AI Translation in Shakespeare's Sonnet 7 and Eliot's Middlemarch: DeepL and Google Translate Under Study

IRASS Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies https://irasspublisher.com/journal-details/IRASSJMS ISSN (Online) 3049-0073 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license 1 JOURNAL COVER PAGE AI Translation in Shakespeare's Sonnet 7 and Eliot's Middlemarch: DeepL and Google Translate Under Study Mohamed TAIBI1*, Mohammed ADLI2 *1-2 Mohammed I University Oujda, Morocco Corresponding Author Mohamed TAIBI Mohammed I University Oujda, Morocco Article History Received: 10 / 07 / 2025 Accepted: 23 / 10 / 2025 Published: 01 / 11 /2025 Abstract: The application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within translation studies has become a focal point of interest, especially concerning the translation of literary works as they represent almost unsolvable tasks. This research explores the complexities and strategies related to evaluating translations produced by AI, with a particular emphasis on Shakespeare's Sonnet 7 and Eliot's Middlemarch. The central goal is to create a communicative framework that assesses both the fidelity of the conveyed meaning and the retention of literary qualities and cultural subtleties. An analytical approach is employed, utilizing AI translation tools such as DeepL and Google Translate for comparative analysis. This research assumes that successful literary translation encompasses both semantic fidelity and stylistic resonance, reflecting the intricacies of the source material. The findings reveal that while AI-generated translations often convey the semantic meaning and the overarching themes, they frequently struggle with preserving poetic devices, rhythm, and tonal subtleties which results in hindering the original author‘s aesthetic message. For instance, the assessment of Shakespeare's Sonnet 7 indicates a partial effectiveness in capturing connotative meanings, while Eliot‘s Middlemarch shows a more favorable preservation of narrative tone. Ultimately, this paper posits that a detailed communicative framework based on linguistic elements is essential for critically evaluating AI translations in literature, recommending further refinement of AI tools to enhance their sensitivity to aesthetic dimensions and reader engagement. Keywords: AI Translation; Google Translate; DeepL; Literature; Shakespeare; Eliot. How to Cite in APA format: TAIBI, M. & ADLI, M. (2025). AI Translation in Shakespeare's Sonnet 7 and Eliot's Middlemarch: DeepL and Google Translate Under Study. IRASS Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 2(11)1-12. Introduction In the exponentially growing field of translation studies, the task of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in literary texts translation has evoked both excitement and concern (Wang, 2023). As technology becomes gradually able to translate intricate texts, scholars and critics must re-examine outmoded procedures of assessing translations. AI translation applications like Google Translate and DeepL have made substantial developments, principally in general and non-literary translations (Moneus & Sahari, 2024). Still, translating literary texts brings a new challenge which includes not only conveying meaning but also communicating the literary style, nuances of cultural identities, and aesthetic traits of the original work (Yousef, 2012). The objective of this paper, A Multifaceted Communicative Approach to Evaluate AI Translation of Literary Texts, is to propose a basis for assessing AI-generated translations of literary works which takes into consideration both the communicative precision of ideas and conveying literary aesthetics. Theoretical Grounds AI-Powered Literary Translation Translating literary texts has long been viewed as an art form requiring a nuanced focus on both the meaning and style of the original work. Translation theorists like Eugene Nida, Roman Jakobson, and Lawrence Venuti have highlighted that literary translation involves more than just conveying meaning; it‘s about capturing the unique voice, style, and aesthetic that make a text memorable (Jiang, 2008). According to Nida‘s theory, mainly his dynamic equivalence, a successful translation must evoke in the target audience the same response as the original did in its readers (Wang, 2023). Venuti, meanwhile, argues for an ethical approach to translation that acknowledges the "foreignness" of the source text, emphasizing the need to preserve the cultural and stylistic elements of the original work rather than domesticating it to fit the norms of the target language (Myskja, 2013). Literary translation requires difficult