Risks and Strategies of News Translation: A Case Study of Qingting English APP

Wang Heyu; Chen Zhong

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14

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Risks and Strategies of News Translation: A Case Study of Qingting English APP

Wang Heyu, Chen Zhong

Published in International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 6, Issue 3)

Received: 8 August 2020 Accepted: 20 August 2020 Published: 27 August 2020

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Abstract

English learning platforms in China are increasingly popular among students. More features are developed and a wide range of contents are included to serve the diverse need of English learners. Despite the increasing amount and diversity of contents, its quality varies. This research discusses some problems and strategies of news translation from English to Chinese. Samples are all taken from one English learning platform, Qingting English APP, with source text from news media such as VOA, CNN and BBC, and target text provided by the platform. These major problems emerged during our study: 1) Some contents involving ideological differences are not treated properly in translation; 2) Many complex informative sentences are poorly translated; 3) Source news are sometimes incorrectly transcribed, leading to mistaken translation. By analyzing some possible risks of the existing problems, this study, in light of the risk management framework, provided some applicable strategies to achieve better translation for learners using Qingting APP. Firstly, it is advisable to avoid the potential risks by omitting/ rewriting some extremely controversial content, or to transfer the risk to other sources than the platform by marking/labeling the strongly biased report. Secondly, domestication strategy is preferable in translating English complex sentences into Chinese since it minimizes the communication risk between translators and target learners. Thirdly, a responsible translator is advised to fix errors of the source audio/text to exactly comprehend the original news so as to reduce the uncertainty risk.

Published in	International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation (Volume 6, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14
Page(s)	79-84
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

News Translation, Qingting English APP, Ideologically Controversial Content, Communication Risk, Risk Management

References

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[2]	Pym, A. (2015). Translating as risk management [J]. Journal of Pragmatics, 85: 67-80.
[3]	Sofiane D. (2020). Risk management as a method of translation criticism. [J]. International Journal of Linguistics and Translation Studies, 1 (1): 64-70.
[4]	Zhang J, (2007). An analysis of news mistranslation in English [J]. Shanghai Journal of Translators, 3: 28-32.
[5]	Venuti, L. (2008). The Translator’s Invisibility: A History of Translation (2nd edition) [M]. London: Routledge.
[6]	Cotter, C. (2010). News Talk: Investigating the Language of Journalism. [M]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[7]	Bassnett, S. (2005). Bringing the news back home: strategies of acculturation and foreignisation [J]. Language and Intercultural Communication, 5 (2): 120-130.
[8]	Bielsa, E, & S. Bassnett. (2009). Translation in Global News [M]. London: Routledge.
[9]	Holland, R. (2013). News Translation [A]. In Routledge Handbook of Translation Studies, (edi. by Millan, C. & F. Bartrina, 332-346) [C]. Abingdon: Routledge.
[10]	Schäffner, C. (2005). Bringing a German voice to English-Speaking readers: Spiegel International [J]. Language and Intercultural Communication, 5 (2): 154-167.
[11]	Jiménez-Crespo, M. A. (2012). Translation under pressure and the web: A parallel corpus-study of Obama´s inaugural speech in the online media. Translation & Interpreting, 4 (1), 56-76.
[12]	Sorby, S. (2008). Translating news from English to Chinese: complimentary and derogatory language usage [J]. Babel, (1): 19-35.
[13]	Bielsa, E. (2010). Cosmopolitanism, translation and the experience of the foreign [J]. Across Languages and Cultures, 11 (2): 161-174.
[14]	Bielsa, E. (2014). Cosmopolitanism as translation [J]. Cultural Sociology, 8 (4): 392-406.
[15]	Bielsa, E. (2016). News translation: global or cosmopolitan connections? [J]. Media, Culture and Society, 38 (2): 196-211.
[16]	Künzli, A. (2004). Risk taking: trainee translators vs. professional translators. A case study [J]. The Journal of Specialised Translation, 2: 34-49.

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APA Style

Wang Heyu, Chen Zhong. (2020). Risks and Strategies of News Translation: A Case Study of Qingting English APP. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 6(3), 79-84. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14

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ACS Style

Wang Heyu; Chen Zhong. Risks and Strategies of News Translation: A Case Study of Qingting English APP. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2020, 6(3), 79-84. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14

