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Translation and Foreign Language Learning

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ArticleInterdisciplinary Studies of Translation http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.08.021

Postcolonial Tendencies in AI Translation

Wenhao Dong

Gannan Normal University School of Foreign Languages, Ganzhou 314000, Jiangxi, China.

*Corresponding author: Wenhao Dong

Published: September 26,2025

Abstract

This study analyzes English translations of Shen Congwen' s novel "Border Town," comparing ChatGPT-4o's machine translation with Yang Xianyi' s human translation to examine potential postcolonial tendencies in AI translation. We constructed a vocabulary list of colonial expressions, conducted statistical categorization, and analyzed translation examples. Although ChatGPT-4o and Yang's translation show similar overall proportions of postcolonial expressions, deeper analysis reveals that ChatGPT-4o demonstrates higher rates of postcolonial expressions in categories including folklore, historical culture, and institutions. This reflects a tendency to weaken local culture and adapt to Western mainstream contexts, showing cultural hegemonic characteristics. Yang's translation maintains lower overall postcolonial expression rates and better preserves local culture. Additionally, ChatGPT-4o shows significantly higher proportions of "strong postcolonial" expressions than human translation, demonstrating clearer cultural adaptation and local weakening trends. This indicates AI translation tends to cater to Western contexts, revealing postcolonial tendencies. The research exposes potential cultural hegemony risks in AI translation and calls for balancing technological advancement with cultural diversity and translation ethics.

Keywords

AI translation; ChatGPT-4o; Postcolonialism; Border Town; Translation compar-ison

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How to cite this paper

Postcolonial Tendencies in AI Translation

How to cite this paper: Wenhao Dong. (2025). Postcolonial Tendencies in AI Translation. Translation and Foreign Language Learning1(1), 130-137.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.08.021