ArticleTranslation Theories and Skills http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2026.01.006
Analysis of Cultural Relic Translation Strategies: A Case Study of French Introduction Texts for Chinese Cultural Relics in the Guimet Museum
Kewei Huang
Xianda College of Economics and Humanities, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai 200080, China.
*Corresponding author: Kewei Huang
1. National Foreign Language Teaching and Research Project: “Transmission of Cultural Information in Translation: A Case Study of French Introduction Texts for Chinese Cultural Relics in the Louvre” (Project No.: National Universities 202412416SH) 2. 2025 Xianda College of Shanghai International Studies University Scientific Research Innovation Plat-form-Multilingual Tourism Translation and International Communication Research Center (Project No.: A3106.25.1801.2507) 3. 2025 Major Project for the Master of Translation and Interpretation Program - “Research on the Translation of International Communication Texts for Shanghai Chongming’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism and Innovative Dissemination Pathways” (Project No.: Z30001.25.1003)
Published: January 31, 2026
Abstract
Cultural relics are carriers of national identity, and therefore hold great educational, historical, and academic value. Their translation shapes how international audiences understand and appreciate Chinese culture. Translators must go beyond describing the physical features or recounting historical background to convey their symbolic meaning as well as their cultural and aesthetic values. In translating cultural relics, expressiveness shall be the primary consideration. Under certain circumstances, faithfulness and elegance could be compromised if necessary. Generally speaking, literal translation applies to the superficial cultural information of relics; free translation works for intermediate cultural elements. For unique cultural phenomena and specialized terms, transliteration or literal translation with notes is recommended.
Keyword
Cultural relic translation; Cultural interpretation; Intercultural communication; Guimet Museum
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Copyright
© 2026 by the author(s).
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not modified or adapted.
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How to cite this paper
Analysis of Cultural Relic Translation Strategies: A Case Study of French Introduction Texts for Chinese Cultural Relics in the Guimet Museum
How to cite this paper: Kewei Huang. (2026). Analysis of Cultural Relic Translation Strategies: A Case Study of French Introduction Texts for Chinese Cultural Relics in the Guimet Museum. Translation and Foreign Language Learning, 2(1), 32-37.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2026.01.006