Translation Strategies Research Articles

Challenges and Strategies in Translating Humour for Arabic Subtitling

The translation of humour in audiovisual media presents unique challenges due to its cultural relativity and dependence on social, linguistic, and cultural contexts. While Audiovisual Translation (AVT) studies have expanded since their emergence in the 1950s, research on humour translation between English and Arabic remains understudied, particularly regarding culturally sensitive content. This study addresses this gap by examining the strategies employed in translating humorous content from English to Arabic in subtitled media. Using a corpus-based approach, this research combines qualitative and quantitative methodologies to analyze translation strategies for humour, with particular attention to sensitive topics including sex, religion, and politics. The qualitative analysis examines the specific challenges and solutions in translating culturally-bound humour, while the quantitative component provides statistical data on the frequency and distribution of various translation strategies. The findings reveal that Arabic subtitlers predominantly employ Preservation strategies (50%), followed by Reduction (18.2%) and Expansion (16.7%). This pattern differs from previous studies of other language pairs, suggesting that the English-Arabic translation of humour involves unique considerations and approaches. The research contributes to AVT scholarship by providing empirical evidence of translation strategies in the understudied English-Arabic language pair and offering insights into the handling of culturally sensitive humour in Arabic subtitling practices.

An assessment of translating religious and magical aspects in "Arabian nights" into English

This thesis discusses the difficulties of translating "Arabian Nights" from Arabic to English, focusing on cultural and religious elements. It analyzes translation strategies from the 19th century to the present by using Katharina Reiss' text typology framework. English translations nevertheless influenced by historical biases and misconceptions. Modern translations show more cultural sensitivity but struggle to fully convey nuances. Market expectations often lead to domestication in translation approaches. The research emphasizes the tension between making the text accessible to Western audiences while keeping its cultural authenticity. It contributes to discussions on literary translation and cultural preservation, emphasizing the need for more complex, culturally aware approaches in translating works across diverse linguistic and cultural landscapes. This study provides insights to inform future translation efforts and cross-cultural literary studies, addressing the difficult balance between reader accessibility and cultural integrity in literary translation.

An Eco-Translatological Study of the English Version of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China IV

With the rapid development of China’s foreign relations, the effective dissemination of external publicity texts through high-quality translations has become a pivotal task in enhancing communication between China and the world. Xi Jinping: The Governance of China IV compiles President Xi Jinping’s speeches, talks, addresses, instructions, and congratulatory letters during his presidency, offering significant insights into Chinese political culture. This paper employs Eco-translatology to identify representative cases from the book and analyze the application of translation principles, strategies, and techniques in translating Chinese political texts. Specifically, the study examines translators’ adaptation and selection practices. It investigates the three-dimensional transformations of language, culture, and communication within the English rendition of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China IV.

The Translator’s Dilemma: Howard Goldblatt’s Translation Strategies in “Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out”

Since the 21st century, under the backdrop of the “going global” strategy of Chinese culture, the international influence of Chinese literary works has been growing. Among them, Howard Goldblatt’s translation of “Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out” is an outstanding representative of the English translation of contemporary Chinese literature. The translator Howard Goldblatt’s masterful translation of the original work’s national culture, linguistic form, and special structure is key to the success of the translation in overseas markets. This paper studies specific translation examples from Goldblatt’s English version of “Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out” and analyzes the translator’s translation strategies from the perspective of Polysystem Theory. It also explores the reasons from several angles, including the translating subject, content, strategy, and sponsors. The study finds that the translator Howard Goldblatt has seized the opportunity of Chinese culture “going global” and skillfully combined domestication and foreignization in the translation process of “Life and Death Are Wearing Me Out” effectively conveying Chinese cultural elements to readers while considering their reading interests and cultural backgrounds, thus making the translation more appealing to target language readers and promoting its effective overseas dissemination.

Law, Culture and Language: Challenges in Legal Term Translation from the Perspective of Comparative Legal Culture

As a cross-cultural communication activity, legal translation inevitably involves law, culture and language. The accurate translation of legal terms plays a crucial role in facilitating the exchange between different legal cultures. Cultural factors, including language, legal systems, legal institutional structures and legal mindsets, have a major impact on legal translation. Failure to capture the discrepancies between different legal cultures causes errors in the translation of legal terms. To achieve optimal translation effects, translators not only need to possess a high level of language proficiency but also have a deep understanding of different legal systems and cultures. From the perspective of comparative legal culture, this paper analyzes how cultural factors influence the translation of legal terminology between Chinese and English and proposes corresponding translation strategies. When there are equivalent concepts in both the source and target legal systems, translators should employ corresponding legal equivalents in the translation. In cases where such equivalents are absent, translators may employ paraphrasing techniques or coin new terms to convey the intended meaning.

