Song translation for informative purposes: Public reception of translating English pop songs into Classical Chinese

Abstract

In an increasingly digitalised era, streaming platforms are common channels for people to access pop music around the world. Translating songs into informative texts like subtitles has thus become a significant mode of song translation but remains underexplored in translation studies. This case study examines a heated trend in China of translating English pop songs into Classical Chinese. Often displayed as subtitles on music streaming platforms, these classical-style translations have received mixed reactions from the public. The study aims to deconstruct public reception of the trend at a conceptual level and investigate how public insights can enlighten the criteria of song translation for informative purposes. It draws on the concepts of Cultural Linguistics (Sharifian, 2017) and analyses discourse data from popular WeChat articles about using Classical Chinese in English song translation to identify the conceptual mechanisms that fuel public opinions towards this practice and its products. Furthermore, it decodes translators' cognitive processing by analysing input in the discourse from people knowledgeable about translation and drawing a conceptual mind map with the identified conceptualisations. Based on the findings, the study also discusses proper strategies song translators can negotiate to meet both professional standards and the market's expectations. Show more