Article published In: Rethinking Translating Cultures
Edited by Moneera Al-Ghadeer, Charles Forsdick, Mohammed Al-Sudairi, Andreas Karatsolis, Eric Calderwood and Mohammed Allwaish
[Babel 71:6] 2025
► pp. 740–769
The role of artificial intelligence tools in mediating Sino-Arab cultural exchanges through intercultural translation
Published online: 4 July 2025
https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.25101.alk
https://doi.org/10.1075/babel.25101.alk
Abstract
This study investigates the role of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in enhancing Sino-Arab cultural exchanges
through intercultural translation, focusing specifically on Arabic-Chinese and Chinese-Arabic translations. It evaluates various
factors, including accuracy, reliability, speed, usability, and user trust in AI-powered translation technologies, while
addressing their impact on intercultural communication and the preservation of cultural nuances. A mixed-methods approach was
employed, combining quantitative surveys from 120 students with qualitative interviews from 20 participants. Findings reveal a
high level of user satisfaction regarding the speed, ease of use, and accuracy of AI tools such as ChatGPT and DeepL, particularly
for routine translation tasks. Nevertheless, challenges were observed in translating idiomatic expressions and cultural nuances,
prompting users to make manual adjustments to the translated texts. Trust in AI tools was notably strong for everyday use;
however, concerns emerged regarding their reliability in high-stakes contexts, such as academic and professional settings. The
findings suggest that AI tools can play a transformative role in enhancing translation efficiency. Nonetheless, their limitations
in managing cultural sensitivity and nuanced contexts highlight the necessity for human intervention. This study underscores the
importance of advancing the cultural intelligence of AI systems to foster a deeper intercultural understanding and integration
into educational and professional environments.
Résumé
Cette étude examine le rôle des outils d’intelligence artificielle (IA) dans l’amélioration des échanges
culturels sino-arabes par le biais de la traduction interculturelle, en se concentrant spécifiquement sur les traductions entre
l’arabe et le chinois (et vice versa). Elle évalue divers facteurs, notamment la précision, la fiabilité, la rapidité, l’ergonomie
et la confiance des utilisateurs envers les technologies de traduction basées sur l’IA, tout en abordant leur impact sur la
communication interculturelle et la préservation des subtilités culturelles. Une approche méthodologique mixte a été adoptée,
combinant des enquêtes quantitatives auprès de 120 étudiants et des entretiens qualitatifs avec 20 participants. Les résultats
révèlent un haut niveau de satisfaction des utilisateurs en ce qui concerne la rapidité, la facilité d’utilisation et la précision
des outils d’IA tels que ChatGPT et DeepL, notamment pour les tâches de traduction courantes. Toutefois, des difficultés ont été
observées dans la traduction des expressions idiomatiques et des nuances culturelles, incitant les utilisateurs à ajuster
manuellement les textes traduits. La confiance dans les outils d’IA s’est avérée forte pour un usage quotidien ; cependant, des
préoccupations ont été exprimées quant à leur fiabilité dans des contextes à enjeux élevés, tels que les milieux académiques et
professionnels. Les résultats suggèrent que les outils d’IA peuvent jouer un rôle transformateur dans l’amélioration de
l’efficacité de la traduction. Néanmoins, leurs limites en matière de sensibilité culturelle et de gestion des contextes nuancés
soulignent la nécessité d’une intervention humaine. Cette étude met en évidence l’importance de développer l’intelligence
culturelle des systèmes d’IA afin de favoriser une compréhension interculturelle plus approfondie et leur intégration dans les
environnements éducatifs et professionnels.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Role of AI in fostering intercultural translation
- 3.Methodology
- 4.Results (quantitative phase)
- 4.1Gender distribution
- 4.2Age group distribution
- 4.3Institution type distribution
- 4.4Occupation distribution
- 4.5AI tools used for translation
- 4.6Purpose of using AI tools
- 4.7Reliability of the research instrument
- 4.8Translation accuracy
- 4.9Translation reliability
- 4.10Translation speed
- 4.11Ease of use
- 4.12User satisfaction and trust
- 5.Results (qualitative phase)
- 5.1Theme 1 – Accuracy and cultural nuance
- 5.2Theme 2 – Trust and reliability
- 5.3Theme 3 – Speed vs. quality
- 5.4Theme 4 – User-friendliness and accessibility
- 5.5Theme 5 – Satisfaction and recommendations
- 5.6Theme 6 –- Enhancing Sino-Arab cultural exchanges
- 5.7Theme 7 – Future of AI in intercultural translation
- 6.Discussion
- 7.Conclusion
- 8.Limitations and areas for future research
- Acknowledgement
References
References (49)
Abiad, Mohamad G., and Lokman I. Meho. 2018. “Food
Loss and Food Waste Research in the Arab World: A Systematic Review.” Food
Security 10 (2): 311–22.
