Exploring pseudotranslation style using a three-way comparable corpus

Abstract This article uses a three-way comparable corpus to compare pseudotranslations “from Chinese” written in English with genuine translations from Chinese and genuine texts written in English. The research question is “will pseudotranslations, which seek to pass as genuine translations, be closer stylistically to genuine translations or to works written originally in English?” Using hierarchic clustering analysis, the answer, surprisingly, is both. In terms of the use of specific vocabulary related to China, the pseudotranslations were closer to genuine translations, but in terms of other stylistic markers, pseudotranslations were closer to genuine works in English. The results suggest that writers attempting to construct pseudotranslations concentrate on the obvious content as a marker of authenticity, whereas the author’s natural facility in English means that there is no hint of “translationese.” In addition, the case study shows some evidence that seems to contradict Toury’s thesis concerning pseudotranslation as the imitation of genuine translation.