Is syntactic simplification universal across translation directions? Evidence from Lu Xun’s L1 and L2 translations

This study investigates the syntactic simplification hypothesis in Chinese-English translations of Lu Xun's short stories from the perspective of nativeness-based translation directionality. It compares the syntactic complexity of L1 translations produced by native English translators working from Chinese into their mother tongue and L2 translations produced by non-native translators working from their Chinese mother tongue into English, using BNC fiction originally written in English as a reference corpus. It is found that both L1 and L2 translations are syntactically more complex than original English fiction, and that L2 translations are syntactically more complex than and deviate further from original English than L1 translations. Specifically, L2 translations favor segmentation (higher T/S and C/S), influenced more by Chinese parataxis, while L1 translations prioritize condensation (longer MLC and higher CN/C), aligning more with English hypotaxis. These patterns are theorized through the Gravitational Pull Hypothesis, where L2 translators gravitate toward source-language norms, while L1 translators are magnetized by target-language conventions. The study contributes to the study of translation universals by integrating directionality as a new variable, offering a nuanced lens to decode the hybridity of translational language.