Alharbi, Wael. 2023. “The
Use and Abuse of Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Machine Translation in the EFL Classroom: An Exploratory
Study.” Journal of Education and E-Learning
Research 10 (4): 689–701.
Alhasan, Hasan. 2024. “Contesting
the West: China’s Middle East Strategy.” International Institute for Strategic Studies Online
Analysis. Accessed 31 January
2025. [URL]
Al-Sheikh, Walid. 2023. “The
Arab World Tilts Eastward.” SADA. Carnegie Endowment for International
Peace. Accessed 31 January
2025. [URL]
. 2016. The
Reawakening of the Arab World: Challenge and Change in the Aftermath of the Arab Spring. New York: Monthly Review Press.
Aqlan, Fares, Xiaoping Fan, Abdullah Alqwbani, and Akram Al-Mansoub. 2019. “Improved
Arabic–Chinese Machine Translation with Linguistic Input Features.” Future
Internet 11 (1): 22.
Arab News. 2024. “Saudi Arabia
Announces Cultural Cooperation Award with China.” Arab News. Accessed 31 January
2025. [URL]
Brdnik, Saša, Vili Podgorelec, and Boštjan Šumak. 2023. “Assessing
Perceived Trust and Satisfaction with Multiple Explanation Techniques in Xai-Enhanced Learning
Analytics.” Electronics 12 (12): 2594.
Busch, Dominic. 2024. AI
Translation and Intercultural Communication: New Questions for a New Field of
Research, July.
Chacko, Rose. 2021. “Zhang
HongYi: Why the Path to Modernity for China and the Arab World Lies in Translation.” The New
Arab, 21 July 2021. [URL]
Charles-Kenechi, Sandra. 2024. “Artificial
Intelligence in Translation Studies: Benefits and Challenge.” Cascades, Journal of the
Department of French & International
Studies 2 (1): 5–15.
Chien, Shih-Yi, Michael Lewis, Katia Sycara, Jyi-Shane Liu, and Asiye Kumru. 2018. “The
Effect of Culture on Trust in Automation.” ACM Transactions on Interactive Intelligent
Systems 8 (4): 1–31.
Cieciura, Wlodzimierz. 2015. “Bringing
China and Islam Closer: The First Chinese Azharites.” Middle East Institute. 28 April 2015. [URL]
Davies, Eirlys E. 2012. “Translation and Intercultural
Communication: Bridges and Barriers.” The Handbook of Intercultural Discourse and
Communication, January, 367–88.
Duan, Xiaolin, and Shafi Aldamer. 2022. “The
Saudi Arabia–China Relationship at a Crossroad: A Neoclassical Realist Analysis.” Asian
Politics &
Policy 14 (1): 114–28.
Ehteshami, Anoushiravan, Brian Houghton, Ameer Rasheed, and Dandan Wang. 2023. “China
and the Arab Region: Dynamics of Engagement.” In China’s Engagement
with the Islamic Nations: A Clash or Collaboration of Modern Civilisation?, edited
by Young-Chan Kim, 1–19. Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Ferklová, Šárka. 2014. “Subtitles
vs. Dubbing: Approaches to Translation of Swear Words and Slang in Film.” PhD
diss., Masaryk University.
Ghurab, Mohamed, Yan Zhuang, Jian Wu, and Mohd Yusof Abdullah. 2010. “Arabic-Chinese
and Chinese-Arabic Phrase-Based Statistical Machine Translation Systems.” Information
Technology
Journal 9 (4): 666–672.
Han, Qi. 2024. “Research
on the Accuracy of Machine Translation in Cross-Cultural Communication Based on Embedded Neural
Networks.” International Journal of High Speed Electronics and
Systems, November.
Hancock, Jeffrey T., Mor Naaman, and Karen Levy. 2020. “AI-Mediated
Communication: Definition, Research Agenda, and Ethical Considerations.” Journal of
Computer-Mediated
Communication 25 (1): 89–100.
