TY - JOUR

T1 - Information-Theoretic Method for Assessing the Quality of Translations

AU - Ryabko, Boris

AU - Savina, Nadezhda

PY - 2022/11/29

Y1 - 2022/11/29

N2 - In recent years, the task of translating from one language to another has attracted wide attention from researchers due to numerous practical uses, ranging from the translation of various texts and speeches, including the so-called "machine" translation, to the dubbing of films and numerous other video materials. To study this problem, we propose to use the information-theoretic method for assessing the quality of translations. We based our approach on the classification of sources of text variability proposed by A.N. Kolmogorov: information content, form, and unconscious author's style. It is clear that the unconscious "author's" style is influenced by the translator. So researchers need special methods to determine how accurately the author's style is conveyed, because it, in a sense, determines the quality of the translation. In this paper, we propose a method that allows us to estimate the quality of translation from different translators. The method is used to study translations of classical English-language works into Russian and, conversely, Russian classics into English. We successfully used this method to determine the attribution of literary texts.

AB - In recent years, the task of translating from one language to another has attracted wide attention from researchers due to numerous practical uses, ranging from the translation of various texts and speeches, including the so-called "machine" translation, to the dubbing of films and numerous other video materials. To study this problem, we propose to use the information-theoretic method for assessing the quality of translations. We based our approach on the classification of sources of text variability proposed by A.N. Kolmogorov: information content, form, and unconscious author's style. It is clear that the unconscious "author's" style is influenced by the translator. So researchers need special methods to determine how accurately the author's style is conveyed, because it, in a sense, determines the quality of the translation. In this paper, we propose a method that allows us to estimate the quality of translation from different translators. The method is used to study translations of classical English-language works into Russian and, conversely, Russian classics into English. We successfully used this method to determine the attribution of literary texts.

KW - data compression

KW - hypothesis testing

KW - information-theoretic classification method

KW - translation of literary texts

UR - https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85144681904&origin=inward&txGid=05270f36467a48178ff6fb26c2a891fb

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/1e01329b-d228-394f-9317-f59f18e9e8dc/

U2 - 10.3390/e24121739

DO - 10.3390/e24121739

M3 - Article

C2 - 36554144

VL - 24

JO - Entropy

JF - Entropy

SN - 1099-4300

IS - 12

M1 - 1739

ER -