Do translation universals exist at the syntactic-semantic level? A study using semantic role labeling and textual entailment analysis of English-Chinese translations

Abstract

Abstract Albeit extensive studies of translation universals at lexical and grammatical levels, there has been scant research at the syntactic-semantic level. To bridge this gap, this study employs semantic role labeling and textual entailment analysis to compare Chinese translations with English source texts and non-translated Chinese original texts. The research has found substantial evidence for translation universals like explicitation, simplification, and levelling out at the syntactic-semantic level, which is illustrated by significant differences between syntactic-semantic features of Chinese translations and those of English source texts and Chinese original texts. This suggests a distinct syntactic-semantic uniqueness of Chinese translations, wherein the overall features exhibit an “eclectic” characteristic, showcasing contrasting outcomes such as explicitation identified as S-universal and implicitation deemed T-universal. This could be attributed to the gravitational pull from the two language systems. In the inspection of specific semantic roles, features of agents and discourse markers are found to be evidence for both S-explicitation and T-explicitation, potentially reflecting the role of socio-cultural factors in shaping the uniqueness of syntactic-semantic features of Chinese translations. These findings further underscore the complexity inherent in translation, highlighting its function as a dynamic balance system.