Translation Style Research Articles

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.

What Connects Mongol Rulers with the Chinese World: Imperial Edicts, a Literal Translation Style, and Spoken Chinese

This study examines the influence of Mongolian language on spoken Chinese, with a focus on the Sino-Mongolian, or Chinese language translated using the literal translation style (zhiyi-ti 直譯體) from Mongolian. Sino-Mongolian was a type of contact language, based on the Chinese vocabulary and Mongolian syntactic structure. Common linguistic elements are observed between Sino-Mongolian and the Chinese textbook No Gŏltae edited in the Koryŏ Kingdom under Mongol rule. The analysis confirms that No Gŏltae was not translated from Mongolian language but a type of spoken Chinese that was influenced and shaped by Sino-Mongolian through oral dissemination. Although Sino-Mongolian was an artificially translated language, the literal translation style may have been based on Altaic Pidgin Chinese. Hence, it was readily accepted in Northern China and naturally influenced and shaped the spoken Chinese there. It is concluded that the colloquial Chinese influenced by Sino-Mongolian, as observed in No Gŏltae, would be defined as Mongolo-Chinese, a type of Creole language.

A Corpus-based Comparative Study of Translators' Styles of Four English Versions of Chinese Classic

This article examines the translation styles of the first chapter of Six Chapters of a Floating Life at three levels using a corpus approach: readability calculations, statistical parameters, and the translation of culture-specific lexis. The translation by Pratt and Jiang has the most annotations and is easiest for the typical English reader to read. With an emphasis on the original language, Sanders' translation demonstrates the translator's goal of translating Chinese culture while veering toward thick translation. Black's translation is particularly unique because the translator frequently adopts the author's tone to infuse the original language with cultural context. The distinct socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds of the translators and the intended audience are the primary causes of the four translations' wildly divergent styles.

Revealing the translator's style: A corpus-based study of english translations of Mencius.

Based on the self-built English translation corpus of Mencius, this study conducts a lexical, syntactical and textual comparative analysis of Mencius English translations by James Legge (1861), Leonard A.Lyall (1932) and D.C.Lau (1970) through adopting a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods and employing Tokenizer, Tree Tagger, WordSmith8.0, AntConc and Readability Analyzer software. By analyzing representative translation examples and the para-text of each translation, this study explores the relationship among the historical background, translator's cultural identity and translation motivation. The results reveal that the translator's style is closely related to the translation strategy determined by the translation purpose rooted in translator's cultural identity in different historical and social backgrounds.The study findings will bring a new perspective for the translator's cultural identity research, contribute to the translator's style study and deepen the understanding of the English translation and overseas dissemination of Mencius with the help of corpus technology.

The Roles of Translators and Interpreters: Opportunities and Challenges in Translation and Interpreting Activity

This research explores the roles of translators and interpreters in the 21st century, focusing on their differences in work methods, language type focus, context understanding, translation style, processing time, translator tool assistance, role in communication, and additional skills. This research is library research. The analysis shows that both professionals require a deep understanding of culture and language, expert knowledge, and clear communication. Translators must understand cultural knowledge for negotiations, while interpreters facilitate communication between people speaking different languages. They must consider non-verbal cues, and have excellent language skills, quick thinking, effective information processing, and in-depth knowledge of the culture and business practices associated with the languages they translate. Interpreters can use the SIS (Simultaneous Interpretation System) tool or not. In the 21st century, translation and interpretation are complex professions that require adaptability and diverse abilities to navigate globalization. Technical and non-technical factors influence translation continuity, with technical factors like sound systems and lighting affecting quality. Training programs for translators and interpreters have emerged, with certification being a key requirement for recognition.

