Pragmatic Transfer in AI‑Based Translation: A Case Study of Speech Acts in the Persian Translation of Nomadland and the Persian Dubbing and Subtitling of Its ۲۰۲۰ Film Adaptation

Recent developments in artificial intelligence have expanded possibilities in translation practice, particularly in workflows that combine human translation with AI‑assisted revision and analysis. Despite the growing integration of such technologies, limited attention has been paid to their effect on pragmatic transfer, especially in the translation of speech acts across different media. Pragmatic transfer concerns the preservation of communicative intention and illocutionary force when a text is rendered into another language. This study examines pragmatic transfer in AI‑assisted translation through a case study of speech acts in the Persian translation of Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty‑First Century by Jessica Bruder and the Persian dubbing and subtitling of its ۲۰۲۰ film adaptation directed by Chloé Zhao. The Persian translation of the book, as well as the Persian dubbing translation and the Persian subtitling of the film, were translated by Shoja Neynava. In the audiovisual version analyzed, dubbing was directed by Zohreh Shekoufandeh at the Qualima studio. The analysis compares the realization of selected speech acts across three contexts: the Persian translation of the book and the Persian audiovisual translations of the film, including dubbing and subtitling. Drawing on speech act theory and recent research on AI‑assisted translation, the study identifies pragmatic shifts in the rendering of directives, expressives, and representatives. The findings indicate that although AI tools enhance lexical and structural accuracy, achieving pragmatic equivalence depends largely on human interpretive judgment, particularly in audiovisual translation where synchronization, timing, and conversational naturalness shape translational choices.

کلیدواژه ها:

AI‑assisted translation ، Audiovisual translation ، Persian translation ، Pragmatic transfer ، Speech acts