A reader-based investigation into empathic evocation through three translation formats

Some authors compose writings with positive, negative, or neutral feelings, and such writings are considered successful if readers grasp and empathize with these feelings. This study undertakes a reader-based investigation into the translation of Xi Ni Er’s short story, “ Major Yokoda ,” to examine empathic evocation among target audience through three formats: plain translation, translation with pictures and captions, and translation with text analysis and annotations. A questionnaire of 10 scale-based items was produced to elicit participants’ responses, and the item scores were examined to understand how the participants reacted to the preceding formats. The results revealed that the participants of the three groups had similar levels of knowledge about the Japanese occupation of Singapore. Meanwhile, all versions can evoke empathy and sympathy among target readers, although translation with contextual information achieves enhancement and provision of annotation functions somewhat better than pictures.