With the fast-growing development of artificial intelligence (AI), large language models (LLMs) have become increasingly vital in technology-enhanced education, particularly in language learning and translation training. Tools such as ChatGPT-4o and DeepSeek V2 are increasingly used by students and educators to support bilingual communication tasks. As these systems become part of everyday academic practice, questions arise about how reliably they support learning and how differences between models may shape students’ understanding of translated content.
This study presents a comparative evaluation of ChatGPT-4o and DeepSeek V2 in English-Chinese news translation. News texts are selected because they involve linguistic complexity, contextual nuance, and sensitive discourse features that challenge automated systems.
Guided by Skopos Theory, Critical Discourse Analysis, Translation Quality Assessment, and Media Framing Theory, this study adopts a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative evaluation metrics with qualitative methods. A selected corpus of recent English-language news texts across political, economic, technological, and cultural domains is translated by both models under standardized prompts. Quantitative metrics assess surface-level correspondence, while qualitative analysis examines accuracy, fluency, terminology use, tone, and handling of sensitive content.
By comparing the outputs of ChatGPT-4o and DeepSeek V2, this study seeks to clarify how different LLMs function as learning tools in AI-supported educational contexts. Differences in wording, sentence structure, and tone may influence how students interpret translated materials and complete bilingual tasks. Rather than treating AI output as automatically reliable, this study highlights the importance of critical engagement when LLMs are incorporated into translation practice and language learning activities. By identifying where model outputs are helpful and where human guidance remains necessary, the research provides practical insights for educators who integrate AI tools into coursework and classroom tasks.