English Translation Research Articles

The Rhetoric of Indirect Translation: Out from the Shadows

This article seeks to contribute to the growing literature on indirect translation by exploring the phenomenon in the context of twentieth and twenty-first-century Russian-English translation flows. In addition to reflecting transnational networks and the cultural (and linguistic) asymmetries embedded therein, indirect translation became a  defining other of "modern" translation practice, specifically, what Gideon Toury describes as the norm of directness. The first part of the paper investigates the cultural politics of relay translation in reference to two case studies: the one involving the first English translation of Dmitrii Merezhkovskii's Voskresshie bogi [Resurrected Gods], published in the early twentieth century, with Russian as the source language, and the other concerns the first English translation of Georgian dissident Levan Berzenishvili's Gulag memoir Sacred Darkness, with Russian as the intermediary language, published in the early twenty-first century. Both case studies raise the question of the relationship between relay translation and textual integrity while underscoring the persistence of the phenomenon. The second part of the paper explores the rhetoric of indirect translation in Soviet culture, as represented in theoretical works, intelligentsia discourse and works of trans-fiction, that is, fictional works featuring translators and translation. While directness claims in the pre-World War II period were used to define Soviet translation practice as superior to pre-Soviet practice, those claims were deployed in the post-War period to critique the Soviet literary bureaucracy and to expose the hypocrisy behind the official policy of "Friendship of Peoples."

Authenticating otherness

Abstract Chinese painting is a foreign other to the Anglo-American world. This article explores how Chinese thinking on painting is translated into English and what implications it carries for the English translation of Chinese traditional culture in general. Early Chinese Texts on Painting, an academic book targeting academics and China enthusiasts, is taken as a case study. Using the notion of cultural translation as a theoretical foundation, this study finds that three strategies are used to translate Chinese painting into English: pluralizing meanings of key notions, contextualizing otherness through the recurrence of Taoist, Confucian, and Chinese literary ideas, and restructuring temporal and thematic ideas. These findings imply that cultural authenticity of foreign otherness can be approximated despite temporal, cultural, and linguistic distances. This study seeks to provide new answers to generic questions about the role of language in cross-cultural studies.

Saudi Phatic Communication in Translation: A Cultural and Linguistic Perspective

Adopting a functional approach to translation, this study dives deep into phatic communion expressions, categorizing them in relation to their direct translations in English and identifying culturally equivalent phrases in manual and machine translation. With a newly developed corpus of 157 Saudi Arabic phatic expressions, the study classifies them into eight categories, viz., greetings and rituals, politeness, inquiries about well-being, blessings and good wishes, small talk, acknowledgement and agreement, farewells and departure, and expressions of gratitude and appreciation. The corpus is created from five Arabic language films classified as popular choices on Netflix. The corpus is then translated by 21 final year English Language program students at Shaqra University, KSA, and by Google Translate (GT). Findings show that most frequently phatic expressions are used to express polite and warm introductions, maintaining courteous communication, and for cultural and religious dimensions. Findings also indicate that the Saudi students demonstrated a high degree of communicative translation of the Arabic phatic expressions into English whereas GT output was off the mark and even irrelevant in many instances, making a case for discouraging the use of GT in Saudi translation studies classrooms. The study concludes with pertinent recommendations offering insights that can be useful in fostering understanding and cultural sensitivity among non-Saudis interacting with Saudi individuals, making this study crucial for those in the fields of translation, intercultural communication, and linguistics.

