Mediating language and culture: An analysis of Korean expressions in KPop Demon Hunters

News about China is ubiquitous, yet we know very little about how the global news media have represented China. This study is aimed at providing a theoretical overview of the global media representations of China. Arguably China remains one of the few countries which have been widely debated in both global media and public discourses vis-a-vis it’s growing economic and political influence in the global world order, its unique cultural and political system, and internal and external challenges. The modest attempt of the current study is to present an overreview of the dominant Western and non-Western media representations of China along with the theoretical and methodological approaches the studies utilized. The synthesis of the findings of the studies suggests that there is overwhelmingly negative and critical representation of China in the Western media often depicting China as “negative Other”. However, the non-Western media on the other hand depicted China in a favorable and nuanced ways. The findings are elaborated in the light of the forces and factors at play that might shape the media narratives on China in the cross political and cultural settings.

MYTHICAL TIME AND SPACE IN THE POETRY OF ULDIS BĒRZIŅŠ

The Korean Wave (Hallyu) has become a global cultural force, extending South Korea’s influence through K-pop, television dramas, films, cuisine, language, tourism, and consumer products. While these cultural forms have been widely examined in live-action media, animation remains a relatively underexplored channel for Hallyu’s cultural representation and soft power projection. Addressing this gap, this study investigates the KPop Demon Hunters, an English-language Korean animated film, to analyze how elements of Hallyu culture are embedded and communicated to international audiences. Guided by representation theory, this research employs a qualitative textual analysis, applying a multidimensional framework comprising idols, music, films/series, food, language, travel, and products. The analysis focuses on how cultural signs are encoded within the film’s narrative, visuals, and sound design, shaping both the authenticity and accessibility of Korean culture for a global audience. Findings reveal that the film interweaves contemporary K-pop performance aesthetics such as choreography, costumes, and concert cinematography with traditional Korean mythology, attire, and symbolic landscapes. Iconic landmarks such as the Namsan Tower and vibrant urban streetscapes subtly promote Korea’s image as a travel destination. Food scenes featuring gimbap (Korean rice rolls), ramyeon (instant noodles), and other street dishes highlight everyday culinary culture, while the inclusion of Korean terms such as maknae (youngest) and hoobae (junior) reinforces linguistic authenticity and cultural hierarchy. The soundtrack blends original K-pop-style tracks with well-known K-drama OSTs, fostering intertextual connections that deepen audience engagement. This study demonstrates that animation can serve as an effective medium for cultural representation, capable of merging entertainment value with strategic cultural promotion. By extending the analysis of Hallyu beyond live-action media, the research contributes to cultural and media studies scholarship while offering insights for creative industries on how animation can be leveraged to strengthen South Korea’s global cultural presence.

Abstract- Audiovisual translation has become a global domain in which translators of dubbing and subtitling translate and transfer culture from source languages into target languages. Subtitling and dubbing have always been affected by cultural elements. This especially can be seen when the culture of two languages has less comparable moments. Therefore, translators have to face such cultural differences and try to search for equivalences or for other translating strategies in order to come to desired result. The translation of cultural and linguistic elements such as realia, dialects, idiolects, sociolects, slang and other forms of culture related forms make the work of any translator tough and complex. The analysis of slang expressions is difficult due to their translation problems arising because of nonequivalence. This study investigates how English slang is translated in the Uzbek dubbing version in the film “The covenant” (2023) looking at how the meaning and message might be transferred. The article puts two tasks to accomplish within the research. The first purpose of this research is the analysis of slang expressions taken from American movies shot during 2023-2024 mainly on the basis of “The covenant” (2023). Next the research explores the translation strategies used in the movie “the covenant” by the translators in dubbed version.

This article deals with the cultural meaning of trademarks and the social significance of its legal protection. It focuses on the US legal system. Trademarks are symbols designed to enable the consumer to identify without confusion the source of various goods and services. Today, however, trademarks are much more than source identifiers. They are culturally meaningful signs. Thus, for example, the trademark “Coca-Cola,” in addition to conveying information about the origin of soft drinks, is associated with freedom, youth, joy and globalization. The trademark “Chanel” stands not only for fragrances and apparel, but also for exclusivity, intelligence and European chic. The cultural meaning of the Olympic rings and Mickey Mouse, both registered trademarks, can hardly be gasped in a few words. Famous trademarks embed values, visions and ideals we believe in. As cultural signs, they occupy a rather central place in our society. The cultural meaning of a trademark is carefully built up by its owner by means of advertising and other marketing techniques. These techniques create associative links between the trademark and various positive cultural signs such as freedom, youth, intelligence, etc. This article argues that these links are reciprocal. That is, while the trademark begins to carry some of the meaning of the cultural signs it has been linked to, these cultural signs also absorb some of the commercial flavor of the mark.

