This study addresses the intricate challenges of translating modern Arabic poetry into English through the analysis of the translation of three selected poems by the renowned Egyptian poet Farouk Goweda. These poems, reflecting Goweda's sociopolitical engagement with the cultural background of the Middle East, contain cultural specificities and stylistic features that pose difficulties for translators on various levels, semantic, syntactical, idiomatic and sonic. This study explores how a joint approach relying on collaborative translation and a functionalist approach to translation addresses and processes these multilevel difficulties which necessitate a combination of skills and cross-cultural proficiencies of experts from both the source and target cultures to achieve the purpose of the target translation and to appeal to Anglophone readers. This approach manages to balance the aesthetic and thematic effect of the source text with the linguistic and cultural context of the recipient culture, stressing the importance of intercultural communication through translation.
Knowledge transfer in the Soviet Union is commonly seen as taking place under the absolute dominance of Russian. Omnipresent as the only Union-wide scientific language, Russian did indeed occupy an extremely influential position as a relay language for knowledge transfer within the Soviet Union, from the Socialist Camp as well as from so-called capitalist languages. Nevertheless, there are activities that suggest a more complex system of different source and target languages and corresponding modes. The present article will explain these activities in detail using the example of encyclopedic knowledge and its dissemination in the Soviet Union and especially in the Soviet Ukraine. While it is well known that knowledge from a communist point of view had been propagated from the early 1920s onward, there were a series of other and lesser-known efforts at spreading encyclopedic knowledge that generated a rather complex system of knowledge transfer.
Machine translation (MT) users generally express a willingness to continue using MT systems, despite their often-negative perceptions of MT output quality. Informed by an extended Technology Acceptance Model, this questionnaire-based study of trainee translators (N = 273) investigates this phenomenon by assessing the predictive effects of users' perceptions on their intention to continue using MT systems. Perception of MT output quality was found to have no significant direct effect on respondent's intent to continue using MT; however, the strongest predictor of continued use was the perceived relevance of MT output, followed by perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. This study suggests that user perceptions of relevance and usefulness, other than output quality, were more direct determinants of user intent. The results highlight the importance of user perceptions in translation technology acceptance, providing a new perspective on MT system research and development.
In his polemical article “Translating into/out of one’s mother tongue: On the feasibility of translating Chinese classics into English by native Chinese translators,” Chinese scholar Pan Wenguo engages critically with the argument advanced by British sinologist A. C. Graham that “we can hardly leave translation to the Chinese” ( Graham 1965 : 37). Arguing forcefully in favor of the translation of Chinese classics by Chinese translators, Pan’s article is a seminal statement on the importance of ‘outward’ translation practices in China.
This paper is a critical response to the assertion that translation of Chinese classics into English can only be done by translators who are native speakers of English rather than Chinese, as maintained by scholars such as A. C. Graham. It analyses the three main reasons given to support that assertion, namely, (1) translation in generally done into, not out of, one’s mother tongue; (2) the translator may enlist some help from native Chinese critics in understanding Chinese language and culture, but not in expressing the idea; (3) some translations by non-native translators were rendered in an unbearable kind of “Chinese English”. The above reasons are critiqued with reference to the development of international politics and the global economy, as well as translation studies. In the end, the paper points out the need for more native Chinese translators to undertake the translation of Chinese classics into English.
This article examines the untranslatability of Arabo-Islamic literary terms, focusing on balāgha and its persistent mistranslation as ‘rhetoric.’ Drawing on comparative rhetoric, translation studies, and post-Eurocentric literary theory, it argues that such equivalences obscure the indigenous conceptual frameworks embedded in premodern Arabo-Islamic literary cultures. The study demonstrates how balāgha emerged within a distinct intellectual genealogy, intertwined with Qurʾānic exegesis, logic, and poetics, and cannot be fully captured by Greco-Roman rhetorical traditions. The article evidences that translating balāgha into ‘rhetoric’ risks imposing Euro-American categories laden with connotations of manipulation, emptiness, or sophistry, thereby distorting the intellectual and ethical frameworks of Arabo-Islamic literary cultures. Instead, balāgha must be studied as an indigenous category whose conceptual richness cannot be reduced to the historically and culturally burdened term ‘rhetoric.’ The article advocates for an emic–etic dual approach: grounding interpretation in indigenous terms (emic) while situating them within a broader comparative framework (etic).
Research into retranslations has predominantly taken a textual approach by comparing the different versions of the same source text. Consequently, the reasons given for retranslation tend to focus on linguistic or cultural factors, which often include the retranslator's aim to produce a new and better version to suit the reader. But what if retranslation occurs not by deliberate intent, but rather as "an opportunity for action" created by the environment? This study explores different types of "affordances" and identifies the events that prompted translators to undertake Dutch retranslations of Lu Xun's short stories. The findings show that the combination of circumstances is more important than the desire to surpass existing translations, for without these affordances the translator would probably not have had the opportunity to translate these texts.
This article examines the relationship between language proficiency and translation and interpreting (T&I) education in U.S. programs, focusing on language preparedness and development. This mixed-methods study investigates course prerequisites, proficiency requirements, and perceptions of administrators and instructors regarding students' expected versus observed proficiency levels. Findings reveal a mismatch between expected and average proficiency when entering a program, with both groups acknowledging that T&I courses contribute to students' language development but noting that current program practices often fail to align students' actual proficiency with their needs. At the graduate level, instructors criticize proficiency requirements, and some administrators continue to view translator training as distinct from language teaching, reflecting issues related to program identity and adherence to professional norms. The study highlights a lack of articulation between prerequisite courses and introductory T&I courses, with misaligned proficiency guidelines and unrealistic expectations. The article concludes with recommendations for improving T&I program design.