Literature as a Vehicle for Ideas: Indulekha and the Victorianization of Kerala Society

O. Chandumenon's Indulekha, published in 1889, is generally considered to be the first Malayalam novel. The book was a complete success. The first edition sold out within three months and the English translation was published within a year. By 1989, the 100th anniversary of the novel's publication, 

Recreating relevance: translated Arabic idioms through a relevance theory lens

This study uses relevance theory as an insightful heuristic model for translation quality assessment. As translation inherently involves communicating across contextual boundaries, the notion of relevance optimization continues to be a fruitful approach for research and practice. This investigation illuminates idioms as culturally embedded linguistic conventions, semantically abstruse, yet structurally crystallized. Idioms accrue fixed meanings within a speech community rather than by compositing constituent denotations. Classical Arabic poetry extensively harnesses idioms, not as ornamental substitutes for literal statements, but as intensive versions thereof. Losing idioms risks muting tonal intensity. By examining an Arabic verse exemplifying two idioms, and assessing thirteen English and French translations, this study reveals that an effective idiom translation requires looking beyond lexical equivalence. Rather, contextually unraveling connotative lexicons and reconstituting the idiom to achieve equivalent effects and optimal relevance is key. Thereby, successful idiom translation is defined not by formal correspondence, but by conveying implicated meanings and intended impacts. This work elucidates idiom translatability through an interdisciplinary relevance prism, advancing theory and equipping practitioners to navigate the interlingual labyrinth.

An Analysis of the English Translation of Chinese External Propaganda Texts in the Ecological Translation Perspective: A Case Study of the Written Speech "Harmony in Unity, Jointly Facing Challenges, Composing a New Chapter of Asia-Pacific Cooperation"

An Analysis of the English Translation of Chinese External Propaganda Texts in the Ecological Translation Perspective: A Case Study of the Written Speech "Harmony in Unity, Jointly Facing Challenges, Composing a New Chapter of Asia-Pacific Cooperation"

A Study of English Translation Strategies of Subtitles of the Domestic Animated Film Chang’an from the Perspective of Eco-translatology

A Study of English Translation Strategies of Subtitles of the Domestic Animated Film Chang’an from the Perspective of Eco-translatology

A Review of Studies on the English Translation of Shanghanlun

This paper mainly uses the methods of big data and statistical analysis to explore the current research status of the English translation of Shanghanlun, finding that there are a total of 69 pieces of literatures related to the book in China in the past decade, including 41 researches on the translation strategies, 21 on the comparison of the translations, 3 on the translation history, 2 corpus-based researches on the translations and 2 researches on the dissemination of the translations. The first two types of researches are more popular, and the research contents are mostly have something in common. In addition, the translation objects that have been mainly studied are the translation of Luo Xiwen, the translation of Nigel Wiseman and the translation of Li Zhaoguo, only accounting for a small number of existing translations. By contrast, the three aspects of research on the translation history, corpus-based research and research on the dissemination of the translations need to be further studied.

Children's experiences of mask-wearing: a systemic review and narrative synthesis.

Masks have been widely used as a preventative tool during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the use of masks by children has been controversial, with international guidelines recommending a risk-based approach to national policymakers. We aimed to conduct a systematic review that explores children's experiences of mask-wearing, drawing on an evidence base that describes mask-wearing in different contexts including air pollution, and to prevent the spread of infectious disease. We searched MEDLINE, Embase and PsycINFO in June 2021, with repeat searches in August 2022 and January 2024, for primary research studies exploring children's experiences of masks. Included studies reported on participants between 4 and 14 years (inclusive), with no restrictions on language where an English translation was available. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts and reviewed full texts, with discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer. We used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool for quality appraisal and narrative synthesis to identify key findings. We also conducted stakeholder consultation (Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)) with nine children, where they submitted annotated drawings of their preferred masks to complement our review findings. We screened 982 titles and abstracts and reviewed 94 full texts. 45 studies were included in the synthesis. Children's experiences of mask-wearing were influenced by their perceived necessity, social norms around their use and parental attitudes. Challenges related to mask-wearing were described, including difficulty reading facial expressions and physical discomfort. Children found it easier to wear masks when sitting and in cooler environments, and they benefited from unmasking during outdoor break time at school. As part of the PPI consultation, children highlighted the importance of mask design and the environmental impact of masks. Children's experiences of mask-wearing were varied and context-dependent, with several mask-design challenges raised. Future policy on mask-wearing needs to consider the context in which mask-wearing would be most beneficial, and how local adaptations to policy can respond to children's needs.

