A Comparative Study of Human and AI-Generated Spanish Translations of the Huangdi Neijing: Implications for Cross-Cultural Transmission in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

The Huangdi Neijing is one of the foundational classics of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and plays a central role in the global dissemination of Chinese medical culture. With the rapid advancement of AIGC (AI-Generated Content) technologies, machine-assisted translation has become increasingly relevant to the translation of culturally and conceptually complex medical classics. This study conducts a comparative analysis of a representative Spanish translation of the Huangdi Neijing and its AI-generated counterpart, using Reiss’s translation criticism framework. Under an IMRaD structure, the paper examines semantic accuracy, terminology choices, grammatical features, and cultural expressiveness to evaluate the strengths and limitations of human and AI translations.

The results show that while AI translations demonstrate high efficiency and structural consistency, they often lack precision in medical terminology, contextual interpretation, and cultural connotations. Human translators, in contrast, excel at accurately conveying TCM concepts, interpreting classical Chinese syntax, and compensating for cultural gaps, although at the cost of longer production time and occasional inconsistencies. The study argues that human–AI collaboration offers an effective model for translating classical TCM texts, combining efficiency with cultural and conceptual fidelity. It concludes that human creativity and professional expertise remain indispensable in the translation of medical classics, especially in ensuring terminological accuracy and preserving humanistic value in cross-cultural communication.