Penguasaan sebutan kata adjektif bahasa Jepun dalam kalangan pelajar Cina di sebuah IPTA Malaysia

Kajian ini dijalankan bertujuan untuk meninjau penguasaan sebutan bahasa Jepun dalam kalangan pelajar Cina di sebuah institusi pengajian tinggi awam Malaysia. Seramai 40 orang pelajar Cina yang mengikuti Kursus Kemahiran Bahasa Jepun Tahap III telah dipilih sebagai responden kajian ini. Mereka merupakan pelajar Cina yang berlatar belakang bahasa Cina, iaitu berpendidikan di Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Cina ketika berada pada tahap sekolah rendah. Secara umumnya, pembelajaran bahasa Jepun dalam kalangan pelajar Cina dikatakan lebih mudah jika dibandingkan dengan pelajar bukan Cina. Ini kerana tulisan Kanji bahasa Jepun berasal dari tulisan aksara Cina, Hanzi (Wang, 1995). Malahan, sesetengah sebutan bahasa Jepun mirip dengan sebutan bahasa Cina sedangkan mereka berkongsi aksara Cina yang sama. Satu ujian menulis telah diberi kepada responden untuk menterjemahkan kata adjektif bahasa Inggeris kapada bahasa Cina dan bahasa Jepun. Untuk membanding sebutan kedua-dua bahasa Cina dan bahasa Jepun, responden dikehendaki menulis jawapan dalam sebutan 汉语拼音(Hànyǔ Pīnyīn) bagi bahasa Cina manakala sebutan ローマ字(Romaji) bagi bahasa Jepun. Dapatan kajian telah menunjukkan bahawa keputusan responden bagi menjawab dalam sebutan bahasa Jepun adalah lemah jika dibanding dengan menjawab dalam sebutan bahasa Cina. Untuk membuktikan sama ada terdapatnya perbezaan yang signifikan antara menjawab soalan dalam sebutan Cina dan sebutan Jepun, analisis Ujian T (Paired Sample T-Test) telah dijalankan. Setelah data kajian dianalisis dengan menggunakan Ujian T dalam program perisian SPSS, dapatan kajian telah menunjukkan bahawa terdapatnya perbezaan yang signifikan antara pengguasaan sebutan Cina dan sebutan Jepun. Dapatan kajian ini juga telah menunjukkkan bahawa pengetahuan bahasa Cina tidak membantu pelajar Cina dalam pembalajaran bahasa Jepun seperti yang dijangkakan. Malahan, perbezaan sebutan yang terdapat dalam kedua-dua bahasa tersebut telah menyumbang kepada permindahan negatif (negative transference) semasa mempelajari sebutan bahasa Jepun oleh pelajar Cina. Di sini terbuktilah teori Lado yang menegaskan bahawa “...unsur-unsur yang sama dengan bahasa natif akan menjadi mudah bagi pelajar, manakala unsur-unsur yang berbeza akan menyulitkan pelajar...” (1957: 2)

A Systematic Literature Review of Localization Strategies of the Global Format Reality TV in China in the Past Decade (2012-2022)

The past few decades have witnessed the popularity of global format reality TV programs in China, paralleled by a growing academic interest in comprehending the process of localizing these format programs. However, the existing literature on the subject comprises diverse and fragmented selected cases, revealing a research gap in terms of a systematic exploration and comprehensive review of the adaptation process of format television programs in China. This study employs a systematic literature review to examine the localization of format reality shows in China over the past decades. It aims to provide practical strategies for format programs to enter the Chinese media market and identify the gaps in this area. The general research question is what strategies have been used to adapt format reality shows in China. A total of 40 articles from CNKI, Google Scholar, and Scopus are selected for qualitative synthesis. The findings indicate that the localization of format reality TV need to incorporate more local elements to enter the Chinese media market due to the cultural differences and the strict regulation from the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television of the People’s Republic of China (SARFT). Further research should investigate the impact of SARFT’s regulations on format programs and the subsequent shift towards local production in China

A systematic review of Chinese Language learning strategies in the past decade (2011-2020)

Empirical studies and literature on Chinese language learning strategies (CLLS) in China and abroad have outlined theoretical introductions and case descriptions for nearly a decade. Reportedly, studies on CLLS indicated the following characteristics: The study respondents were primarily international students in China gearing towards regionalisation, nationalisation, or localisation. Furthermore, the qualitative study method followed an empirical, comprehensive, and descriptive learning strategy, such as observations and interviews. However, although the factors influencing learning strategies were gradually becoming diversified, several study limitations were identified (uneven regional studies, insufficient research samples, single research methods, and lack of theoretical paradigms in training learning strategies). Hence, researchers needed to conduct in-depth studies and deeply perceive CLLS to promote Chinese learning and teaching

Howard Goldblattâs translation practice and translation thoughts

With the cultural turn of translation studies, the subject status of translators has gradually been highlighted, and translator studies have become increasingly important. However, the current research on translators is mostly confined to certain aspects such as the translator’s translation thoughts, translation strategies or translation styles, which lacks comprehensive and detailed research. This article aims to study the translator Howard Goldblatt from the four aspects of his life experience, namely translation practice, translation motivation, translation thoughts and translation strategies, in an attempt to present a detailed and comprehensive translator. The results demonstrate that Howard Goldblatt’s translation is based on cross-cultural communication as the ultimate goal, comprehensively using translation strategies that combine domestication and foreignization to spread the Chinese culture. This study contributes to the diversification of research methods and the dissemination of Chinese culture

