Original Text Research Articles

A Study on English-Vietnamese Translation of Advertising Slogans From the Perspective of Newmark’s Translation Methods

This study aims to investigate the translation of advertising slogans from English to Vietnamese from the perspective of eight translation methods proposed by Newmark (1988). To realize this objective, the study uses two research methods of discourse analysis and translation comparative. The former is employed to analyse the linguistic components used in the original text and the translated one while the latter is used to identify the similarities and differences between the two texts so as to identify what translation method is used in a particular slogan translation. 60 pairs of English and Vietnamese advertising slogans collected randomly from different means of media for different kinds of products are used as the research sample. The research findings illustrate that of the eight methods proposed by Newmark, four are found in the translation of advertising slogans from English to Vietnamese, including Faithful translation, Semantic translation, Communicative translation and Free translation. Among these methods, Free translation is the most commonly-used, followed by Communicative translation, then Faithful translation and Semantic translation. The choice of a particular method for a slogan translation depends on the linguistic characteristics of the original slogan, including its lexical features, sentence structure, social and psychological features and rhetorical features. These findings partly go in line with earlier studies by Newmark and other scholars while some new findings are identified as the new contributions of this study to the research topic.

Abstract 4116844: Simplifying Cardiology Research Abstracts: Assessing ChatGPT's Readability and Comprehensibility for Non-Medical Audiences

Background: Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered chatbots like ChatGPT are increasingly used in academic medical settings to help with tasks such as evidence synthesis and manuscript drafting. They have shown potential in simplifying complex medical texts for non-medical audiences like patients and journalists. However, less is known about whether simplified texts may exclude important information or be of interest to patients or other non-medically-trained people such as journalists. Objective: This study aims to assess ChatGPT's capacity to simplify cardiology research abstracts by eliminating jargon and enhancing universal comprehension. Methods: We analyzed all abstracts and scientific statements published from July to November 2023 in Circulation (n=113). These abstracts were processed through ChatGPT with the prompt: "Please rewrite the following text to be comprehensible at a 5th-grade reading level. Retain all original information and exclude nothing". We assessed the readability of both original and simplified texts using Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) and Reading Ease (FKRE) scores. Additionally, a panel of five physicians and five laypeople evaluated these texts for completeness, accuracy, and understandability. Results: ChatGPT transformation or abstracts reduced the required reading level from a college graduate to 8-9th grade by both FKGL (18.3 to 8.6; p<.001) and FKRE (14.6 to 68.5; p<.001). The physician panel generally found that the simplified abstracts retained all essential information without introducing errors. Both physicians and laypeople found the simplified texts more comprehensible. Laypeople appreciated the ease of understanding but did not strongly express a desire for more such simplified texts, and some still worried about the simplified abstracts missing important details. Conclusion: ChatGPT simplifies medical research abstracts to a level understandable by those with less than a high school education without excluding important information. This approach may be useful to communicate new research findings to patients and other non-medically-trained people.

Translating Indian Algebra in the Seventeenth Century: ʿAtāʾollāh Roshdi’s Persian Version of Bhāskara II’s Bījagaṇita

Abstract One of the most important works in the field of medieval Indian mathematics corresponding to algebra is Bījagaṇita (Seed Calculation), a Sanskrit treatise by the famous mathematician and astronomer Bhāskara II (or Bhāskarācārya, c. 1114–aft. 1183). This paper is a general overview of the Tarjoma-ye Bij ganet (The Translation of the Bījagaṇita, 1634), a Persian text composed by the mathematician ʿAtāʾollāh Roshdi (or Rashidi), who served at the court of the Mughal emperor Shāh Jahān (r. 1628–58). The translation is divided into an introduction, subdivided in six chapters (bāb), and five books (maqāla). After discussing both Bhāskara II and Roshdi, I compare the latter’s translation with the original Sanskrit text on the basis of available English translations. I will also demonstrate how an intermediate language, which played an important role in the connection of South Asian scientific sources, facilitated this translation.

