A Study on NEU Senior Business English Students’ Difficulties in Translating Business Letters and Solutions

Business letters are an important communication tool in professional settings. They are used to exchange business information among customers, suppliers and partners. Being aware of its importance with Business English students, the researcher conducted a study to explore major obstacles that senior Business English students encounter when translating business letters from Vietnamese into English and also to provide useful suggestions to such challenges. Specifically, a set of twelve questions was designed and successfully sent to sixty students in the Business English Department. At the same time, interviews were conducted to enable a deep investigation into the topic. The data was collected and analysed in the format of diagrams. The study shows that with a general understanding of business letters and the translation process in particular, the students interviewed face remarkable difficulties in using correct grammar, word forms, terminology and the conveyance of the original writing styles as well as the meanings. Regarding these challenges, some suggestions are proposed to overcome such difficulties and also to sharpen their translation skills as a crucial target of the study. Key words: business letters; translating; difficulties; suggestions