Malay narratives in Nanyang travel

“Nanyang” 南洋was a general term used by the Chinese for Southeast Asia before World War II. After the 19th century, the Chinese moved to Nanyang in succession. Located at the centre of “Nanyang”, the Malay Peninsula and Singapore became the gathering place of the Chinese at that time and they unexpectedly encountered the indigenous Malay civilisation, thus arousing cultural interaction and immersion. In the 1920s and 1930s, a large number of Chinese literati came to the south for various purposes such as seeking relatives and friends, travelling, investigating, or settling down for a long time, and they recorded the experiences of what they saw and heard in Nanyang in travel records or books. The “Nanyang Youji” 南洋游记 (Nanyang Travels) mainly recorded the customs and anecdotes of the Nanyang society. It is rich in content, diverse in subject matter, and large in volume. It also has a unique writing style, with great literary, historical, and even cultural anthropology value. Although the content of “Nanyang Youji” is mainly based on Chinese society and culture, many of them also contain records of the Malay customs and culture that the author personally witnessed which are thus, very precious. This article reviews several “Nanyang Youji” travel records to gain an insight into the Malay society and the Chinese-Malay cultural interaction from the perspective of the early Nanyang travellers

Translating political terms in China's political discourse: a critical review

There is a persistent tendency of using political terms to explain the political system and ideas in China’s political discourse. In this study, political terms refer to the professional words with specific meanings and in specific forms developed by the Communist Party of China (henceforth, CPC) and the government in a series of activities for dealing with domestic and foreign affairs. Focusing on the translation of political terms in China context, this study aims at: 1) introducing political terms in China’s political discourse, particularly the proper nouns and abbreviations, 2) critically reviewing the major studies on translating these political terms and 3) identifying some existing gaps in the current literature which need to be filled by future research. The significance of this study lies in that it contributes to a better understanding of such political terms and the status quo of their translation. Specifically, the study identifies three gaps in the current literature: a knowledge gap, or insufficiency of research on the existing defects in translating these political terms, a methodological gap, or the lack of explorations from a macroscopic translational perspective, and a theoretical gap, the scarcity of rhetorical persuasion theories as theoretical frameworks for researching the translation of such political terms. These research findings are meaningful to future scholars that would focus on the better convey of political intention expressed through political terms and the enhanced translation of China’s political discourse in international communication

Semantic difficulties faced by students in China in understanding Arabic customs terms

To achieve the two objectives mentioned in the introduction, quantitative research methods were used in the advancement of research. A quiz was distributed to 60 students at two universities in northern China. However, Group B completed the quiz, which may increase the uncertainty of our result. We suggested the analysis using data collected from Group A that students accomplish the quiz within a limited time in their classes under the supervision of the author to obtain 30 samples. As for the quiz, it was composed of 10 Arabic customs terms, which were randomly selected from 30 Arabic customs terms in the glossary of the textbook. The overall result indicated that the average error rate for ten questions was about 50%, which means that every respondent had at least four questions on comprehension biases for Arabic customs terms through Chinese concepts. Furthermore, we adopted proper lexical and terminological semantics to examine the relationships between students’ answers and correct answers to find semantic difficulties. Meanwhile, we attempted to analyze the factors that influence students to have such problems. In this light, our study provides a model of learning of a subject terminology. And our study sheds on numerous semantic difficulties which would offer a steady stream of motivation for us to do a series of semantic studies in the future

Semantic challenges caused by abbreviations of Arabic economic and business terms for undergraduates in China

The economic usefulness of abbreviations has become essential as language tools in human society, especially for international economic and business activities. This study has explored the semantic challenges of abbreviations of Arabic economic and business terms for third-grade undergraduates majoring in Arabic language without basic backgrounds in the economy and business in China. The present study adopted a quantitative study design to test 30 students’ abilities in understanding abbreviations. The data analysis used simple mathematical statistics to calculate results and comprehensive analysis within terminological frameworks with interdisciplinary semantic theories to mainly analyze correct answers and students’ answers. Thus, we have found that three-quarters of students faced varying degrees of semantic challenges in the abbreviations of Arabic economic and business terms. In this regard, the current study will improve students’ understanding of abbreviations, and remind instructors in the courses of Arabic for business purposes to explain such knowledge

Chinese-to-English translation of political discourse: a feature-oriented analysis

The translation of political discourse differs from the translation of texts in non-political contexts in which political discourse is highly profiled in terms of political sensitivity and policy orientation. It may potentially influence global peace and security. Understanding the features of translating China’s political discourse from Chinese to English is of great help to political translators and researchers in studying the problems and strategies of political translation for attaining the above expectation. It is expected to help the international community understand clearer and better the stance, response, and policies adopted by the government in national and international affairs. Therefore, the translation of China’s political discourse should deliver the intended information accurately and adequately the national characteristics of the source text and conduct flexible adjustments to conform to the language habits and ways of thinking of the target audience while mainlining the correct political position. This article aims to review and identify the essential characteristics of translating China’s political discourse from Chinese to English. It is apparent in understanding the desired political translation effect and some relevant translation problems. The bibliometric research method concludes that the Chinese-to-English translation of China’s political discourse has four distinctive features: accuracy, international-audience-centeredness, national characteristics, and political rightness. It is recommended that the translator pay great attention to these features while selecting translation strategies and methods and raise the acceptability of the translated text among the global recipients for promoting an authentic national image of the country