A Report on E-C Translation of English Humorous Novels

This translation practice report selects a short humorous novel: This May Hurt a Little as the translation material and case selection scope. This translation practice report is divided into five chapters. The first chapter introduces the background and significance of the translation task. Chapter Two introduces the source text and the author. The third chapter introduces the translation process in detail. Before translation, the translator carefully studied the original text and determined the translation tools and translation theories, namely Newmark’s semantic translation and communicative translation. The fourth chapter, under the guidance of semantic translation and communicative translation, carries out specific case analysis from three levels : vocabulary, syntax and discourse. The last chapter summarizes the experience and gains of the translation practice.

Los fraseologismos en el aula de prácticas de traducción: estudio de caso sobre el impacto de los traductores automáticos

Abstract The use of machine translation (MT) systems by undergraduate and postgraduate students has been analysed in different studies (Sycz-Opoń and Gałuskina 2017; Jia et al. 2019; Loock and Léchauguette 2021, to mention a few). An analysis of the German-into-Basque translation of multi-word expressions (Sanz-Villar 2024) observed that students’ dependence on MT systems was very high; i.e., traces of the MT proposals were found in the outputs of translation trainees. To specifically analyse the impact of MT proposals on students’ translations, two tasks were designed in 2021 in which nine students participated. Both tasks consisted of translating an excerpt of a children’s literary text from German into Basque. The first translation task was done with the aid of MT tools and the second was a from-scratch translation where the use of MT systems was not allowed. The goal of the present study is to compare the results of both tasks, focusing on the translation of phraseological units (PUs) to observe the features of students’ translations accomplished with and without the aid of MT tools. Since students used MT outputs during the first translation task, machine-translated texts are also compared to human-translated ones. The results show that the tendency to retain the phraseological character of the original text is stronger in professional translations than in machine-translated texts. In general, reliance on MT system outputs when translating PUs is quite strong among trainee translators. When comparing the results of the two tasks, it was observed that for some students, the number of techniques used to maintain the phraseological level of the original text increased in the translation done without MT. Interestingly, examples of creative translations were found in the translations done without the aid of MT tools.

Similarities and Dichotomies Between Nature-Based Solutions and Green Infrastructure: a Systematic Literature Review

Objective: The study seeks to address the following question: What are the similarities and dichotomies between green infrastructure (GI) and nature-based solutions (NBS) from the perspective of Brazilian researchers, and how do the identified solutions mitigate the depletion of urban ecosystem services? Method: A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted using the PRISMA protocol in research within the CAPES Journal database. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were original texts, peer-reviewed, published in national and international journals in Portuguese, covering the themes of NBS, GI, informal settlements, and public open space. After reviewing the 90 identified texts, a final selection of 41 texts was made for the SLR. Originality/Value: These texts were analyzed from a novel perspective, bringing together the themes of GI, NBS, ecosystem services protection, and urban land use. Results and Discussion: The study identified the authors’ views on the pressures of urbanization on ecosystem services and the solutions for their protection. It was concluded that the concepts of NBS and GI are often conflated in most approaches and that adopting urbanization associated with nature faces conceptual, operational, and managerial challenges. Research Implications: The research provides insights into the integration of GI and NBS in urban planning to address the challenges of uncontrolled urbanization and the degradation of ecosystem services.

Developing an Analytic Rubric for Japanese EFL Learners’ Summary Writing

This study aimed to develop and revise an analytic rubric based on the results of a survey of the difficulties experienced by raters when assessing the English summaries of Japanese English learners, as reported in a previous study (Kato, in press). In this study, three raters repeatedly discussed and established four categories: “Integration,” “Language Use,” “Paraphrasing,” and “Content Accuracy.” They created descriptors for each category from 0 to 5. The three raters evaluated the summaries of 20 Japanese university students for two types of original English texts. The results showed that the inter-rater reliability of Texts A and B was sufficiently high in all categories. Moreover, the correlation between categories was confirmed to measure independent constructs. This indicated that the analytic rubric created, based on Kato’s (in press) survey report from the raters, is also useful in terms of reliability and validity. This study proposed an analytic rubric that can serve as a foundation for constructing a more user-friendly rubric for future raters.

