English Translation Research Articles

"All the Stars Will Be Wells with a Rusty Pulley": Neural Processing of the Social and Pragmatic Content in a Narrative.

Making sense of natural language and narratives requires building and manipulating a situation model by adding incoming information to the model and using the context stored in the model to comprehend subsequent details and events. Situation model maintenance is supported by the default mode network (DMN), but comprehension of the individual moments in the narrative relies on access to the conceptual store within the semantic system. The present study examined how these systems are engaged by different narrative content to investigate whether highly informative, or semantic, content is a particularly strong driver of semantic system activation compared with contextually driven content that requires using the situation model, which might instead engage DMN regions. The study further investigated which subregions of the graded semantic hub in the left anterior temporal lobe (ATL) were engaged by the type of narrative content. To do this, we quantified the semantic, pragmatic, social, ambiguous, and emotional content for each sentence in a complete narrative, the English translation of The Little Prince. Increased activation in the transmodal hub in the ventral ATL was only observed for high semantic (i.e., informative) relative to low semantic sentences. Activation in the dorsolateral and ventrolateral ATL subregions was observed for both high relative to low semantic and social content sentences, but the ventrolateral ATL effects were more extensive in the social condition. There was high correspondence between the social and pragmatic content results, particularly in the ventrolateral ATL. We argue that the ventrolateral ATL may be particularly engaged by internal, or endogenous, processing demands, aided by functional connections between the anterior middle temporal gyrus and the DMN. Pragmatic and social content may have driven endogenous processing given the pervasive and plot-progressing nature of this content in the narrative. We put forward a revised account of how the semantic system is engaged in naturalistic contexts, a critical step toward better understanding real-world semantic and social processing.

A Study on the Translation of Instructions for Heat-Clearing and Detoxifying Traditional Chinese Medicines under the Functional Equivalence Theory

Heat-clearing and detoxifying traditional Chinese medicines are an important part and distinctive advantage of China’s medical and health undertakings. Traditional Chinese medicine is an outstanding traditional culture of the Chinese nation and a unique and significant health resource in our country. The rapidly growing international market has created excellent opportunities for the export of heat-clearing and detoxifying traditional Chinese medicines. Currently, the English translation of instructions for proprietary Chinese medicines lacks unified translation standards and the guidance of translation theories. The existing English translations of instructions for proprietary Chinese medicines in our country have problems such as confusion and non-standardization. Therefore, the research on the instructions of heat-clearing and detoxifying medicines under the functional equivalence theory is highly significant. This paper takes several common heat-clearing and detoxifying medicines available on the market as examples, analyzes the problems and their causes in the translation of the instructions from the perspective of the functional equivalence theory, and finds more reasonable and standardized translation methods. It helps foreign consumers understand the characteristics and functions of traditional Chinese medicine, thereby stimulating their consumption desires. This paper studies the translation process using the functional equivalence theory, investigates the structure and language features of the instructions for traditional Chinese medicine, and discusses the corresponding translation strategies for the instructions of heat-clearing and detoxifying traditional Chinese medicines at the lexical and syntactic levels respectively to achieve functional equivalence.

Response accuracy of GPT-4 across languages: insights from an expert-level diagnostic radiology examination in Japan.

This study aims to investigate the effects of language selection and translation quality on Generative Pre-trained Transformer-4 (GPT-4)'s response accuracy to expert-level diagnostic radiology questions. We analyzed 146 diagnostic radiology questions from the Japan Radiology Board Examination (2020-2022), with consensus answers provided by two board-certified radiologists. The questions, originally in Japanese, were translated into English by GPT-4 and DeepL and into German and Chinese by GPT-4. Responses were generated by GPT-4 five times per question set per language. Response accuracy was compared between languages using one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni correction or the Mann-Whitney U test. Scores on selected English questions translated by a professional service and GPT-4 were also compared. The impact of translation quality on GPT-4's performance was assessed by linear regression analysis. The median scores (interquartile range) for the 146 questions were 70 (68-72) (Japanese), 89 (84.5-95.5) (GPT-4 English), 64 (55.5-67) (Chinese), and 56 (46.5-67.5) (German). Significant differences were found between Japanese and English (p = 0.002) and between Japanese and German (p = 0.022). The counts of correct responses across five attempts for each question were significantly associated with the quality of translation into English (GPT-4, DeepL) and German (GPT-4). In a subset of 31 questions where English translations yielded fewer correct responses than Japanese originals, professionally translated questions yielded better scores than those translated by GPT-4 (13 versus 8 points, p = 0.0079). GPT-4 exhibits higher accuracy when responding to English-translated questions compared to original Japanese questions, a trend not observed with German or Chinese translations. Accuracy improves with higher-quality English translations, underscoring the importance of high-quality translations in improving GPT-4's response accuracy to diagnostic radiology questions in non-English languages and aiding non-native English speakers in obtaining accurate answers from large language models.

