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In:Transmedia in Translation and Transculturation
Edited by Vasso Giannakopoulou and Elin Sütiste
[Benjamins Translation Library 167] 2025
► pp. 188–207

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Translation and transmedia in memes spreading and sharing

 | University of Málaga
Published online: 20 November 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1075/btl.167.09mun
Abstract
This essay explores the dynamic relationship between memes and transmedia narratives in the modern cultural landscape. It investigates the role of memes as communicative tools that intersect with transmedia storytelling within one of the core themes of this volume: transmedia in translation. It describes memes as media products in constant translation, contributing to the diffusion of ideas and narratives in transmedia contexts, and so analyzes memes through the lens of transmedia and translation studies. The essay includes an examination of concepts from different disciplines, a framework for transmediality, a rough literature review about memes in translation, and finally, a case study: the combination of The Simpsons and Donald Trump imagery to produce humorous, narrative-rich content. Emphasizing the role of memes within transmedia products and the importance of transmedia for translation and other cultural studies, the essay helps to deepen our understanding of the relationship between memes and transmedia narratives, pointing to potential future research directions on the topic.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.From genetics to transmedia content
  • 3.Memes in translation, memes as translations
    • 3.1Memes as cultural artifacts
    • 3.2Sharing, expanding, transforming
  • 4.Political and health narratives: Trump and The Simpsons memes
    • 4.1Memes of Trump
    • 4.2The COVID-19 pandemic
  • 5.Concluding remarks
  • References
References (53)
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