Structural Complexity Of MTI Students’ Translational Language

As a key predictor of syntactic features,structural complexity is related to the linear length and internal structure of constructions.The more complex a construction is,the more memory and cognitive strain it places on readers,and the less readable it is.Previous studies on the characteristics of translational language have paid little attention to this topic.Most of the relevant studies have focused on constructions’load capacity(number of words,i.e.,linear length),with insufficient attention to the internal composition such as clauses and modifiers.In addition,previous studies focused mainly on professional translators,with insufficient attention to translation learners.Therefore,based on the comparable corpora composed of E-C translated novels by both MTI students and professional translators and original Chinese novels,this study investigated "preposition_localizer" and "indicative pronoun/quantity phrase_noun" to reveal the syntactic characteristics of MTI students’ translational Chinese from the perspectives of the overall structural complexity and indicators(load capacity,clauses and modifiers).It is found that(1)The average overall structural complexity(SC)values of the two constructions in MTI students’ translational Chinese are 6.605 and 5.989,respectively,significantly higher than both professional translators’ translational Chinese and original Chinese.(2)The values of SC indicators of MTI students’translational Chinese are also higher than both professional translators’ translational Chinese and original Chinese,characterized by greater load capacity,more non-parallel clause modifiers(embedded clauses and subordinate clauses),more compound modifiers and their more complex structures.In other words,compared with professional translators’ translated Chinese novels and original Chinese novels,MTI students’ translated Chinese novels have higher structural complexity,directly affecting translation fluency and language quality.At the theoretical level,this study examines the structural complexity of MTI students’ translational Chinese,enriching the study of characteristics of translational language.At the methodological level,this study uses comparable corpora composed of MTI students’ translational Chinese,professional translators’translational Chinese and original Chinese.With rich comparative dimensions,the corpora provide multi-angle data support for in-depth exploration of the language characteristics of translation learners,and methodological reference for the study of characteristics of translational language.At the practical level,this study reveals the gap between MTI students’ and professional translators’ translational Chinese and original Chinese,shedding lights on translation practice and teaching and translation quality assessment.