More Than an Icon: Intersemiotic Translation of Cultural Image of Chinese Festival

Authors

  • Yubin Zheng

    Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia

    School of Foreign Languages, Huainan Normal University, Huainan 232038, China
  • Salina Binti Husain

    Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
  • Farhana Muslim Mohd Jalis

    Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.11571
Received: 10 August 2025 | Revised: 25 August 2025 | Accepted: 12 September 2025 | Published Online: 11 November 2025

Abstract

Cultural images, as quintessential carriers of profound cultural meaning within Chinese literary works, present enduring and significant challenges in translation due to their deeply embedded connotations. The translation of cultural image has long constituted a persistent challenge within the realm of literary translation practice. In response, scholarly research has explored a spectrum of strategic and technical approaches to address this complexity. However, analysis of existing research reveals a critical gap: scant attention has been paid to the nonverbal semiotic translation of cultural image. This study therefore adopts an intersemiotic translation perspective, integrating Charles Sanders Peirce's semiotic theory to analyze the translation and meaning of nonverbal signs of cultural image. The research subject derives from an episode of the cultural program Chinese Festival Shows produced by Henan TV in China. This program serves as an exemplary case study due to its deliberate and elaborate reconstruction of traditional Chinese cultural images (e.g., mythological figures, seasonal rituals, symbolic objects) primarily through audiovisual media—a fundamentally nonverbal mode. Applying Peirce's framework, particularly his concepts of sign typology (Icon, Index, Symbol) and semiotic relations (Representamen, Object, Interpretant), allows us to dissect this complex translation process. Findings demonstrate that the program's reconstruction of traditional Chinese cultural image functions as a semiotic practice—constituting intersemiotic translation at the translational level. Examination through the lens of sign typology and semiotic relations further elucidates the meaning-generation process within intersemiotic translation.

Keywords:

Cultural Image; Intersemiotic Translation; Semiotics; Signs; Meaning; Chinese Festival

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How to Cite

Zheng, Y., Husain, S. B., & Mohd Jalis, F. M. (2025). More Than an Icon: Intersemiotic Translation of Cultural Image of Chinese Festival. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(12), 736–748. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i12.11571

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 12 (December 2025): In progress

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Article

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Copyright © 2025 Yubin Zheng, Salina Binti Husain, Farhana Muslim Mohd Jalis

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.