Linguistic Obstacles Faced in Translating Some Unique Qur’anic Cultural Lexical Items into English: Reexploring Some Translation Approaches

This research paper aimed to identify the linguistic obstacles met in translating some unique Qur’anic cultural lexical items into English through the lens of translation approaches. The study used a qualitative descriptive method and Nord’s (1991) text analysis model in translation. The findings showed that the most used approach to translating the implication of Qur’anic cultural lexical items was that of word-for-word and verbatim translation, and this resulted in a deep meaning loss and manipulating the perfect translation. The study also found that Al-Hilali and Khan’s and Abdel-Haleem’s translation approach, contrastingly, seems to be predominantly translated text-oriented, and thus conforms to the strategy of free translation, putting pivotal descriptive details in brackets, footnotes, or as a paraphrasis. The study concluded that Pickthall was inclined to resort to a literal translation strategy, which often gives rise to obscurity and problems because it does not consider the idiomatic meaning and implicit meaning of the Qur’anic Cultural Lexical Items.

The Actual Challenges and Efficient Ways of Translating Metaphore, Metonemy, Synechdoche In Literary Works

Translating stylistic devices like metaphor, metonymy, and synecdoche in literary works indeed poses significant challenges. Each device carries layers of meaning that are often tied to cultural contexts and linguistic nuances. Here’s a detailed look at the challenges involved and some effective strategies for translation.

Dubbing Religious References from English into Arabic: A Case Study of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules

Dubbing religious references between two incongruent cultures may be considered one of the most complicated tasks due to the use of complex and specialized religion-specific concepts. This especially so when dealing with English and Arabic because the two religions of Christianity and Islam, being divine religions, may converge and diverge on several concepts, whether partially or completely. The present study examines dubbing religious references in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Hercules animated movies into Arabic (Egyptian Vernacular) both quantitatively and qualitatively. In the quantitative part, the religious terms are classified based on the dubbing strategies suggested in this paper, including omission (21%), TT substitution (19%), generalization (15%), ST substitution (14%), topic shifting (14%), literal translation (11%), and paraphrase (6%). A sample of the overall adaptation of songs is also included. For its turn, the qualitative part looks critically into the strategies used in dubbing religious references. The findings show that the dubbers have opted for using a variety of translation strategies in order to avoid blasphemous expressions in the target Muslim culture. It seems that the avoidance of blasphemy emanating from Greek and Christian cultures in the two works has been a top priority for the dubbers. These findings are expected to be of great help to students and practitioners who engage in religious translation.

Exploring Translation Strategies of Thesis Abstract Written by Non-English Department Students in The University of Mataram

This study investigates the translation problems, strategies, and the most frequently used strategy in translating Indonesian thesis abstracts into English. The subjects of this research comprised eight thesis abstracts written by non-English department students at the University of Mataram during the 2023 academic year. Utilizing Baker’s theory on translation problems and strategies, which encompasses eleven aspects, this study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative analyses. The findings reveal a total of 78 translation problems across the eight Indonesian thesis abstracts. Among Baker's identified problems, only eight were observed, including: culture-specific concepts (31 instances), source language concepts not lexicalized in the target language (4 instances), semantically complex source language words (14 instances), a lack of specific terms in the target language (1 instance), differences in expressive meaning (8 instances), differences in form (2 instances), differences in frequency and purpose of specific forms (6 instances), and the use of loan words in the source text (12 instances). To address these challenges, seven out of eight translation strategies from Baker’s theory were employed in the English thesis abstracts. The most utilized strategy was translation using loan words (35 instances, 45%), followed by translation using a more general word (12 instances, 16%), translation using a neutral word (10 instances, 13%), translation by omission (10 instances, 13%), translation by paraphrase using a related word (4 instances, 5%), and the least employed strategies were translation using cultural substitution (3 instances, 4%) and paraphrase using unrelated words (3 instances, 4%). Of the 78 translation problems identified, 77 were resolved using the seven strategies, while one problem remained unsolved due to an unacceptable translation. This thesis aims to serve as a valuable reference for translators, English department students, and researchers in the field of translation. The findings indicate a significant need for enhanced support and resources in the translation process for non-English department students at the University of Mataram.