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AMA Style

Wang Heyu, Chen Zhong. Risks and Strategies of News Translation: A Case Study of Qingting English APP. Int J Appl Linguist Transl. 2020;6(3):79-84. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14,
  author = {Wang Heyu and Chen Zhong},
  title = {Risks and Strategies of News Translation: A Case Study of Qingting English APP},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
  volume = {6},
  number = {3},
  pages = {79-84},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20200603.14},
  abstract = {English learning platforms in China are increasingly popular among students. More features are developed and a wide range of contents are included to serve the diverse need of English learners. Despite the increasing amount and diversity of contents, its quality varies. This research discusses some problems and strategies of news translation from English to Chinese. Samples are all taken from one English learning platform, Qingting English APP, with source text from news media such as VOA, CNN and BBC, and target text provided by the platform. These major problems emerged during our study: 1) Some contents involving ideological differences are not treated properly in translation; 2) Many complex informative sentences are poorly translated; 3) Source news are sometimes incorrectly transcribed, leading to mistaken translation. By analyzing some possible risks of the existing problems, this study, in light of the risk management framework, provided some applicable strategies to achieve better translation for learners using Qingting APP. Firstly, it is advisable to avoid the potential risks by omitting/ rewriting some extremely controversial content, or to transfer the risk to other sources than the platform by marking/labeling the strongly biased report. Secondly, domestication strategy is preferable in translating English complex sentences into Chinese since it minimizes the communication risk between translators and target learners. Thirdly, a responsible translator is advised to fix errors of the source audio/text to exactly comprehend the original news so as to reduce the uncertainty risk.},
 year = {2020}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Risks and Strategies of News Translation: A Case Study of Qingting English APP
AU  - Wang Heyu
AU  - Chen Zhong
Y1  - 2020/08/27
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14
T2  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JF  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JO  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
SP  - 79
EP  - 84
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-1271
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14
AB  - English learning platforms in China are increasingly popular among students. More features are developed and a wide range of contents are included to serve the diverse need of English learners. Despite the increasing amount and diversity of contents, its quality varies. This research discusses some problems and strategies of news translation from English to Chinese. Samples are all taken from one English learning platform, Qingting English APP, with source text from news media such as VOA, CNN and BBC, and target text provided by the platform. These major problems emerged during our study: 1) Some contents involving ideological differences are not treated properly in translation; 2) Many complex informative sentences are poorly translated; 3) Source news are sometimes incorrectly transcribed, leading to mistaken translation. By analyzing some possible risks of the existing problems, this study, in light of the risk management framework, provided some applicable strategies to achieve better translation for learners using Qingting APP. Firstly, it is advisable to avoid the potential risks by omitting/ rewriting some extremely controversial content, or to transfer the risk to other sources than the platform by marking/labeling the strongly biased report. Secondly, domestication strategy is preferable in translating English complex sentences into Chinese since it minimizes the communication risk between translators and target learners. Thirdly, a responsible translator is advised to fix errors of the source audio/text to exactly comprehend the original news so as to reduce the uncertainty risk.
VL  - 6
IS  - 3
ER  -

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Author Information

Wang Heyu

English Department, School of Foreign Languages, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China
Chen Zhong

English Department, School of Foreign Languages, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, China

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Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Wang Heyu, Chen Zhong. (2020). Risks and Strategies of News Translation: A Case Study of Qingting English APP. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation, 6(3), 79-84. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14

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ACS Style

Wang Heyu; Chen Zhong. Risks and Strategies of News Translation: A Case Study of Qingting English APP. Int. J. Appl. Linguist. Transl. 2020, 6(3), 79-84. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14

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AMA Style

Wang Heyu, Chen Zhong. Risks and Strategies of News Translation: A Case Study of Qingting English APP. Int J Appl Linguist Transl. 2020;6(3):79-84. doi: 10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14,
  author = {Wang Heyu and Chen Zhong},
  title = {Risks and Strategies of News Translation: A Case Study of Qingting English APP},
  journal = {International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation},
  volume = {6},
  number = {3},
  pages = {79-84},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijalt.20200603.14},
  abstract = {English learning platforms in China are increasingly popular among students. More features are developed and a wide range of contents are included to serve the diverse need of English learners. Despite the increasing amount and diversity of contents, its quality varies. This research discusses some problems and strategies of news translation from English to Chinese. Samples are all taken from one English learning platform, Qingting English APP, with source text from news media such as VOA, CNN and BBC, and target text provided by the platform. These major problems emerged during our study: 1) Some contents involving ideological differences are not treated properly in translation; 2) Many complex informative sentences are poorly translated; 3) Source news are sometimes incorrectly transcribed, leading to mistaken translation. By analyzing some possible risks of the existing problems, this study, in light of the risk management framework, provided some applicable strategies to achieve better translation for learners using Qingting APP. Firstly, it is advisable to avoid the potential risks by omitting/ rewriting some extremely controversial content, or to transfer the risk to other sources than the platform by marking/labeling the strongly biased report. Secondly, domestication strategy is preferable in translating English complex sentences into Chinese since it minimizes the communication risk between translators and target learners. Thirdly, a responsible translator is advised to fix errors of the source audio/text to exactly comprehend the original news so as to reduce the uncertainty risk.},
 year = {2020}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Risks and Strategies of News Translation: A Case Study of Qingting English APP
AU  - Wang Heyu
AU  - Chen Zhong
Y1  - 2020/08/27
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14
T2  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JF  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
JO  - International Journal of Applied Linguistics and Translation
SP  - 79
EP  - 84
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2472-1271
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijalt.20200603.14
AB  - English learning platforms in China are increasingly popular among students. More features are developed and a wide range of contents are included to serve the diverse need of English learners. Despite the increasing amount and diversity of contents, its quality varies. This research discusses some problems and strategies of news translation from English to Chinese. Samples are all taken from one English learning platform, Qingting English APP, with source text from news media such as VOA, CNN and BBC, and target text provided by the platform. These major problems emerged during our study: 1) Some contents involving ideological differences are not treated properly in translation; 2) Many complex informative sentences are poorly translated; 3) Source news are sometimes incorrectly transcribed, leading to mistaken translation. By analyzing some possible risks of the existing problems, this study, in light of the risk management framework, provided some applicable strategies to achieve better translation for learners using Qingting APP. Firstly, it is advisable to avoid the potential risks by omitting/ rewriting some extremely controversial content, or to transfer the risk to other sources than the platform by marking/labeling the strongly biased report. Secondly, domestication strategy is preferable in translating English complex sentences into Chinese since it minimizes the communication risk between translators and target learners. Thirdly, a responsible translator is advised to fix errors of the source audio/text to exactly comprehend the original news so as to reduce the uncertainty risk.
VL  - 6
IS  - 3
ER  -

Copy | Download