December 15, 2023

In this module, we’re going to cover three broad topics namely socioeconomics, environment
and culture. The portfolio, which is up to 1500 words – excluding the source text, is a collection
of your best self-study works/activities. It includes the following:

1. TEN examples (5 in English and 5 in Vietnamese) from a range of structures covered in

the semester along with your suggested translation.

2. TEN terms/phrases (5 in English and 5 in Vietnamese) that you have found typical in the
three broad topics covered in this module.
Please quote the terms/phrases in their original texts/contexts and provide the translation.

Notes for part 1 & 2:

 You should read extensively and select the examples from texts/contexts other than class
materials.
 For part 2, select phrases/terms that are NOT simply new words to you but typical ones
of each topic.
 It is compulsory that you translated the examples by yourselves. Using existing translated
texts or having the examples rendered by Google Translate without editing them
critically will result in a high similarity score and/or a high percentage of AI writing.
 Make sure you put the source sentences in quotation marks to reduce the similarity score.

3. Your discussion of a translated text that needs editing together with your edited
version. You should write about 500 words in this part.
Notes:
 The source text should be between 150 and 200 words, either in English or
Vietnamese.
 The source text and its translated version can be taken from printed publications,
company brochures, online newspaper articles, websites (e.g. Engrish.com),
street food menus, captions for exhibits in museums, etc.
 In your comments, discuss at least TWO types of meaning transfer or strategic
errors in the translation including (but not limited to) omission, addition,
misunderstanding of source text, text types, word choice, literalness, faithfulness,
cohesion, ambiguity.
 Please include word count for this part.
 Both the source and translated texts should be presented in a table and put in the
Appendix.

You should refer to:

 Appendix 1 of this file for the grading descriptors to understand how your work is
assessed.
 Appendix 2 for the portfolio template to have an idea of how to present your work.

Task fulfilment (40%)
Rating
Excellent  The portfolio consists of all the required
(90-100) parts and in full quantity.
 The student demonstrates a very good
control and understanding of the task:
purpose and implication of tasks, choice
of language and texts, and meaning
comprehension.
Good  The portfolio consists of almost all of the
(70-89) required parts and each part in sufficient
quantity.
 The student demonstrates a generally
good control and understanding of the
task: purpose and implication of tasks,
choice of language and texts, and
meaning comprehension.
Fair  The portfolio consists of most of the
(50-69) required parts and/or each part in
sufficient quantity.
 The translation shows a general control
and understanding of the task.
 Some evidence of misunderstanding and
omissions are still found although they
are not so serious.
Poor  The portfolio consists of some of the
(30-49) required parts and/or each part in
insufficient quantity.
 The translation shows a limited control
and understanding of the task.
Appendix 1: Grading descriptors
Criteria and ratio
Accuracy and appropriateness Critical thinking and practicality (25%)
rendering (25%)
The translation in the portfolio
conveys very well meaning,
implication, and communication
purpose into the target language
in smooth and natural fashion
and/or with an excellent choice
of words and phrases.
The translation in the portfolio is
basically a faithful rendering of
the source language text’s
features.
The syntactic, semantic, and
pragmatic choices are
appropriate.
The translation in the portfolio is 
comprehensible although the
choice of syntax, vocabulary
and/or idiomatic expressions is
not completely appropriate.
The translation in the portfolio
causes difficulty to the readers
as the choice of syntax,
vocabulary and/or idiomatic
expressions is not appropriate
Grammar &
mechanics (spelling,
punctuation) (10%)
 The student shows very good critical The portfolio is free of
thinking skills in her/his comment grammar and
and editing work. mechanical mistakes
 The choice of phrases/structures in such as spelling and
the portfolio is highly practical and punctuation.
useful.
 The student shows generally good There are minor
critical thinking skills in her/his mistakes in grammar,
comment and editing work. spelling and
 The choice of phrases/structures in punctuation.
the portfolio is practical and useful.
The student shows generally critical The translation still
thinking skills in her/his comment contains some
and editing work. mistakes in grammar
 The choice of phrases/structures in and writing mechanics
the portfolio is somewhat practical that do not affect
and useful. readers’
understanding.
 The student shows low critical Many major
thinking skills in her/his comment grammatical and
and editing work. mechanical mistakes
 The choice of phrases/structures in are detected.
the portfolio is of limited practicality

Needs  The portfolio consists of one of the
work required parts and/or all parts in
(20-29) insufficient quantity.
 The translation shows no control and
understanding of the task.
The translation in the portfolio
causes readers to misunderstand
or be unable to understand it as
the choice of syntax, vocabulary
and/or idiomatic expressions is
not appropriate
and usefulness.
 The student shows no critical There are too many
thinking skills in her/his comment mistakes in grammar,
and editing work. spelling and
 The choice of phrases/structures in punctuation.
the portfolio is of no practicality and
usefulness. (This can include the
case that student copies examples or
text for editing from the classroom
materials)
 Appendix 2: Portfolio template
Module title: Module code: Academic year: …………… Cohort: …….

