Publication: Xinjiapo zhong wen xi bi ye sheng zhong ying shu mian yu fan yi neng li yan jiu = Translation skills in written Chinese-English language : a pilot study of Singaporean graduates in Chinese language
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Date
2001
Authors
Tan, Sok Chuan
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Abstract
In Singapore, a multi-ethnic and multilingual community, students are exposed to more than one language h school, they are required to team English and mother tongue. In the process of learning, students have a great tendency to translate, that is to decode information in one language and then encode in another language and vice versa These covert translations take place so frequently in the mind but they may often go unnoticed A bilingual has the competence to translate by using matching of equivalent linguistic expressions of two languages. Therefore translation may provide a measure of bilingualism.<br><br>This is a pilot study to ascertain the written translation skills of Singaporean graduates in Chinese Language, who are thirty years or below, to translate from Chinese to English and vice versa A set of Chinese-English and English-Chinese translation tests, together with questionnaires for collecting information pertaining to the participants' linguistic environments and self-evaluation of language competence, were given to a sample of 36 graduates in Chinese Language from Nanyang Technological University and National University of Singapore.<br><br>Based on the result of the bilingual tests, comparison between Chinese-English and English-Chinese translation skills can be made. Attempt is also being made to examine which languages they are more proficient Findings indicate that 75.0% of the participants are equally competent in Chinese-English and English-Chinese translation skills, 13.9% of them are better inclined in English-Chinese and 11.1% are more proficient in Chinese-English translation. Based on the findings, it is evident that most of them are bilinguals with equal written language competence in both languages, whereas some of them show tendencies towards a better command in Chinese or English competency.