decisions concerning tone, rhythm, figurative language, and cultural nuances (Ziyotov, 2022). These unquantifiable aspects are not only essential in any literary work, but they are also essential to the reader‘s experience with the text. In literary works, the form is every so often as important as the themes and contents of the text (House, 2023). Poetic devices like alliteration, metaphoric expressions, and rhymical structures convey meanings that go beyond the literal denotative words. Likewise, in prose, the author‘s choice of structures, diction, and syntax creates the aesthetic and emotional spirit of the text. The advent of AI and its use in translation has presented a new type of challenges. AI, mainly through the employment of massive human-like neural networks and machine learning (Fakih et al., 2024), has unequivocally established extraordinary progress in translating expository or factual texts, in which preservation of meaning is of great necessity (Titov, 2024). Nevertheless, when the case is about literary translation, AI is programmed to tend to prioritize linguistic accuracy, grammatical correctness and wordfor-word translation over the style subtleties and literary impact IRASS Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025): 1-12 Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025) 2 (Mohamed et al., 2024). The result is usually a translation that is ‗technically correct‘ but cannot convey the emotional and aesthetic resonance of the original literary work (Fan & Chunlei, 2023). Linguistics-Based Communicative Approach to Assess AI Translations This paper argues for the importance of a communicative approach to assessing AI-generated translations, one that balances the transmission of meaning as well as dealing with literary style whether adapting it to the target culture aesthetics or attempting to convey the original structural elements of the source text. The principles of the adopted communicative approach are rooted in both Juliane House‘ functional theory of ―Translation as Communication across Languages and Cultures (2015)‖ wherein she examines the neurological complexities of verbal communication system when translating and insights from various communication theories and research. Juliane House’ Functional Theory Principles In House‘ words, ―the verbal communication system is connected to the cognitive system where intentions to communicate a message are formulated or messages are received and interpreted according to the lexico-grammatical constraints of L1 and L2 that activate concepts and depend on pragmatic contextdependent inferences‖ (House, 93: 2015). To illustrate, verbal communication is a production of the human brain. It is the organ that is responsible for verbally coding and decoding messages embedded in linguistic elements within a particular setting. Understanding House‘ theory should be framed within the essence of communication in its entirety. To communicate, in spirit, is to transmit information, but literary aspects include more than meanings. Literary language contains several artistic and aesthetic features the author, consciously or unconsciously, crafts his work. Hence, language could transmit more than content as the linguistic styles transmit a reflection of how the world is perceived through the author‘s eyes (West, 2021). The same idea is explicitly expressed in Jackendoff‘s words that ―language conveys more than is in the words‖ (2012: 8). Other literary scholars dig even deeper to say that literary ―aesthetics convey not only the beauty of dharmic and vernacular performative language but also the collective reflections of the communities and the wider metaphysical understanding towards religiosity, life, and the relationships among‖ Cheyne, 2022). Communicating these aesthetic values falls under the umbrella of what communication is all about. The Essence of Communication It is believed that ―the essence of communication is to create a mutual understanding between the self and others‖ (Addis Ababa University and Institute of Educational Research, 2004: 45); however, understanding does not only mean understanding content, but it should also mean understanding the artistic features of literary works and their aesthetic manifestations and values. This can be supported by the fact that the primary purpose ―of communication is the effectiveness of its message from the Sender to the Receiver and this is usually determined or influenced by the channel through which such message or information is passed‖ (Akinbamijo et., 2000: 244). In this regard, literary language is a channel and is itself a message that can be received and appreciated by the readers. For