Towards a practice of translanguaging subtitling for the mediatised articulation of fangyan

Dingkun Wang and Xiaochun Zhang
The University of Hong Kong | University College London

This article addresses an underexplored intersection between subtitling and translanguaging with reference to the representation of diverse Chinese fangyan in hip-hop music videos. Drawing on recent progress in the intersection between translanguaging and Translation Studies, the article sketches the multilingualism of the Han ethnic majority and its precarious existence under the governmental policy and language planning of China. Second, it contextualises the rising audibility and visibility of local speeches and non-standard writing in cinematic, metrolingual, and digital cultures. This highlights the social and technological conditions that enable culture creators and language users to practice novel representations of linguistic diversity and variations in the subtitling medium. Furthermore, the case-study analyses illustrate how Chinese hip-hop musicians assemble linguistic, multimodal, and multisemiotic resources to effect translanguaging performance across different communicational repertoires. The conclusion outlines the practical and theoretical implications of translanguaging subtitles for alternative media representations of linguacultural diversities in China and beyond.

Publication history

Date received: 7 June 2022

Date accepted: 16 August 2024

Published online: 23 September 2024

Table of contents

Although the co-existence of multiple languages is a reality of many societies, multilingualism is underrepresented in the media, and research has rarely addressed the challenge posed by such plurality of languages (Díaz-Cintas 2011, 215). China is a multilingual country with 56 ethnic groups that speak 129 languages (Sun, Zengyi, and Xing 2007). Mandarin, widely known as the official language of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), is a language of the Han, the largest ethnic group in China.

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Filmography and discography

Cendrowski, Mark
dir. 2007–2019 The Big Bang Theory. Aired on CBS.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Chen, Ge, and Yan Shen
dir. 1963 抓壮丁 [The conscription]. Beijing: China Film.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
D-Evil
composer and performer 2005 “喝馄炖 [Drinking wonton soup].” https://​www​.bilibili​.com​/video​/BV1Ya4y1f7rr/
Da Biaoshu
composer and performer 2019 “有一个土火 [There is a redneck].” https://​www​.youtube​.com​/watch​?v​=oqeszJMg0a0
Eminem, composer
and performer 2000 “The Real Slim Shady,” on The Marshall Mathers LP. Interscope Records. Spotify.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Huang, Jianxin, and Sanping Han
dir. 2009 建国大业 [The founding of the republic]. Beijing: China Film.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Jiang, Wen
dir. 2010 让子弹飞 [Let the bullet fly]. Beijing: China Film.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lee, Ang
dir. 2007 色，戒 [Lust, caution]. New York: Focus Features. https://​www​.focusfeatures​.com​/lust​__caution
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Ning, Hao
dir. 2006 疯狂的石头 [Crazy stone]. Beijing: Warner China Film HG.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zhang, Yimou
dir. 2011 金陵十三钗 [The flowers of war]. Hong Kong: Edko Films.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar

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