PORTFOLIO
Part 1: Structures covered in the semester

No. Structures Source text Translation Source

English
0 Complex Even though 2022 wasn’t near record Trong một báo cáo được công bố vào ngày Borenstein, S. (2023). Cost of 2022
structure hot for the United States, it was the 11/11 tại Hội nghị của Hiệp hội Khí tượng extreme weather disasters in the us
third wildest year nationally both in Hoa Kỳ, Cơ quan Khí quyển và Đại dương totalled $165 billion, NOAA says.
number of extremes that cost $1 Quốc gia (NOAA) cho biết mặc dù năm 2022 Available at:
https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news
billion and overall damage from those không phải là năm nóng kỷ lục đối với Hoa
/national-international/cost-of-2022-
weather catastrophes, the National Kỳ nhưng lại là năm dữ dội thứ ba trên toàn
extreme-weather-disasters-in-the-us-
Oceanic and Atmospheric quốc xét cả về số lượng các hiện tượng cực totaled-165-billion-noaa-says/
Administration said in a report issued đoan gây thiệt hại đến 1 tỷ USD cũng như về 2951672/ (Retrieved Sep 12, 2023)
at the American Meteorological tổng thiệt hại do hậu quả của những thảm họa
Society's conference. thời tiết đó.
1
2
3
4
5
Vietnamese
6
7
8
9
 10
Part 2: Terms/typical phrases found in areas of socioeconomics, environment, and culture.

No. Terms/Phrases Source text Translation Source

English
0 Disbursement / “Disbursement of foreign direct
up 16% year-on- investment (FDI) in the first nine
year months of this year reached 15.4
billion USD, up 16.2 % year-on-year
and marking a record high, a report
from the Foreign Investment
Department (FIA) has shown.”
Báo cáo của Cục Đầu tư nước
ngoài (FIA) cho thấy, giải ngân
vốn đầu tư trực tiếp nước ngoài
(FDI) 9 tháng đầu năm nay đạt
15,4 tỷ USD, tăng 16,2% so với
cùng kỳ năm ngoái, đánh dấu một
mức giải ngân cao kỷ lục.
VNA (2022) Foreign investment
disbursement hits record high in nine
months: Business: Vietnam+
(vietnamplus), VietnamPlus. Available
at: https://en.vietnamplus.vn/foreign-
investment-disbursement-hits-record-high-
in-nine-months/239083.vnp (Accessed: 07
September 2023).

2
3
4
5
Vietnamese
6
7
8
9
10
Part 3: Translated text that needs editting.

Please note that the example below is only to show you how to present your work, NOT an excellent task response that you should copy.

In the translated text, two types of errors are identified, i.e. errors in word choice and ambiguous translation of reference.

Regarding errors in word choice, the phrase “a wet or damp spot” in sentence (1) below is translated into “nơi ẩm ướt hoặc ẩm ướt”, in which the word
“ẩm ướt” is used to refer to both “wet” and “damp”, showing a limitation in the translator’s vocabulary repertoire.

(1) “Molds are usually not a problem indoors, unless mold spores land on a wet or damp spot and begin growing.”
Translation: “Nấm mốc thường không phải là vấn đề trong nhà, trừ khi các bào tử nấm mốc rơi xuống nơi ẩm ướt hoặc ẩm ướt và bắt đầu phát
triển.”
My suggestion: Nấm mốc thường không phải là vấn đề trong nhà, trừ khi các bào tử nấm mốc rơi xuống chỗ ẩm thấp hoặc ướt át và bắt đầu
phát triển.

Another example of this error type can be seen in sentence (2), in which the term “hay fever” has been translated into “sốt cỏ khô”, a much less
common term in Vietnamese. As defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, hay fever is “an acute allergic reaction to pollen that is usually seasonal
and is marked by sneezing, nasal discharge and congestion, and itching and watering of the eyes”; therefore, the more appropriate equivalent should be
“viêm mũi dị ứng”.

(2) “Allergic responses include hay fever-type symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash.”
Translation: “Các phản ứng dị ứng bao gồm các triệu chứng kiểu sốt cỏ khô, chẳng hạn như hắt hơi, sổ mũi, mắt đỏ và phát ban da.”
My suggestion: Các phản ứng dị ứng bao gồm các triệu chứng kiểu viêm mũi dị ứng, chẳng hạn như hắt hơi, sổ mũi, mắt đỏ và phát ban da.