literary works to be translated, both its contents and aesthetic elements constituting its communication channel should be transferred to the target language which many theorists think is impossible, namely Roman Jakobson when he notes that poetry is untranslatable (Munday, 2016: 61). Literary work, be it poetry or prose, is a human production that constitutes a linguistically coded message that needs to be decoded by the readers. The linguistic code with which it is written is itself, in most cases, a message on its own. That is, the linguistic levels become messages that convey aesthetic values to the readers. Thus, stylistics, aesthetic features, figures of speech, linguistic phenomena such as alliteration, assonance, rhythmic structures become codes that that need to be received by the readers. Shklovsky believed that, in poetry, the language itself becomes an aesthetic creation that "deliberately draws attention to itself," offering readers a more beautiful and profound experience by making the familiar seem new and unfamiliar. (Hatton, 2008: 12). John Crowe Ransom's The World's body (1938) ―regards poetic language as more inclusive, more comprehensive, in its power to communicate the fullness of experience‖ (Selden, 2014: 269). In brief, the assessment approach draws upon communicative translation theory, which emphasizes the role of the translator as a mediator between two cultures and linguistic systems, and seeks to find equivalence not just in words, but in the reader's experience with the text‘s literary styles as well. When applied to AI-generated translations, this approach calls for a further nuanced evaluation which takes into consideration how efficiently AI-generated translation conveys both the semantic meaning and the connotative richness of the original literary work. Methodology Study Case Research Design The Case Study Research Design is a quite suitable methodology for this examination since it allows for nuanced investigation of AI translation tools within their context. As Shipley and Arrigo (2004: XV) note, this design "can come much closer to describing the phenomenon under consideration," allowing a thorough study of the intricacies and challenges of translating literary works like Shakespeare‘s Sonnet 7 and Eliot‘s Middlemarch. Additionally, case studies are specifically suited to answering "how" or "why" research questions in complex human creations such as literary works, as observed by Hunziker and Blankenagel (2021: 167). This aligns with the study‘s objective to assess why AI translations often fail to communicate the messages embedded in the aesthetic devices and also fails to deliver literary qualities. Moreover, Susam-Sarajeva (2009) argues that case studies are both well-suited for and widespread within the translation studies discipline, making them an ideal choice for evaluating the semantic and stylistic fidelity of AI translations. By focusing on specific texts, this paper leverages the Case Study Design to comprehensively analyze the interplay between AI translation performance and the aesthetic demands of literary works, all for the ultimate objective of conveying the original works‘ embedded messages in different aesthetic and linguistic levels. Study Cases: DeepL’s Translation of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 7 to Arabic IRASS Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025): 1-12 Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025) 3 The challenges AI confronts in dealing with literature can be explained by the unique spirit of each literary text. This section scrutinizes AI-generated translations of selected texts of Shakespeare's Sonnets. A comparative study is going to be conducted focusing on translations from English to Arabic, and French. Shakespeare's sonnets are rich of metaphors, wordplay, rhythm, and other aesthetic elements which pose substantial contests for AI-generated translator. Fig. 1: DeepL’s Unedited Translation of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 7 The Original Text in Elizabethan English: Shakespeare‘s Sonnet 7 AI-generated Translation by DeepL.com into Arabic Lo! in the orient when the gracious light Lifts up his burning head, each under eye Doth homage to his new-appearing sight, Serving with looks his sacred majesty; ٌُسىٌا زٌٕٛا عفسٌ اِدٕع قسشٌا ًف !