Kinh tế học cho Phiên dịch viên

Economics for Interpreters

Feb 25 - March 22, 2002

Introduction

Peter Calkins

Chau Van Thanh

Cao Hao Thi

                             Nguyen Vu Tu

Daniel Westbrook

                             Tran Thi Hieu Hanh

                             Nguyen Quy Tam

Class Meetings:

                                    February 19 – March 13

                                    Monday through Friday

                                    5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Location:                    Classroom A

Course Objectives:

The course, to be taught in English and Vietnamese, will give interpreters a sound base in Market Economics that will be necessary to provide accurate and professional translation and interpretation of economic terms and concepts from English into Vietnamese and vice versa.

Course Description:

         There are three main components to the Economics for Interpreters course.  First, the participants will gain a solid understanding of microeconomic principles through a standard microeconomics course.  Microeconomics provides the theoretical foundation for market economics and having a sound grounding in microeconomics will help interpreters/translators deal with complex economic terms and ideas.  The course will also introduce several basic concepts in macroeconomics and trade.  The lectures and discussions will revolve around four themes: supply and demand analysis; the business’ decision-making environment; the impact of taxes and subsidies; and several basic concepts in macroeconomics and trade.

         Second, the participants will gain experience in interpreting spoken economics through a series of interpreting exercises which will be held in the second half of the lectures.  The drills are intended to help the participants apply the economic concepts as they act as interpreters.

Third, the participants will gain experience in translating written economic passages.  The participants will form translation groups and discuss translation assignments.  Once a week, the class will meet to discuss economic terms and usage and review written assignments.

In the second and third components of the course, stress will be placed on understanding how to use Vietnamese economic terms in interpreting and translation.

Requirements:

          The course will require participants to do the required readings of chapters assigned prior to the discussion of the topic and a series of translation homework assignments.

          Participants who successfully complete the program will be awarded a certificate of completion.

Readings:

The required readings for the course will be assigned from the two textbooks:

1.        Economics (Begg)

2.        A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Investment Decisions (Jenkins and Harberger)

Program:

(First Week: 25 Feb – Mar 01)

INTRODUCTION TO DEMAND AND SUPPLY ANALYSIS

1.       Opening and Introduction and the Tools of Economic Analysis

Required Reading:  Chapters 1 and 2 of Begg

Instructors:  Peter Calkins and Nguyen Vu Tu

2.       Demand, Supply, and the Market

Required Reading:  Chapter 3 of Begg

Instructors:  Peter Calkins and Nguyen Vu Tu

3.       Elasticity

Required Reading:  Chapter 5 of Begg

Instructors:  Peter Calkins and Nguyen Vu Tu

DERIVING THE DEMAND AND SUPPLY CURVES

4.       Consumer Choice Theory

Required Reading:  Chapter 6 of Begg

Instructors:  Dan Westbrook and Nguyen Vu Tu

5.       Translation English – Vietnamese

Instructor:  Nguyen Vu Tu, Tran Thi Hieu Hanh, and Nguyen Quy Tam

(Second Week: Mar 4 – 8)

6.       Marginal Cost and Marginal Revenue

Required Reading:  Chapter 7 of Begg

Instructor:  Peter Calkins

7.       Costs and the Supply Curve

Required Reading:  Chapter 8 of Begg

Instructors:  Peter Calkins

8.       Monopoly

Required Reading:  Chapter 9 of Begg

Instructors:  Dan Westbrook and Nguyen Vu Tu

INTRODUCTION TO INVESTMENT APPRAISAL

9.       Appraisal of Public-Sector Projects

Required Reading:  Chapter 2 of Jenkins

Instructor:  Cao Hao Thi

10.     Translation English – Vietnamese

Instructors:  Nguyen Vu Tu, Tran Thi Hieu Hanh, and Nguyen Quy Tam

(Third Week: Mar 11 – 15)

11.     Discounting and Alternative Investment Criteria

Required Reading:  Chapter 4 of Jenkins

Instructor:  Cao Hao Thi

MARKET AND THE GOVERNMENT

12.     Market Failures (Tax, Subsidy, Externality, Public Goods)

Required Reading:  Chapter 15 of Begg

Instructors:  Dan Westbrook and Nguyen Vu Tu

13.     Environmental Issues, and Pigou and Coarse Propositions

Required Reading:  (Chapter 15 of Begg)

Instructors:  Dan Westbrook and Nguyen Vu Tu

14.     Taxes, Subsidies, and Deadweight Losses

Required Reading:  Chapter 16 of Begg –

Instructors:  Dan Westbrook and Nguyen Vu Tu

15.     Translation Vietnamese – English

Instructors:  Nguyen Vu Tu, Tran Thi Hieu Hanh, and Nguyen Quy Tam

(Fourth Week: Mar 18 – 22)

INTRODUCTION TO OPEN-ECONOMY MACROECONOMICS

16.     National Income Accounting and Balance of Payments

Required Reading:  Chapter 20 and Chapter 29 (2 and 3) of Begg 

Instructor:  Chau Van Thanh

17.     Inflation

Required Reading:  Chapter 28 of Begg

Instructor:  Chau Van Thanh

18.     Foreign Exchange

Required Reading:  Chapter 29 and Chapter 34 of Begg

Instructor:  Chau Van Thanh

19.     Tariffs and Subsidies

Required Reading:  Chapter 33 of Begg

Instructors:  Dan Westbrook and Nguyen Vu Tu

20.     Translation English – Vietnamese and Closing Ceremony

          Instructors:  Nguyen Vu Tu, Tran Thi Hieu Hanh, and Nguyen Quy Tam