International business communication is sometimes perceived as being culture-neutral; however, the speakers’ linguacultural repertoires may be exploited as communicative resources in English as a Business Lingua Franca (BELF) interactions. Indeed, plurilingual phenomena can be inscribed in a view of ELF communication that sees such practices as a potential asset in intercultural communication. Multicultural competence – which may include the exploitation and integration of other linguacultures – alongside BELF competence and business-specific knowledge is identifiable as an essential skill for successful interactions on the workplace. This paper aims at exploring the domain of internationally oriented business communication in English by analyzing naturally occurring data of workplace interactions involving non-native speakers of English. Specifically, the analysis will look at how non-English linguistic and cultural elements are incorporated in ELF talk in business contexts. The Professional Business section of the VOICE corpus will be analyzed to this purpose through a qualitative approach in order to shed light on the functions of L1 and LN (other languages) cultural and linguistic elements in BELF interactions and their role in conducting successful business transactions.

We introduce location studies as a new empirical approach to screen studies. Location studies represent an interdisciplinary perspective, including media, aesthetics and geography, and reflect a growing interest in places in a global media and consumption culture. The chapter reads the recent Danish television drama The Legacy (2014–) as an exemplary case. This study is based on interviews with key informants as well as quantitative and qualitative textual analyses of television drama series, the geographical places, and related policy and funding practices. The overall ambition is to shed light on a practical and tacit part of screen production practices, namely locations, and furthermore develop location studies as a methodological approach within the field of production studies (Caldwell, Production Culture: Industrial Reflexivity and Critical Practice in Film and Television. Durham: Duke University Press, 2008), and thus reflect the relations between places and screen productions more in general (Tinic, On Location: Canada’s Television Industry in a Global Market. Toronto: Toronto University Press, 2015) and as an interdisciplinary field described as ‘cinematic geography’ (Hallam and Roberts, Locating the Moving Image: New Approaches to Film and Place. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2014; Lefebvre, Between Setting and Landscape in the Cinema. In M. Lefebvre (Ed.), Landscape and Film (pp. 19–60). New York/London: Routledge, 2006). The Legacy is, as a television series, a conspicuous series that deals with location in a very practical as well as symbolic manner. Based on methodological perspectives and empirical material, the chapter underlines the demand for further attention towards locations as a practical and expressive matter in screen production research.

Contents: Preface. Part I: Theoretical Dimensions in Media Management and Economics. A.B. Albarran, Historical Trends and Patterns in Media Management Research. R.G. Picard, Historical Trends and Patterns in Media Economics. B.I. Mierzejewska, C.A. Hollifield, Theoretical Approaches in Media Management Research. S.S. Wildman, Paradigms and Analytical Frameworks in Modern Economics and Media Economics. B.A. Cherry, Regulatory and Political Influences on Media Management and Economics. Part II: Issues in Media Management and Economics. J.W. Redmond, Issues in Human Relations Management. R.J. Rizzuto, Issues in Financial Management. S.M. Chan-Olmsted, Issues in Strategic Management. A.A. Reca, Issues in Media Product Management. R.A. Gershon, Issues in Transnational Media Management. W.S. McDowell, Issues in Marketing and Branding. S.M. Chan-Olmsted, Issues in Media Management and Technology. P.M. Napoli, Issues in Media Management and Public Interest. D.A. Ferguson, Industry-Specific Management Issues. H. van Kranenburg, A. Hogenbirk, Issues in Market Structure. J. Dimmick, Media Competition and Levels of Analysis. T. Chambers, H.H. Howard, The Economics of Media Consolidation. D. Waterman, The Economics of Media Programming. B.J. Bates, K.S. Albright, Issues in Network/Distribution Economics. M.O. Wirth, Issues in Media Convergence. A. SAnchez-Tabernero, Issues in Media Globalization. P. Graham, Issues in Political Economy. Part III: Analytical Tools in Media Management and Economics. R.A. Beam, Quantitative Methods in Media Management and Economics. G. Doyle, S. Frith, Methodological Approaches in Media Management and Media Economics Research. C.A. Hollifield, A.J. Coffey, Qualitative Research in Media Management and Economics. G.W. Ozanich, Media Finance and Valuation. P.F. Phalen, Audience Research and Analysis. Part IV: Future Directions in Media Management and Economics. D. Shaver, M.A. Shaver, Directions for Media Management Research in the 21st Century. S. Lacy, J.M. Bauer, Future Directions for Media Economics Research. D.H. Goff, Global Media Management and Economics.

