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Article published In: Translation and Interpreting Studies
Vol. 18:2 (2023) ► pp.301–324

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Cultural mediation in crisis translation

A snapshot of the citizen translator in China’s Greater Bay Area during the COVID-19 pandemic

ORCiD logo with link | The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen
ORCiD logo with link | The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen
ORCiD logo with link | The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen
Published online: 1 December 2023
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/tis.23010.zha
Abstract
This article presents a snapshot of citizen translators as cultural mediators in public services settings by investigating their role in multicultural communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how they attempted to resolve potential conflicts in a crisis situation. The study, which focuses on university communities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) in China, is one of the rare cases examining community translation and interpreting in a non-immigrant country where non-Chinese speakers are in a linguistically weaker position. The role of citizen translators in cultural mediation is outlined by recontextualizing mediation through interview-based qualitative research. During times of crisis, citizen translators arguably go beyond linguistic mediation and resolve conflicts by assuming extra duties and social responsibilities to ensure equal access to public services in multicultural communities, thus contributing to the emotional stability of the community and the smooth delivery of information on anti-epidemic measures.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Studies on cultural mediation
  • Recontextualizing mediation in community settings in a non-immigrant country during a time of crisis
  • Methods
  • Findings and analysis
    • The emergence of citizen translators
    • Challenges during the mediation process
      • Linguistic challenges
      • Cultural challenges
      • Administrative challenges
    • Employed mediation strategies
      • Attenuating the tone and reorganizing the information
      • Empathizing with clients
      • Intervening in the communication and decision making
    • The roles of citizen translators as cultural mediators
      • Helpers in lieu of translators
      • Clarifiers with a strong discursive presence
      • Joint decision makers as “local guides”
      • Negotiators resolving conflicts
      • “Therapists” providing emotional support
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
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