This article explores the power dynamics in long-term collaborative translation. While power plays an essential role in collaborative translation, the sources and dynamics of power have received limited attention. The present study uses the concept of interdependence and an analytical framework from collaborative governance to examine the case of the Yangs, one of the most prominent co-translation teams in China. The case study analyzes textual and paratextual strategies employed in their co-translations and respective solo translations to identify their individual fingerprints in their co-translations. The study reveals how they obtained, negotiated, and accumulated four sources of power at different stages of their career, how their power relations evolved over time, and what factors may have contributed to the power dynamics between them. This research aims to enrich translation studies with insights into the mechanism of power play in collaborative translation and translators' agency, autonomy, and empowerment.
This article examines the tensions between the language needs of asylum seekers and how these are addressed in institutional language policy and practice, focusing on the everyday practice of asylum lawyers communicating with their clients, which is characterized by immense linguistic diversity and a high demand for language support in languages of lesser diffusion (LLDs). Based on an analysis of policy documents and ethnographic data, this article examines how asylum lawyers deal with the challenges of providing accessible and appropriate language support to clients who speak an LLD. We explore how, in the absence of clear policy guidance, lawyers develop mechanisms for monitoring interpreting quality and local strategies of linguistic tolerance that condone suboptimal forms of language support for LLDs. Our research shows how these local language policies, however well-intentioned, can jeopardize the language rights of asylum seekers and deprive them of the language support to which they are entitled.
This article examines the untranslatability of Arabo-Islamic literary terms, focusing on balagha and its persistent mistranslation as 'rhetoric.' Drawing on comparative rhetoric, translation studies, and post-Eurocentric literary theory, it argues that such equivalences obscure the indigenous conceptual frameworks embedded in premodern Arabo-Islamic literary cultures. The study demonstrates how balagha emerged within a distinct intellectual genealogy, intertwined with Qur'anic exegesis, logic, and poetics, and cannot be fully captured by Greco-Roman rhetorical traditions. The article evidences that translating balagha into 'rhetoric' risks imposing Euro-American categories laden with connotations of manipulation, emptiness, or sophistry, thereby distorting the intellectual and ethical frameworks of Arabo-Islamic literary cultures. Instead, balagha must be studied as an indigenous category whose conceptual richness cannot be reduced to the historically and culturally burdened term 'rhetoric.' The article advocates for an emic-etic dual approach: grounding interpretation in indigenous terms (emic) while situating them within a broader comparative framework (etic).
Transnational clinical research is increasingly commonplace, which has led to a growing need for patient-reported outcome instruments (PROIs) that can be used by patients in different countries. The process to cross-culturally adapt these health questionnaires is described in many guidelines, which coincide in that an appropriate translation and cultural transfer are of outmost importance. This article examines the translation methodology used in 100 recent scholarly articles that report on PROI cross-cultural adaptations to explore who is responsible for the initial translation, its subsequent back translation, and the translation review process. It will be argued that the limited involvement of professional translators in these processes signals a mistrust toward these practitioners that stems from assumptions about translation and bilingualism that are not always accurate.
In his polemical article "Translating into/out of one's mother tongue: On the feasibility of translating Chinese classics into English by native Chinese translators," Chinese scholar Pan Wenguo engages critically with the argument advanced by British sinologist A. C. Graham that "we can hardly leave translation to the Chinese" (Graham 1965: 37). Arguing forcefully in favor of the translation of Chinese classics by Chinese translators, Pan's article is a seminal statement on the importance of 'outward' translation practices in China.
Existing studies have employed both cross-sectional and longitudinal research designs to investigate the impact of simultaneous interpreting (SI) practice and training experience on executive functions (EFs). However, findings have been inconsistent regarding whether interpreters exhibit superior EFs compared with non-interpreters. To explore the factors contributing to these inconsistencies, the present literature review provides an overview of the relevant empirical studies that investigate the three core sub-components of EFs: inhibiting, shifting, and updating. Based on the reviewed studies, key methodological factors are identified, including the exclusive reliance on either longitudinal or cross-sectional research designs and the variation in tasks used to assess the same EFs sub-component across studies. Given these factors, the review proposes potential methodological refinements aimed at enhancing the reliability and validity of future research in this area.
This study investigates the effect of different remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI) settings on interpreter performance, experience, anxiety, and cognitive load. Thirty-six professional English-Polish and Spanish-Italian interpreters performed RSI in three conditions: with a co-located boothmate, a not co-located boothmate communicating via chat, and a boothmate in a virtual booth. Interpreter renditions, questionnaire responses, and eye-tracking data were analyzed. Objective accuracy and self-assessed performance were scored lowest in the not co-located setting, with little difference between the co-located and virtual conditions, suggesting that virtual booths may effectively replicate traditional booths. Unexpectedly, boothmate presence did not affect cognitive load, anxiety or user experience, demonstrating interpreters' adaptability to diverse RSI setups. Findings also suggest positive attitudes toward technology and high technological competence improve user experience and facilitate more structured visual attention. The study enhances our understanding of RSI and underscores interpreters' ability to navigate visually complex environments.
The aim of this article is to show how sound can translate knowledge, not with words but sensorially, with the whole body. Together with the new ways of understanding translation not only through words but with the whole body and senses, the article bases its argument on the new approaches to sound and music of the so-called “Sound studies” and “Sonic art” and applies the notion of “atmosphere” to Cecilia Vicuña’s artworks. She uses her voice and the voices of others as a means to translate without words and thus creates atmospheres that are affective translations of the land and the environment, of the human and the non-human. Her atmospheres are spaces in which she translates corporeally.