Taking the Tianjin Binhai Art Museum in China as a case study, this research adopts wetland observation and questionnaire survey methods to explore the relationship between the perceived value of cultural creative product visual design and consumer satisfaction. The study revealed that the functional value, experiential value, and cognitive value of the visual design of the Tianjin Binhai Art Museum’s cultural creative products have positive effects on consumer satisfaction, with the lowest satisfaction score found for experiential value. This investigation also underscores the significance of visual typesetting components, such as aesthetic charm, societal images, and interactivity, can impact the overall observation of an product. By inspecting the interplay between these aspects, this analysis emphasizes that shoppers’ emotional and cerebral participation is as critical as the operational worth of the goods. The analysis puts forward an comprehensive paradigm that consolidates shows, cultural items, and art teaching plans to improve the demonstration and distribution of cultural resourceful merchandise. This research remarkably highlights how visual elements like appealing appearance, cultural signs, and interactivity can affect overall perception. By examining the interplay between visual style factors, consumers' emotional and intellectual involvement, and functional value, the study proposes an integrated model of exhibitions, cultural products and programs to enhance presentations and spread of cultural creative works. The research proposes a model that combines exhibitions, cultural creative products, and art education programs to enrich the presentation and dissemination of cultural creative products while emphasizing the enhancement of functional and cognitive values, as well as focusing on interactivity and consumer experience.

Global media organizations are not only extremely broad but also continuously changing. Global media organizations refer to various agencies that conduct diverse activities, from content production to regulation. Some media organizations such as mega media corporations play a key role in globalization and transnationalization as they produce and disseminate cultural products around the globe, while other media organizations, including the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), develop global media governance structures. In other words, several forms of global media organizations, from global media industries, such as Disney, Sony, and 21st Century Fox, to international agencies including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), shape and reshape the global media systems that greatly influence people’s lives in many parts of the world. To explore these global media organizations, experts must have at least some knowledge of international communication, globalization theory, media regulation, and media policy. To understand global media organizations, experts also need the same wide-ranging knowledge for several countries, regions, and comparative national priorities in the realm of media and communication. Tackling this broad topic requires choices on what to include and what to exclude. Most of the citations annotated in this article come from diverse perspectives, with a strong historical, theoretical, policy, and governance flavor as we want to include as many relevant academic materials as possible. These books and articles focus on global media agencies, organizations, networks, and infrastructure that tie together plus their consequences, regulation, and governance. Also included are issue-based sections, each of which contains six to ten important items that introduce readers to key issues. These are Theories and Concepts; Business: Sites of Investment and Source of Employment; Digital Convergence; Ownership, Structures, and Power Dynamics; News Organizations; Transnational Corporations; Media Management; and Media Work and Labor. Academic journals that deal with important aspects of global media organizations are also noted. This article does not attempt to cover everything in relation to global media organizations, and simple national and comparative perspectives are not included here, with rare exceptions.

ÖZ: Bir dilin kimliğini oluşturan unsurlar arasında kültür ve söz varlığı gelir. Kültürün izleri söz varlığına, söz varlığındaki değişimler de kültüre yansır. Bu yansımalar incelenerek tarihî süreç içerisinde dilde gerçekleşen değişikler, dilin yapısal özellikleri ve toplumun kültürel değerleri ortaya konabilir. Dili oluşturan söz varlığının kapsamında atasözü, deyim ikileme gibi pek çok dilsel yapı yer alır. Bu yapılar kendini en uygun şekilde sözlü ve yazılı kültür ürünlerinde gösterir. Edebiyat eserlerindeki söz varlığı incelenerek kullanılan dilin düzeyi, dilin yapısı, söz varlığı ögelerinden yararlanıp yararlanılmadığı, kültürel değerlere yer verilip verilmediği gibi durumlar tespit edilebilir. Bu çalışmanın amacı da Türk çocuk edebiyatı yazarlarından Sevim Ak’ın öykülerinde bulunan deyimleri belirlemek; bunların metne sağladığı anlamsal katkıları değerlendirmektir. Kullanım alanının daha geniş olması, günlük yaşamda daha çok yer alması, dil-kültür yapımızla ilgili birçok ipucu sunması bakımından deyimler tercih edilmiştir. Çalışma tarama yönteminin kullanıldığı betimsel bir araştırmadır. Ak’ın 19 öykü kitabı taranarak bunlarda bulunan deyimler saptanmıştır. Bu deyimlerin öykülere kattığı anlamsal değerler yorumlanmıştır. Sonuç olarak yazarın öykülerinde deyimlerden geniş ölçüde yararlandığı; böylelikle anlatımını zenginleştirip özgünleştirdiği; hedef kitlenin sözcük dağarcığı ve kavram dünyasını genişletebilecek nitelik taşıdığı söylenebilir.Anahtar sözcükler: Sevim Ak, çocuk edebiyatı, öykü, deyim