The Investigation of Ideological Representations in Subtitling: A Critical Discourse Analysis Approach

The present study investigates how ideologically-laden words and expressions are subtitled from English into Arabic by taking into account various translation strategies and lexical choices. It also sheds light on the role of the subtitler in this ideologically-constructed transfer. For this purpose, a mixed methods approach is followed to analyze and calculate the occurrence of the selected words and expressions from English movies and their Arabic subtitles by adopting the eclectic model of Farahzad’s critical discourse analysis model (2011), and Baker’s (2011) and Pedersen’s (2011) translation strategies. The results of the study show that the subtitlers try to convey different ideologies from the ones presented in the original dialogues by depicting Muslim characters as negative individuals and American characters as positive individuals who are saviors and defenders. This is revealed through omission, translation by more expressive words, addition, and generalization. The findings further highlight that the subtitlers attempted to match the subtitles to the religious beliefs of the target viewers through cultural substitution. Regarding shifts of agency or participants, the subtitlers employed addition by adding action verbs in the subtitles to change the meaning of the sequence or to alter the focus toward specific agents by using different pronouns. The study thereof shows the role of the subtitler as an unfaithful transmitter of reality in the subtitles.

Going Native/Viral in Russian Popular Music: Aesthetic Populism, Patriotic Anti-racism, and the Quest for Hip-Hop Authenticity in Timati’s Teymuraz Music Video Trilogy

This paper critically analyzes the 2010s’ viral music video trilogy featuring Teymuraz, a stage and video persona of the Russian/Tatar/Jewish hip-hop artist Timati. Using hyperbolized stereotypes of a racialized taxi driver from the Caucasus/Central Asia, the hybrid aesthetics of Teymuraz fuses the elements of New East style, post-Soviet cultural recycling, social critique, and appropriates the voices of the subaltern. Contextualizing Teymuraz as a strategy of racial translation of US hip-hop and as a part of the Russian cultural trend of aesthetic populism, I analyze the work of racial signification in the trilogy that relies on multimodal racial metonymy. I read the trilogy as a peculiar Russian patriotic anti-racist project with contradictory implications. Having been haunted by the accusations of ‘copying’ US rappers throughout his career, Timati negotiates the stigma of imitation, transgressing it in Teymuraz, exploiting his own ethnoracial ambiguity, chronic hip-hop inauthenticity, and the aesthetic populism trend.

Study on National Image Construction and International Communication in CHINA ON THE MOVE Amid Deconstructionism and Constructivism

National image documentary is a key part in shaping a country’s brand, fostering cultural exchange. However, China has faced challenges in presenting a dynamic and multidimensional national image on the global stage. In recent years, China has intensified its international communication efforts, leveraging various media formats to portray a more comprehensive image. The paper critically analyzes the contradictions inherent in the construction of national image and its overseas translation and communication, focusing on the biases of logocentrism and egocentrism. Taking China on the Move as a case study and examining its production, characterization, narrative, and translation strategies to summarize patterns and practices from a series of high-quality Sino-foreign co-produced documentaries. The analysis explores how the deconstructionist strategy of decentralization contributes to the joint-shaping of national image, and how an emphasis on marginalization reflects broader societal structures through the lens of ordinary lives. The deconstructionist translation strategy underscores the translator’s active role and the importance of “creative rebellion”. Conversely, the constructivist strategy elucidates the underlying logic of China’s image for international audiences, promoting empathetic communication by seeking common ground while acknowledging differences. The constructivist translation strategy also imposes necessary limitations on “creative rebellion” to ensure coherence in the translation process.

Domestication and Foreignization of Humor Elements in the Translation of 2 Broke Girls

With the development of globalization, films and TV series from foreign countries, as an important vehicle of culture, have sprung up and are appreciated by viewers due to high-quality subtitle translation. Thus, subtitle translation has become an important part in the field of translation research. Since its launch in China, the famous American sitcom 2 Broke Girls has achieved universal praise among audiences. This recognition is attributed not only to its intriguing plot but also to the excellent subtitle translation, in which domestication and foreignization, two key translation techniques, play an important role. Although many scholars have already conducted research and discussions on domestication and foreignization, there is still a lack of studies on the application of these two techniques to this drama. Therefore, taking this sitcom as an example, through an analysis of domestication and foreignization methods and of the humorous elements in the drama, this paper explores the characteristics, advantages, and limitations of these two translation methods in their practical application in the drama, focusing on specific scenarios for research. It is found that domestication and foreignization play a crucial role in driving the plot forward and enhancing the comedic effect of this sitcom. In the process of translation, translators should combine these two translation strategies well to achieve a better effect.

