Four-Route Lexical Access Model in Learners’ English-Chinese Translation

Abstract

This study delves into the intricate relationship between semantic meaning and word access in translation, employing four semantic meanings as a research framework within linguistic contrast. Drawing on the theoretical foundations of bilingual language processing, the research seeks to illuminate the cognitive processes involved in lexical retrieval and semantic coherence maintenance during translation tasks. Extending existing literature, which underscores the significance of semantic ambiguity and contextual cues in translation, this study explores how translators navigate semantic uncertainties. Preliminary findings reveal a prevalent tendency among students to employ a direct translation approach, characterized by fixed word meaning conversions and limited contextual comprehension prior to translation. Additionally, the study identifies four distinct pathways for accessing lexical concepts during translation: (1) involves activation of lemmas and concepts, leading to accurate translation outcomes, while (2) illustrate asymmetric lexical access, resulting in translation discrepancies. (3) Highlights difficulties in locating corresponding access concepts, hindering translation efforts, and (4) emphasizes the selection of seemingly similar but conceptually disparate Chinese lexical items directly from English access concepts, leading to mismatches. These findings underscore the importance of a nuanced understanding of bilingual lexical concepts to effectively navigate translation challenges. Keywords: lexical meaning, word access in translation, English-Chinese translation, word processing, semantics