Reconstruction of Functional Equivalence in Literary Translation in the Era of Generative Artificial Intelligence—An Analysis Based on Translations of "The Chess King"
Abstract
The rapid spread of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) into literary translation has sparked considerable debate among scholars. Can machines really handle texts as nuanced as literature? To address this question, functional equivalence theory is adopted as the analytical framework. This study selects passages from Ah Cheng'sThe Chess King(Qi Wang) that are saturated with cultural imagery and philosophical undertones—precisely the kind of material that separates good translation from mechanical substitution. A systematic side-by-side comparison is then conducted between the English output produced by ChatGPT and Bonnie S. McDougall's widely respected human translation. Two problems guide the inquiry. First, where exactly does GAI excel or stumble when functional equivalence is the goal? Second, what should translators do differently in an AI-assisted workflow to preserve literariness, cultural meaning, and aesthetic value? The results turn out to be quite telling. AI handles routine narrative well enough—fluent, fast, and grammatically clean. Yet once the text dips into culture-loaded terms, historically embedded language, or deeper literary meaning, accuracy and artistry drop off sharply. McDougall's version, meanwhile, manages cultural "functional equivalence" far more convincingly because it transmits the original essence with flexibility and interpretive depth rather than statistical guesswork. The conclusion reached is pragmatic rather than alarmist: AI can serve as a powerful assistant, yet the creative transformation that defines literary translation—shaping literariness, cultural resonance, and aesthetic value—still rests on the translator's subjective judgment and artistic recreation. These findings may offer some useful insights for bringing AI technology into current translation teaching and practice.
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