TRANSLATION AS A LEARNING TOOL IN LEGAL READING LESSONS: FIRST-YEAR LAW STUDENTS’ VOICES

This paper delves into the use of translation as a learning tool in legal reading lessons by law students at Hanoi Law University, Vietnam and their perceptions of the efficacy of this device. The study employed a quantitative method of data collection via a survey questionnaire with the participation of a total of 192 first-year law students. The quantitative data were analysed descriptively using SPSS v.26.0 software. The results show that law students utilize translation as a learning tool in their legal reading lessons quite frequently, mainly for converting legal words and phrases, and sometimes sentences into L1. Their choice of translation device is influenced by such factors as domain knowledge, language competence and purpose of reading. Translation is also positively perceived by the participants in aiding their reading comprehension, linguistic development and memory strengthening, though minor concerns relating to time-consumption and reading speed slowdown are uncovered. Based on the findings, several pedagogical recommendations are proposed accordingly to strategically integrate translation activities into legal reading lessons to further enhance student learning outcomes.