A preliminary exploration of feminist translation strategies

Abstract Interventionist feminist translation theory prompts translators to identify and rectify sexist notions in source texts. It encourages critical awareness and reinterprets texts through a feminist lens. Based on interventionist feminist translation theory, this research investigates how depictions of women’s physical charm, often unnecessary and rooted in stereotypes, are handled in translations. Focusing on seven instances from Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Trilogy — a notable Chinese science fiction work debated for its sexism —, the study contrasts the source text with its English and Spanish translations. By analysing the selected fragments of the Chinese novel and the unmissable alterations to the original in the target texts, this paper demonstrates how the techniques of elision and adaptation can help translators iron out the sexist implications. The findings contribute to our understanding of feminist translation strategies for addressing sexist elements in literary works.

From Verses to Paragraphs: Macrostructure Shifts and Their Implications in English Translations of the Qur'an

This paper examines the macrostructural shift from verse to paragraph structure in English translations of the Qur'an, focusing on the transition from a running-text format to paragraph divisions. It addresses the Qur'an's unique linguistic and structural complexities and evaluates the impact of this shift on the fidelity to the source text and preservation of meaning. The paper also explores how this approach affects cross-cultural understanding and religious interpretation, assessing whether a paragraph format can adequately retain the original functions and meanings of Qur'anic suras in English. By analysing the strategies modern Qur'an translators use, the study demonstrates that the shift from verse to paragraph is a non-obligatory macrostructural change, reflecting considerations of the translator’s objectives and the target audience's cultural and linguistic context. This shift is a deliberate choice, not dictated by language, but by the translator's goals of accessibility and skopos in the target text.

A Comparative Perspective of “Engaged Buddhism” and “Renjian Fojiao” (“Humanistic Buddhism”) in Chinese Speaking Discourse: Exclusivism, Inclusivism, or Pragmatism?

The two modern concepts, “Engaged Buddhism” and renjian fojiao 人間佛教, with the variety of its English translations (such as “Humanistic Buddhism”), were developed and discussed with and without reference to each other over several decades. This article raises the question of how “Engaged Buddhism” has been portrayed in the Chinese-speaking world. It therefore reflects on a hybrid conceptual history and distinguishes between “concept-unaffected” and “concept-affected” (“concept-affirming”, “concept-negating”, and “concept-corresponding”) positionings in the Buddhist world, as well as a “concept-distancing” and “concept-processing” scholarship of Buddhist studies. The concept of “Engaged Buddhism” has been rendered with various Chinese terms in mainland China and Taiwan, e.g., “rushi fojiao” 入世佛教 (Buddhism that Enters the World), “canyu fojiao” 參與佛教 (Participatory Buddhism), and “zuoyi fojiao” 左翼佛教 (Left-Wing Buddhism). As can be seen from a rich body of sources, its discussion among Chinese-speaking Buddhists and scholars increased over the past twenty years and has been strongly characterized by comparisons with “renjian fojiao”, which can lead to different currents, such as exclusivism, inclusivism, and pragmatism.

Constellation of the Five Constant Virtues in English Translations of <i>The Analects</i>

The five constant virtues (<i>rén</i>, <i>yì</i>, <i>lǐ</i>, <i>zhì</i>, and <i>xìn</i>) are central to Confucian philosophy and have grown in influence over time, shaping not only traditional moral teachings but also contemporary practices in business management and personal development. However, limited research has explored how these virtues are translated and conceptualized in English versions of <i>The Analects</i>. This study aims to address this gap by examining how the five constant virtues are formed, related, and legitimized across four major English translations, spanning different historical periods. To achieve this, a mixed-methods approach is employed, integrating both qualitative and quantitative analyses. First, a multi-parallel corpus is established, enabling a detailed quantitative examination of how the five constant virtues are expressed across different translations. This analysis highlights variations in the rendering of these key concepts in each text. In parallel, Legitimation Code Theory’s (LCT) constellation analysis is applied for the qualitative component of the study. This approach explores the relationships among the virtues and how translators have conceptualized and structured these interrelations. Results indicate a reduction in variation over time, suggesting a stabilization in how the virtues are conceptualized. While translations consistently represent simpler pairings of virtues, differences emerge when more complex constellations involving all five elements are considered. These findings reveal how philosophical perspectives and temporal contexts shape translation, impacting the way Confucian virtues are legitimized and structured.