Exploring the Features and Trends of Industrial Product E-Commerce in China Using Text-Mining Approaches

Industrial product e-commerce refers to the specific application of the e-commerce concept in industrial product transactions. It enables industrial enterprises to conduct transactions via Internet platforms and reduce circulation and operating costs. Industrial literature, such as policies, reports, and standards related to industrial product e-commerce, contains much crucial information. Through a systematical analysis of this information, we can explore and comprehend the development characteristics and trends of industrial product e-commerce. To this end, 18 policy documents, 10 industrial reports, and five standards are analyzed by employing text-mining methods. Firstly, natural language processing (NLP) technology is utilized to pre-process the text data related to industrial product commerce. Then, word frequency statistics and TF-IDF keyword extraction are performed, and the word frequency statistics are visually represented. Subsequently, the feature set is obtained by combining these processes with the manual screening method. The original text corpus is used as the training set by employing the skip-gram model in Word2Vec, and the feature words are transformed into word vectors in the multi-dimensional space. The K-means algorithm is used to cluster the feature words into groups. The latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) method is then utilized to further group and discover the features. The text-mining results provide evidence for the development characteristics and trends of industrial product e-commerce in China.

Face to Face in Freedom: Beauvoirian Ambiguity in Sophocles’ Antigone

Abstract In my examination of Sophocles’ Antigone, I use Beauvoir’s existential philosophy as a lens and hermeneutic model and apply her language and terms—immanence, transcendence, and ambiguity—to the original ancient text to understand the gendered metaphors of the play and to reveal an area of oversight in her superficial treatment of the tragedy. Taking this theoretical approach, I use “feminist” or “existentialist” Beauvoir (The ethics of ambiguity, The second sex) against herself, that is, her interpretation of the Antigone in “Moral idealism and political realism,” to show how existentialist freedom is achieved in the tragedy. In my reading, I cast Antigone as a figure of ambiguity, situated in an oppressive context, and I argue that she creates her own project and strives towards freedom, in the Beauvoirian sense. I also extend the subjectivity of ambiguity to Ismene and illustrate the course of her own existential freedom to portray the reversibility of the transcendence/immanence polarity in these two figures and, ultimately, to suggest that the sisters are intertwined. Inscribing my reading in a tradition of feminist interpretations surrounding the Antigone, I advance a new reading that finds in the play a feminist political theory of existentialism, inclusive of the sororal pair.

Maxillectomy patients' speech and performance of contemporary speaker-independent automatic speech recognition platforms in Japanese.

Automatic speech recognition (ASR) can potentially help older adults and people with disabilities reduce their dependence on others and increase their participation in society. However, maxillectomy patients with reduced speech intelligibility may encounter some problems using such technologies. To investigate the accuracy of three commonly used ASR platforms when used by Japanese maxillectomy patients with and without their obturator placed. Speech samples were obtained from 29 maxillectomy patients with and without their obturator and 17 healthy volunteers. The samples were input into three speaker-independent speech recognition platforms and the transcribed text was compared with the original text to calculate the syllable error rate (SER). All participants also completed a conventional speech intelligibility test to grade their speech using Taguchi's method. A comprehensive articulation assessment of patients without their obturator was also performed. Significant differences in SER were observed between healthy and maxillectomy groups. Maxillectomy patients with an obturator showed a significant negative correlation between speech intelligibility scores and SER. However, for those without an obturator, no significant correlations were observed. Furthermore, for maxillectomy patients without an obturator, significant differences were found between syllables grouped by vowels. Syllables containing /i/, /u/ and /e/ exhibited higher error rates compared to those containing /a/ and /o/. Additionally, significant differences were observed when syllables were grouped by consonant place of articulation and manner of articulation. The three platforms performed well for healthy volunteers and maxillectomy patients with their obturator, but the SER for maxillectomy patients without their obturator was high, rendering the platforms unusable. System improvement is needed to increase accuracy for maxillectomy patients.

