Hybrid Strategies and Cultural Negotiation:Untranslatability in the Chinese Translation of Harry Potter

Xu Chen

doi:10.47297/wspiedWSP2516-250041.20250906

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Hybrid Strategies and Cultural Negotiation:Untranslatability in the Chinese Translation of Harry Potter

Volume 9, Issue 6

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Hybrid Strategies and Cultural Negotiation:Untranslatability in the Chinese Translation of Harry Potter
Hybrid Strategies and Cultural Negotiation:Untranslatability in the Chinese Translation of Harry Potter
School of Languages and Cultures, Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, Shanghai, 201701, China
Vol. 9, Issue 6, Pages: 191-196(2025)
Published：24 June 2025
DOI：10.47297/wspiedWSP2516-250041.20250906
Accepted：

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Xu Chen.Hybrid Strategies and Cultural Negotiation:Untranslatability in the Chinese Translation of Harry Potter[J].Journal of International Education and Development,2025,09(06):191-196.
DOI：

Xu Chen.Hybrid Strategies and Cultural Negotiation:Untranslatability in the Chinese Translation of Harry Potter[J].Journal of International Education and Development,2025,09(06):191-196. DOI： 10.47297/wspiedWSP2516-250041.20250906.

摘要

Abstract

Fantasy literature translation

characterized by dense cultural references and invented lexicons

presents unique challenges beyond conventional paradigms. This study examines untranslatability in Chinese versions of J.K. Rowling's

Harry Potter

series

integrating Venuti's domestication/foreignization (1995)

Nida's dynamic equivalence (1964)

and theories from cognitive translatology (Halverson

2017) and postcolonial studies (Spivak

2013). Through comparative analysis

corpus data (Zhang

2021)

and ethnographic insights (Pérez-González

2021)

it demonstrates how hybrid strategies—foreignizing iconic terms (e.g.

"Patronus" with footnotes) while domesticating wordplay (e.g.

Chinese homophone puns)—balance fidelity and readability. Technological tools (e.g.

AI glossaries) and interdisciplinary collaboration are highlighted for mitigating cultural-semantic gaps. Departing from binary approaches

the study proposes a "third path" emphasizing creative negotiation to reconcile source-text authenticity with target-culture resonance

advancing ethical and equitable frameworks for global fantasy translation.

关键词

Keywords

references

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