Word Translation Research Articles

Popular Words Translation Studies and Teaching Chinese as a Second Language

As a product of the new era of the Internet, buzzwords are a linguistic and socio-cultural psychological phenomenon. Moreover, as more and more foreigners begin to learn Chinese, buzzwords are increasingly becoming the object of their interest and learning. Therefore, more and more Chinese buzzwords are being translated for learning. However, as a part of learning and teaching Chinese as a second language, the translation results of popular phrases have also caused certain impacts. Based on relevant literature and corpus analysis, the article explores how different translation strategies of popular phrases have different degrees of influence on second language acquisition and teaching Chinese as a second language in terms of language learning and cross-cultural communication and how the results of popular phrases translated by using either alienation or naturalization translation strategies are unable to show the linguistic and cultural meanings of the source language at the same time, whereas the strategy of using both of them or annotating them can take care of both of them and assist the second language learning. The strategy of using both or annotating them can better take care of both of them and assist second language learners to learn Chinese popular languages better.At the same time, relevant suggestions are put forward from screening and grading teaching of popular phrases and how to utilize translation results to assist learning, such as screening popular phrases, grading teaching or splitting morphemes for interpretation and other teaching strategies.

A Study on C-E Translation Methods of Culture-Loaded Words: A Case Study of Selected Modern Chinese Essays

As a country competes for its overall national strength all over the world, culture has grown to be an increasingly significant aspect. Considering the differences in the development paths and cultural traditions of different countries, more sophisticated translation strategies and skills are needed in the process of cultural going out. From the cultural perspective, this paper takes Zhang Peiji’s English Translation of Selected Modern Chinese Essays as an example, selects and summarizes culture-loaded words full of Chinese characteristics, and analyzes their translation strategies and skills, including place names, salutations and four-character idioms, which are representative of culture-loaded words. This paper aims to provide referential strategies for the translation of similar culture-loaded words in other texts, and to solve the difficulties in the translation of culture-loaded words. After the case analysis, this paper found that the most commonly used translation methods of culture-loaded words should be literal and free translation, and that it is necessary to preserve the original meaning and reveal the accurate connotation of culture-loaded words in order to convey the uniqueness and characteristics of Chinese culture.

Study on the Translation of Culture-loaded Words in The File No.113

All nations in the world have generated many culture-loaded words full of cultural origin and emotional attachment in the evolution of social life. Due to the huge differences between Chinese and Western cultures, it is difficult for translators to find the equivalent expression when translating culture-loaded words. Chen Hongbi is an outstanding female translator in modern times, and her translation of the English detective novel Le Dossier No.113 was very popular in the late Qing Dynasty. From the perspective of eco-translatology, this study takes Chen Hongbi's The File No.113(《第一百十三案》) as an example and analyzes the translation of culture-loaded words in the text. In the late Qing Dynasty, the social demand for female intellectuals, the academic demand for detective novels and the interest demand of publishing houses formed a sound ecological environment for Chen's translation of foreign detective novels. Chen adapted himself to this ecological environment with his translation ability and love for detective novels, thus choosing to translate Le Dossier No.113. In the process of translation, Chen reaches the adaptation and transformation of culture-loaded words from three dimensions linguistic dimension, cultural dimension and communicative dimension. This study describes how Chen Hongbi accurately conveys the meaning of culture-loaded words to the target readers based on the ecological environment of translation through the mechanism of "selection" and "adaptation", which is helpful to understand and explain the choices made by the translators in order to realize the communicative intention and adapt to the context of the late Qing Dynasty. By analyzing Chen's successful translation of the detective novel, this study hopes to make readers realize the value of her translation as well as her adaptation and selection in translation so as to provide references for future translators to consider deep adaptation and selection when translating culture-loaded words.

