Employability attributes of interpretation and translation students in Vietnam

Phuong Hoang Yen * and Huynh Van Hien

* Corresponding author (phyen@ctu.edu.vn)

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Received: 21 Mar 2020
Revised: 11 May 2020
Accepted: 31 Jul 2020
Published: 31 Jul 2020
DOI: 10.22144/ctu.jen.2020.012
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Phuong, H. Y., & Huynh, V. H. (2020). Employability attributes of interpretation and translation students in Vietnam. CTU Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development , 12(2), 25-32. https://doi.org/10.22144/ctu.jen.2020.012
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Vol. 12 No. 2 (2020)

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Abstract

Universities need to capture the current state of graduate employability from graduates’ perspectives if they are to respond effectively to skills and knowledge requirements of the industry. Globally, graduate employability is a concept that is becoming increasingly popular in higher education sector. Therefore, this paper aims to explore employability attributes that graduates of English translation and interpretation (ETI) program need. A survey with 48 EIT alumni of a university in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam reveals the attributes that are important for the job market and those that graduates need more training on. The findings revealed that ETI students not only need to reinforce their English linguistic knowledge, professional knowledge and other skills and knowledge provided in the training program, but also have to develop ‘key’ employability skills such as, communication, social and cultural skills in order to be ready for the labor market.
Keywords: Employability, English translation and interpretation, graduate attributes

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