Applying augmented reality multimedia technology to construct a platform for translation and teaching system

This paper investigates the integration of augmented reality (AR) technology into English translation teaching for college students, emphasizing the pivotal role of innovative teaching methods in enhancing students' translation skills and learning experiences. To address the issue of insufficient interest in English translation teaching, the paper initially assesses the purpose and significance of learning English translation through a questionnaire survey, elucidating challenges encountered in English language acquisition. Subsequently, adhering to AR principles, a teaching demonstration platform rooted in AR technology is conceived and developed, intricately aligned with English translation instruction. The platform serves as a solution to issues in English learning, such as inadequate course comprehension, low utilization of teaching resources, and instructors' lack of experience. The research culminates in the analysis of survey results, wherein the quantitative disparities in translation ability between students utilizing the research platform and those subjected to traditional teaching methods are examined. The findings underscore the positive impact of the AR-based research platform on improving students' translation proficiency. The AR platform heightens learners' engagement in the learning process, contributes to constructing a robust knowledge framework, and enhances overall learning outcomes. The platform offers educators opportunities to optimize experimental courses and elevate teaching standards. The paper's outcomes present novel pedagogical scenarios for learners, propose technical solutions for other technical disciplines and furnish a theoretical foundation and application model for a new generation of experimental demonstration platforms.

A Study on Application of Construal Theory in English Translation of Chinese Medical book: take English Translation of Jin Gui Yao Liao as an Example

The translation of Chinese medical books is characterized by language, cultural connotation and cognitive domain background, which makes the translators encounter different levels of difficulty in the process of translation and form different translations accordingly. This paper takes the construal theory in cognitive linguistics as a guide, analyzes the important role of four kinds of means of construal in the process of translating Chinese medical books, and analyzes the different English translations of JGL under the construal theory, analyzes that different translations reflect different cognitive mechanisms of the translators, and comes to the conclusion that the translations should maximally reflect the cognitive points of reference of the authors at that time, so as to maximize the translations. It is also concluded that the translation should maximally reflect the author's cognitive reference point so as to maximize the closeness of the translation to the original text, aiming to provide theoretical guidance and reference for the English translation of Chinese medical books.

Translation Studies on Xi Jinping: The Governance of China—A Systematic Literature Review

This paper conducted a systematic literature review of the previous studies within China and other countries within the period from October 2014 to July 2023 with the purpose of investigating the research foci on the English translation of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China. This study revealed that scholars in Chinese Mainland mainly focused on three fields: research on translation strategies of political documents, cultural translation in foreign publicity translation, the external dissemination of political documents and the construction of national image. Besides, an emerging field with discourse analysis-related theories to explore discourse theory paradigms, evaluate discourse quality, and conduct corpus analysis of discourse has provided multivariant academic thinking in translation studies. Compared with Chinese scholars’ studies, there was minimal discussion about the foreign scholars’ exploration of the translation strategies and methods or other translation-related topics, which implied the urgent need of mutual academic communication between Chinese scholars and the foreign academic circles to promote the further development of Chinese political document translation studies.

Research on the Dissemination and Influence of the English Translations of Journey to the West

The four great Chinese classics possess a high literary standard and profound thinking, representing four great monuments in the history of Chinese literature. Their translation and dissemination abroad are an important part of the national strategy of "Chinese culture going global", and are incorporated into the major policies of national cultural development. However, previous research on English translations has mostly focused on translation techniques, translator's motivation, comparisons with the original text, etc., with a lack of statistical, analytical, and research from the field of communication. Therefore, this project takes the 25 English translations of Wu Cheng'en's novel "Journey to the West" as the research subject, conducts statistical analysis on the reprinting of different translations, overseas reading volume and reader book reviews, magazine book reviews, academic citation times and world library collection quantities, examines the dissemination of different translations in the English-speaking world, and based on the current situation, combines contemporary scholars' views on the dissemination and translation research of "Journey to the West" in English, lays the foundation for proposing improvement strategies for the national "going global" policy, to promote the breadth and depth of Chinese culture's dissemination in the English-speaking world, supporting the spread of Chinese classical culture and thought beyond China's borders.