Defending a Legacy: Heinrich Bullinger’s Preface to Zwingli’s Opus articulorum (1535)

This article presents the first English translation of Heinrich Bullinger’s preface to Huldrych Zwingli’s Opus articulorum of 1535. This source, which has received little attention in previous scholarship; is placed in the context of efforts to bring Luther and the Swiss Reformed closer together after the death of the Zurich Reformed on the question of the Lord’s Supper. Bullinger’s preface is an apologetic manifesto in favor of Zwingli’s orthodoxy and continuity with the Church Fathers. It is argued that Bullinger’s strong commitment should be interpreted as a signal sent to Wittenberg that a rapprochement with Luther was not to be achieved at the expense of Zwingli’s theological legacy.

On Translated Modern Iraqi Fiction in English: Target Readership Perspective

English translation of modern Iraqi fiction remains uncharted territory mainly from target readers’ perception. For this purpose, the paper aims to investigate the target ordinary readers’ perception of modern Iraqi novel translated into English using a collected corpus of reviews published in Goodreads online review platform. The study adopts a case study approach to examine target readers’ comments on Ahmed Saadawi’s Frankenstein in Baghdad (2013), translated by Jonathan Wright (2018). The novel has succeeded in reaping a number of international literary awards; it was also on the shortlist for the Man Booker International Prize in 2018. This paper draws on non-professional (ordinary) readers’ reviews to explore how English literary readers have welcomed, although slowly, the presence of contemporary Iraqi fiction. In line with this view of readership, a corpus of 164 text reviews and 2030 ratings were collected from Goodreads platform and analyzed to understand the ordinary English-speaking readership perception of the translated novel as to the features of a favorably received translation of Iraqi fiction. Therefore, the study has two aims to address: first, to identify the key features which may impede/enhance the non-professional readers’ enjoyment of the translated novel under study; second, to introduce a brief account of modern Iraqi translated fiction. The study is significant in that it helps to encourage future research on readers’ reception of modern Iraqi fiction translated into other languages and also to fill in a gap in literary translation studies on target ordinary readers’ perspective.

Teaching Strategies in Business English Translation Based on Ecological Translation

This paper addresses the singularity of the teaching evaluation system and the limited practical teaching resources in business English translation. It proposes a diversified teaching evaluation system based on ecological translation, expands practical teaching resources, and emphasizes the importance of teaching cultural differences and strengthening ecological translation theory. This approach aims to innovate and optimize the teaching mode of business English translation, thereby improving the quality of teaching and promoting students’ deep understanding and application skills of business English. Consequently, this strategy brings new opportunities for development in the field of business English education.

An Unpublished Manuscript of Hugo Grotius: ‘On Public Partnership with Unbelievers’ (De societate publica cum infidelibus): Introduction, Transcription and English Translation

Abstract This introduction presents an analysis of Grotius’s treatise ‘On Public Partnership with Unbelievers’ (De societate publica cum infidelibus). It was probably written between 1606 and 1609, when Grotius served as a legal advisor of the Dutch East India Company (voc). In his treatise, Grotius explains what kinds of partnerships with non-Christians are permissible under divine and natural law. These include public partnerships, such as treaties and military alliances, but also private associations, such as commercial contracts, marriages and relations of servitude. As we argue in this introduction, De societate can be interpreted as a general treatise on legal partnerships with non-Christians, which relates both to the voc’s policies of treaty and alliance-making in the East Indies and to debates about the legal status of religious minorities in the Dutch Republic.

