Error Analysis in the Translations of M.A. (English-Thai Translation) Candidates, Ramkhamhaeng University

Abstract

Abstract

Four main objectives of this study were (1) to analyze errors in the entrance examination papers of the Master of Arts (English-Thai Translation) candidates, Ramkhamhaeng University, (2) to study the first year students’ translation problems and problem solving, and (3) to explore how the students improved their translation skills. Two groups of people participated in the research. The first group included 26 candidates who took the entrance examination and the second group consisted of eight first-year students. The researcher interviewed them by posing three questions. Descriptive statistics in percentages was used to present the results. The error analysis findings are as follows: 26 candidates made 552 errors in meaning transfer. The errors were classified into 14 types and 3 causes: lack of linguistic and encyclopedic knowledge and lack of appropriate translation methods. The 26 candidates were divided into two groups: 12 candidates passed the entrance exam and 14 candidates failed it. The research findings showed that those who failed the exam made the fourteen types of errors more than those who passed the exam. Moreover the interview findings are as follows: the students presented their translation problems according to the priority and the quantity of errors they made, from large to small number there were seven types of error. The students’ suggestions for solving the seven translation problems were as follows: classifying each problem into subtypes and explaining the correction strategy step by step, and identifying the causes of those errors and indicating the ways to correct the mistakes. Both the short-term and the long term plans for translation correction were also suggested.