Foreign Audiences Research Articles

Research on Subtitle Translation from the Perspective of Eco-Translatology’s Three-Dimensional Transformation Theory:

As a comprehensive medium that integrates visual, auditory, and narrative arts, film serves as a carrier for cultural transmission. In the context of rapid economic development and accelerated globalization, movies have become important vehicles for showcasing the cultural and historical richness of different countries. In recent years, Chinese films have emerged prolifically, gaining attention worldwide and not only providing entertainment for foreign audiences but also actively promoting the dissemination of Chinese culture and values globally (Fan Xiaodi, 2020). To help foreign viewers better understand Chinese films and foster cultural exchange and development among nations, this paper analyzes the subtitle translation of the film "The Wandering Earth" through the lens of ecological translation studies, applying the three-dimensional transformation theory. Additionally, the study explores potential issues in subtitle translation, such as free translation and cultural conflicts. By analyzing the subtitle translation of "The Wandering Earth," this paper underscores the importance of ecological translation perspectives in subtitle studies, which can enhance the international competitiveness and cultural recognition of Chinese films, while also providing insights into future directions for subtitle translation research.

Experience of Using Interactive and Creative Types of Work in RFL Lessons

The article substantiates the effectiveness of using interactive and creative types of tasks in Russian language lessons in foreign audiences. The author of the article gives specific examples of tasks and forms of work using technologies such as “role-playing game”, “case method”, “two-part diary”, POPS technology, and also shows the possibilities of using such electronic resources as Google Forms, Google Classroom, Wordwall in the process of training foreign students. Special attention is paid to the experience of using Russian-language feature films in RFL lessons, a developed algorithm for working with film segments is presented, and tasks and questions that the teacher practiced in his own lessons are shown.

Abstracting It All: The Soviet Institute of Scientific Information (VINITI) and the Promise of Centralisation, 1952–1977

AbstractIn the aftermath of the Second World War, effective handling of scientific information was identified as crucial for advancement and international competitiveness. Here, we study how the Soviet Union, through the founding of The All-Union Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (VINITI), developed its own grandiose system which served researchers and engineers throughout the USSR. By studying its inception, the way it was structured, and how it relates to similar grand visions of how to organise knowledge, we provide rare insights into a partly alternative history of how scientific information was organised in the latter half of the 20th century. Based on available sources in English and Russian, we consider the ideas behind this grand initiative for acquiring international literature, as well as how it was received and presented to a foreign audience. In this effort, we put particular emphasis on the first 25 years of VINITI (1952–1977) while at the same time focusing on central ideas in its organisation such as “enrichment”, “abstracting” and “pre-printing”. A key principle emerging from our analysis is how the notion of concentration becomes a fundamental principle for its operations. Overall, the activities of VINITI can today appear as both old-fashioned, bordering on the utopian, and as visionary and modern in its abandonment of journals and traditional forms of peer review.

Conceptualizing the foreign policy roles of states dealing with historical traumas: the case of Israel

While growing attention has been given to the impact of historical traumas on international politics, we know little about how trauma influences the foreign policy of states that have experienced trauma(s). Challenging the dichotomous conceptualization of traumatized states’ behaviours as either aggressive or pacifist, we show that traumatized states tend to articulate their foreign policy roles in a more complex way. We identify five foreign policy roles reflecting the remembering mode associated with ‘acting out’ (i.e. the role of victim and safe-haven/defender of the traumatized minority), with ‘working through’ (i.e. the role of forgiver, the role of canary in a coal mine and the guardian of the memory) or a blend of the two, demonstrating that both types of remembering modes can be activated simultaneously. The oscillation between these modes of remembering is characteristic of the non-linear process of coping with trauma, explaining the traumatized states’ seemingly inconsistent self-representations. We illustrate our claim with the case of Israel, based on the qualitative content analysis of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speeches to foreign audiences between 2009 and 2021.