Hinton, Perry, Isabella McMurray, and Charlotte Brownlow. 2014. SPSS
Explained, 2nd
ed. London: Routledge.
Jiulin, Guo, and Wang Yizhen. 2024. “Why
the US Is Losing the Arab World.” China Daily, 25 July 2024. Accessed January 31, 2025. [URL]
Keltoum, Leghdaich, and Youyong Wang. 2024. “Translation:
A Fundamental Diplomatic Bridge between China and the Arab World in Light of the GCI — Translating ‘Ibn Battuta’s Journey’ A
Case Study.” Asian Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic
Studies 18 (1): 78–88.
Lee, Sangmin-Michelle. 2021. “The
Effectiveness of Machine Translation in Foreign Language Education: A Systematic Review and
Meta-Analysis.” Computer Assisted Language
Learning 36 (1–2): 103–125.
Manouchakian, Maud. 2017. “Machine
Translation and the Factor of
Reliability.” Dissertation, Lebanese University.
Moneus, Ahmed Mohammed, and Yousef Sahari. 2024. “Artificial
Intelligence and Human Translation: A Contrastive Study Based on Legal
Texts.” Heliyon 10 (6).
Qian, Xuming, and Jonathan Fulton. 2017. “China-Gulf
Economic Relationship under the ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative.” Asian Journal of Middle Eastern
and Islamic
Studies 11 (3): 12–21.
Rezk, Dina. 2017. Arab
World and Western Intelligence: Analysing the Middle East,
1956–1981. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
Robbins, Michael, Amaney Jamal, and Mark Tessler. 2024. “America
Is Losing the Arab World and China Is Reaping the Benefits.” Foreign
Affairs, 11 June 2024. [URL]
Saeed, Salah Ahmed Musa. 2015. “Translation and Its Role in
Enhancing the Peaceful Coexistence of Cultures.” European Journal of English Language,
Linguistics and
Literature 2 (1): 43–61.
Sawahel, Wagdy. 2016. “Seeking
Soft Power, China Expands Activities in Arab Higher Education.” Al Fanar
Media. 1 February 2016. [URL]
Sekhri, Ouided. 2019. “Machine
Translation and the Problems of Translating Cultural Terms in the Arab World.” AL-MUTARĞIM
Journal 2391: 239.
Shambaugh, David. 2010. “China
Flexes Its Soft Power.” The New York Times, 7 June 2010. [URL]
Sharma, Anu. 2019. “An
Analysis of ‘Belt and Road’ Initiative and the Middle East.” Asian Journal of Middle Eastern
and Islamic
Studies 13 (1): 35–49.
Shiho, Alimtohte. 2024. “A
History of Chinese Scholarship: Cantered on Chinese Islam Religion Studies.” History
Research 12 (2): 61–69.
Siddiqui, Fazzur Rahman. 2022. China and the Arab World: Past and
Present. Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi 110001, India.
Simpfendorfer, Ben. 2009. “The
New Silk Road: The Arab World Rediscovers China.” In The New Silk
Road: How a Rising Arab World Is Turning Away from the West and Rediscovering
China, 7–27. London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Stephen, Croucher, and Stephanie Kelly. 2019. “Measurement
in Intercultural and Cross-Cultural Communication.” In Communication
Research Measures III — A Sourcebook, 1st ed, edited
by Elizabeth E. Graham and Joseph P. Mazer, 141–159. New York: Routledge.
Sun, Degang, and Aml Ali Abdrabou. 2021. “The
Development of China-Arab Cultural Exchanges: Opportunities and Challenges in the Belt & Road
Era.” BRIQ Belt & Road Initiative
Quarterly 2 (4): 24–42.
Taber, Keith. 2018. “The
Use of Cronbach’s Alpha When Developing and Reporting Research Instruments in Science
Education.” Research in Science
Education 48 (6): 1273–96.
Van Griethuijsen, Ralf A. L. F., Michiel W. Van Eijck, Helen Haste, Perry J. den Brok, Nigel C. Skinner, Nasser Mansour, Ayse Savran Gencer, and Saouma BouJaoude. 2015. “Global
Patterns in Students’ Views of Science and Interest in Science.” Research in Science
Education 45 (4): 581–603.