Measuring Chinese online populist discourse: an automated semantic text analysis method

Based on conceptualizing Chinese online populism as a grassroots discourse and operationalizing it in terms of people-centrist and anti-elitist dimensions, we developed an automated semantic text analysis method for analyzing Chinese online populist discourse both quantitatively and qualitatively. First, we introduced semantic role labeling to reformulate the original text into semantic triplets. Second, we created a Chinese populism dictionary containing terms signifying “the people,” “elites,” and “popular sovereignty.” Third, we developed a rule-based method to recognize populist discourse automatically. The automated semantic text analysis method can capture a great deal of qualitative information throughout this process for further analysis. The validation test showed that the automated semantic text analysis method performed satisfactorily (accuracy > 0.9). This method not only creates a broadly applicable and reliable tool for studying Chinese online populism, but it also contributes to the literature on how populism manifests in various cultural and political contexts, expanding the possibilities of populism research globally.

Analysis of Shi Longlian’ translation of the extensive commentary on the bodhisattva's way of life from the perspective of relevance theory

This paper explores the intersection of Relevance Theory and translation through an analysis of Shi Longlian's The Extensive Commentary on the Bodhisattva's Way of Life. The study begins with an introduction to Santideva, the esteemed 8th-century Indian philosopher, whose work laid the foundation for Mahayana Buddhist ethics and practice. Following this, it examines Shi Longlian, a prominent contemporary translator and scholar, highlighting her contributions to Buddhist literature and her extensive commentary that enriches the understanding of the Bodhisattva path. By applying these Relevance Theory as theoretical frameworks, this paper focuses on how Shi Longlian’s commentary achieves optimal relevance, facilitating comprehension for contemporary readers while remaining faithful to the original text's intent. This study emphasizes the importance of Relevance Theory in translation, showcasing how it enhances the audience's understanding and appreciation of Buddhist teachings in the modern context.

The Translation Quality Assessment of Google Translate’s Toward A More Critical Approach To Bio-events

There are few Chinese translation resources in paleontology, and literature reading relies heavily on machine translation, yet the translation quality cannot be guaranteed. Taking Towards a More Critical Approach toward Bio-events as a sample, this study aims to discuss the effectiveness of Google Translate in English-to-Chinese translation of paleontology literature. By comparing the translated text by Google Translate with that in Selected Papers of Theoretical Paleontology, the study assesses the translation from the perspectives of accuracy in word, sentence usage, meaning expression, logical accuracy, and readability. The assessment results show that the English-to-Chinese translation by Google Translate can accurately translate the deductive reasoning logic of the original text, and its coherence is basically consistent with the original text. However, there are paucity such as inaccurate word usage and deviations in sentence structure, leading to poor readability in some passages. This study provides insights into the use of machine translation strategies for paleontology researchers.

The Role of Sentiment Analysis in Machine Translation- A Review on the Example of ChatGPT

In today’s globalization, machine translation technology has become an indispensable bridge for cross-lingual communication. The integration of sentiment analysis makes machine translation not only able to convey information, but also able to accurately express and understand the emotional color of the original text, which is of great significance in the fields of cross-cultural communication, customer service, and social media interaction. This study overviews the development of machine translation technology, from early rule-based models to modern statistical models to Transformer-based neural network models, with a special focus on the integrated application of ChatGPT in sentiment analysis and machine translation. First, this study introduces the background and research significance of machine translation, and discusses the role of sentiment analysis in improving translation quality and user satisfaction. Subsequently, the historical development of machine translation technology is reviewed in detail, and the basic concepts and methodologies of sentiment analysis and its applications in different fields are elaborated. On this basis, this study analyzes in depth the technical architecture, language model and interaction capability of ChatGPT, as well as its specific application and performance in sentiment analysis. Further, this study explores the importance of sentiment analysis in machine translation, including sentiment recognition, translation strategies for sentiment expression, and the impact of sentiment analysis on improving translation quality and cultural adaptability. Meanwhile, the advantages and limitations of ChatGPT in sentiment analysis are assessed, and future research directions are proposed, including technology convergence, construction of datasets and evaluation criteria, and ethical and bias issues. Finally, this study summarizes the practical application value of sentiment analysis in machine translation and looks forward to the potential areas of future research, aiming to provide reference and inspiration for the further development of machine translation and sentiment analysis.