English Translation of Political Documents with Chinese Characteristics from the Perspective of Eco-Translatology

In today’s increasingly globalized world, foreign publicity is particularly important in the exchanges and cooperation between nations, among which the translation of political documents serves as a crucial channel. The Report on the Work of the Government summarizes China’s work over the past year and outlines the prospects for the coming year. Its English translation is often highly concerned both domestically and internationally, making it an important text for foreign publicity. Based on the theory of Eco-translatology, this study takes the English version of the Report on the Work of the Government (2023) as an example to explore how to highlight cultural confidence and achieve communicative purposes in the translation of foreign publicity represented by political documents. It is found that translators often employ translation strategies, such as free translation, addition, omission, combination and annotation to realize the adaptive selection of translation in linguistic, culture and communication, facilitating full interaction between the source and target cultures, thereby enhancing the international influence and dissemination power of Chinese discourse.

Second‐order trace formulas

AbstractKoplienko [Sib. Mat. Zh. 25 (1984), 62–71; English transl. in Siberian Math. J. 25 (1984), 735–743] found a trace formula for perturbations of self‐adjoint operators by operators of Hilbert–Schmidt class . Later, Neidhardt introduced a similar formula in the case of pairs of unitaries via multiplicative path in [Math. Nachr. 138 (1988), 7–25]. In 2012, Potapov and Sukochev [Comm. Math. Phys. 309 (2012), no. 3, 693–702] obtained a trace formula like the Koplienko trace formula for pairs of contractions by answering an open question posed by Gesztesy, Pushnitski, and Simon [Zh. Mat. Fiz. Anal. Geom. 4 (2008), no. 1, 63–107, 202; Open Question 11.2]. In this paper, we supply a new proof of the Koplienko trace formula in the case of pairs of contractions , where the initial operator is normal, via linear path by reducing the problem to a finite‐dimensional one as in the proof of Krein's trace formula by Voiculescu [Oper. Theory Adv. Appl. 24 (1987) 329–332] and Sinha and Mohapatra [Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. Math. Sci. 104 (1994), no. 4, 819–853] and [Integral Equations Operator Theory 24 (1996), no. 3, 285–297]. Consequently, we obtain the Koplienko trace formula for a class of pairs of contractions using the Schäffer matrix unitary dilation. Moreover, we also obtain the Koplienko trace formula for a pair of self‐adjoint operators and maximal dissipative operators using the Cayley transform. At the end, we extend the Koplienko–Neidhardt trace formula for a class of pairs of contractions via multiplicative path using the finite‐dimensional approximation method.

Translating the Self in Medieval European Romance: Narration and Emotion in Partonopeu de Blois, Partonopier und Meliur and Partonope of Blois

Abstract This article approaches the question of selfhood by reading the opening passage of the Old French romance Partonopeu de Blois alongside its translations in different Northern European languages: the thirteenth-century Middle High German Partonopier und Meliur by Konrad von Würzburg and the fifteenth-century Middle English Partonope of Blois. Both translations bring interiority and subjectivity to the passage by adding direct speech and access to the character’s thoughts and motivations. In allowing the protagonist to respond to and rationalise his own emotions, the translators add a layer of self-awareness to their characterisation, thus producing a narrated self that was lacking in the original. This article demonstrates the great potential of comparative analysis in the study of medieval emotion and self. The different linguistic versions of the same passage here illuminate one another, highlighting different narrative techniques in the construction of literary selfhood. While the objective, exterior style of narration in the Old French passage constructs a helpless character, lacking in self-possession, the later German and English translations display a different narrative strategy that reveals their character’s decision-making process, and thus make him into a self-reflecting agent.

