge theoretical frameworks and classroom instruction. Through her combined roles as a lecturer and researcher, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kha Vi continues to explore the complex intersections of language structure and effective English language teaching.
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