Translation Studies Activity of P. Kulish in Epistolary Documents of V. I. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine and Chernihiv State Literary-memorial Museum of Mykhailo Kotsyubynsky

The aim of the article is to study the long-term translation studies activity of P. Kulish based on the epistolary sources material stored in the funds of the Institute of Manuscripts of V. I. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine (hereinafter – IM NBUV), and Chernihiv State Literary-Memorial Museum of Mykhailo Kotsyubynsky (hereinafter – CSLMMMK). In a broad culturological context, the significance of his translation studies activity for the prerequisites of forming the Ukrainian literary language is highlighted, but at the same time, he is distinguished by his own translation style and the author’s handwriting. All names of documents and their content, which are contained in library and museum institutions, are presented in the original language, and without any spelling changes. Research methods. This article grounds on general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, which involved historical, systematic, typological and aesthetic ones, as well as methods of archival and source-based heuristics, source studies criticism, textual analysis of sources and information reconstruction. The combination of these scientific methods makes it possible to analyse in detail the activity of P. Kulish in the field of Ukrainian translation studies. The scientific novelty of the study consists in highlighting the epistolary sources (manuscripts of letters, diary, telegrams) that are stored in the archives of the IM NBUV, and which reveal the translation studies work of P. Kulish. In particular, they point to a significant amount of available documents that testify to the artist’s titanic activity in the process of translating works of European and world literature classics into the Ukrainian language. First of all, the process of translation and publication of V. Shakespeare’s works is described in detail from the corpus of epistolary sources specified in this research. Main conclusions. A large number of P. Kulish’s letters, more than one and a half thousand epistles, is accumulated in the IM NBUV funds. The presented set of archival documents shows one of the many creative interests of P. Kulish, the artist’s translation activity during all his life. This can be proved by the writer’s correspondence and all the documents related to this topic found in NBUV. The epistolary of P. Kulish is scattered among twelve funds of the scientific institution, and is a valuable informational resource that indicates the significance of the translator’s scientific and creative work. CSLMMMK funds also contain a considerable number of archival documents (both letters and translation manuscripts) that directly highlight the translation activity of P. Kulish. A large block of documents related to the writer’s name is concentrated in the fund of his wife, Hanna Barvinok. This is mainly the epistolary heritage of the artist, who corresponded with many correspondents of P. Kulish, particularly, after his death. It is well known to publicity that that P. Kulish translated thirteen dramas of V. Shakespeare, but archival documents show a different statistics. Thanks to Hanna Barvinok’s letters, in which she repeatedly noted that P. Kulish translated fifteen dramas of V. Shakespeare, other figures can be ascertained. However, apart from P. Kulish’s epistles, no other relevant archival material has been found yet, that could testify to the words of the artist’s wife. The information component of Shakespeare’s themes is most widely represented in the correspondence of the translator himself. Especially, this applies both to the translation process itself, and to the printing of works in general.

Quantifying the style of joint translations: A multi-perspective stylometric analysis of The story of the stone by David Hawkes and John Minford

ABSTRACT In this study, we explore the under-examined area of joint translation within translation studies academia through a detailed stylometric analysis of the English rendition of the classic Chinese novel Hongloumeng (literally A dream of red mansions, also known as The story of the stone). Initially, we scrutinize the translation’s lexical diversity employing metrics such as MATTR and MWL, alongside analyzing sentence length via MSL and idea density through the use of CPIDR. Subsequently, we apply a multidimensional analysis with the MAT 1.3.2 framework. Finally, we delve into the implications our stylometric findings have for stylistic analysis. Our comprehensive quantitative evaluation underscores the efficacy of multi-perspective stylometric analysis in enhancing descriptive studies of translator and translation styles, thereby effectively distinguishing ‘translator-ship’.

Charting the Trajectory of Corpus Translation Studies: Exploring Future Avenues for Advancement

Abstract This article delves into the trajectory of corpus translation studies (CTS) over the past two decades, summarizing key areas of existing research and identifying potential gaps and challenges within the field. The review encompasses various research areas, including translation universals, translator style, translation norms, and translation pedagogy. It acknowledges the valuable contributions made in these areas while also highlighting potential areas for improvement, such as the need to incorporate functional aspects in translator style research and align translation training programs with professional requirements. The review introduces (De Sutter, Gert, and Marie-Aude Lefer. 2020. “On the Need for a New Research Agenda for Corpus-Based Translation Studies: A Multi-Methodological, Multifactorial and Interdisciplinary Approach.” Perspectives 28 (1): 1–23) new research agenda for CTS, which advocates for multifactorial designs, methodological pluralism, and interdisciplinarity. This agenda facilitates two analysis modes: one utilizing corpus methods to examine translation products, and the other employing diverse methods to investigate products, processes, participants, and contexts in corpus-assisted translation practices. It is argued that these two analysis modes offer valuable guidance for future corpus-assisted translation studies.

