生成式AI译文初稿的启动效应与译者主体性受限——基于旅游宣传文本翻译的实证研究

Priming Effect of AI-Generated Translation Drafts and Constraints on Translator Subjectivity—Evidence from Tourism Promotional Translation

摘要: 在生成式AI广泛应用于翻译实践的背景下，AI译文初稿对译后编辑及译者主体性的影响已成为当前研究关注的重要议题。由此，本文聚焦旅游宣传文本，在生成式AI翻译、专家独立翻译与基于AI初稿的专家译后编辑三种条件下，考察生成式AI初稿的启动效应及其对译者主体性的影响。结果显示，以生成式AI初稿为基础的译后编辑译文在表层词句与深层语义两个层面均更趋近于AI初稿，说明译后编辑过程中存在较为明显的启动效应。同时，译者对AI初稿的修订主要表现为局部表达优化，在整体重写与结构重组等深层调整方面相对有限。这表明生成式AI初稿不仅会持续影响译后编辑，还在一定程度上压缩了译者在文本重写与结构重组中的主体性。这一结果不仅有助于深化对于译文形成机制的认识，也为专业翻译实践的流程优化、AI初稿的合理应用以及译者角色的重新定位提供了实证支持。

Abstract: As generative AI has become widely used in translation practice, how AI-generated drafts shape post-editing and affect translator subjectivity has emerged as an important issue in current research. Within this context, the present study investigated the priming effect of generative AI drafts and the impact of such drafts on translator subjectivity in the translation of tourism promotional texts. Specifically, three translation conditions were compared: generative AI translation, expert human translation, and expert post-editing based on AI-generated drafts. Results showed that post-edited translations were closer to the AI-generated drafts at both the textual and semantic levels, indicating a pronounced priming effect in post-editing. Meanwhile, revisions to AI-generated drafts mainly took the form of local textual refinement, whereas deeper interventions involving substantial rewriting and structural reorganization were relatively limited. This suggests that AI-generated drafts not only exert a sustained influence on post-edited output, but also constrain the exercise of translator subjectivity in textual rewriting and structural reorganization. These findings help to deepen our understanding of translation production under generative AI conditions and provide empirical support for workflow optimization in professional translation practice, the judicious use of AI-generated drafts, and the repositioning of translators’ roles.