Translation of Words with Chinese Characteristics in the Government White Paper from the Perspective of Cognitive Translatology

Cognitive Translatology has been advancing rapidly in translation research, as an increasing number of concepts and theories in cognitive linguistics are applied to translation studies. It offers a relatively objective approach to analyze and compare translation cases and helps to reflect translators’ subjectivity and creativity. Guided by Cognitive Translatology, the translator selects some of the examples in the white paper Responding to Climate Change: China’s Policies and Actions and discusses the difficulties during the translation process based on specificity, scope, perspective, prominence (four dimensions of construal). During the translation process, translators should take into full consideration the multiple layers of connotations encompassed by these terms, including political, historical, economic, and social aspects. It is important to pay attention to preserving cultural characteristics of the source text in order to accurately convey information.

A Study of the English Translation of Chinese Buzzwords from the Perspective of Functional Equivalence Theory

As the internet and social media develop further, there are numerous buzzwords used by the citizens, which are the fashion phenomena in China. As inter-cultural communication between China and other countries becomes deeper and frequent, an increasing number of foreigners have good command of Chinese culture. As a result, as the cultural bridge between the source and the target receptors, Chinese-English (CE) words translation become increasingly important, playing an obvious role in facilitating our communications. This study aims to apply the functional equivalence theory to the English translation in translating Chinese buzzwords so as to translate the original texts accurately. Four main methods including lexical equivalence, syntactic equivalence, discourse equivalence and stylistic equivalence are applied to have the C-E translation. The result is that lexical and syntactic equivalence are widely applied in the translation practice, which conveys the implicated cultural meanings correctly and feasibly. Furthermore, the methods of discourse equivalence and the stylistic equivalence can also be used to elaborate the implicit meaning as close as the target language. This study examines the translation practice under the guidance of Nida’s theory, providing the proper strategies for interpreters.

Attitudes of Jordanian People with Disabilities toward the Translations of Disability-Related Words in Light of the Social Model

Attitudes of Jordanian People with Disabilities toward the Translations of Disability-Related Words in Light of the Social Model

Analysis of the Translation of Culture-loaded Words in Kunqu Romeo and Juliet by Means of Social Semiotics

Analysis of the Translation of Culture-loaded Words in Kunqu Romeo and Juliet by Means of Social Semiotics

The Translation of Culture-Loaded Words in Chinese Poems from the Perspective of Globalization—A Case Study of Lin Yutang’s Translation of Forlorn and Taiyu Predicting Her Own Death

The Translation of Culture-Loaded Words in Chinese Poems from the Perspective of Globalization—A Case Study of Lin Yutang’s Translation of Forlorn and Taiyu Predicting Her Own Death

Unsupervised English-Chinese word translation using various retrieval methods

Unsupervised English-Chinese word translation using various retrieval methods

An analysis of eco-translation from the perspective of culturally-loaded words

In recent years, the discussion on cultural translation perspectives has gradually replaced the simple language analysis and has gained more attention in translation studies. With profound cultural connotations and distinct cultural personalities, culturally-loaded words are often regarded as the representatives of the soft power of a country. However, since there exist cultural differences between different languages, the translation of culturally-loaded words remains a major difficulty in the translation process. This paper aims to explore the translation of culturally-loaded words in terms of three dimensions of ecological translation so as to achieve the translation accuracy as much as possible. The study shows that eco-translation does play a significant role in the translation of culturally-loaded words.