Does Russian Propaganda Lead or Follow? Topic Coverage, User Engagement, and RT and Sputnik’s Agenda Influence on US Media

Russian state propaganda outlets Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik are an important part of Russian foreign policy and key global sources of disinformation. Previous work has argued that they focus on exploiting social divisions among foreign audiences and worried that Russian propaganda may influence the broader media agenda. To date, though, there has been no comprehensive study of what RT and Sputnik actually cover, or any quantitative analysis of their influence on other coverage. We analyze 4.7 million English-language news articles from RT, Sputnik, and sixty-seven other news outlets linked to on Facebook from 2017 to 2021, articles that collectively generate 22.6 billion user interactions. Contrary to assumptions in previous studies, RT and Sputnik gave modest attention to US domestic politics, focusing instead on a set of geopolitical issues including the Middle East, armed conflicts, and international statecraft. Using a VAR model, we show that RT and Sputnik Granger-cause coverage on its high-priority issues across all categories of US media: center, left-wing, right-wing, and far-right. On domestic issues, RT and Sputnik follow center and far-right outlets instead of leading. Our study is an important corrective to earlier scholarship, which has overstated RT and Sputnik’s engagement with US domestic issues and blurred the specialized roles different Russian organizations play in malign influence operations.

Pride and Prejudice: The Dual Effects of “Wolf Warrior Diplomacy” on Domestic and International Audiences

China has shifted its foreign policy from careful diplomacy to “wolf warrior diplomacy” (WWD). I argue that WWD increases the Chinese public’s support for their government. However, foreign audiences are likely to view WWD as aggressive and threatening; as a result, WWD has dual effects, increased security for the regime at the domestic level and heightened tensions at the international level. To examine these hypotheses, I conducted preregistered parallel experiments, in which I presented identical sets of survey vignettes to Chinese and American citizens. The results show that WWD significantly increases the Chinese public’s support for their government. However, this diplomatic rhetoric also antagonizes the U.S. public and bolsters their support for aggressive foreign policies toward China. These findings contribute to our understanding of the dual effects of authoritarian diplomacy in the global arena where national leaders face a trade-off between preserving domestic support and triggering international hostility.

Translation Techniques Used for Translating Cultural Aspects in the Television Series "Cigarette Girl"

“Cigarette Girl” is an Indonesian television series that showcases many Javanese cultures. This series has been aired globally on a popular streaming platform, Netflix. As depicting various cultural aspects, this series has a clear and concise subtitle translation in English to make the story plot understandable for foreign audiences. Therefore, translation techniques were potentially used to create a good subtitle for the series. In this case, this research aimed to identify the cultural aspects portrayed in the series and the techniques used to translate them. It involved a qualitative approach to produce a comprehensive analysis discussion. Based on the analysis conducted, the presence of various Javanese cultural terms contained in the series was revealed, including mas, rama, ibu, bapak, jeng, mbak/mbak ayu/mbakyu, yu, ndhuk, nyi, cah ayu, kretek, srintil, tingwe, saus, pelinting, sendika, dong, nginthil, monggo, toh, mawon, macak, manak, gusti paringana aku, and dalang. Seven translation techniques were also found to be used to translate those cultural terms. They were adaptation, calque, generalisation, reduction, borrowing, description, and addition.

Paremiological material in teaching Russian in Arab audiences

Introduction. In the modern context of teaching Russian as Foreign Language, it is necessary to clearly understand the advantages and disadvantages of paremiological material in general and in the Arabic-speaking audience in particular. One of the advantages of paremiological units is their special national and cultural content, which makes them very attractive for teaching to foreign audiences. At the same time, the disadvantages include such characteristics of paremiological units as their etymology and structure, which complicate their understanding and correct use by foreign students. The problem of failed communication is incredibly acute in the 21st century. The paremiological fund of any language includes linguocultural and regional knowledge necessary for students studying a language for better communication with native speakers. The purpose of the article is to identify and highlight the beneficial aspects of using paremiological material in teaching Russian as Foreign Language at all stages of study. Materials and methods. This thesis uses a structural research method that allows to identify and analyze paremiological units from the point of view of their use in teaching Russian language. Also, the structural method allows to carry out the necessary analysis of Russian as foreign language teaching aids using paremiological material, which is necessary for this purpose. Research results. The study of modern research in the field of application of paremiological material in Russian as Foreign Language has shown that this issue remains relevant in linguistics and methods of teaching foreign languages in general and RFL in particular. An analysis of Russian proverbs from the point of view of their use as educational material in an Arabic-speaking audience has shown their enormous potential as a material for teaching, especially in the practice of increasing the linguistic and cultural competence of Arab students. Conclusion. Paremiological units are useful in creating phonetic, morphological, grammatical, and syntactic exercises. They can also be used to create regional studies exercises and creative assignments, which is extremely important when working with foreign audiences at advanced stages of education.