A Comparative Study Of Methods Employed By The Yangs And Hawkes For Translating Traditional Chinese Medicine Terms In Hong Lou Meng From The Perspective Of Reception Aesthetics

As the quintessence of our country, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an essential part of traditional Chinese culture and contributes to the health of the Chinese nation. TCM gradually captures the attention of the world and delivers benefits to people from the world. Hong Lou Meng, one of China’s four great masterpieces, is an encyclopedic novel that involves more than 290 pieces of medical knowledge. From the perspective of reception aesthetics, this paper studies translation strategies of TCM terms in the Yangs and Hawkes translations of Hong Lou Meng, in order to provide reference for the English translation of TCM terminology

CULTURE-SPECIFIC ITEMS AND TRANSLATION STRATEGIES IN TIM O’BRIEN’S THE THINGS THEY CARRIED AND ITS INDONESIAN TRANSLATION

As one of the most complicated concepts to translate, a number of translators and researchers have presented various strategies to transfer the meaning of culture-specific items (CSIs) from one language to another. Through eight translation strategies used by professional translators based on Baker, this paper aimed to find the most applicable strategy to find a way around culture-specific items. In addition, this paper also attempted to categorize CSIs found in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried according to Newmark’s five taxonomies of foreign cultural words. The comparative model in translation studies and comparative research were applied as methods to obtain and analyze data from both the source text and target text. The results showed that out of five taxonomies, social culture has the highest percentage overall with 45%. Furthermore, translation by paraphrase using unrelated words also has the highest percentage among the eight translation strategies with 31%. Therefore, it can be concluded that translation by paraphrase using unrelated words is the most applicable strategy to translate CSIs found in The Things They Carried.

Analyzing And Assessing the Translation of Quranic Terms based on the Tridimensional Exegetic Analysis Model, salah as a Case Study

The study investigates the hypothesis that there are certain conceptual gaps between the source and target concepts and proposes a translation strategy to avoid that distortion of the intended meanings. It starts from the premise that producing a high-quality translation of Quranic concepts could be attained if the distinctive features of source and target concepts are delimited based on an onomasiological terminological approach and a tri-dimensional textual approach. The objective is to assess an equivalent of a Qur’anic term based on its conceptual match or mismatch with the source concept and to propose improved versions that meet the needs of readers of Quranic translations irrespective of their cultural backgrounds. Thus, after attaining the conceptual delimitation of the Quranic concept of salah, an analysis is conducted to check whether its features are well conveyed in the equivalent “prayer”. Salah is delimited in the Quran (intratextuality), Sunnah (intertextuality), and the historical sociocultural contexts (contextuality).

Ideologies Underlying Chinese-English News Translation Strategies: A Critical Discourse Analysis of An Example from China Daily

With the aim of revealing the interplay between ideologies and translation strategies in the English translation process of Chinese political discourses, this research delves into the critical discourse analysis (CDA) of the English translation of the 2024 New Year Message by Chinese President Xi in China Daily. By examining the translation strategies like domestication, foreignization, addition, literal translation, and free translation, the study uncovers that these translation strategies are adopted in order to portray China as a nation developing with promising prospects. The primary research findings reveal how these strategies align with key ideologies including modernization and progress, stability and long-term planning, China’s global role and commitment to cooperation, cultural heritage and national pride, and people-centered development. Through the critical analysis of how these strategies reflect and reinforce these ideological narratives in shaping the international perceptions of the status quo and future direction of China’s growth, this research provides insights into the complex relations between translation choices and ideologies.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: A Translation Analysis of Culture Load Words Through the Perspective of Post-Colonialism

Post-colonial translation theory examines translation research from a brand new view. It begins to take into account the factors outside of the text that affect translation. Said’s view reveals the political character of post-colonial translation. Homi K. Bhabha‘s third space theory has attracted wide attention due to its great view and inclusive spirit. The film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a representative success of Chinese films in the international film field. The success of the film comes from both the rich Chinese culture and the naturalized translation strategy. Through case analysis, this article finds that in the process of subtitle translation of the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, the meaning of some cultural loaded words cannot be completely and comprehensively transformed. This is related to the characteristics of subtitle translation and also to the cultural habits of the target groups of the film. The article proposes that such a translation strategy is conducive to Chinese films to find a place in the market, but we can also find a balance between retaining the culture and seizing the market.

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.

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.