Machine translation of Chinese classical poetry: a comparison among ChatGPT, Google Translate, and DeepL Translator

Recent studies have highlighted ChatGPT’s remarkable capabilities in machine translation. However, little attention has been paid to its application in literary translation, particularly within the realm of Chinese classical poetry. To explore the potential of ChatGPT’s abilities in poetry translation, we conducted a comparative analysis of poetry translation quality, contrasting ChatGPT (with two different prompts) with Google Translate and DeepL Translator regarding fidelity, fluency, language style, and machine translation style. The results revealed that ChatGPT outperformed Google Translate and DeepL Translator in all evaluation criteria, suggesting its exceptional ability in poetry translation. Furthermore, when employing a prompt that instructs ChatGPT to preserve the rhythm and rhyme of poems, ChatGPT demonstrated a remarkable ability to retain the beauty of the original poetic language, setting itself apart from conventional machine translation systems. Our analysis further elucidated ChatGPT’s proficiency in comprehending and translating some common symbols, imagery, and underlined semantic components which contributes to coherent and fluent translations. Our research opens up ChatGPT’s new possibilities in translating ancient literary texts into foreign languages.

Study of “The Romance of the Western Bower” Translation from the Perspective of Translation Stylistics: A Case Study of Xu Yuanchong’s Translation

Study of “The Romance of the Western Bower” Translation from the Perspective of Translation Stylistics: A Case Study of Xu Yuanchong’s Translation

Xu Yuanchong’s Theory of “Three Beauties” and His Poetry Translation Practice

Xu Yuanchong is a master of English translation of ancient Chinese poetry. In the long translation practice, Xu Yuanchong has formed his own unique translation style. He applied Lu Xun’s theory of “three beauties” to English and French translation of classical Chinese poetry, and put forward the theory of “three beauties” in poetry translation, that is, translation of poetry should convey the beauty of meaning, beauty of sound and beauty of form of the original poem as far as possible. At the same time, he pointed out that among the three beauties, beauty of meaning is the most important, beauty of sound is the second, followed by beauty of the form. However, a general survey of Xu Yuanchong’s poetry translation practice showed that in the specific process of poetry translation, Xu started more from the beauty of form, and then to the beauty of sound and beauty of sense, and gradually achieved the perfect state of “three beauties” in poetry translation.

Terjemahan Ungkapan Slang dalam Novel To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before karya Jenny Han

The current issue in the translation process is the inappropriate choice of technique, which affects the accuracy and acceptability of the translation, as well as the need to identify slang expressions from the source language to the target language to ensure the style aligns with the target language's characteristics. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the techniques used to translate slang expressions from English (the source language) into Indonesian (the target language) using the theories of Butkuiviena and Petrulionē (2010), and Vinay and Darbelnet (1995) in the novel To All The Boys I've Loved Before, while also analyzing the linguistic style of the slang translation from English into Indonesian using Joos's theory (1967). The research method employed is qualitative, with document analysis for data collection. Meanwhile, the data analysis method uses thematic analysis. The results show that the most dominant technique used by translators for translating slang expressions is the literal technique. This finding suggests that the literal translation technique is generally capable of accommodating and sufficiently accurate in translating slang expressions in this novel, which features light and casual language use. Given that the novel narrates a simple teenage story, the dominant linguistic style in the translation of slang expressions is casual style. This finding reflects that the novel's style closely resembles the preferred linguistic style of young readers, who tend to be more relaxed, friendly, and open.