ٌٛ ٍٍٕٓعٌا ثحج ٍٓع ًو ،ًعحشٌّا ٗسأز عفسٌ اثٌدح سٙظ يرٌا دٌدجٌا ٖسصب ًٍحج, ةسدمٌّا ٗحٌلاج اٙجاسظٕب َدخج; And having climb‘d the steep-up heavenly hill, Resembling strong youth in his middle age, yet mortal looks adore his beauty still, Attending on his golden pilgrimage; ك٘اشٌا يٚاّسٌا ًحٌا كٍسج ْأ دعبٚ ٖسّع فصحِٕ ًف يٛمٌا بابشٌا ٗبشٌ, ٌٗاّج كشعج ةٍٔافٌا تاسظٌٕا ثٌاش اِ هٌذ عِٚ ًب٘رٌا ٗجح ًف سضحٌ; But when from highmost pitch, with weary car, Like feeble age, he reeleth from the day, The eyes, ‗fore duteous, now converted are From his low tract and look another way: ةم٘سِ ةبسعب ،ةجزدٌا ىٍعأ ِٓ يصٌٕ اِدٕع ٓىٌٚ زإٌٙا ٓع عجاسحٌ ،فٍعضٌا خٍشٌاو, َْا يٛححج ْأ ًبل ، ٍْٛعٌا يٛححج ْأ ًبل ، ٍْٛعٌا ٌسط ًف ٖسظٔٚ ةعٍضٌٛا ٗىٌاسِ ِٓسخآ ك: So thou, thyself out-going in thy noon, Unlook‘d on diest, unless thou get a son. ،َنِ سَْٙظ ًِف ا جِ زاَخ ،ا ضٌَْأ َثَْٔأ ،َثَْٔأَف ٍدٌََ ِٛب َظْحَج ٌَُْ اَِ ِتْ ٌَّْٛا ىٌَِإ ٍ سِظأَ َسٍَْغ. (Shakespeare, NICHOLSON & Phelps, 1852: 35) Translated with DeepL.com Fig. 2. DeepL‘s Unedited Translation of Sonic Aesthetics The table below presents the sonic properties of before and after the translation of DeepL for Shakespeare‘s Sonnet 7 from Elizabethan English to Arabic. Poetic Elements Source Text Translated Text End rhymes ABAB CDCD EFEF GG Loss of end rhymes Internal rhymes Lo! in the orient when the gracious light Loss of internal rhymes Alliteration light Lifts heavenly hill with weary thou, thyself Loss of alliteration Assonance Lifts up his burning head, each under eye Attending on his golden pilgrimage; Loss of assonance of the vowel [i] Consonance Attending on his golden pilgrimage; Loss of assonance of the consonants [t] [s] [n] IRASS Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025): 1-12 Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025) 4 yet mortal looks adore his beauty still, Euphony Soft sounds in English: [t] [n] [s] [i] Euphonic effects are not transmitted Fig. 3. Meaning-Carrying Linguistic Particles Poetic Aspects Original Text DeepL‘s Translation Lexical Choices gracious light burning head steep-up heavenly hill His golden pilgrimage ٌُسىٌا زٌٕٛا ًعحشٌّا ٗسأز ك٘اشٌا يٚاّسٌا ًحٌا ًب٘رٌا ٗجح Archaism Lo! Doth Reeleth thou, thyself !ٌٛ ًٍحج عجاسحٌ ثَْٔأ ،ثَْٔأ Morphological construction new-appearing his beauty golden Attending اثٌدح سٙظ ٌٗاّج ًب٘رٌا سضحٌ Syntax in the orient when the gracious light Lifts up his burning head, each under eye Doth homage to his new-appearing sight ٌُسىٌا زٌٕٛا عفسٌ اِدٕع قسشٌا ًف ٍٍٕٓعٌا ثحج ٍٓع ًو ،ًعحشٌّا ٗسأز عفسٌ اثٌدح سٙظ يرٌا دٌدجٌا ٖسصب ًٍحج, Fig. 4. An assessment Grid to Measures the Transmission of Phonic Aesthetics. Poetic Aspects Original Text DeepL’s Translation Criteria to Assess Assessment End Rhyme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG No Rhymes Transmission of end rhyme musicality Ineffective: Loss of End Rhymes Internal Rhyme Lo! in the orient when the gracious light يف !ٌلقسشلا عفسي امدنع زٌنلا ميسكلا Transmission of internal rhyme Ineffective: Loss of Internal Rhymes Alliteration light Lifts heavenly hill with weary thou, thyself ميسكل ا زٌنلا عفسي يًامسلا لحلا ةقىسم ةبسعب ثْنَأ ،َثْنَأ Conveying sonic characters of (alliteration) Ineffective: Alliteration is not conveyed Assonance Lifts up his burning head, each under eye Attending on his golden pilgrimage; لك ،لعحشملا وسأز عفسي نينيعلا ثحج نيع ;يبىرلا وجح يف سضحي Resonance of the [i] vowel qualities Ineffective: The translation does not convey the original sound [i] Consonance Attending on his golden pilgrimage; yet mortal looks adore his beauty still, ;يبىرلا وجح يف سضحي تاسظنلا ثلاش ام كلذ عمً ولامج كشعج ةينافلا Resonance of the consonants [t] [n] [s] Ineffective: The translation does not convey the sound properties. IRASS Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025): 1-12 Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025) 5 Fig. 5. An Assessment Grid to Measure the Delivery of Structural Aesthetics Poetic Aspects Original Text DeepL’s Translation Criteria to Assess Assessment Lexical Choices gracious light burning head steep-up heavenly hill His golden pilgrimage ميسكلا زٌنلا لعحشملا وسأز كىاشلا يًامسلا لحل ا يبىرلا وجح Transmission of original lexical meaning Partially effective: transmitting semantic meaning Archaism Lo! Doth Reeleth thou, thyself !ٌل ييحج عجاسحي ثْنَأ ،ثْنَأ Conveying the historicity of the archaic language Ineffective: translation does not relate to Shakespeare‘s poem Morphological construction new-appearing his beauty golden Attending ا ثيدح سيظ ولامج يبىرلا سضحي Compounds Synthetic/Analytic Agglutinative/fusional Wordclass Ineffective: Complete distinction in the morphological nature of English and Arabic Syntax in the orient when the gracious light Lifts up his burning head, each under eye Doth homage to his newappearing sight قسشلا يف امدنع عفسي ميسكلا زٌنلا لعحشملا وسأز عفسي ، لك نيع ينيعلا ثحجن ييحج هسصب ديدجلا يرلا اثيدح سيظ , Abiding by the target language‘s syntax Ineffective: The translation does not convey the original sound [i] Lexical Choices