This work is supported by the Practical Innovation Project of Postgraduate Students in the Professional Degree of Yunnan University (Grant No. ZC-252513989)
Abstract
King Gesar, the world’s longest living oral heroic epic, plays a vital role in shaping cultural identity. Drawing on domestic and international translation studies, this paper explores how its translation and introduction contribute to ethnic, national, and cross-cultural identity construction. The epic provides three dimensions for cultural identity formation: ethnic identity expressed through hero worship and Tibetan customs, national identity manifested in patriotic sentiments and the concept of “pluralistic integration,” and cross-cultural identity rooted in universal heroic values. Through Chinese-English translation examples, this paper identifies three recurring strategies: transliteration of Tibetan Buddhist mantras; literal translation of culturally specific religious imagery; and retention of paratextual elements such as prefaces. These strategies operate differently across ethnic, na-tional, and cross cultural identity dimensions. The paper also identifies three lim-itations in current research—namely, the lack of a clear analytical framework linking translation strategies to identity outcomes, undifferentiated uses of the term “identity,” and insufficient attention to multimodal transition and reader reception—and suggests directions for future empirical investigation. The findings illustrate how translation can mediate between ethnic particularity and national integration within the broader context of China’s “cultural going out” policy.
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