Poetic Expression of Gay Lexicon Conveyed through Imagery in Lines of Poems

The focus of this study revolves around gay literature, specifically the poetics related to homosexuality. Gay literature includes literary works authored by individuals who identify as gay, as well as literary works by heterosexual writers that explore or discuss homosexual themes, and literary works that incorporate gay terminology. While there have been recent studies on gay literature and works, there has been a lack of attention given to gayspeak, which can be referred to more formally as a lavender lexicon, being incorporated into texts or selections that are thought to have literary significance. The study seeks to address how gayspeak is depicted in literature. Are there poetic elements present in texts that use gayspeak? The study seeks to determine the potential impact of homosexual poetics or gay speak on the advancement of literature and the teaching of literature, particularly about its literary qualities. The study utilized a limited selection of only two poems due to the scarcity of available poetry incorporating gay language. Every poetry in the collection is accompanied by translations in Filipino and English, which accurately convey the original phrases written in gayspeak. The poems were assessed based on their poetic substance and the extent to which the language used in the poem's lines demonstrates literary qualities, which is the study's primary objective. The analysis of these poems involved the application of established theories and research, such as Shklovsky’s concept of Defamiliarization (2004) and the Imagery and Symbolism concept by Dimalanta and Abad (2003). Gay language in poetry has literary qualities, conveying meaning through imagery. It enhances comprehension of a poet's work and creative process. Studying imagery provides insight into the poet's production and interpretation of the text, whether written in standard or specialized language.

A Study of the English Translation of Characteristic Cuisines of the Hexi Corridor from the Perspective of Multimodal Discourse Analysis

Given the diversity of geographical and cultural backgrounds, it is difficult to find precise counterparts of many food-related vocabularies in the unique dietary culture of the Hexi Corridor in the target language, making it challenging to fully convey the essence of its local dietary culture in translation. To achieve the purpose of translation, the theory of multimodal discourse analysis provides an ideal translation approach through the language mode, image mode, sound mode, and the synergistic effect of multimodalities, which can accurately address the deficiencies in the translation of dietary culture. Through this research, it is not only possible to highlight the unique charm of the dietary culture of the Hexi Corridor but also to build a bridge for its international dissemination, promoting cross-border cultural exchanges and mutual understanding.

Corpus－Based Study on the Translation Methods of the Figures of Speech in Zhuang’s Folk Songs of Napo

The figures of speech in Zhuang’s Folk Songs of Napo exhibit distinct cultural characteristics compared to mainstream Chinese folk songs or Western literary traditions, and their translation requires careful attention not only to the figures of speech but also to the effective transmission of Zhuang culture. Based on a self-built bilingual corpus, this paper examines the translation methods of figures of speech in the English translations of Zhuang’s Folk Songs of Napo. The study reveals that translators predominantly use literal translation to preserve the cultural features of figures of speech while also incorporating free translation and imitation to align with the target language and cultural norms. By analyzing the figures of speech in Zhuang’s Folk Songs of Napo, this study explores their unique cultural characteristics and the challenges in the translation, contributing to a better understanding of Zhuang culture among the target readers and fostering cultural exchange and dissemination.

Translation Methods of Vernacular Literature Works

Translation is a cultural exchange, not just a linguistic transformation. Foreign translation of vernacular literature works is also an important way to promote the Chinese folk culture. However,the cultural omission hinders foreign readers from gaining a deeper understanding of Chinese vernacular culture.Therefore, this thesis selects the English translation of Turbulence as the object of study, aiming to explore the translation strategies of vernacular language such as the names of people, and the names of Shaanxi snacks present in the work. For the purpose, the translator carefully collates the names of people and special snacks in Shaanxi that appear in the work. Besides, the author will combine the above examples to make an in-depth analysis of the translation when writing the paper. The following conclusions have been drawn: Firstly, when the author of the original wants to highlight the uniqueness of Chinese folk culture, she should use domesticating translation, because this kind of translation strategy can retain the characteristic content of the original. In addition, if the author wants foreign readers to understand the local snacks, the translator should use the direct translation. The direct translation method can give the Western readers a basic understanding of the main ingredients used in the special snacks.

Translation of Earthliness: An Exploration of Translation Dislocation of Folk Language in Chin P'ing Mei in Late Ming Dynasty within the Framework of Aesthetic Reception

As the first full-lenght satiric novel, Jin Ping Mei (Chin P'ing Mei), written by Lanling Xiaoxiao Sheng at the end of the Ming Dynasty, elaborates the social and worldly affairs comprehensively through vivid language and skillful usage of literary devices. Due to the richness of the folk language for the language forms, and the differences and great colloquial and regional characteristics to the Western readers in the geographical and time facets, for the purpose of reception in the target culture, the translator gives adjustment or modification to folk languages forms like dialect, slang, idiom, and proverbs, etc., which engenders certain translation dislocation to some extent. Through qualitative and comparative analyses, this paper aims to offer a preliminary exploration of the basic paradigm, causes, and construction process of the translation dislocation of the folk language in those two English translation versions of Jin Ping Mei from the four dimensions of readers' expectation horizons, aesthetic distance, integration of horizons, and the construction of respond-inviting structures under the perspective of aesthetic reception theory, so as to provide an avenue for English readers to delve into the peculiar translation dislocation of the folk language in the translation of Chinese classical works.