ONOMOTOPEIA AS A MEANS OF EXPRESSIVENESS IN A GRAPHIC NOVEL: SOME NUANCES OF TRANSLATION

The article is devoted to onomatopoeia as a means of expressiveness in a graphic novel, to be precise, to the peculiarities of the translation of onomatopoeic words from French into Ukrainian. The purpose of the study is to find out the characteristic traits of onomatopoeia in a graphic novel and analyze its translation strategies, compiling a mini-dictionary of onomatopoeias (language pair French — Ukrainian). In the course of the research, it was found that the graphic novel relies on a purely visual and textual component. It is the visual accompaniment of colors, text and drawing style that helps to understand how to perceive onomatopoeia in context. Such an artistic tool as a speech bubble is also responsible for conveying the meaning of onomatopoeia, so the shape, size, and style of letters must be taken into account during interpretation. When working on the translation of onomatopoeia in graphic novels, it is necessary to rely on general linguistic knowledge, analyzing the type of onomatopoeia by origin (human sounds, animal sounds, nature sounds, sounds of objects) and the meaning of formative onomatopes for a more effective selection of analogues. At the same time, the process of translation is primarily a creative process, so it is impossible to offer a specific model of work on the text. Having studied the ways of translating onomatopoeia in a number of comics about Tintin (Hergé) and in “Persepolis” (Marjan Satrapi), we came to the conclusion that the translators used the following strategies: transcription / transliteration; partial adaptation (replacement of one or two letters); complete replacement of the onomatopoeic word with a word specific to the Ukrainian language; full replacement of the word with partial replacement of the meaning; replacing the onomatopoeia with the root of the corresponding verb. Common in translation practice is the addition and removal of certain elements (onomatopoeia included), which is generally not approved, but is not a drawback provided that the author’s intention is followed. Often the translator has to combine strategies to achieve an accurate and expressive result.

An Anonymous Letter of Warning in Fiction: a Comparative analysis of Translations from English into Russian

The article deals with a letter, that doesn’t bear the name of the sender, and which is given in a work of fiction for the sake of plot development and creating suspence in particular. This kind of inserted texts so far has not been covered by either linguistic or literary scholars, which specifies the novelty in this research. The peculiarities of an anonymous letter, that bears a warning – the
 most frequent kind in both Russian and English literature – have been made clear. We have studied eight translations of a small-size text from the novel «Adventures of Huckleberry Finn» by Mark Twain into the Russian language, made from the late XIXth up to the early XXIst century. Such fiction text fragments are
 comprehensible by themselves and, therefore, ideal for comparative analysis of translations. We have determined considerable variations in translation of separate words and combinations, and relative congruity of simple sentences. The
 latter can either be explained by the same syntactical structure and observance of language and speech norms, or by the awareness of the previous works.
 Our results can be used by those, who study the rules of translaing fiction, detective and adventure fiction in particular.

A Comparative Analysis of Cultural Terms in Arabic-Javanese Religious Texts Through the Lens of al-Hikam Aphorisms Translation

Local wisdom stood as a cornerstone of Indonesia's cultural richness. Regrettably, this invaluable asset, particularly in the form of "translation products," was overlooked and underappreciated. Despite Indonesia boasting a substantial collection of Arabic religious texts translated into Javanese, utilizing the pegon script, these Arabic-Javanese texts demanded preservation, scholarly exploration, and development grounded in specific theoretical frameworks. This research undertook a comparative analysis of "cultural terms" within religious texts, focusing on al-Hikam aphorisms translated from Arabic (L1) into both Indonesian and Javanese (L2). The primary objective was to dissect and analyze the local wisdom and Islamic Sufism moral values embedded in al-Hikam aphorisms through translation. The study drew on translations of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences from carefully selected sources related to cultural terms, including books and various Arabic-Javanese translation dictionaries. Employing a purposive sampling method, data collection followed a meticulous process. Qualitative data analysis unfolded through four pivotal stages: (1) domain analysis, (2) taxonomy analysis, (3) componential analysis, and (4) cultural theme analysis. The findings, gleaned from lexicography study and semantic analysis of translation, revealed the existence of two translation ideologies shaping cultural terms in Arabic-Javanese religious texts: domestication ideology and foreignization ideology. This research underscored that translation products were inseparable from the ideological dimensions of foreignization and domestication. Foreignization endeavored to assimilate source language elements into the target language, while domestication integrated original components with local elements. This research contributed to a deeper understanding of how foreignization and domestication shaped the depiction of local wisdom in Arabic-Javanese religious texts.