Exploring the Barrier between Language and Culture from the Perspective of Postmodernist Aesthetics - Taking the Translation of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Huang Jinyan and the Translation by Fan Ye as an Example

Focusing on the translations of Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude by Huang Jinyan and Fan Ye, this paper explores how language shapes and reflects cultural differences, thus influencing cross-cultural communication from a postmodernist aesthetic perspective. The opening chapter briefly describes the relevance of postmodern aesthetics to translation studies, with a special focus on the strategies of naturalization and alienation in magical realist translations and their role in conveying cultural connotations. Subsequently, a comparative analysis of the two translations reveals the differences in the translators’ strategies in dealing with the complex symbols and cultural elements of the original work: Fan’s translation tends to alienate, retaining the exotic and magical qualities and preserving the uniqueness of Latin American culture, but it may increase the barriers to comprehension for Chinese readers; Huang’s translation is inclined towards naturalization, which is closer to local reading habits and enhances the readability of the text, but it may diminish the cultural shock and depth of the original text. The core of the article emphasizes that translation is a dual process of cultural selection and re-creation. It requires the translator to strike a balance between preserving the original style and transmitting the cultural essence within the framework of postmodern aesthetics. The article further discusses the crucial role of this balance in enhancing cross-cultural communication and expanding horizons. It also proposes guidelines for future translation practice and research, advocating for a harmonious and symbiotic translation strategy that respects the original work while adapting to the target culture, particularly in the translation of cross-cultural literature.

Life and Death in Yu Hua’s Novels——Taking To Live and The Seventh Day as Examples

Yu Hua’s works have consistently excelled in exploring the fundamental meaning of life within tales of hardship and tragedy. Through a series of books such as To Live and The Seventh Day, Yu Hua has crafted multiple tragic stories featuring characters from different historical periods and with diverse personalities, thereby expressing his unique perspectives on life and death. The existing studies mostly analyze the life and death plot in isolation and lack an analysis of the influence of traditional culture on the formation of their concepts. This paper will take the original texts of the novels To Live and The Seventh Day as the basis, and use the method of textual analysis to analyze the views of life and death in the novels. Through the study, it is found that Yu Hua’s works present a unique new style of death aesthetics and life philosophy concepts. Through the research, it is discovered that Yu Hua’s works exhibit a unique new aesthetic of death and philosophy of existence. Yu Hua, a trailblazer in avant-garde literature, integrates traditional views on life and death with contemporary societal concerns. Through an exploration of the fragility of human physiology and the resilience of the human spirit, Yu Hua’s works offer a fresh perspective on life and death for individuals grappling with existential uncertainties. This aids in guiding individuals to seek the significance of their own lives and adopt an objective stance towards mortality.

A Study of Game Localization Translation under the Perspective of Skopos Theory--Taking the Game Red Dead Redemption 2 as an Example

As economic globalization continues to advance, the international market for video games is rapidly growing. For game companies aiming to expand their business globally, the localization of game translations is a crucial aspect. A well-executed localization can greatly boost a game’s international sales and appeal, attracting players from diverse regions. Thus, game localization is a vital strategy for companies seeking success on the global stage. Skopos theory, a key framework in translation studies, offers valuable insights for different types of translation work. This paper applies the principles of Skopos theory to examine the Chinese localization of various texts in the large-scale single-player game Red Dead Redemption 2. The analysis reveals that, under the guidance of Skopos theory, the localization enhances both the gaming experience and the sense of immersion for Chinese players. During the localization process, the translation, adaptation, or even rewriting of the original text is performed with the goal of aligning the final product with the cultural and linguistic preferences of local players.