Subtitle Analysis of A Swing Maker under Multimodal Discourse Analysis

Nowadays, movies have gradually become one of the main ways of global cultural communication, and movie subtitle translation has also become an important factor for foreign audiences to better understand the content of the movie, therefore, the study of movie subtitle translation is urgent. With the increasingly deepening of China’s foreign exchanges, Chinese movies, as a carrier of Chinese culture, have gradually come into the international field of vision as an important way of spreading Chinese culture and promoting cultural exchanges. Therefore, the study of movie subtitle translation has become one of the main ways to better tell Chinese stories. Different from traditional translation, movie subtitle translation needs to take more factors into consideration, including movie images, speaker’s character traits, and the influence of movie layout, etc. Therefore, this paper uses multimodal discourse analysis to analyze the subtitles of A Swing Maker in order to analyze the influence of movie images, movie plots, and character traits on subtitle translation. A Swing Maker mainly tells the story of Chinese oilmen, through the subtitle translation analysis of the movie, it is more conducive to the dissemination of the spirit of Chinese oil story to other countries, telling the story of Chinese oil well, and contributing to the dissemination of the story of Chinese oil.

Erratological approach to teaching complex sentences to a foreign audience

Importance. Teaching foreign students of engineering and technical profile to complex specific text-forming structures of scientific style of speech is a laborious process. The identification of the causes and mechanisms of the occurrence of the errors noted in the structure of a complex sentence, their analysis (identification, elimination, correction) facilitates the process of studying these important grammatical units. The purpose of the research is to develop a new approach (erratological) to the study of a complex sentence based on error analysis. Its structural and meaningful description is proposed. Materials and methods. The study is conducted on the basis of the Military Institute (Engineering and Technical) Military Academy of Logistics named after Army General A.V. Khrulev. The research material шs a corpus of “negative material” obtained as a result of an experimental study of the speech of engineering students. The corpus of violations in a complex sentence formed the basis of the approach we developed, called the “erratological approach”. This study is also based on the analysis and generalization of scientific works on erratology.Results and Discussion. An erratological approach to the study of complex structures of the scientific style of speech has been developed, including six main interrelated stages – the selection of grammatical material, the organization of grammatical material (its logical arrangement), the introduction of grammatical material (presentation in classes in the language of the specialty), training, practice, control, which allow you to form not only Russian-speaking professional competencies, but also skills for all types of speech activity.Conclusion. The use of an erratological approach, namely complex work with one’s own mistakes in the classroom, will ensure the student’s undoubted interest in learning a new language, will contribute to the intensification of the educational process, enrich it with new technologies, teaching methods, a new system of tasks, will form both linguistic and professional competence.

Mastering the ways of indicating transport when mastering Russian as a native and as a foreign language