gracious light burning head steep-up heavenly hill His golden pilgrimage ا زٌنلاميسكل لعحشملا وسأز كىاشلا يًامسلا لحل ا يبىرلا وجح Transmission of original lexical meaning Partially effective: transmitting semantic meaning Google’s Translation of George Eliot’s Middlemarch to French Translating Eliot‘s prose in her novel Middlemarch using AI-generated translation of Google Translate presents evident challenges that can impact the thematic and stylistic qualities of literary works. Eliot‘s writing is rich and characterized with a unique linguistic complexity, featuring tricky sentence structures and a concentrated engagement with philosophical ideas and emotional states. In this paper, a study of AI-generated translation of selected extracts is presented about how the novel might appear when translated into French using Google Translate, along with perceptions into the weaknesses of Google Translate. Original Passage from Eliot‘s Middlemarch The translated text by Google Translate into French In Chapter 2, "Dorothea felt a little more uneasy than usual. In the beginning of dinner, the party being small and the room still, these motes from the mass of a magistrate's mind fell too noticeably. She wondered how a man like Mr. Casaubon would support such triviality. His manners, she « Dorothée se sentit un peu plus inquiète que d‘habitude. Au début du dîner, la compagnie étant petite et la salle calme, ces particules de poussière qui se trouvaient dans la masse de l‘esprit d‘un magistrat tombèrent trop visiblement. Elle se demanda comment un homme comme M. Casaubon pouvait supporter une telle trivialité. Ses IRASS Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025): 1-12 Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025) 6 thought, were very dignified; the set of his iron-gray hair and his deep eye-sockets made him resemble the portrait of Locke. He had the spare form and the pale complexion which became a student; as different as possible from the blooming Englishman of the red-whiskered type represented by Sir James Chettam." (Eliot, 2009: 18) manières, pensait-elle, étaient très dignes ; la disposition de ses cheveux gris fer et ses orbites profondes le faisaient ressembler au portrait de Locke. Il avait la silhouette élancée et le teint pâle qui convenaient à un étudiant ; il était aussi différent que possible de l‘Anglais épanoui du type aux favoris roux représenté par Sir James Chettam. » In Chapter 4, "How could he expect it?" she burst forth in her most impetuous manner. "I have never agreed with him about anything but the cottages: I was barely polite to him before." "But you have been so pleased with him since then; he has begun to feel quite sure that you are fond of him." "Fond of him, Celia! How can you choose such odious expressions?" said Dorothea, passionately. "Dear me, Dorothea, I suppose it would be right for you to be fond of a man whom you accepted for a husband." (Eliot, 2009: 52-53) « Comment pouvait-il s'attendre à cela ? » s'écria-t-elle avec la plus grande impétuosité. « Je n'ai jamais été d'accord avec lui sur autre chose que les cottages : je n'ai jamais été polie avec lui auparavant. » « Mais vous êtes si contente de lui depuis lors qu'il commence à se dire que vous l'aimez. » « Aimer pour lui, Célia ! Comment pouvez-vous choisir des expressions aussi odieuses ? » s'exclama Dorothée avec passion. « Mon Dieu, Dorothée, je suppose qu'il serait juste que vous aimiez un homme que vous avez accepté pour mari. » In Chapter 7 “Mr. Casaubon, as might be expected, spent a great deal of his time at the Grange in these weeks, and the hindrance which courtship occasioned to the progress of his great work—the Key to all Mythologies—naturally made him look forward the more eagerly to the happy termination of courtship. But he had deliberately incurred the hindrance, having made up his mind that it was now time for him to adorn his life with the graces of female companionship, to irradiate the gloom which fatigue was apt to hang over the intervals of studious labor with the play of female fancy, and to secure in this, his culminating age, the solace of female tendance for his declining years. Hence he determined to abandon himself to the stream of feeling, and perhaps was surprised to find what an exceedingly shallow rill it was.” (Eliot, 2009: 100) « M. Casaubon, comme on pouvait s‘y attendre, passa une grande partie de son temps à la Grange ces dernières semaines, et l‘obstacle que la cour posait à la progression de son grand ouvrage – la Clef de toutes les mythologies – le fit naturellement attendre avec plus d‘impatience l‘heureuse fin de sa cour. Mais il avait délibérément encouru cet