Cultural Adaptation in Translation: A Comparative Analysis of “A Space for the Unbound” from Indonesian to English

Research on Hetero-Cultural Translation Strategies in the Spanish Version of The Three-Body Problem from the Perspective of Cultural Translation Theory

Literary translation involves more than linguistic conversion; it also entails the reconstruction and re-encoding of cultural meanings. From the perspective of cultural translation theory, this study takes Liu Cixin’s original Chinese novel The Three-Body Problem and its Spanish translation El problema de los tres cuerpos by Javier Altayó as the objects of analysis. Drawing on Nida’s framework of cultural classification, culturally embedded elements in the source text are grouped into five categories: ecological, material, social, religious-philosophical, and linguistic. Through a comparative reading of the Chinese and Spanish versions, the paper examines the translator’s shifting strategies among foreignization, domestication, and cultural negotiation. The analysis suggests that the translation does not rely on a single or fixed strategy. When dealing with culture-specific elements that carry strong historical or regional specificity, the translator is more likely to preserve foreignness through transliteration, literal translation, or brief explanatory additions. In contrast, for expressions that may hinder comprehension or lead to cultural misinterpretation, freer rendering, generalization, or contextual adjustment tend to be adopted in order to reduce the cognitive burden on target readers. Overall, the Spanish translation of The Three-Body Problem reveals a flexible negotiation process, in which cultural difference is retained to varying degrees while comprehension is facilitated and narrative flow is maintained. This case offers a useful reference for the Spanish dissemination of Chinese science fiction and more broadly for the cross-cultural transmission of heterogenous cultural elements.

Maintaining Culture-Specific Items in the English Translation of Asal Usul Nama Cirebon: A Comparison Between ChatGPT and Human Translation

This study investigates the maintenance of Culture-Specific Items (CSIs), translation strategies, cultural meanings, and contextual nuances in Indonesian folklore Asal Usul Nama Cirebon, by comparing translations generated by ChatGPT and a human translation. Employing a qualitative descriptive approach with comparative translation analysis, the study examined CSIs using Newmark’s (1999) classification and Baker’s (1992) translation strategies. The research data consisted of clauses containing CSIs derived from the literacy e-book of six legends in Cirebon. Data were collected through documentation and analyzed using Miles et al (2014), such as encompassing data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing/verification. The findings identified 11 CSI categories into material culture, social organization and social culture, with material culture emerging as the dominant category. Both ChatGPT and human translation predominantly employ translation by a more neutral word, a loan word, and a paraphrase unrelated word. Although both translations generally preserved denotative meanings, the human translation more effectively conveyed contextual and cultural nuances. In contrast, ChatGPT occasionally encountered difficulties in rendering culturally loaded expressions. The study concludes that ChatGPT serves as a valuable supplementary tool; however, human intervention remains essential to preserve cultural identity and contextual meaning in literary translation practices across diverse cultural contexts.

A Comparative Study of the Three English Versions of Selected Lines from The Everlasting Regret from the Perspective of Berman’s Translation Ethics

Domestication and foreignization are two common strategies for translators to deal with cultural differences. Based on Berman’s translation ethics and twelve deformations, this paper takes Bai Juyi’s the Everlasting Regret (selected sentences) as the object of study, adopts close reading and comparative analysis, and selects the English versions of Xu Yuanchong, Xu Zhongjie and W. J. B. Fletcher for comparative analysis, focusing on the different degrees of domestication and foreignization in the aspects of word choice, syntax, rhetorical organization, cultural transmission and so on, as well as the effects caused by these differences. The study found that in the English translation of classical Chinese poetry, in addition to the necessary domestication adjustment, the translator should retain the cultural background and aesthetic logic of the original poem as much as possible, so that the translation can achieve the purpose of conveying the cultural nature of this special literary genre. Therefore, in the English translation, foreignization enjoys ethical priority.

Translation Procedures in the Arabic Subtitles of “Hotel Transylvania: Transformania”: A Study of Culturally-Bound Content

Translation is considered the fifth dimension of language, a composite of the other four main language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The translation of culturally laden texts found in movies is an asset that connects cultures and communities by breaking down language barriers. This study attempts to identify and analyze the translation procedures applied to culturally-bound sentences in the Arabic subtitles of the animated movie: Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. The research used a descriptive qualitative method to analyze the Arabic subtitles, and thereafter, classified the translation based on Newmark’s taxonomy of translation procedures. Six translation procedures were identified in this movie: literal translation, paraphrase, compensation, cultural equivalent, shifts/transpositions, and descriptive equivalent. The study's findings indicate that one effective way to convey intended meaning, especially for concepts related to cultures that are foreign to the target audience in the case of movies is through frequent use of literal translation of dialogue. This can only be achieved by employing intensive and precise translation procedures. This research underscores the importance of adopting a flexible and procedurally focused approach to translation to preserve the entertainment and narrative value of the film and accommodate cultural diversity. The study’s findings are likely to be useful to all stakeholders in the field of translation.

CULTURAL NON-EQUIVALENCE IN TRANSLATING HAMKA’S DI BAWAH LINDUNGAN KAʿBAH: AN ANALYSIS OF MEANING AND CROSS-CULTURAL CONTEXTS

This study demonstrates that the primary challenge in translating Indonesian literary works into Arabic lies in the cultural elements embedded in metaphors, proverbs, and local expressions. Employing a qualitative textual analysis of Hamka’s Di Bawah Lindungan Kaʿbah, the research reveals that differences in worldview between Indonesian and Arab societies influence lexical choices and stylistic expressions, making literal translation insufficient. The findings highlight the necessity for translators to grasp the cultural context of the source text to ensure comprehensive meaning transfer. The study contributes to translation studies by formulating strategies that integrate semantic and stylistic approaches, including transliteration with explanatory notes, functional equivalence in the target culture, and the preservation of social metaphors. These strategies prove effective in maintaining cultural authenticity while ensuring readability for Arabic audiences. Overall, the research reinforces the view that literary translation is an act of intercultural mediation, synthesizing linguistic, semantic, and cultural dimensions to preserve meaning, aesthetic nuance, and cultural resonance in the target language.

JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND CULTURE