1st Edition

A Corpus-based Analysis of Vocabulary Translation in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language

By Saihong Li, Yifei Hao Copyright 2026
    254 Pages 28 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    This monograph investigates the landscape of vocabulary translation challenges within Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL) textbooks.

    In the era of globalisation, where the demand for Chinese language proficiency has escalated due to cultural exchanges, economic collaborations, tourism and overseas learning, this study examines the accuracy and effectiveness of vocabulary translations in TCFL textbooks. The authors adopts an innovative approach, centring on analysing audience responses, including feedback from teaching practitioners and learners of Chinese languages and utilising corpus-based data to evaluate the consistency and appropriateness of vocabulary translations.

    This book is an essential resource for scholars, educators, and students in education, Chinese studies, translation studies, and language learning.

    Tables

    Figures

    Acknowledgements

    1.  Introduction

    2. The literature landscape in TCFL pedagogies and vocabulary translation.

    3. Theoretical foundations: framing vocabulary translation in TCFL textbooks

    4. Research methodology: triangulation approach to TCFL vocabulary translation

    5. Analysis of vocabulary translation in TEFL textbooks - users' views

    6. Corpus analysis of the identified translation challenges in TCFL textbooks

    7. Comparative analysis of word class disparities in vocabulary translation between preliminary and intermediate TCFL textbooks

    8. Concluding remarks

    Index

    Biography

    Saihong Li is a Senior Lecturer in Translation Studies at the University of Stirling, Scotland. Her interdisciplinary research in digital humanities spans cultural studies, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, corpus linguistics, and translation studies. She has extensively analyzed food, tourism, and political discourse translation, publishing monographs and refereed journal articles on topics ranging from menu translation to bi/trilingualism. She is a co-editor of Perspectives: Studies in Translation Theory and Practice and a book series editor for Routledge Studies in Global Food Translation.

    Yifei Hao is a lecturer in teaching English as a second language at Baotou Teachers' College, Inner Mongolia University of Science & Technology, China. She holds an MA in Cross-Cultural Communication and Education from Newcastle University, UK, and a PhD in Translation Studies from the University of Stirling, UK. Her doctoral research focused on vocabulary translation issues in Chinese textbooks for non-native learners. Dr. Hao's current research interests span from Applied Linguistics, Interpreting and Translation Studies, and Corpus Linguistics to Chinese Teaching and Learning.