This paper aims to discuss the current status of translators practising in Malaysia and their perceptions towards the profession. The study was motivated by the dearth of literature on the status of the translator's profession in Malaysia. Past studies have shown that translation is not considered a full-fledged profession in many other countries. Translators also do not perceive their own job as belonging to a profession due to a number of reasons. This study which adopts hermeneutic phenomenology as its method of inquiry is mostly qualitative in nature with an inclusion of some basic quantitative measures. The findings of this study has revealed that though Malaysian translators regard themselves as professionals in society, clients and the public unfortunately do not share the same views. The translators also cited unfair competition from amateur translators and unprofessional practices in their profession due to a lack of code of ethics, as challenges which seriously undermine the status of their professions. The findings of this study markedly highlight the concerted effort that is needed to set up a professional body to represent the translators in Malaysia.

Translation is an indispensable language activity and communication method. Translation from Chinese to foreign languages, especially English, is significant to tell Chinese stories well, growing into an urgent issue in China. While cultivating translation talents is crucial, translation competence is a complicated system consisting of various sub competences. To improve English majors’ Chinese-English (C-E) translation competence, it is necessary to first investigate their perceptions of C-E translation learning and competence. Based on the preliminary mastery of English majors’ status quo in C-E translation learning and competence, this research sheds insight into the C-E translation pedagogy. This paper presented: How do English majors perceive C-E translation learning and C-E translation competence? To answer the question, this study adopted a survey research design that was quantitative and applied the instrument of two questionnaires. The multiple-choice questionnaire was to investigate their perceptions of C-E translation learning, and the five-Likert scale questionnaire was to seek their self-perceived C-E translation competence. The study was carried out in 2022 among 125 English majors at Zaozhuang University, China. The results showed that most participants recognized the importance of C-E translation and their primary purpose was to enhance bilingual proficiency, and the texts that they were most interested in translating were practical styles and on diverse topics of China. Furthermore, more than half held the active involvement of teachers and learners and over 85% affirmed the effect of group learning and individual learning. It was found that their mean score of self-perceived C-E translation competence was 2.87.

The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is a useful framework that helps explain people’s behavior across a wide range of settings. The present study adopted the TPB to investigate factors that affect the complexity of the learning intention of workers involved with a lean manufacturing training initiative. Even though workers’ training has been consistently listed as a critical success factor for innovative improvement initiatives, very few studies explore direct workers’ learning intentions. This is particularly true within the area of lean manufacturing training. Hence, direct workers in an automotive parts manufacturing organization were invited to participate in this study, to which 204 workers voluntarily responded. The survey data was compiled and analyzed through stepwise regression to establish the effects of the different factors on learning intention in lean manufacturing training. It was determined from the empirical results that the participants’ attitude toward learning from lean manufacturing training and the perceived behavioral control factors positively affected the workers’ learning intention. Organization management could look into different measures and policies to stimulate better learning effects from training programs among the participants. Actions that could foster positive attitudes and confidence of workers towards lean training initiatives will be most helpful in enabling effective and innovative lean practices on the organization’s shop floors. The key theoretical and managerial implications, as well as the limitations of the study, are also discussed.

Translation is an indispensable language activity and communication method. Translation from Chinese to foreign languages, especially English, is significant to tell Chinese stories well, growing into an urgent issue in China. While cultivating translation talents is crucial, translation competence is a complicated system consisting of various sub competences. To improve English majors’ Chinese-English (C-E) translation competence, it is necessary to first investigate their perceptions of C-E translation learning and competence. Based on the preliminary mastery of English majors’ status quo in C-E translation learning and competence, this research sheds insight into the C-E translation pedagogy. This paper presented: How do English majors perceive C-E translation learning and C-E translation competence? To answer the question, this study adopted a survey research design that was quantitative and applied the instrument of two questionnaires. The multiple-choice questionnaire was to investigate their perceptions of C-E translation learning, and the five-Likert scale questionnaire was to seek their self-perceived C-E translation competence. The study was carried out in 2022 among 125 English majors at Zaozhuang University, China. The results showed that most participants recognized the importance of C-E translation and their primary purpose was to enhance bilingual proficiency, and the texts that they were most interested in translating were practical styles and on diverse topics of China. Furthermore, more than half held the active involvement of teachers and learners and over 85% affirmed the effect of group learning and individual learning. It was found that their mean score of self-perceived C-E translation competence was 2.87.