Therapeutic Translation in the Age of AI: Revoicing Sacred Texts Through Podcast Adaptation

This study introduces "therapeutic translation," an innovative corpus-based framework examining how AI-generated podcasts transform sacred texts from major world traditions—Christianity (Bible), Islam (Quran), Hinduism (Ramayana, Mahabharata), Buddhism (Avatamsaka Sutra, Vimalakirti Sutra), and Daoism (Dao De Jing)—into accessible, conversational dialogues. Using methodological triangulation—stylometric analysis, quantitative content analysis (QCA), and qualitative discourse analysis—the investigation reveals systematic linguistic simplification, emotional modulation, and dialogic reframing. A pioneering sentiment arc analysis demonstrates consistent emotional amplification across traditions, turning specialised religious discourse into therapeutic conversations. Cross-religious comparisons highlight universal translation patterns and tradition-specific nuances. This research expands translation theory, conceptualising AI-mediated revoicing as a distinct specialised-to-popularised translation modality, raising implications for digital translation ethics, cross-cultural communication, and the evolving role of AI translators.