MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITY Independence - Freedom - Happiness

COURSE SYLLABUS
FOR FULL-TIME UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES

1. COURSE NAME: Interpretation 2

Code: NNTM1111 Credits: 2

2. DEPARTMENT IN CHARGE:
Business English Department; Faculty of Foreign Languages

Office: Room 105-107, 6B Building, National Economics University.

Office Hours: 8:00-17:00, Monday-Friday

Office Telephone: 84.438692255

3. PREREQUISITE: Interpretation 1

4. COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Being the second in a 3-course curriculum, Interpretation 2 is designed to give students
further practice with professional activities of interpretation and enhance their skills of
translating more professional sources in the fields of economics, management and
business. The course contents are parallel and compatible with those of the course
Translation 2 to maximize the students' learning process in regards to thematic
vocabulary.

5. COURSE OBJECTIVE:
The course aims at enhancing students' skills of interpretation through practicing
translating formal and complete talks in the fields of economics, management and
business. The course focuses on developing students' listening, reaction, transferring
main ideas and details, confidence in public speaking in popular business contexts like
meetings, negotiations, conferences, and news reporting. The students are required to
employ the skills and knowledge learnt from Interpretation 1 as well as their
background knowledge accumulated from other courses to support interpretation.
By the end of the course, students will be able to
-Process and interpret talks of 15’’ – 20’’ taken from public media sources, whose
topics vary with economics, business administration, marketing, human resource
management, financial management, accounting, international business and trade,
investment, etc.;
-Listen to and interpret ideas of long passages, showing logic links of ideas within the
passage
-Summarize main ideas with the assistance of note-taking

6. COURSE CONTENTS:
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
in which

Total Discussion
CONTENTS
No. , Note
hours Lecture
assignment
s, tests
1 Introduction to the course 2 1 1
Frequently asked questions
2 Economics 2 1 1
Argumentation
Dealing with terminology
3 Development economics 2 1 1
Analyzing purposes and context of the
talk to adjust translated version.
Dictions/Register
4 Public Management 2 1 1
Analyzing types and style of the talk to
adjust translated version.
Formal style
5 Business Administration 2 1 1
Separating ideas from complex
sentences to assist interpretation
6 Human Resources Management 2 1 1
Summarizing points of a passage to
assist interpretation of main ideas
 Quotation/Transportation
7 Marketing 2 1 1
Identifying inference and implication
to assist interpretation of ideas
Discourse analysis
8 Investment 2 1 1
Alternating verb and noun phrases in
interpretation
Economic discourse
9 Mid-term test 2 1 1

10 Tourism 2 1 1
Analyzing purposes and contexts of the
talk to adjust translated version.
Humor
11 Trade: Import & Export 2 1 1
Analyzing types and style of the talk to
adjust translated version.
Numbers
12 Banking & Finance 3 1 2
Separating ideas from complex
sentences to assist interpretation
Revision
Total 25 12 13

BRIEF INTRODUCTION ABOUT EACH UNIT

(Each Unit is comprised of two interactive and supplementary parts, one serves
particular topic-based interpretation, the other belongs to specific interpreting
techniques)

Unit 1 – Introduction
In the first unit of the course, students get to know about the course through the
syllabus. Students are also instructed in the ways to use previously learnt knowledge
and skills to serve study and work in the future.
Unit 2 – Economics
Students practice translating talks on economics, through which they learn about new
terminology in economics; understand complex sentences in L1 and find equivalent
meaning in L2. Students also learn some principles in dealing with terminology in
interpretation to apply in translating other topics later in the course.
In addition, they should be alert to the appreciation of both logical and emotive rhetoric
during the interpretation process. These two components should not be mutually
exclusive and neither is better per se.

Unit 3: Development Economics

Students practice translating talks on development economics, through which they
learn about new terminology of the field as well as the skill of analyzing purposes and
context of the talks to adjust translated version accordingly.
Moreover, students should get access to the discrepancy between diplomatic decorum
and forceful debate to balance them in their mood and responses.

Unit 4 – Public Management

Students practice translating talks on public management, through which they learn
about new terminology of the field as well as the skill of analyzing types and style of
the talk to adjust translated version accordingly.
Furthermore, students should be aware of three criteria in their interpretation, namely
the subject, the occasion and the audience. Especially, they should be responsible for
reflecting the speaker’s occasion. The more important the occasion is, the more
accurate and complete should the reflection be.

Unit 5 - Business Administration

Students practice translating talks on business administration, through which they learn
about new terminology of the field as well as the skill of separating ideas from
complex sentences to assist interpretation.
Unit 6 –Human Resources Management
Students practice translating talks on human resources management, through which
they learn about new terminology of the field as well as the skill of summarizing main
points from a passage to assist interpretation of main ideas.
Also, students are instructed how to deal with the situations in which speakers use
quotations in their speech so that they can avoid distorting speakers’ language.
Unit 7 - Marketing
Students practice translating talks on marketing, through which they learn about new
terminology of the field as well as the skill of identifying inference and implication to
assist interpretation of ideas.
In this unit, students should acquire certain skills in discourse analysis to understand
the speech’s vocabulary and structure.
Unit 8 – Investment
Students practice translating talks on investment, through which they learn about new
terminology of the field as well as the skill of alternating verb and noun phrases in
interpretation. Also, specific cases under the theme related to economy should be
explored to improve discourse analysis skills.
Unit 9 – Mid-term test
Students complete the test in 10 minutes in class, translating talks in both English and
Vietnamese without using dictionaries.
Unit 10 – Tourism
Students practice translating talks on tourism, through which they learn about new
terminology of the field as well as the skill of analyzing purposes and context of the
talks to adjust translated version accordingly.
It should be noticed that humor is difficult to interpret. Therefore, students should
know how to draw a laugh from the audience in their interpretation.
Unit 11 – Trade: Import & Export
Students practice translating talks on trade, specifically on import and export, through
which they learn about new terminology of the field as well as the skill of analyzing
types and style of the talk to adjust translated version accordingly.
In addition, students should get chances to practice interpreting figures as technical
instruments so that they can give accurate measurement.
Unit 12 – Banking & Finance
Students practice translating talks banking, through which they learn about new
terminology of the field as well as the skill of separating ideas from complex sentences
to assist interpretation.
Students review language/linguistic issues, skills and techniques involved in
interpretation.

7. REQUIRED TEXTBOOK & COURSE MATERIALS:

A set of teaching materials compiled and updated every week by teachers.

8. RECOMMENDED TEXTS & OTHER READINGS:

1. Nolan, J. (2005). Interpretation. Techniques and Exercises. Cromwell Press Ltd.
2. Daily economic and financial reviews by VOV and VTV.
 3. Broadcasting on market, business, and economic reviews on CNN, ABC, NBC.
4. www.bbc.com
5. www.voa.com
6. www.youtube.com
7. Official websites about English language learning of British Council, BBC,
CNN
9. ASSESSMENT AND GRADING POLICY:
On progress assessment, of which:
No. Categories Weight Description
(%)
1 Attendance 10 students attend at least 80% class time
2 Preparation 20 students complete preparation tasks
3 Mid-course test 20 students work on a 60-minute test in class
4 Final examination 50 students work on a 60-minute examination
Total 100

Hanoi,
HEAD OF DEPARTMENT PRESIDENT

Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen, M.A Prof. Dr. Pham Hong Chuong