obstacle, ayant décidé qu‘il était temps pour lui d‘orner sa vie des grâces de la compagnie féminine, d‘irradier la tristesse que la fatigue avait tendance à imposer aux intervalles de son travail studieux par le jeu de l‘imagination féminine, et de s‘assurer dans cet âge, son âge culminant, la consolation des tendances féminines pour ses années de déclin. Il résolut donc de s‘abandonner au courant des sentiments, et fut peut-être surpris de constater à quel point ce ruisseau était peu profond. » In Chapter 12, "The ride to Stone Court, which Fred and Rosamond took the next morning, lay through a pretty bit of midland landscape, almost all meadows and pastures, with hedgerows still allowed to grow in bushy beauty and to « Le trajet jusqu‘à Stone Court, que Fred et Rosamond prirent le lendemain matin, traversait un joli paysage de moyennes terres, presque entièrement composé de prairies et de pâturages, avec des haies encore autorisées à pousser en beauté touffue et à étaler des fruits de corail pour les IRASS Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025): 1-12 Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025) 7 spread out coral fruit for the birds. Little details gave each field a particular physiognomy, dear to the eyes that have looked on them from childhood: the pool in the corner where the grasses were dank and trees leaned whisperingly; the great oak shadowing a bare place in midpasture; the high bank where the ash-trees grew; the sudden slope of the old marl-pit making a red background for the burdock; the huddled roofs and ricks of the homestead without a traceable way of approach; the gray gate and fences against the depths of the bordering wood; and the stray hovel, its old, old thatch full of mossy hills and valleys with wondrous modulations of light and shadow such as we travel far to see in later life, and see larger, but not more beautiful." (Eliot, 2009: 174) oiseaux. De petits détails donnaient à chaque champ une physionomie particulière, chère aux yeux qui les observaient depuis l‘enfance : l‘étang dans le coin où les herbes étaient humides et les arbres penchés en murmurant ; le grand chêne ombrageant un endroit nu au milieu du pâturage ; la haute berge où poussaient les frênes ; la pente soudaine de l‘ancienne marnière faisant un fond rouge pour la bardane ; les toits et les meules recroquevillés de la ferme sans voie d‘accès traçable ; le portail gris et les clôtures contre les profondeurs du bois limitrophe ; et la masure égarée, son vieux, vieux chaume plein de collines et de vallées moussues avec de merveilleuses modulations de lumière et d‘ombre telles que nous voyageons loin pour en voir plus tard dans la vie, et en voyons plus grandes, mais pas plus belles. » Assessment Grids Assessment Grid for DeepL’s Translation of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 7 to Arabic The assessment grid has been divided into two sections. One concerns the sonic properties, and the other assesses the translation in terms of other linguistic aspects. Below is the grid that assesses how well the sound properties are conveyed in the translated text. Sonic Aspects Original Text DeepL’s Translation Criteria to Assess Assessment End Rhyme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG No Rhymes Transmission of end rhyme musicality Ineffective: Loss of End Rhymes Internal Rhyme Lo! in the orient when the gracious light عفسٌ اِدٕع قسشٌا ًف !ٌٛ ٌُسىٌا زٌٕٛا Transmission of internal rhyme Ineffective: Loss of Internal Rhymes Alliteration light Lifts heavenly hill with weary thou, thyself ٌُسىٌا زٌٕٛا عفس ٌ يٚاّسٌا ًحٌا ةم٘سِ ةبسعب ثَْٔأ ،َثَْٔأ Conveying sonic characters of (alliteration) Ineffective: Alliteration is not conveyed Assonance Lifts up his burning head, each under eye Attending on his golden pilgrimage; ًو ،ًعحشٌّا ٗسأز عفس ٌ ٍٍٕٓعٌا ثحج ٍٓع ;ًب٘رٌا ٗجح ًف سضحٌ Resonance of the [i] vowel qualities Ineffective: The translation does not convey the original sound [i] Consonance Attending on his golden pilgrimage; yet mortal looks adore his beauty still, ;ًب٘رٌا ٗجح ًف سضحٌ تاسظٌٕا ثٌاش اِ هٌذ عِٚ ٌٗاّج كشعج ةٍٔافٌا Resonance of the consonants [t] [n] [s] Ineffective: The translation does not convey the sound properties. Euphony Soft sounds in English: [t] [n] [s] [i] Arabic sounds: Conveying euphonic/ cacophonic qualities Ineffective: Euphonic effects are not transmitted The second assessment grid below assesses how well the meaning embedded in the linguistic aspects of the translated text are conveyed to the target language. Linguistic aspects Original Text DeepL’s Translation Criteria to Assess Assessment IRASS Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025): 1-12 Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025) 8 Lexical Choices gracious light burning head steep-up heavenly hill His golden pilgrimage ٌُسىٌا زٌٕٛا ًعحشٌّا ٗسأز ك٘اشٌا يٚاّسٌا ًحٌا ًب٘رٌا ٗجح Transmission of original lexical meaning Partially effective: transmitting semantic meaning Archaism Lo! Doth Reeleth thou, thyself !