# Common Translation Issues Taxonomy

From 译文常见问题与案例示范 (Common Issues in Translation, 2026-03-30).
Categorized by accuracy and readability.

## Accuracy Issues

Standard: convey meaning at the content level, not word-by-word correspondence.
"Translation is not simply word conversion."
"You must understand what thought it is actually trying to express."

### 1. Omission (漏翻)

Content present in source but absent from target.

Example:
> 随着黑白牌的运用，象征这部分已能为大家提供系统的学习和训练资料。
>
> With the help of the Black-and-White Cards, this approach now offers a structured
> system of study.
>
> *Missing:* 学习和训练 (learning and training) — "study" only covers half.
> Also: 象征这部分 (symbolizing this aspect) is dropped.

### 2. Mistranslation (错翻)

#### a. Over-free translation, weakening the original

> "道德"一词，人们耳熟能详。即使在道德日渐边缘化的今天，人们依然会用"这人
> 很有道德""这么做太缺德了"来评价周遭人事。
>
> "Morality" is a familiar term, and even in today's world, where it has become
> increasingly marginalized, expressions like "immorality" are still commonly used
> to describe certain behaviors and individuals.
>
> *Issue:* The source gives two concrete colloquial expressions ("这人很有道德" /
> "这么做太缺德了") — the target collapses them into a single abstract "expressions
> like 'immorality'." The vividness and specificity are lost.

#### b. Over-literal translation, harming comprehension

> 作为素菜馆，应该尽量提供绿色食品。
>
> A vegetarian restaurant should strive to offer green food.
>
> *Issue:* 绿色食品 = "safe and healthy food" (Chinese idiom), not
> "green food" (color of food in English). → `safe and healthy options`

#### c. Misunderstanding the source

> 政府现在倡导文化自信，习主席提出的"讲仁爱，重民本，守诚信，崇正义，尚和合，求大同"。
>
> President Xi Jinping has called for a confident embrace of Chinese culture,
> highlighting virtues such as...
>
> *Issue:* Two different subjects: the government advocates cultural confidence;
> Xi proposed the six virtues. The target merges both into Xi alone.

#### d. Wrong word choice causing misunderstanding

> 提供一些通俗易懂的法宝
>
> with easy Buddhist materials
>
> *Issue:* 通俗易懂 means "accessible to a general audience," not "easy/simple."
> The Dharma can be accessible but is never "simple." → `accessible`

### 3. Overtranslation (多翻)

Adding parentheticals or expansions not in the source.

> 出家人不仅要对三宝、师长、道友建立没有染污的情感
>
> Monastics should cultivate pure and untainted emotions not only toward the Three
> Jewels (the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha), their teachers (The Head Monk and
> Abbot), and fellow practitioners...
>
> *Issue:* Parenthetical expansions like "(the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha)"
> and "(The Head Monk and Abbot)" are not in the source and should be removed.

### 4. Terminology Errors

- 身心 → `body and heart mind` → should be `body and mind`
- 甘露别院 → `Ganlu Bieyuan The Amrita Retreat Center` → official: `Amrita Retreat Center`
- "六字" → `six characters` → should be `six words`

### 5. Detail-Level Issues

- Tone appropriateness
- Citation source authority
- CN→EN conversion rules: numerals, units, date formats
- Proper noun handling: transliteration vs. translation

## Readability Issues

Standard: fluent sentences, graceful expression, matching target reader habits.
"Conform to what foreign readers find readable."
"Concise, clear, accurate, not draggy, meaning clear."

### 1. Redundancy & Wordiness

#### a. Long / nested sentences

Sentences with too many clauses that can't be read in one breath. Split them.

#### b. Passive voice overuse

> 如果对肉食消费得少，乃至完全不消费，那么从业者自然随之减少，很多动物就可以摆脱被屠宰、割截的厄运。
>
> If meat consumption were reduced, or even eliminated entirely, then the number of
> businesses involved would naturally be lessened. This way, many animals could be
> spared from the adversity of being slaughtered and butchered.
>
> *Issue:* Three passives in two sentences. Active rewrite is more concise:
> *If people consume less meat — or none at all — fewer will work in the industry,
> and many animals will be spared the fate of slaughter and dismemberment.*

#### c. Nominalization (动词名词化)

> 我们前期倡导的正念禅修，比较重视培养觉知。
>
> In the early stages of mindfulness practice, we placed greater emphasis on
> cultivating awareness.
>
> *Issue:* "placed greater emphasis on" is nominalized. → `we emphasized`

### 2. Poor Structure (结构不当)

Top-heavy sentences — the main clause arrives too late.

> 没有如法的生活，不能严格要求自己，在今天这个红尘滚滚的时代，我们简直是没希望的。
>
> Weathering today's deluge of worldly temptation, without a Dharma-aligned lifestyle
> and strict self-discipline, we have no hope.
>
> *Issue:* The condition clauses pile up before the main point. Restructure:
> *Without a Dharma-aligned lifestyle and strict self-discipline, we have no hope
> of weathering today's deluge of worldly temptations.*

### 3. Wrong Word Choice (用词不当)

> 当一个人开始关心生命的大问题时，对小问题自然云淡风轻。
>
> when we begin to contemplate the profound questions of existence, the banal
> iterations of daily life lose their significance.
>
> *Issue:* "banal iterations" is obscure. Simplify.

### 4. Weak Flow & Transitions (流畅性 & 连接词)

> 修行的核心就是止恶行善。为什么某种行为能成为生命的主导？就是因为不断重复。
>
> The essence of cultivation lies in ceasing unwholesome actions and promoting
> wholesome ones. But why do certain behaviors dominate our lives? Because of
> constant repetition.
>
> *Issue:* Adding transition words improves flow. The "But" here creates a false
> contrast — the second sentence is explanation, not counterpoint.

## Detection Checklist

When reviewing, run through:
- [ ] Any missing content? (compare paragraph-by-paragraph)
- [ ] Any added content? (parentheticals, expansions not in source)
- [ ] Any over-literal renderings that don't work in English? (idioms, set phrases)
- [ ] Any over-free renderings that lose specificity? (concrete examples → abstract)
- [ ] Subject confusion? (two actors merged into one)
- [ ] Buddhist terminology checked against terms DB?
- [ ] Sentences too long to read in one breath? (split at natural breaks)
- [ ] Passive voice clustering? (3+ in a paragraph)
- [ ] Nominalized verbs? ("placed emphasis on" → "emphasized")
- [ ] Top-heavy sentence structure? (main clause buried after long preamble)
- [ ] Obscure word choices? (would a general reader understand?)
- [ ] Missing or misleading transition words?