Developing AI Chatbots for Comedic Persona Preservation in Russian Translation: Kevin Hart (ESFP) and Louis C.K. (INFP)

Humor and Vulgar Language in Spanish Subtitling: A Case Study of Contemporary Hollywood Comedy

Audiovisual translation (AVT) is, essentially, a form of “subordinate translation,” in which the text coexists with the spatial and temporal constraints of the screen, sound, and image. Within this difficult context, one of the greatest challenges for the translator is the transfer of colloquial language and humor, since these elements not only carry a strong cultural weight but also require maintaining a specific perlocutionary force: laughter or transgression. This challenge is particularly acute in the case of the film Liar, Liar (1997). Subtitling faces a dilemma between remaining faithful to the vulgar register and the need for concision, due to Jim Carrey’s performance, which is distinguished by frenetic verbosity and the constant use of dysphemisms to drive the plot. The aim of this article is to examine how these tensions are resolved using the strategies of Díaz Cintas and Remael (2007), investigating whether semantic loss is, in fact, the unavoidable cost of preserving the illocutionary force and comic rhythm in the target language. This research falls within the framework of corpus-based translation studies, which implies a descriptive and qualitative perspective. The purpose of this study is to examine the behaviour of translation strategies applied to the translation of humorous elements and vulgar language in subtitling. Key fragments of the film that contain humorous situations and vulgar language were selected. An analysis matrix was used to examine the subtitling of these fragments. The results of this research show a predominance of Condensation and Omission strategies, due to Jim Carrey’s fast speech rate and character-per-second (CPS) constraints. Furthermore, there is a noticeable substitution and neutralization of vulgar language with milder terms. Regarding wordplay and jokes, lexical recreation and compensation occur; some effects are lost in certain lines, though they are recovered in others. It follows that the translator acts as a creative adapter who reconfigures the register to accommodate the technical constraints of time and space. The success of the translation lies in preserving the perlocutionary power of humor, even across linguistic barriers.

The Human Translator’s (In)Visibility in Times of AI: An Self-Applied Experiment in Literary Translation

The (in)visibility of the literary human translator’s work in the age of AI is discussed, and the interferences produced by machines are tapped into to tap into the impact on the translation process and product.

TEACHER-CURATED AI FOR COMMUNICATIVE CHINESE ACQUISITION: A CASE STUDY AT KAZAKH ABLAIKHAN UNIVERSITY

Translating Politeness A Comparative Analysis of Dialogue in Yakuza 0

ChakapBot: A Generative AI-Powered Chatbot for the Revitalisation of Baba Malay

This paper reports on the pilot implementation of ChakapBot, a generative AI-supported chatbot developed to support both the revitalisation and documentation of Baba Malay, an endangered heritage language in Singapore. A six-week pilot was conducted with 26 participants, the majority of whom were adult learners with limited prior exposure to the language and disrupted intergenerational transmission. Drawing on surveys, the study examines participant engagement, perceived usefulness, and the role of the chatbot within a blended learning model combining in-person instruction and digital practice. ChakapBot was trained on a community-curated corpus comprising a dictionary, a textbook, and a grammatical description of Baba Malay, positioning it as both a learning support tool and a means of operationalising existing documentation resources for community use. Findings indicate that participants valued the chatbot for its flexibility, accessibility, and low-pressure environment for independent practice, and perceived it as a complement to human-led instruction rather than a replacement. Participants also reported using Baba Malay beyond classroom settings, including in the home, workplace, and community events. The study highlights how ethically designed, community-curated AI tools can bridge language documentation and revitalisation by transforming documented linguistic knowledge into accessible, everyday practice for learners.

Linguistic perspective-taking in verbal communication with LLMs: evidence of an egocentric bias

Since the expansion of generative AI’s functions, chatbots such as Open AI’s Chat-GPT appear as more than tools. They can be perceived as communicative partners, shaping exchanges with high variability and linguistic competence. Current versions, such as Chat-GPT 5.5, even provide spoken language using different verbal styles and vocabulary, intonation and prosody. Investigating this new context of communication, we question whether people expect chatbots to detect non-literal meanings. Extending the illusory transparency of intention research paradigm introduced by Keysar, information was presented through scenarios of interactions with the Chat-GPT voice function that disambiguated the presented verbal information as either non-literal (sarcastic) or literal (sincere) in an within-subject experimental design (N = 327). Scenarios were placed within the higher education context. Results reveal that participants did not only falsely expect the chatbot to detect a non-literal meaning, but they also even expected the chatbot to reply accordingly. Implications for higher education contexts are discussed.