ٌٛ ًٍحج عجاسحٌ ثَْٔأثَْٔأ ، Conveying the historicity of the archaic language Ineffective: translation does not convey archaism in Shakespeare‘s poem Morphological construction new-appearing his beauty golden Attending اثٌدح سٙظ ٌٗاّج ًب٘رٌا سضحٌ Compounds Synthetic/Analyti c Agglutinative/fusi onal Wordclass Ineffective: Complete distinction in the morphological nature of English and Arabic Syntax in the orient when the gracious light Lifts up his burning head, each under eye Doth homage to his newappearing sight ٌا ًف زٌٕٛا عفسٌ اِدٕع قسش ٌُسىٌا ٍٓع ًو ،ًعحشٌّا ٗسأز عفسٌ ٍٍٕٓعٌا ثحج سٙظ يرٌا دٌدجٌا ٖسصب ًٍحج اثٌدح, Abiding by the target language‘s syntax Ineffective: The translation does not convey the original sound [i] Assessment Grid for Google’s Translation of Eliot’s Middlemarch to French Literary aspects Source Text: Eliot‘s Middlemarch Google Translate‘s translation to French Criteria to assess Assessment Lexical choices Uneasy usual. the party still, motes noticeably. triviality resemble the portrait inquiète d‘habitude la compagnie calme, particules de poussière visiblement. trivialité. ressembler au portrait Transfer of meaning through equivalent lexical items Partially effective since DeepL does not use equivalent items. Number of words 99 words 111 words Using an almost equal number of words Partially effective as though DeepL tends to expand the TT Morphologic al aspects The His manners his iron-gray hair Au (à+le) Ses manières ses cheveux gris fer Keeping morphological constructions Ineffective due to the partial tendency of French to be fairly fusional and inflectional Syntax She thought His iron-gray hair "I have never agreed with him about anything but the cottages… The ride to Stone Court, which Fred and Rosamond took the next morning, lay through a pretty bit of midland landscape, almost all meadows and pastures, with hedgerows still pensait-elle ses cheveux gris fer « Je n'ai jamais été d'accord avec lui sur autre chose que les cottages… Le trajet jusqu‘à Stone Court, que Fred et Rosamond prirent le lendemain matin, traversait un joli paysage de moyennes terres, presque entièrement composé de prairies et Preserving the syntactic order Effective mostly because DeepL keeps the syntactic order from English to French as much as possible. As seen in the passage. The subjects precede the verbs. However, the adjectives are not kept in their positions when translated to French due IRASS Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025): 1-12 Vol-2, Iss-11 (November-2025) 9 allowed to grow in bushy beauty and to spread out coral fruit for the birds de pâturages, avec des haies encore autorisées à pousser en beauté touffue et à étaler des fruits de corail pour les oiseaux Discussion Shakespeare’s Sonnet 7 to Arabic by DeepL DeepL's produced translation of Shakespeare‘s Sonnet 7 does not convey the poem‘s aesthetic aspects due to its neglect of aesthetic channels that are central to poetic communication. In communication theory, an aesthetic channel refers to the medium through which the artistic and emotional resonance of a message is transmitted. Here, the translation disregards critical poetic devices such as alliteration, assonance, and euphony, which serve as sonic vehicles of beauty and meaning in the original text. The loss of end rhymes, internal rhymes, and consonance severely disrupts the rhythmic structure, which in Elizabethan English amplifies the sonnet‘s lyrical quality. Furthermore, the failure to replicate archaisms or the nuanced morphological constructions diminishes the historicity and stylistic depth essential for Shakespearean works. Without preserving these aesthetic elements, the translation becomes a mere semantic transfer rather than an authentic reproduction of the poetic experience. Effective communication in translation mandates not only fidelity to meaning but also a preservation of form, which DeepL's output regrettably fails to achieve. The syntax of Shakespeare‘s Sonnet 7 has also been stripped from its aesthetic components. To start with, Shakespeare‘s complex sentence in ―Lo! in the orient when the gracious light / Lifts up his burning head‖ creates a sense of grandeur and progression. DeepL‘s Arabic rendering simplifies this structure, losing the fluidity and elegance that mirrors the rising motion described in the original. For DeepL‘s