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    Impact Factor: 6.78 Journal Quality Score (JQS): 85.34
    Email Id: chiefeditor.ijeel@gmail.com

    A Comparative Study of AI and Human Translation in the English Translation of Literary Works: A Case Study of Fortress Besieged

    Journal Article
    Author(s)
    Fan Zhixin, Zheng You, Fan Jiying
    Keywords
    AI translation, human translation, literary translation, Fortress Besieged, translation comparison
    Abstract
    As the times advance, artificial intelligence technology has progressed rapidly, bringing new possibilities and challenges to literary translation. This study focuses on Qian Zhongshu’s novel Fortress Besieged. It takes the English version co-translated by Jeanne Kelly and Nathan K. Mao (1979) as the human translation reference, and the output generated by the large language model DeepSeek V4 Pro as the AI translation sample. A systematic comparison is made across four dimensions: semantic accuracy, reproduction of linguistic style, handling of culture-loaded words, and conveyance of rhetorical effect. The findings show that AI translation does well in basic meaning transfer and sentence fluency. Yet it still lags clearly behind human translation when it comes to capturing humorous and ironic tones, understanding deep cultural allusions, and creatively reproducing rhetorical devices. AI translation leans more towards domestication and literal rendering, which leads to a somewhat flat style. Human translation has a marked advantage in cultural interpretation and stylistic fit. This study suggests that, at the present stage, the English translation of literary works is better served by a collaboration model where human translators take the lead and AI plays a supporting role. AI can assist with draft generation and terminology help, but the most essential work of transcreation still needs to be carried out by human translators.
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    Article Details
    Published 22 Jun 2026
    DOI 10.22161/ijeel.5.3.9
    Pages 66-80
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