A Corpus-Based Multimodal Approach to the Translation of Restaurant Menus

Translated restaurant menus facilitate tourism and consumerism, but menu translation remains a peripheral area of professional translation and Translation Studies. This has economic consequences, because translations that exclude a dish's ingredients, cooking methods, or cultural associations may deter consumers. This article analyses translated menus featuring Chinese dishes in order to establish the extent to which intersemiotic, image-based approaches are used to complement written translations; the level of consistency with which ingredients and cooking methods are translated; the frequency of culturally-specific dish names that are challenging to translate. Corpus-based methodology is used to compare 3000 Chinese dish names and their translations from China, Taiwan, and abroad. The data reveals very limited intersemiotic translation in existing menus, inconsistent translations of ingredients and cooking methods, and a high percentage of dishes with culturally-specific names. However, these are often omitted in translation, or lack supplementary information concerning their ingredients. It is proposed that a multimodal translation approach incorporating Jakobson’s tripartite theory can enhance menu translation. Menus featuring Pinyin as an intralingual translation can engage learners of Chinese who use this method; interlingual explicitation clarifies a dish's ingredients, cooking methods, and cultural specificity; and intersemiotic, image-based translation conveys culinary artistry more clearly

Introduction to the Special Issue: Translation in Political Discourse and Global Narratives

Translation serves as a potent yet often overlooked force in political discourse, shaping global narratives and mediating information across linguistic and cultural boundaries. This introduction explores the transformative potential of translation as a form of activism and identity construction in political discourse, delving into its ability to challenge prevailing narratives, amplify marginalised voices, and foster a more inclusive and empathetic global dialogue. Drawing on the insights of George Orwell and John Searle regarding the potency of language in political manipulation and power dynamics, the study illuminates the transformative role of translation as a catalyst for change and cross-cultural understanding. It underscores the significance of activist translation, particularly within Chinese contexts, an area that remains relatively underexplored in scholarly discourse. Structured into three sections, this introduction initially traces the historical underpinnings of activist translation within political and religious discourse, outlining translation's transformative power. The second section analyses how translation influences cultural transmission and identity construction on a global scale. The third section portrays activist translation as a driver of inclusivity, amplifying marginalised voices, dismantling systemic inequalities, and advocating for equality worldwide. Looking ahead, the conclusion outlines challenges and future directions in political discourse translation, emphasising the necessity of maintaining ethical portrayals of cultural identities and addressing cross-cultural misunderstandings. The introduction concludes with a list of references, offering key perspectives to inspire further research in the realm of political discourse translation

Global Seafood Trade: Insights in Sustainability Messaging and Claims of the Major Producing and Consuming Regions

Seafood supply chains are complex, not least in the diverse origins of capture fisheries and through aquaculture production being increasingly shared across nations. The business-to-business (B2B) seafood trade is supported by seafood shows that facilitate networking and act as fora for signaling of perceptions and values. In the Global North, sustainability related certifications and messaging have emerged as an important driver to channel the demands of consumers, institutions, and lead firms. This study investigates which logos, certifications, and claims were presented at the exhibitor booths within five seafood trade shows in China, Europe, and USA. The results indicate a difference in the way seafood is advertised. Messaging at the Chinese shows had less of an emphasis on sustainability compared to that in Europe and the USA, but placed a greater emphasis on food safety and quality than on environmental concerns. These findings suggest cultural differences in the way seafood production and consumption is communicated through B2B messaging. Traders often act as choice editors for final consumers. Therefore, it is essential to convey production processes and sustainability issues between traders and the market. An understanding of culture, messaging strategies, and interpretation could support better communication of product characteristics such as sustainability between producers, traders, and consumers

Factors Influencing Consumption Behaviour towards Aquatic Food among Asian Consumers: A Systematic Scoping Review

Asia accounts for over 70% of total global aquatic food consumption, but aquatic food consumption behaviours and attitudes among Asian consumers are poorly documented and understood. This paper synthesises literature on factors influencing aquatic food consumption behaviour in Asia and the potential to support transitions toward more sustainable food consumption patterns. We identified 113 studies for inclusion in a scoping review, and identified five clusters of publications: (1) product attributes, availability, and accessibility (24% of publications); (2) willingness to pay for aquatic foods (25%); (3) psychosocial factors (e.g., attitudes and subjective norms) (17%); (4) sociodemographic and lifestyle factors (21%); and (5) miscellaneous factors, including food safety and social status (13%). This study indicates that multiple interacting factors influence aquatic food consumption behaviours among Asian consumers, among which price is central. Knowledge of, and attitudes toward, the perceived quality and safety of aquatic foods were identified as important but were mediated by household characteristics. Sustainable production practices, country of origin, and ecolabels were found to be less influential on consumption behaviour. We found that improving consumers’ knowledge and attitudes about the quality and safety of aquatic foods might positively influence aquatic food consumption behaviour. Future multidisciplinary research is required to better understand interactions among the multiple factors that influence Asian consumers’ aquatic food consumption behaviour

MetaMap versus BERT models with explainable active learning: ontology-based experiments with prior knowledge for COVID-19