lexical choices, words like ―gracious light‖ and ―golden pilgrimage‖ carry a sacred and noble connotation in the source text. The translated phrases, such as "ٌُسىٌا زٌٕٛا" and "ًب٘رٌا ٗجح," fail to evoke the same imagery and depth, offering a flat and literal interpretation instead. Morphological constructions have not also been carried to Arabic with their aesthetic loads. Compact expressions like ―newappearing‖ are diluted into verbose renderings like " اثٌدح سٙظ," which lack the poetic economy and vividness of the original. Shakespeare's Sonnet 7 exemplifies the use of euphony to create pleasant imagery, captivating readers through carefully arranged sounds and harmonious word choices. As Cruttenden (1870) explains, "Euphony is applied to the science and art of arranging sounds so that they can be easily produced and uttered by the organs of speech, and thus be made pleasant to the ear" (p. 57). The poem's frequent use of soft consonants such as t, n, and s contributes to its melodic quality, corroborating Day‘s observation that these sounds are inherently euphonic (1875: 77). Phrases in verses like "the gracious light," "serving with looks his sacred majesty," and "attending on his golden pilgrimage" resonate with a smooth flow that mirrors the poem‘s imagery of the sun‘s majestic ascent, evoking a sense of amazement and peacefulness. Furthermore, Shakespeare's use of euphony enhances the descriptive power of the poem according to Erro y Azpiroz and Erving's claim that euphony expresses ―the characteristic qualities of objects‖ (1829: 58). The "gracious light" that "lifts up his burning head" and "climbs the steep-up heavenly hill" is depicted in a manner that is not only visually evocative but also aurally delightful, as the interplay of soft consonants and vowels creates a soothing auditory experience. Such language captures the sun's grandeur and vitality, evoking the "strong youth in his middle age," while maintaining a rhythmic harmony that pleases the ear. The euphonious nature of the sonnet shapes the reader's emotional response, consistent with Lee's assertion that ―euphony conveys effects on the readers‖ (1959: 43). The poem‘s rhythmic arrangement and smooth transitions between images of ascent and decline—“from highmost pitch, with weary car”—emphasize the cyclical nature of life and beauty. This pleasing sonic quality reinforces the sonnet‘s meditation on the ephemeral nature of glory and the necessity of perpetuation, as articulated in the closing couplet. Overall, Shakespeare employs euphony not merely as a stylistic device but as a powerful means to evoke imagery and emotion, engaging both the ear and the imagination. DeepL disregards the aesthetic channels through which Shakespeare communicates, particularly euphony. Euphony is elucidated by the soft consonants ([s], [t], [n]) in ―Serving with looks his sacred majesty‖ which create a melodic effect, absent in the translation, which does not replicate these sound qualities. Moreover, alliteration in phrases such as ―light lifts‖ and ―heavenly hill‖ emphasize key themes through repeated sounds. The Arabic translation omits this device entirely, sacrificing the rhythmic and thematic unity it provides. In addition, the assonance of the Sonnet that is illustrated by the repeated [i] sound in ―Attending on his golden pilgrimage‖ evokes harmony and smoothness, critical to the poem‘s aesthetic. All in all, this resonance is entirely absent in the translation. By failing to preserve these aesthetic elements, DeepL‘s translation undermines the holistic communication of the sonnet. The omission of euphony and poetic devices results in a text that lacks emotional depth and sensory impact. Moreover, the literal rendering of linguistic components strips the poem of its layered meanings, reducing it to a straightforward and uninspired narrative. Eliot’s Middlemarch to French by Google Translate AI translations, like Google Translate for George Eliot's Middlemarch, could explain the difficulties and problems that AI may confront whenever it is tasked with translating literature. Literary works usually are loaded intentionally or unintentionally with layers and hierarchies of meaningful aspects, linguistic structures, and stylistic nuances that defy any literal interpretation. In this analysis, specific examples are going to be presented from the original text and its translation to demonstrate some of these challenges. In Chapter 2, Eliot captures Dorothea‘s growing discomfort with the opening lines: ―Dorothea felt a little more uneasy than usual.‖ This simple yet evocative phrase sets the tone for the character's internal struggle. The translated phrase ―Dorothée se