The purpose of the work: to determine the historical and cultural roots of the latest forms of jazz dances, which influence the development and formation of their characteristic features. Methodology of work: it consists in applying the methods of objectivity and historicism in a comparative and cultural and ideological analysis of choreographic processes, including in relation to jazz dances. The specified methodological approach allows revealing and analyzing the prehistory of origin and occurrence. The method of objectivity and historicism allows us to trace the genesis of jazz dance and its latest forms. The comparative method is used in the study to identify the signs of jazz dance culture in the modern cultural and artistic space. Scientific novelty: scientific research on jazz dance in the art criticism discourse of the XX-XXI centuries is summarized; the specifics of the derivative forms of jazz dances in the latest artistic configurations are outlined; clarified the conceptual and categorical apparatus for describing jazz dances. The Conclusions. Jazz dance is the most important direction of modern choreography and has its own characteristics. It was formed as a result of the merging of American, African and European cultures in dance and performing arts from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century. The process of origin of jazz dances took place by combining the rhythms and dances of various ethnic cultures, which had an ethnic or popular character, with the influence of European and American cultures. This process included religious, ethnic, aesthetic and subcultural aspects. In jazz dance, the genetic roots of the newest forms of popular dances are found. Over time, the latest forms of dance begin to gain significant popularity and actively penetrate into the artistic environment. Only at the peak of their popularity do they begin to gain recognition among culturologists and art historians. Thus, jazz dance is an original direction of modern choreographic art, which developed on the basis of a fusion of various cultural influences and had a significant impact on dance culture.

Among women in South Asia, the complaint of vaginal discharge (often called leukorrhea) is extraordinarily common. From a biomedical perspective, this symptom suggests that reproductive tract infection (RTI) is prevalent in the subcontinent; however, several recent studies provide evidence that the prevalence of RTI is relatively low. Women who do not have RTI frequently report the symptom of vaginal discharge. An anthropological perspective on the cultural meanings of leukorrhea can shed light on this puzzling phenomenon. According to Ayurvedic concepts of health and illness, genital secretions are considered a highly purified form of dhatu, or bodily substance, and loss of this precious substance is thought to result in progressive weakness or even death. Many South Asian women who complain of vaginal discharge also report a variety of somatic symptoms such as dizziness, backache and weakness. The link between unexplained gynaecological symptoms and mental health concerns has been explored by both psychiatrists and anthropologists in South Asia. Leukorrhea may represent a culturally shaped "bodily idiom of distress", in which concerns about loss of genital secretions reflect wider issues of social stress. Problems may arise when a symptom with deep cultural meaning is interpreted in a purely biomedical framework. In the syndromic approach to the treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), health workers are trained to treat women presumptively based on history and a risk assessment, but without clinical or laboratory confirmation of infection. A recent evaluation of this approach demonstrates that many women who complain of vaginal discharge do not have RTI, and are inappropriately treated with antibiotics. It seems likely that women are over-reporting vaginal discharge because of its deep cultural meanings, meanings that need to be understood within an anthropological rather than biomedical framework.

This study aims to examine the representation of local wisdom in Balinese society as portrayed in the novel Kenanga by Oka Rusmini, using an anthropological literary approach and Roland Barthes' semiotic theory. The novel is rich in local cultural symbols, such as the caste system, traditional marriage customs, gender relations, and spiritual beliefs, all of which reflect the social structure of Balinese culture. To interpret the cultural meanings embedded within these symbols, this study applies Barthes’ theory of semiotics, which includes three levels of signification: denotation, connotation, and myth. The anthropological literary approach is used to understand the cultural context behind the text. This research employs a qualitative descriptive method with a close reading technique applied to textual excerpts that contain cultural signs. The data are analyzed through stages of sign identification, denotative description, connotative interpretation, and mythological reading, and further examined through the lens of Balinese local wisdom. The results of the study show that the cultural signs in Kenanga not only represent traditional values but also serve as a critique of the social system that restricts women's freedom. At the level of myth, it is found that ideologies such as caste hierarchy, honor, and female sacrifice are institutionalized through cultural language and symbols that appear natural. However, the characters in the novel also display forms of resistance against tradition, indicating that local wisdom is not static but can be negotiated in response to changing times.

This study's primary goal is to highlight the difficulties and issues LGBT people experience. In this study, the researcher examines the ways in which the novel Marriage of a Thousand Lies discursively constructs queer concerns and themes. The novel selected for this study offers an opportunity to investigate the queer issues of closet, coming out, marriage of convenience and how these issues discursively constructed by author in SJ Sindu’s Marriage of a Thousand Lies. The researcher main objective is to examine how the novelist uses linguistic and other techniques in the novel under study to portray queer issues and experiences. The theoretical foundation for study is provided by queer theory. The researcher also uses Critical Stylistics, Lesley Jeffries’ Ten tools, as a method of data analysis that focuses on analyzing a text's linguistic and stylistic elements to understand texts' deeper meanings as well as the social and cultural settings in which they are situated. Considering the goal of the research, a qualitative method is used to examine the selected texts. To obtain the data for this study, primary and secondary sources were both used.