Two translations of Mahfouz’s Awlad Haratina (Children of our Alley): A computational-stylistic analysis

Comparative studies of different translations for the same source text can be valuable sources of insights relevant to the fluid notion of ‘translation style’. Such studies can employ a wide variety of techniques, including computational analysis which targets specific elements in the text in order to allow for a systematic view of translator style. This study attempts a computational-stylistic analysis of the two English translations of Naguib Mahfouz’s controversial novel Awlad Haratina (literally, Children of our Alley). The aim of the study is two-fold. First, it aims to show how quantifiable computational and distant reading techniques can help identify patterns of stylistic differences between these two translations. Second, it attempts to situate the results of this analysis within the wider social context of the two English translations (Stewart 1981 and Theroux 1996) of one of the most famous modern Arabic novels. The results clearly show patterns of linguistic use specific to each of the two translations highlighting differences in lexical variety and richness, sentence structure, readability level, stylometric analysis as well some lexical choices. These results can be interpreted within the social context of producing those two translations, with particular reference to characteristics of retranslation as discussed in the literature.

Translation and Semantics: Challenges and Strategies in Translating English Idioms

Translating idiomatic expressions poses significant challenges for translators, necessitating careful consideration of cultural context, semantic equivalence, and pragmatic usage. This study aims to explore the complexities involved in translating English idioms, with a focus on the intersection of translation and semantics. The primary objectives are to identify the main challenges faced by translators, examine the impact of cultural differences, and propose strategies to overcome these obstacles. Through an analysis of translation choices and translators' notes, four main strategies are identified: literal translation, paraphrasing, cultural equivalents, and adaptation. The findings reveal that cultural differences and semantic obstacles significantly influence the translation process. Furthermore, the study highlights the individual translation styles of the participants, and the variations in the approaches adopted and decision-making processes. The study found that the most important challenges in translating English idioms are: cultural differences, semantic obstacles, and the unfamiliarity of some idioms. This study also found that the most used strategies used in translating English idioms are: literal translation, paraphrasing, cultural equivalents, and adaptation.

Analisis Terjemahan Q.S An-Naba’: 1-7 dalam Tafsir Bacaan Mulia Karya H.B. Jassin

Literature is believed to have a special appeal for the majority of people from all nations, including Arabs and Indonesians. The Al-Qur'an, which uses noble literature, was translated using literary language by H.B Jassin. His thoughts attract the attention of writers because they transmit literature to literature. This study aims to describe the verses of An-Naba from 1-7 in the perspective of the translation of the Noble Readings by H.B. Jassin. This study uses a descriptive analysis method without using statistical figures, the source of the research data is from Tafsir Noble Readings and Surah An-Naba. The results of this study are as follows: 1) Personality of H.B. Jassin who became his motivation to write the translation; 2) Ijmali and Tahlili methods are used to analyze and collect data; and 3) The language style of this Noble Reading translation is in the form of poetry, different from the translation of the Ministry of Religion. This translation of the Noble Readings does not change the meaning, meaning and content of the Qur'an at all, it's just that the difference is in the language style and sentence structure used by H.B. Jassin. H.B.'s goal Jassin wrote his translation solely to make the verses of the Qur'an very beautiful.

A Comparative Analysis of the Translation Styles in Chinese Versions of The Wealth of Nations based on the Adaptation Theory: A Corpus-based Statistical Examination

A Comparative Analysis of the Translation Styles in Chinese Versions of The Wealth of Nations based on the Adaptation Theory: A Corpus-based Statistical Examination

A Study of Literary Translation from the Perspective of Discourse Translation: Taking Transient Days as an Example

For translators, understanding the original text is the basis of translation activities, and analyzing it in terms of the discourse helps translators better understand the original text. In translation activities, the translation approach from the perspective of the discourse is favored by more and more translators. Taking Transient Days as an example, this paper analyzes this translation version with its varied and beautiful translation style from the perspective of discourse translation, and explores the aesthetic value of literary translation in terms of discourse.

