Verbally Expressed Humor (VEH) is a form of humor that through language, written or spoken, to create comic effects. VEH translation in audiovisual products has been a great challenge due to the cultural and linguistic gap in target culture, and the translation inaccuracy and bias bring confusion to audience. Besides, though various methods have been utilized in investigating VEH translation strategies in subtitling and dubbing, no agreed-upon strategy suggestion for each category of VEH. In the present study, systematic literature review methodology is applied to examine related studies published until 1 January 2024, sourced from Web of Science (WoS) collection and Scopus. 35 articles are selected under the guideline of PRISMA 2020 and eligibility criteria. In general, the study aims to examine research status on VEH translation in audiovisual products. Specifically, it tends to clarify what translation strategies are used in translating VEH. The review indicates that: 1) English has been explored most frequently as the source and target language in studies of VEH translation in audiovisual products. 2) The major humor type examined in the selected studies is wordplay. 3) The VEH translation can be guided by various translation strategies taxonomies, while the slight adaptation or change is usually required. 4) Gottlieb’s (1992) taxonomy of translation strategies has been extensively utilized in the translation of VEH. However, there remains an absence of a standardized set of translation strategies that can be universally applied to any specific category of VEH. The findings can discover research gap and future trends for researchers, providing VEH translation advice for translators.

In the context of world literature, target readers’ aesthetic reception of literary works has shifted from single culture to multiple cultures and has become a crucial factor in social-cultural communication. Shandong dialect, previously misidentified as vulgar expressions in literary research, has proved to have specific aesthetic values as explored in this research. This paper aims to analyse reasons for aesthetic criticism and find solutions to enhance the aesthetic acceptability of Shandong-English translation in Red Sorghum among English readers. Data were collected from different channels, including scholarly critiques, book reviews, blog posts by literary critics, and online forums. A corpus-based methodology is utilized to examine the aesthetic acceptability and reasons for aesthetic criticism by employing a re-framed aesthetic reception theory. Results showed greater frequency of aesthetic acceptance in book reviews than in online forums and blog posts by literary critics, with 53.7 per cent aesthetic acceptance versus 39.7 per cent aesthetic criticism from a total 529 sample data, excluding 6.6 per cent neutrality. Furthermore, book reviews showed a greater tendency towards aesthetic acceptance (64.3%) than online forums (51.5%) and blog posts by literary critics (33.3%). Lastly, the reasons for aesthetic criticism were mainly demonstrated in cultural disparity and defamiliarization of Shandong dialectal expression. The paper concludes by underscoring the significance of shifting from a text-oriented tendency to readers’ expectancy, initiative interaction, and social consciousness in the interaction with literary works. The study contributes reconstructed theory and practical insights for translators to balance the original cultural references and acceptability among English readers.

This study seeks to explore how differed MALL listening input modes would affect immersive self-learning among English learners in China. A combination of qualitative and quantitative research method is used among 30 first-year university students with a major of English. Through quasi-experimental design and structured interview as well as Mean (x), standard deviation (S.D.), t-test dependable, and content analysis, critical findings are drawn. The study results indicate that video, video and audio as well as video and ASR text input modes could affect incidental vocabulary acquisition and listening comprehension, as moderated by self efficacy and preferred listening style. This research provides insights for EFL students in immersive self-learning.