The second type of error is the ambiguous translation of reference in example (3) below. The subject pronoun “they” refers to “allergic reactions” in
the previous sentence. However, as “allergic reactions” is translated into “phản ứng dị ứng” without a marker of plural form such as “những” or “các”,
the translation of “they” into “chúng”, which in itself refers to plurality, in the following sentence is both unclear and confusing. The translation of
example (3) also contains an error in word choice. The word “delayed” is translated into “bị trì hoãn”, which does not go very naturally with the
subject “phản ứng dị ứng” (allergic reactions). In order to improve the translation, I would suggest omitting the pronoun “they” then combining the
information in the second sentence with that in the first one. Besides, the word “delayed” should be translated into “sau đó” (back translation: later) and
the verb “xảy ra” (happen) is added before the word “immediate” (ngay lập tức) to make the sentence clearer and smoother.
 (3) “Allergic reactions to mold are common. They can be immediate or delayed.”
Translation: Phản ứng dị ứng với nấm mốc là phổ biến. Chúng có thể ngay lập tức hoặc bị trì hoãn.
My suggestion: Phản ứng dị ứng với nấm mốc là phổ biến, có thể xảy ra ngay lập tức/tức thì hoặc sau đó.

References:
- Please include the full references (APA format) of the texts used in your portfolio.
- Make sure that the word “References” is aligned left so that Turnitin won’t count your appendix. This will help reduce your similarity score.

Borenstein, S. (2023). Cost of 2022 extreme weather disasters in the us totalled $165 billion, NOAA says. Available at:
https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/national-international/cost-of-2022-extreme-weather-disasters-in-the-us-totaled-165-billion-noaa-says/
2951672/ (Accessed: Sep 12, 2023)
IELTS song ngu (2022). Disappearing delta. Available at: https://ieltssongngu.com/envi/song-ngu/cam05/disappearing-delta (Accessed: 07 September
2023).
US EPA (2022). How do molds affect people? Available at: https://www.epa.gov/mold/how-do-molds-affect-people (Accessed: 07 September 2023).
VNA (2022) Foreign investment disbursement hits record high in nine months: Business: Vietnam+ (vietnamplus), VietnamPlus. Available at:
https://en.vietnamplus.vn/foreign-investment-disbursement-hits-record-high-in-nine-months/239083.vnp (Accessed: 07 September 2023).
………

Appendix

Source text (150 words) Translation

How do molds affect people?
Molds are usually not a problem indoors, unless mold spores land
on a wet or damp spot and begin growing. Molds have the potential
to cause health problems. Molds produce allergens (substances that
can cause allergic reactions) and irritants.
Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic
reactions in sensitive individuals. Allergic responses include hay
Nấm mốc ảnh hưởng đến con người như thế nào?
Nấm mốc thường không phải là vấn đề trong nhà, trừ khi các bào tử nấm
mốc rơi xuống nơi ẩm ướt hoặc ẩm ướt và bắt đầu phát triển. Nấm mốc có
khả năng gây ra các vấn đề về sức khỏe. Nấm mốc tạo ra chất gây dị ứng
(chất có thể gây ra phản ứng dị ứng) và chất kích thích.
Hít phải hoặc chạm vào nấm mốc hoặc bào tử nấm mốc có thể gây ra phản
ứng dị ứng ở những người nhạy cảm. Các phản ứng dị ứng bao gồm các
fever-type symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and triệu chứng kiểu sốt cỏ khô, chẳng hạn như hắt hơi, sổ mũi, mắt đỏ và phát
skin rash. ban da.
Allergic reactions to mold are common. They can be immediate or Phản ứng dị ứng với nấm mốc là phổ biến. Chúng có thể ngay lập tức hoặc
delayed. Molds can also cause asthma attacks in people with asthma bị trì hoãn. Nấm mốc cũng có thể gây ra các cơn hen suyễn ở những người
who are allergic to mold. bị hen suyễn dị ứng với nấm mốc.
In addition, mold exposure can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, Ngoài ra, việc tiếp xúc với nấm mốc có thể gây kích ứng mắt, da, mũi,
and lungs of both mold-allergic and non-allergic people. Symptoms họng và phổi của cả người dị ứng và không dị ứng với nấm mốc. Các triệu
other than the allergic and irritant types are not commonly reported chứng khác ngoài các loại dị ứng và kích ứng thường không được báo cáo
as a result of inhaling mold. Research on mold and health effects is do hít phải nấm mốc. Nghiên cứu về ảnh hưởng của nấm mốc và sức khỏe
ongoing. đang được tiến hành.
Source: US EPA (2022). How do molds affect people? Available at: Source: IELTS song ngu (2022). Disappearing delta. Available at:
https://www.epa.gov/mold/how-do-molds-affect-people https://ieltssongngu.com/envi/song-ngu/cam05/disappearing-delta
(Accessed 07 September 2023). (Accessed: 07 September 2023).