Chat GPT vs. Translator: translation of fixed expressions from Spanish to English in Tengo Miedo Torero by Pedro Lemebel

Abstract

Through empirical and qualitative research, this thesis analyses several translation techniques and how they affect a case study: an English translation by Katherine Silver and an English translation by Chat GPT of the Chilean novel Tengo Miedo Torero by Pedro Lemebel. Considering the introduction of new technologies and AIs to the translation field, frequently thought as a potential substitution of the human translator, this study investigates the differences between the translations proposed by both the official translator of the English published version of the book and the translation of text excerpts done by Chat GPT. This process unveiled which translation technique was employed in each translation proposed, determining which was the most frequently used by each translator, along with an analysis of sixteen examples of text excerpts. The final results revealed Chat GPT to have a surprising performance in terms of accuracy, using the equivalence technique to tackle most of the text excerpts, which was not the case with Silver. Moreover, it was discovered that the AI followed a communicative approach to translation, corresponding to several skills and competences proposed by PETRA-E.