ERIC Number: EJ1446471
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1479-0718
EISSN: EISSN-1747-7530
Negotiating Meaning and Identity through Translation in the Linguistic Landscape in Shantou: Addressing Post-Multilingualism Challenges in a Postcolonial Chinese City
International Journal of Multilingualism, v21 n4 p1868-1886 2024
As a former treaty port and a current Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in China, Shantou occupies unique position in China's interaction with colonialism and globalisation. Through an analysis of English translations in the linguistic landscape (LL) in Shantou, it was found that international, local and regional factors work together to shape the city's LL. Shantou's resistance to the hegemony of English is encoded in the creative strategies that are adopted in translation, which include transliteration punning, cultural manipulation and hybrid translation. Drawing on the model of English as a lingua franca (ELF), this paper analyses how these strategies reflect the creative, flexible potential of English. These creative strategies can be interpreted as an expression of foreignisation, through which the sign writer consciously deviates from established norms in English to preserve local cultural traits and articulate local identity. Since LL reflects how meaning is negotiated in authentic social settings, incorporating LL projects in the classroom allows language learners and translator trainees to assume an active role in meaning negotiation in their sociolinguistic context. Ultimately, LL projects can empower students to exercise agency in articulating their own culture and constructing their social identity.
Descriptors: Self Concept, Foreign Countries, Translation, Multilingualism, Barriers, Postcolonialism, Urban Areas, English, Creativity, Cultural Differences, Language Usage, Sociolinguistics, Signs, Resistance (Psychology), Social Influences, Cultural Influences, Empowerment
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A