PRAGMATIC FEATURES OF THE TRANSLATION OF KEY TERMS OF THE BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE FROM CHINESE INTO RUSSIAN: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AI TRANSLATIONS AND HUMAN TRANSLATIONS

Abstract

The paper presents a comparative analysis of Chinese-to-Russian translations of key Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) terms produced by AI systems (DeepSeek, ChatGPT) and human translators. Four groups of terms are examined across four parameters: semantic transfer, stylistic adaptation, terminological normativity, and preservation of rhetorical function. The findings indicate that AI translation achieves basic semantic correspondence for structurally transparent terms but tends toward semantic generalization, stylistic neutralization, and weakening of rhetorical force when dealing with terms carrying institutional, axiological, or emotional semantics. Human translation demonstrates greater pragmatic adequacy. AI translation may serve as an auxiliary tool but cannot replace expert translation of political discourse. The authors conclude that AI translation can be considered as an auxiliary tool in the transmission of highly normative political terminology, however, it is not yet capable of independently translating political discourse at a high level of quality. When working with expressions that combine political significance, value, and cultural impact, manual translation is still indispensable, especially in terms of terminological normativity, stylistic control, and communicative adaptation.