Anthropology's Lost Language Syndrome

This article suggests that there has been a decline in attention paid to issues of linguistic difference and translation in ethnography and examines the theoretical trends in anthropology associated with this decline. It analyses problems in ethnographic contexts where Chinese to English translation (particularly in the translation of various words related to the English semantic domain of ‘happiness’), have implications for social life, as well as the recent theoretical trends in the discipline that encourage ethnographers to ignore linguistic structure. Utilising Actor Network Theory and anthropological theorisations of translation, it argues that linguistic structure must be conceived as a significant force in the world and that it must be understood as interacting with other forces in the world.

Cultural Dimensions as Guidelines in Handling Language Problems for Effective Written Communication Across Cultures

This research explores potential problems that might occur in the use of language for cross-cultural written communication. It uses corpus-based study as methodology and cultural dimensional theory by Geert Hofstede as guidelines and identifies potential problems in language use in areas such as word choices, syntaxis, textual organization, translation, and rhetorical strategies. These findings will help cross-cultural communicators avoid unnecessary misunderstandings, misleading information, and cultural blunders and create effective written information for successful business and technical exchanges internationally. In this sense, the research makes a good contribution to international business and technical communication and enriches the education in cross-cultural communication.

Study on the Application of Creative Translation in Word and Rhyme in XYC’s Translation of Tang Poem

Poem translation required translators to deeply understand both languages and have the ability to capture the essence of the original text, and reproduce it in a way that resonated with the target audience since different cultural background. The application of creative translation of word and rhyme in Xu Yuanchong’s Translation of Tang Poem was analyzed in the paper. Some examples were selected to explore the creativity in word translation process including the translation of poetic image words, allusive words and extended feeling words. In order to preserve the aesthetics of Tang poems, four different rhetorical methods in rhyming were applied to enhance the rhyme. With the above cases, it was found that creative translation had good application in poem translation in lexical and aesthetic dimension. After learning, we could apply the skills of creative translation in poem translation process.

2 Reading Aloud Elicits Connected Speech and Autocorrection: a Novel Marker of Alzheimer’s Disease and Risk

Objective:Spontaneous speech involves tight coordination of a constellation of cognitive mechanisms (including planning, lexical selection, grammatical encoding, internal & external monitoring). Recent years brought a flurry of interest in detailed analysis of spontaneous speech in search of markers of prodromal Alzheimer’s disease. This work dates back to the nun studies by Snowdon et al (1996) and reveals promise for early detection through identification of subtle but significant changes in the nature of speech output years prior to diagnosis of dementia. A major challenge for neuropsychology is to develop methods to harness the potential sensitivity of language to subtle cognitive changes when testing individuals in clinical settings. In this talk I will present two lines of research that illustrate how reading aloud can be used to engage the cognitive mechanisms of spontaneous speech production in a manner that provides an easily accessible measure of Alzheimer’s disease/risk.Participants and Methods:In the first study, Spanish-English bilinguals with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease (n=20) and proficiency matched controls (n=29) read aloud mixed-language paragraphs with a small number of language-switched words, and we recorded the number of times they automatically translated switch words by accident (e.g., saying pero instead of but; effectively autocorrecting language switches to avoid producing switches overtly). In the second study, cognitively normal monolinguals at risk for AD based on CSF biomarkers (n=14) and controls (n=50) read aloud short paragraphs in which ten critical target words were replaced with autocorrect targets (e.g., The player who scored that final [paint] for the local team reported [him] experience). Participants were instructed to avoid autocorrecting (e.g., avoid saying point instead of paint or his instead of him), and we recorded the number of times they autocorrected by accident.Results:Bilinguals with AD translated switch words more often than controls, and ROC curves revealed good-to-excellent discrimination between patients and controls based solely on the number of errors produced during reading aloud (AUC or Area Under the Curve values ranged from .71-.92). In the second study, cognitively normal monolinguals with high CSF Tau/Aß42 (i.e., an AD-like biomarker profile) produced more autocorrect errors (e.g., saying point instead of paint)than those below the biomarker threshold, and autocorrection errors showed potential for discriminating individuals with higher AD risk from controls (AUC=.76; 95%CI .62-.90).Conclusions:Difficulty stopping automatic translation of language switch words and autocorrection during reading aloud reveals promise as a diagnostic tool. Reading aloud elicits rapid production of hundreds of words while maintaining tight experimental control over the content of speech and harnessing the power and complexity of language to enable detection of very subtle cognitive changes through simple analysis of critical targets. I will discuss the theoretical implications of this work for understanding how bilinguals choose a single language for production, the nature of cognitive impairments in early AD and areas of need for further research to maximize the potential utility of reading aloud for detection of cognitive impairment.

