Translating Guizhou Batik Terminology for Cross-Cultural Communication: A Communicative and Contextual Approach

Abstract

Existing studies on terminology translation have mainly focused on specific domains such as technical and medical translation, offering insights into standardization, computer-aided translation, and translation strategies. However, few have examined terminology systematically across cognitive, linguistic, and communicative levels, or proposed contextualized strategies for culturally specific terms. Drawing on Cabré’s (2003) Communicative Theory of Terminology, this study explores contextualized translation strategies for technical terms in cross-cultural communication through a case study of Guizhou batik. Fifty-four technical terms were identified and analysed from the bilingual book Batik Art using LingoSail TermBox and manual proofing. Rather than developing a new framework, this study adapts and extends Liu and Wei’s (2021) three contextualized strategies, namely conceptual system positioning (cognitive level), semantic distinction (linguistic level), and cultural compensation (communicative level), to the field of intangible cultural heritage. The findings indicate that applying these strategies in context effectively addresses issues of conceptual consistency, semantic ambiguity, and cultural specificity. This research demonstrates that contextualized translation strategies can enhance the English translation of technical terms in Guizhou batik and contribute to improving cross-cultural communication of culturally loaded terminology in intangible cultural heritage translation.