TITLE:
An SFL Approach to the Untranslatability of English and Chinese CLWs: Functional Types and Stratificational Compensation Strategies
AUTHORS:
Hongjun Chen, Yubo Zhang
KEYWORDS:
Untranslatability, Cultural-Loaded Words (CLWs), Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), Stratification, Translation Strategies, English-Chinese Translation
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Modern Linguistics,
Vol.15 No.5,
September
18,
2025
ABSTRACT: This study investigates the untranslatability of Cultural-Loaded Words (CLWs) between English and Chinese through the lens of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). By analyzing functional mismatches across phonological, lexicogrammatical, semantic, and contextual strata, the paper proposes a stratified compensation framework to bridge cultural-linguistic gaps in translation. Case studies demonstrate the efficacy of multi-stratum strategies. The findings offer both theoretical and practical contributions to cross-cultural translation, particularly in the context of Chinese cultural globalization.