Human-AI Comparative Study on English Translation of Culture-Loaded Terms at Nanjing Museum from the Skopos Theory Perspective

© 2025 by the Author. Licensee Whioce Publishing, Singapore. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )

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Abstract

Based on Skopos Theory, this study compares human and AI English translations of Nanjing Museum’s culture-loaded terms. AI performs well in information and readability; human translations offer higher loyalty. It is recommended to build a terminology database, combine AI pre-translation with human post-editing, and evaluate by audience.

Keywords

Skopos Theory

culture-loaded terms

comparison

translation strategy optimization

Funding

This research was supported by the National Innovation Training Project for College Students (Project No.: 202513573106Y).

References

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[3] Ma JJ, Liang QF, 2025, A Skopos-Based Analysis of the Chinese-English Translation of Exhibition Texts at the New Yinxu Museum. Chinese Character Culture, (03): 173-175.

[4] Reiß K, Vermeer HJ, 2013, Towards a General Theory of Translational Action: Skopos Theory Explained. St. Jerome Publishing, United Kingdom.

[5] Nord C, 2001, Translating as a Purposeful Activity: Functional Approaches Explained. Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, China.

[6] Bai H, 2023, A Study on Translation Strategies for The Bookshop on the Island Guided by Three Principles of Skopos Theory. English Plaza, (29): 11-14.

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