The Intersection of Language, Culture and Translation: Applications in Teaching and Learning Vietnamese as a Foreign Language

Abstract

Language forms part of institutional culture, however, it is the differences in mental culture that primarily account for the differences among languages used in translation. Translation is considered a culturally specific act of communication and one of the most essential, basic and complete means of cultural transmision. Nevertheless, differences between languages and cultures continue to create barriers in the process of teaching / learning foreign languages and translation. This paper discusses the intersection of language, culture and translation as an intercultural communication event through a comparison of between Vietnamese and English items. Based on this discussion, the paper suggests ways of incorporating language-culture relationships into the construction of language lessons and learning activities for teaching and learning Vietnamese and English as foreign languages at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.