A Review of Chinese Transfer on English Vocabulary Learning

There are various specific areas of research under the topic of second language acquisition. Among all of them, vocabulary is supposed to be the most basic and important one because people are not able to speak a language without acquiring a large amount of vocabulary. In addition, it is inevitable for second language learners to learn new vocabulary with the help of their mother tongue. In other words, learners tend to apply language transfer consciously or unconsciously. So, this paper will take Chinese as the first language and English as the second language to review and analyze the Chinese transfer on English vocabulary learning. The aim and meaning of this paper are to help Chinese learners to effectually acquire plenty of English vocabulary. According to the research results, the positive transfer mainly happens in the perspective of word formation, while the negative one takes place in word meanings, misuse of countable and uncountable nouns, literal translation of words and collocations. Suggestions will be given to teachers in order to better instruct students to overcome the negative transfer. For example, they can conduct the comparative analysis, emphasize the language input and choose the appropriate teaching language.

Cross-cultural Comparison of Chinese and Foreign Media Translation of Chinese Culture-loaded Words

Being one of the carriers of Chinese culture, Chinese culture-loaded words, the more appropriate its translation methods are selected, the more the world can appreciate the unique charm of Chinese culture. On the one hand, Chinese culture-loaded words, one of the most significant parts of Chinese culture, has a rich cultural connotation. On the other hand, how to make the translation closer to the reader and obtain the readers recognition and acceptance is a subject that cannot be ignored in the field of cultural translation research. From a cross-cultural perspective, this paper starts with the words unique to Chinese culture, then thoroughly enumerates the different translation methods adopted by Chinese and foreign media, and accordingly discusses the reasons for the differences. Finally, it is concluded that it is because of the different cultural connotations of the two target readers, thinking patterns, and the meanings of the same vocabulary in different texts that lead to different translation methods.

THE PROBLEM OF WRITING AND TRANSLATING WORDS WITH NATIONAL AND CULTURAL SPECIFICS IN THE KAZAKH LANGUAGE

Chinese vocabulary with national and cultural specific meanings - words unique to Chinese society, expressing objects, concepts or phenomena with their own characteristics of time, era. Such vocabulary covers all areas of the political, economic, cultural, and social life of Chinese society. In comparison with the vocabulary of other languages, you can see that some words in Chinese have their own cultural connotation. At present, in connection with the development of interethnic relations, the role of translation is increasing. The purpose of the study is to reveal ways of translating vocabulary that has a cultural connotation that is unique to Chinese and not found in other languages. Words with Chinese characteristics reflect the historical, cultural characteristics inherent in the country itself. Their correct translation is one of the urgent problems of the translation process. The idea of the study is to implement and improve intercultural relations. In the process of translation, it is important to be able to approach the problem in a macro-and dynamic way, without clinging to a certain fixed form and combining many translation methods with each other. Various cooperation with China, various exchanges and communications are carried out through language. And the accuracy of the translation of words and political terms with Chinese characteristics directly affects the understanding of their policies, which is the practical significance of the study. In connection with the development of interethnic relations, the role of translation is increasing. The practical significance of this study lies in the fact that the ways of their correct solution are considered, it is shown how to designate and translate the words of this lexical group. As a result, it was revealed that in the process of translating words only from Chinese into Kazakh, it is necessary to use all its types – transliteration, interpretative translation, literal translation and free translation to correctly express the connotations of Chinese culture.