Towards a translational landscape: a study of Coloane’s urban features through the lens of translational spaces

ABSTRACT

Macao's Coloane is a contested place for intense China-West convergence. The multiplicity and reciprocity of languages, visual icons, and the surrounding geographical features play out to create an ever complicated translational scene in the multilingual urban area of Coloane. This article seeks to explore and theorize the central role of translation in urban signification and imagination. The notion of translational spaces is applied to reveal the multilayered meanings embedded in cross-cultural experiment and existence. By integrating linguistic landscape research, visual studies, and architectural studies into translation studies, the article contributes to the debate on urban language. The concept of translational landscape is proposed as a descriptive and analytical tool to investigate multifaceted translation issues in multilingual cities. Seeing translation as a key epistemological concept and an intercultural practice, this study offers insights into the way translation studies can theorize discursive, semiotic and cultural meanings in respect of cities.

KEYWORDS:

• Translational landscape
• translational spaces
• cultural hybridity
• Coloane
• Macao

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Unless otherwise pointed out, the term “Coloane” in this article refers to the Coloane Village.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Guangdong Philosophy and Social Science Foundation Project [grant number GD23YWY01].

Notes on contributors

Ge Song (宋歌)

Ge Song (宋歌) is Assistant Professor in the Programme of Applied Translation Studies, Department of Languages and Cultures, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (UIC), Zhuhai, China. He undertook research at Lingnan University, Shanghai International Studies University, National University of Singapore, and University of Macao. His research interests lie at the intersection of translation studies, linguistic landscape and cultural studies. He also studies Chinese culture in translation and museum translation. His articles have appeared in The Translator, Perspectives, Babel, Language and Intercultural Communication, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Critical Arts, Asia Pacific Translation and Intercultural Studies, Translation Quarterly and Journal of Foreign Languages (waiguoyu), among others.