An Exmpirical Study On Translation Learning Of English Majors

The thesis mainly focuses on the exploration of the differences between low-achievers and high-achievers in their motivation types of translation learning, and the relationships between translation learning motivation and translation competence. The research seeks firstly to investigate the influence of learners’current English proficiency on translation learning motivation through two types of questionnaires, and then probes into the relationships between translation learning motivation and translation competence. The research is significant as part of motivation studies, as well as an exploration to translation teaching. Firstly, as a supplement to motivation studies and translation teaching, the research in translation learning motivation is necessary and meaningful. Secondly, there are still great demands for professional translators in the translation market. The traditional translation teaching method needs some reformation to integrate translation learning motivation into the teaching process and it is feasible to promote students’translation competence through arousing their translation learning motivation. Thirdly, this research provides references and hints for the English majors in their translation learning. They could pay attention to those positive motivation types and try to inspire their own inner interest in translation.This study attempts to answer the following research questions. Firstly, what motivations do the English majors have in learning translation? As the students are with different English proficiencies and driven by different translation learning motivation types, it is necessary to apply different teaching strategies to them, then, how does English majors’ current English proficiency influence their translation learning motivation? And lastly, what is the relationship between translation learning motivation and translation competence?The methods of empirical and exploratory research are combined in the study. By analyzing the data collected through two types of questionnaires, the study seeks first to investigate the relationships between translation learning motivation and translation competence. The study also explains how the current English level influences learners’ translation learning motivation through statistic analyses.The main conclusions of the research questions are:(1) There are six types of translation learning motivation:social responsibility motivation, intrinsic interest motivation, individual development motivation, immediate achievement motivation, sense of achievement motivation, and learning situation motivation. (2) The current English proficiency influences English major students’translation learning motivation. Students’ intrinsic interest, social responsibly and achievement motivation are positively related to TEM-4 scores, which signifies that the higher the learners’English proficiency, the stronger the learner’s above mentioned motivation types. Individual development motivation, immediate achievement motivation and learning situation motivation are negatively related to learners’English proficiency. As for the result of learning situation motivation, medium-achievers get the highest value which follows by the high-achievers and the low-achievers, i.e. the medium-achievers are most sensitive to the learning condition. (3) There are correlations between the types of translation learning motivation and translation sub-competences. Among them, intrinsic interests and sense of achievement play an important role in improving learners’translation competence; while social responsibility motivation makes learners emphasize more on their translation quality and translation accuracy, which promote translation competence; Motivation of immediate achievement eventually hinders the further improvement of learners’translation competence.This thesis synthesizes motivation research and translation education to analyze their relationships through the empirical study which is rare in its research ideas and methods. Through stimulating students’translation motivation, this research endeavors to help promote English majors’ translation competence, which offers important enlightenments to translation education.