TRANSLATOR’S CHALLENGE

[Time allotment: 60 minutes]

Student’s name:
Student ID:
Part 1 (40 points): Translate the following sentences into Vietnamese, paying greater attention to
the underlined phrases:

No. Source text Target text

1 Under Doi moi, Vietnam began its transition
from a centrally planned system toward a
market economy by implementing a wide range
of structural reforms. A comprehensive budget
law clarifying government responsibilities in the
budget process was adopted, and a Public
Expenditure Review and multi-year public
investment program were completed.
2 There are many who claim that this education
system is wrong because it puts too much
emphasis on measuring achievement and not
enough on true learning. This in turn has
inevitable effects on the students themselves. In
such a high-pressure learning environment,
those that find the pressure overwhelming have
nowhere to turn. In an academic world measured
only by academic success, many students begin
to feel a low sense of worth, yet they fear to turn
to anyone for help.
3 No other country with the same size or
population has contained the virus the way
Vietnam has. Despite sharing a border with the
country where the outbreak started, Vietnam's
success story is one worth telling. The people of
Vietnam are learning to live in their new
normal, but are still encouraged to social
distance and wear masks.
4 Have you ever told a joke that you found
hilarious, only to be met with dead stares or
shocked expressions? Does your humor tend to
divide people, into those that do and don’t find
you funny? Do you have a slightly skewed, more
cynical approach to life? Then chances are you
have a dry sense of humor. It is when you find
things funny but you say it without any emotion,
or in a serious tone of voice.
Part 2 (60 points): Translate the following texts into Vietnamese, paying greater attention to the
phrases in bold:

Source text Target text

Vietnam is a nation that moves on two wheels. A

200,000-kilometer road network connects cities
with farming villages, beach resorts to mountain
escapes and dense jungles to a jagged coastline.
Over 37 million scooters snake their way from the
Mekong Delta in the South to the snow-dusted
peaks on the Chinese border. It's the favored mode
of transport for the 90 million people that call
Vietnam home, and tourists are catching on.

The country sees almost 8 million visitors every

year, and recently a new type of traveler has started
arriving: motorcyclists. A popular travel route
connecting Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City has
developed, with riders seeking history and culture
to accompany adventure.

Hanoi, the bustling capital, is the beginning for most

motorcyclists in Vietnam. Some riders seek out the
services of reputable companies while young
backpackers scour the streets in search of cheap,
Chinese-built bikes. But while many purchase a
motorcycle and head directly South, those in the
know head North, aiming for Vietnam's majestic
mountains.

Arguably the most exquisite terrain in the entire

country, the drive to Dong Van and onward to Bao
Lac is home to 17 minority groups, beehive-like
peaks and the deepest canyon in Southeast Asia,
Ma Pi Leng. Temperatures can plummet in these
mountains and the rough roads can leave the body
bruised and shaken, but the discomfort is canceled
out by the thrill of experiencing Vietnam's most
epic panoramas.