Simile in Abdullah Farea and Sameer Nassar Translations of Hemingway's Men Without Women Short Stories

This study investigates the translation of similes in two Arabic versions of Ernest Hemingway’s Men Without Women, translated by Abdullah Fadhel Farea (2007) and Sameer Izzat Nassar (2003). Focusing on the cultural and stylistic importance of similes in Hemingway’s work, it examines the translation techniques used by each translator and evaluates their success in bridging linguistic and cultural differences. Using Katharina Reiss’s functional model (2000), the analysis assesses how semantic, lexical, and stylistic elements affect the translation of similes. It examines strategies like figurative equivalence, literal translation, and adaptation, highlighting both successful and problematic examples. The study reveals that while both translators aim to preserve Hemingway’s vivid imagery, their approaches to cultural nuances differ. The findings emphasize the importance of considering cultural context and audience expectations when translating similes to ensure both fidelity to the original text and resonance with the target readership.

Exploring methodologies and frameworks for best practice transfer at the primary care level

Abstract Background In Feb 2023, the EU’s Joint Action on the transfer of best praCtices In pRimary CarE (CIRCE-JA) was launched with the objective of effectively transferring and implementing six best practices (BPs) among Member States (MS). Transferability from one primary care (PC) setting to another can be challenging given organizational, legal, cultural, social, economic, and environmental factors, requiring robust a methodological framework to guide the transfer process. A scoping review was conducted to identify conceptual models and methodological frameworks for context-relevant and evidence-informed BP transfer in PC settings. Methods The study aimed to identify models or frameworks to guide BP transfer in PC settings, whilst maximizing transferability. The JBI methodology was used, and an extensive search was conducted in PubMed (time limit: Jan ‘13-May ‘23). All publications of original research, systematic reviews, and text and opinion papers in English were eligible for inclusion. Key exclusion criteria were set, i.e., intervention type, level of care and reporting quality. The search was supplemented by gray literature review. Results From a total of 369 publications, 9 met eligibility criteria, reporting on 10 conceptual and methodological models/framework largely varying. These included transfer models applicable to all BPs as well as elements specific to some BPs, i.e., addressing integration, patient-centered care, care coordination, and health promotion. Strengths and weaknesses were identified for all. Conclusions Transferability of health interventions is complex, requiring systematic consideration of setting and intervention characteristics to inform and support local adaptation, implementation, and decision-making. Key elements identified can support the CIRCE-JA BP transfer and are largely relevant for further BP transfer across PC settings in EU MS, incl. for local adaptation, stakeholder engagement and effective implementation monitoring. Key messages • Innovative BPs are successfully deployed in many EU MS. To best support transformation for strong EU primary care and resilient health systems, it is important to ensure evidence-informed BP transfer. • This review reports on the selection of appropriate frameworks and models, and key elements thereof, to allow successful transfer of CIRCE-JA BPs and other BP transfer across PC settings in Europe.

A Study of Fang Huawen’s Chinese Version of Rebecca from the Perspective of Skopos Theory

This paper analyzes Fang Huawen’s Chinese version of Rebecca from the perspective of Skopos Theory. By obtaining the different descriptions in the novel, such as linguistic description, mental description, and environmental description, the essay focuses on discovering how the translator uses Skopos Theory during his translation. Through the analysis, the thesis finds out that Fang’s version combines the features of the original texts and the expression habit in Chinese, which fully demonstrates the original texts. The language of Fang’s version is brief and clear, and the content is coherent, meanwhile, this translation showcases the message from the original text to a great extent. Through studying Fang’s version, the thesis analyzes the translation strategies comprehensively by using the principle of fidelity, conference and skopos. Based on the above three principles, translators can adopt a variety of translation strategies, including domestication, foreignization, addition and subtraction, to translate high-quality translations to meet the needs of readers and disseminate the culture of other countries.