The Influence of Chinese and Western Cultural Differences on English Translation and Its Countermeasures

Abstract English plays an irreplaceable role as a bridge of global communication. However, the cultural differences between China and the West have a profound impact on English learning and translation practice, resulting in the reduction of semantic accuracy and information richness, which damages the effect of communication and restricts the style of translation. These cultural differences not only lead to understanding errors in the translation process, but also lead to the loss of cultural connotation, the conflict of expression and the mismatch of logical structure, thus increasing the complexity and challenge of English translation. To solve these problems, this paper suggests some strategies to alleviate the influence of Chinese and Western cultural differences on English translation, such as enhancing the training of cultural awareness, improving the accurate grasp of the context, flexibly adjusting the ways of language expression and optimizing the logical expression structure. In addition, it is emphasized that while mastering language skills, English learners should deeply understand and respect the cultural background of the source language and the target language, so as to improve the quality of translation and the effectiveness of communication. These measures will help English learners to translate and apply English more accurately and freely, not only in the literal sense of the language, but also in the cultural level.

Research on Intelligent Mining Algorithm of English Translation Text Big Data Based on Deep Learning

This paper explores the translation of English texts by a deep learning algorithm, which aims to intelligently extract relevant records from a large corpus of English-translated texts, especially its shortcomings in processing difficult texts and dealing with long-term dependencies. This research integrates the modern long short-term memory (LSTM) network framework, with the aim of improving the accuracy and processing efficiency of the translation. Using a large number of experimental facts, these LSTM models are comprehensively learned and rigorously optimized. The traditional approach is to adapt the style to the language-specific properties of the translated text, and then use a bunch of evaluation metrics to evaluate the overall performance of the model across a large number of text types. The results of this study show that the method significantly speeds up the extraction and processing of information while maintaining the integrity at the translation level. In addition, the study reveals deep learning models’ ability to recognize complex contextual nuances and subtle formulations of language expression. The results of this research are multifaceted, bringing great improvements to device translation structures and facilitating the development of state-of-the-art text content analysis tools. These advances apply primarily to sectors of considerable statistical volume and complexity, including the criminal, scientific, and technological fields. Therefore, this study lays a foundation for future exploration of improving device understanding of language and automation of translation methods in various professional fields.

Usage of al-shayb wa-l-shabāb in Ibn Ḥamdīs’s ḥāʾiyyah ‘Ṭaraqat wa-l-laylu’

Abstract This article examines Ibn Ḥamdīs’s ḥāʾiyyah ‘Ṭaraqat wa-l-laylu’, a multi-partite ode of thirty-four lines. I argue that the poet’s deployment of the motif of old age vs. youth (al-shayb wa-l-shabāb) within this qaṣīdah responds to a codified “poetics of old age” that sought to enhance the poem’s semantic layering. Ibn Ḥamdīs adheres to a normative aesthetics of Arabic old-age poetry, obtaining an effect that I refer to as “thematic displacement.” In support of my argument, I quote an excerpt of al-Sharīf al-Murtaḍā’s introduction to his anthology al-Shihāb fī-l-shayb wa-l-shabāb, which reveals how the critic prized Arabic verse on old age precisely because of its capacity to interact dialogically with the traditional maʿānī al-shiʿr. The article includes a revised biography of Ibn Ḥamdīs and a new English translation of the poem.

Equilibria and the protomodel of the Sun’s atmosphere by Karl Schwarzschild in hindsight

The concepts of radiative and adiabatic equilibria, introduced by Karl Schwarzschild in his seminal paper Ueber das Gleichgewicht der Sonnenatmosphäre published in January 1906, are the founding blocks of the theory of radiative transfer, stellar structure, and solar physics. Careful reading of the paper and its later English translation reveals small formal inaccuracies and ambiguities but with no consequences whatsoever for the final outcomes and conclusions. This paper offers their adjustments with respective derivations using contemporary formalism and sets Schwarzschild’s paper in context with a historical and modern perspective. Particular attention is paid to Schwarzschild’s largely forgotten limb-darkening formula for adiabatic equilibrium. The paper also reproduces Schwarzschild’s radiative equilibrium protomodel of the Sun’s atmosphere in graphical form and compares it with modern models presented in some of the most cited papers in stellar and solar physics.