The subject of the article's research is the peculiarities of prepositional-case constructions with the meaning of vehicle in children's monolingual speech, in the speech of Chinese students studying Russian as a foreign language and in the speech of heritage Russian speakers with different dominant languages. The study examines case constructions with the meaning of movement. The specificity of mastering grammatical construction in the course of mastering Russian as a native language, as one of the native languages, and as a foreign language is analyzed. The research material was experimental data collected in a children's classroom and in an adult foreign audience, as well as information from the “Russian Academic Corps /RLC” (Corpus of the Linguistic Laboratory for Corpus Technologies of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, containing information about the development of Russian as a foreign language and native speakers of Russian with different dominant languages). The research methodology included: longitudinal observation of the speech of monolingual children, psycholinguistic experiment in a foreign audience, corpus research method; comparative research, semantic and functional analysis. The scientific novelty of the proposed work lies in the fact that for the first time a comparative analysis of data is presented that describes the ways of mastering the case construction with the meaning of indicating transport by Russian-speaking children, Chinese students and heritage native speakers of the Russian language. Typical differences and errors in the choice of construction are considered, the strategy of simplification in the speech of foreign students is described, and the ways of grammatical interference are analyzed. Analysis of errors made by Russian-speaking children and adult foreigners allows us to draw conclusions about the specifics of mastering Russian case meanings. Errors in choosing a case ending with a correctly chosen preposition are often observed in the speech of foreign students and heritage speakers, but do not appear in children's speech. Thus, in the Russian language there is a wide variety of ways to indicate a vehicle. Choosing the correct construction when indicating transport represents a specific difficulty in the course of mastering Russian as a foreign language and requires special attention.

Formation of national image and translation practice of Chinese political discourse in the context of the digital age - on the example of Chinese diplomatic communiqués

This study aims to analyze the impact of Chinese political discourse translation practices on the formation of state image in the digital era, using Chinese diplomatic documents as illustrative material. Diplomatic documents, including diplomatic communiqués, play a crucial role in political propaganda and international communication, holding significant strategic value in international relations. Analyzing the processes and strategies involved in translating diplomatic documents allows for a deeper understanding of how different translation methods influence the portrayal of a state. The accuracy and cultural adaptation of diplomatic translation directly affect the perception of Chinese policies and the image of the state by foreign audiences. While literal translation may preserve the accuracy of the original, it does not always convey cultural context and political intentions. In contrast, free translation and cultural adaptation contribute to a better understanding and acceptance of political information and the state's image by the target audience. Thus, the translation practice of diplomatic documents is not only a linguistic process but also a crucial strategy for shaping the state's image. This study employs textual analysis methods and is grounded in translation theory to analyze the use of vocabulary and sentence structure in the translation of diplomatic documents. The research aims to identify translation strategies used and to uncover hidden national images. The findings indicate that different translation strategies significantly influence the formation of the national image. Literal translation maintains the accuracy of the original but may miss cultural nuances. Paraphrasing enhances the perception and understanding of the text. Cultural transformation facilitates better adaptation of the text to the local audience. The scientific novelty of this research lies in its empirical investigation based on the translation of political discourse to reveal the formation of the state's image. The research results can be applied in diplomacy, international communications, and intercultural interactions, providing empirical support and guidance on translation strategies to enhance the national image. The study underscores the importance of translating political discourse for shaping the national image in the digital era. Under the influence of national ideology, the translation of political texts requires reevaluation and a forward-looking approach. In the digital era, the translation of political texts should aim to maintain and strengthen the national image.

The Features of Tea Packaging Design in China

The object of the study is the design of tea packaging in China. The subject of the study is the problem of the formation of a national features in the design of tea packaging in China. During the research, such issues as the brief history of the subject of research, the specifics of the modern view of tea packaging in China, the main factors in the formation of approaches to the development and design of tea packaging with national specifics, the concept of a "cultural and creative product" are traced. The problem of integrating elements of traditional culture and aesthetics into the sphere of modern design of tea packaging products is considered separately. In addition, an analysis of examples of successful design is given, in which the competent and effective use of cultural tradition is traced. The advantages of using one's own tea packaging language as a product promotion factor are revealed. The study involves the systematization of available information on the theory and history of tea packaging design in China. An integrated approach is used to create a holistic view of the formation of China's own design language for these products. The scientific novelty of the study is due to the fact that for the first time a complex of issues related to the problem of forming a national language in tea packaging design in China is being studied. Individual samples of modern Chinese tea packaging design are being introduced into scientific circulation. The author's main contribution to the research of the topic is to identify the grounds that determine the features of the process of developing one's own language in tea packaging design in China at the present stage. The main conclusions of the study: currently, the formation of China's own tea packaging language is associated with the actualization of cultural tradition and spiritual heritage, which is associated with the orientation of tea producers not only to the Chinese consumer, but also to a foreign audience. The development of a national language in the design of tea packaging has the character of adapting traditional culture and aesthetics, the principles of which are determined by the concept of a "cultural and creative product".