Study on the Translation of Bilingual Signs of Cultural Tourism in Baoding under the Background of Global Tourism

In the process of building a new pattern of global tourism and promoting the transformation and upgrading of tourism structure, it is of great significance to standardize the construction of bilingual signs of cultural tourism. This paper takes the tourism and cultural entertainment sections of the English Translations of Public Signs in Baoding (Trial) as the research object and comprehensively uses literature research, questionnaire survey, qualitative analysis and other methods to point out the shortcomings of the existing research on the translation of bilingual signs in Baoding. On the basis of the research, from the four dimensions of accuracy, standardization, cultural differences and humanity of bilingual signs translation, this paper analyzes some errors in the Trial, discusses the relevant translation strategies, and gives some reasonable suggestions to the government. In this case, the construction of bilingual signs in cultural tourism will be more in line with the development goals of global tourism.

Translation as Process and Protest: Reading the Tradition of Malayalam Dalit Writing in Translation

The proposed paper attempts to situate the layered stakes involved in translating Dalit literature from Malayalam to English. Dalit writers while envisioning their literature as a mode to establish their visibility and dissent have also observed how language itself has limitations in conveying their radical politics. Their counterhegemonic writings are often ignored or labeled “uncouth” for the literary public. Through a reading of Pulayathara (1962), we examine the following questions – Do errors in the English translations of Dalit literature always result in what Venuti calls, the “ethnocentric violence” of a culture? How does the lack of cohesive readership, given the fact that the target audience can be both foreigners and a wide cross-section of heterogeneous Indians, complicate the translator’s job? We argue that translations of Dalit literature from Malayalam to English contest caste-determined regimes of writing and reading, making the project a subversive force that challenges established power structures.

The Comparative Study of Metaphorical Images Translation Strategies in Tang Poetry

In Tang poetry, metaphorical images serve as powerful tools for poets to convey their emotions and experiences in a vivid and imaginative manner. These images, drawn from nature, mythology, history, and daily life, allow poets to create rich and layered meanings that resonate with readers across time and culture. The use of metaphorical images in Tang poetry reflects the deep poetic tradition and artistic sensibility of Chinese literature. Translating metaphorical images from Tang poetry into English poses a unique challenge for translators due to the cultural and linguistic differences between the two languages. However, this challenge also presents an opportunity for translators to exercise creativity and interpretation in conveying the essence of the original poems. By carefully selecting appropriate English equivalents for the metaphorical images, translators can capture the beauty and complexity of Tang poetry for English-speaking audiences. Through a comparative analysis of translation strategies employed in representative cases of Tang poetry, this paper combines case study and corpus analysis methods to explore the concept and function of metaphorical images in Tang poetry, analyzes the possibility and importance of its English translation, and provides a comparative analysis of translation strategies for metaphorical images using representative cases of Tang poetry translation. It reveals the rationality and fidelity of translating metaphorical images.

Culturally based semantic losses in Lonely Planet’s travel guides translations for Beijing, Shanghai, and Sichuan

Translating cultural references in tourism materials is pivotal in bridging cultural gaps and facilitating cross-cultural communication. Despite the escalating demand for accurate translation, no research exists to address the losses in cultural connotations and their impact on semantic accuracy in Chinese-English cultural reference translation within Lonely Planet’s travel guides. This research seeks to fill this gap, specifically focusing on Beijing, Shanghai, and Sichuan destinations. The objectives are as follows: 1) to identify the types of cultural connotation losses in the English translation of Chinese cultural references; 2) to examine cultural-related semantic losses, considering instances where cultural connotation losses lead to partial or complete semantic losses; and 3) to elucidate the translation decisions (both macro and micro levels) implications on the culturally based semantic losses. A qualitative-descriptive approach forms the foundation of this research. The findings revealed seven types of cultural connotation losses, with partial semantic losses predominant. Applying Venuti’s domestication and foreignization, the results also uncovered a strong inclination toward foreignization, emphasizing the strangeness inherent in the source culture is intensified. These findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of the complexities of translating cultural connotations and maintaining semantic accuracy, offering a comprehensive typology that can guide future translation practices and serve as a springboard for further research in the field. Lastly, this study underscores the significance of maintaining cultural connotations in translation, thereby contributing to the ongoing development of cross-cultural communication.