An Analysis of Jia Tanchun’s “Three Talents” Character Image in the English Translation of Dream of the Red Mansions—Based on David Hawkes’s and Yang Xianyi’s Versions

The current study aims to analyze the characterization of Jia Tanchun in English versions of Dream of the Red Chamber translated by David Hawkes and Yang Xianyi. As an important character in Dream of the Red Chamber, Jia Tanchun’s image may differ in different English translations. By comparing and analyzing the translations of the two versions, this study reveals the ways in which different translations portray the character of Jia Tanchun and the cultural factors involved. By analyzing the translated texts about Jia Tanchun in the two versions, the current study finds that in Hawkes’s translation, the image of Jia Tanchun is endowed with a kind of wisdom, calmness and thoughtfulness, while Yang Xianyi’s translation highlights Jia Tanchun’s boldness, passion and adventurousness more. This may stem from the differences in the translators’ understanding of the original image of Jia Tanchun, as well as the influence of translation style and cultural background. In the process of translation, the characterization of Jia Tanchun’s “three talents” has attracted much attention. Based on the two versions, this study analyzes Jia Tanchun’s talents in management, learning and handling. The characterization of Jia Tanchun’s “three talents” is comprehensively presented in Hawkes’s and Yang Xianyi’s translations. Additionally, this study provides a new perspective for the translation of Dream of the Red Chamber and calls on translators to emphasize the shaping and expression of the characters in the process of translation and convey the rich connotation of the original. Meanwhile, readers should also keep an open and comparative mind when reading different translations to understand the work from multiple perspectives.

STYLE IN TRANSLATION AS A PARAMETER IN TQA: A PRAGMATIC PERSPECTIVE

Style in translation can be a parameter in translation quality assessment (TQA). The style in translation refers to the translation having the same perspective as the source text. In assessing style in translation, translation does not only focus on the meaning but also the relevance of utterance. The article discusses the translation style based on pragmatic studies. The study used the utterances in the tourism text Solo Calendar of Event 2018 as data since the text has a communication function. The function of the text should be represented in the translation to achieve the same perspective of translation. The style in translation also considers the translator's effort to achieve the equivalence in meaning and relevance of utterance. The style in translation of a pragmatic perspective requires a relevance of communication. The study indicates that the there are two relevance degree, namely translation with strong and weak relevance. Translation with strong relevance indicates that translation can preserve the style of source text. The maintaining of style of source text contribute to the high quality of translation.

Перевод в переводе: стратегии передачи инокультурности (по «китайским» детективам Р. ван Гулика)

This article presents an analysis of various methods of translating foreign cultural colouring in works of fiction. An exotic culture (Chinese) is mediated by the author’s native language (British English) and then serves as an object of translation for a foreign-language target audience (Russian-speaking). Such a double ethnolinguistic barrier is overcome by translators in different ways, involving various strategies. The analysis focused on Robert van Gulik’s novels The Emperor’s Pearl and Necklace and Calabash from the English-language crime fiction series about Judge Dee, translated into Russian by Zh. Grushanskaya, I. Mansurov and O. Zavyalova with a minimal time gap. The research methodology is based on comparative and contextual analysis as well as analysis of dictionary definitions using lexicographic sources. In addition, the methods of analysis and synthesis, generalization and abstraction, classification, interpretation, and description are applied. Realia as fragments of the linguistic and conceptual worldview of mediaeval China are actively used by van Gulik to create a specific colouring of Chinese culture, exotic for Europeans. From British English into Russian, they are translated by means of various techniques reflecting different translation strategies. The multiple solutions include foreignization with explanatory translation, domestication, omission and elimination of national specifics. The translation variability revealed is determined by the individual translation style due to the levelling of other factors of translation multiplicity, since the time gap between the translations is minimal, the target audience is homogeneous, and the direction of the interlanguage and intercultural contact is one-dimensional. The identified errors in translation solutions deviating from adequacy are caused by pseudo-equivalence traps and incorrect strategies for conveying foreign cultural realia in a doubly mediated translation.