Emergence of the Coronavirus 2019 Disease has highlighted further the need for timely support for clinicians as they manage severely ill patients. We combine Semantic Web technologies with Deep Learning for Natural Language Processing with the aim of converting human-readable best evi-dence/practice for COVID-19 into that which is computer-interpretable. We present the results of experiments with 1212 clinical ideas (medical terms and expressions) from two UK national healthcare services specialty guides for COVID-19 and three versions of two BMJ Best Practice documents for COVID-19. The paper seeks to recognise and categorise clinical ideas, performing a Named Entity Recognition (NER) task, with an ontology providing extra terms as context and describing the intended meaning of categories understandable by clinicians. The paper investigates: 1) the performance of classical NER using MetaMap versus NER with fine-tuned BERT models; 2) the integration of both NER approaches using a lightweight ontology developed in close collaboration with senior doctors; and 3) the easy interpretation by junior doctors of the main classes from the ontology once populated with NER results. We report the NER performance and the observed agreement for human audits

MetaMap versus BERT models with explainable active learning: ontology-based experiments with prior knowledge for COVID-19

Emergence of the Coronavirus 2019 Disease has highlighted further the need for timely support for clinicians as they manage severely ill patients. We combine Semantic Web technologies with Deep Learning for Natural Language Processing with the aim of converting human-readable best evi-dence/practice for COVID-19 into that which is computer-interpretable. We present the results of experiments with 1212 clinical ideas (medical terms and expressions) from two UK national healthcare services specialty guides for COVID-19 and three versions of two BMJ Best Practice documents for COVID-19. The paper seeks to recognise and categorise clinical ideas, performing a Named Entity Recognition (NER) task, with an ontology providing extra terms as context and describing the intended meaning of categories understandable by clinicians. The paper investigates: 1) the performance of classical NER using MetaMap versus NER with fine-tuned BERT models; 2) the integration of both NER approaches using a lightweight ontology developed in close collaboration with senior doctors; and 3) the easy interpretation by junior doctors of the main classes from the ontology once populated with NER results. We report the NER performance and the observed agreement for human audits

Semiotics and lexicography

Proceedings of the 9th World Congress of Semiotics', IASS-AIS 2007, Helsinki, Finland

Bi/Multilingual Education, Translation, and Social Mobility in Xinjiang, China

This chapter – drawing on fieldwork conducted through questionnaires, interviews and participant observation in the form of a triangulation method – references Antonio Gramsci’s writings on language and political theory (also known as glottopolitical theory) as an optic through which to analyse bilingual education, translation and social mobility in Xinjiang, China. By adhering to the practices and procedures governing empirical investigation, it evaluates the effects of China’s bi/multilingual language policy and discusses its implications within education. The chapter’s objectives are threefold: 1) to evaluate current forms of bilingual education in Xinjiang within the curriculum as a whole, and to assess the importance of using specific languages and translation; 2) to assess the attitudes of different ethnic groups towards current bi/multilingual education policy and its evolution in Xinjiang; and 3) to develop proposals concerning the preservation of minority culture and languages while also diffusing the benefits of Mandarin and English for career enhancement, without exacerbating the tensions that exist between unity and diversity. The research shows that an optimal education policy would take into consideration the needs of minorities. To provide equal opportunities for all, whatever their first language, is to contribute to social harmony and economic progress at both a regional and national level. It is argued that aspects of Gramsci’s glottopolitical writings on language and cultural identity reflect the guiding principles of an openness to linguistic diversity and a balanced language policy in terms of ‘plurality within unity’ in China

The Application of Advanced Learning Technology in Assisting the Teaching of Business and Consecutive Interpreting

The present study aims to investigate how the use of existing and emerging technologies can help develop effectively to create dynamic and more accessible learning resources to allow both learning and teaching. The use of Smartphones, virtual learning environments (VLEs), podcasting / vodcasting, QR codes and interactive voting response systems to assist the author's teaching of business and consecutive interpreting was analysed as a case study. In the case study, questionnaires supplemented with interviews, have been used to investigate the viability of using the advanced learning technology in the process of learning and teaching and identify the beneficial effects on students' learning and satisfaction. The results of this study indicate that the students have benefitted from the use of advanced learning technologies, without the learning experience actually becoming about learning how to use the technologies themselves.&nbsp

New trends of Chinese political translation in the age of globalisation

This study takes issue with the prescriptive principles of faithfulness and equivalence prevailing in the circle of political translation and argues that the over-simplified view impairs a profound understanding of the intricacies and ideology involved in political translation. Following a descriptive approach, this article probes into the translation shifts demonstrated in the translation products to examine the characteristics of the translated political discourse and explore the changes of translation strategies across time. The corpus of data consists of fifteen Chinese political speeches and their English translations delivered by the state leaders in three successive periods of leadership. Through the extensive analysis of the translation shifts between the source and target texts, four types of functions are identified in terms of the roles that the translations tend to play in mediating between the source and target communities. Meanwhile, the statistics presented thereafter show that more translation shifts are involved in accommodating the target readership as China is playing a greater part in the global affairs in more recent leadership. In addition, the study presents an academic overview of the research on political translation in China and offers a dynamic picture of the evolving practice of Chinese political translation in the era of globalization