Ideological struggle and cultural intervention in online discourse: an empirical study of resistance through translation in China

Abstract

In the contemporary world, resistance in translation is no longer restricted to cultural interventions that strive to counterbalance Eurocentrism and English hegemony. Beyond this, translation also enacts social struggles with multiple ideological implications. Through an analysis of translational creativity in Chinese online discourse, this paper unpacks the interaction between translation, cultural intervention, and ideological struggle in China. Findings show that by improvising the creative and flexible potentials of language and translation, Chinese online users challenge English hegemony by breaking institutionalised linguistic rules and established language boundaries, using English as a cultural resource to articulate Chinese culture. Moreover, creative online discourse challenges social inequality and the elite status associated with English by intentionally misinterpreting English expressions, or by blending European brand names with Internet slangs. Translational creativity also empowers voices against social pressure, environmental pollution, and sexual harassment, thereby playing an instrumental role in social and ideological struggles in contemporary China.

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