Abstract:

Due to the differences and peculiarities in languages, values and ways of thinking among heterogeneous cultural systems, cultural dilution turns out to be unavoidable when inter-lingual translation is adopted as the sole means for information exchange. This is bad for the communication and dialogue between Chinese culture and other cultures in the world. This paper puts forward the concept of visual translation, analyzes its four core issues, and takes the translation of Three Thousand Years of Chinese Painting and The Ballad of Mulan as examples to describe how original texts are reconstructed via the interplay of words, graphics, images and videos to better the target readers’ understanding of Chinese culture. It reveals the importance of the interaction of multi-semiotic systems to the dissemination of cultural discourse. Meanwhile, this paper also intends to remind the subjects of dissemination that we shall reduce the negative impact of culture dilution to the least extent in order to create dissemination chains that integrate various visual symbols and promote the deep application of the visual translation strategy. In this way, the dissemination of Chinese culture and discourses can be appealing, approachable and suitable for dialogues so as to integrate Chinese culture into the world.

Key words: Chinese culture, culture dilution, visual translation, interaction of multi-semiotic systems