UKRAINIAN EPISTOLARY HERITAGE AS A MATERIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FOREIGNERS’ WRITING SKILLS: LETTERS OF LESIA UKRAINKA

The paper deals with writing as a type of speech activity in terms of linguodidactics. The purpose of the study is to highlight Lesya Ukrainka’s epistolary heritage as a material for developing the writing skills of foreigners learning Ukrainian. The choice of material is due to a number of factors, including the outstanding figure of Lesya Ukrainka, her powerful epistolary talent, multilingualism, the artist’s cultural and translation activities. The free access to the letters on the website of the publication, where spelling and punctuation are presented per the norms of modern spelling, makes it possible to use these texts in teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language. Although the use of Lesya Ukrainka’s texts as teaching material for foreign language students already has a good tradition, her epistolary heritage is only beginning to attract the interest of teachers of Ukrainian as a foreign language. The paper focuses on theoretical and practical recommendations for developing writing skills in a foreign audience. The paper highlights the place of writing Ukrainian letters in the methodology of teaching the language as a foreign language. It outlines the materials and tasks for foreigners to develop their skills in writing friendly and business letters in Ukrainian. The paper emphasizes the importance of the preparatory stage, which includes a set of tasks for working on the forms of the vocative case, formulas of address, greetings, farewells, expressions of gratitude, etc. Special attention is paid to the structure of a letter in the Ukrainian language. It has been proved that working with Lesya Ukrainka’s letters can effectively develop writing skills. The article presents language materials and a list of tasks for different levels of Ukrainian language proficiency that students can do based on Lesya Ukrainka’s letters. Such tasks will help foreigners develop their writing skills, improve their knowledge of the Ukrainian language, and contribute to the formation of socio-cultural competence. Key words: Ukrainian as a foreign language, writing as a type of speech activity, epistolary, letter, Lesya Ukrainka.

AUTHENTIC VIDEO IN TEACHING UKRAINIAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

In the article, the author analyses the scientific achievements of Ukrainian linguodidactics in the field of theoretical and practical comprehension of working with authentic audiovisual materials as an additional teaching source in the study of foreign language. Numerous publications by Ukrainian scholars on this topic (from the early 2000s to the present day) are divided into 3 groups. The first group of articles focuses on the general issues of using the audiovisual method in the process of developing foreign language communicative competence. The second group of studies includes articles reviewing the most frequent “audiovisual practices” in the course of UFL. The third group of articles is in-depth research on working with certain genres of authentic video for foreign audiences. The range of genres of authentic video products that can be used for educational purposes in the process of mastering UFL is outlined. These include feature films, documentaries, animated films, informative and entertaining TV programmes (news release, video interviews, academic lectures, video presentations, virtual tours of museums and cities of Ukraine, video blogs, TV shows, stand-up comedy, etc.), video messages from public figures, advertising blocks, trailers, music videos, etc. It is emphasized that among the above, Ukrainian methodologists pay the most attention to films of various genres (primarily short films). The article highlights the key issues that Ukrainian film didactics is working on. The article analyses the scientific studies of Ukrainian methodologists on the use of other genres of authentic video for linguodidactic purposes – video interviews, song videos, commercials, virtual tours, professional videos, etc. The author presents her own comments on the stated topic and outlines issues for the future. It is emphasised that working with authentic video requires the teacher to understand the specific purpose of its use in the classroom, knowledge of the repertoire of Ukrainian authentic material and its linguistic and didactic potential, and special methodological study for presentation in a foreign language audience. Key words: authentic video, genre, listening, Ukrainian as a foreign language, linguodidactics.

Trustable News from China? How Chinese Journalists Negotiate Epistemic Authority in Transnational Digital News Production

The adoption of social media platforms by news organizations invariably coincides with transformations in the production, expression, and acceptance of news as public knowledge claims. This study explores how a special subset of Chinese journalists—the foreign-aimed journalists—negotiate their epistemic authority while producing transnational news on foreign platforms. Drawing on 26 in-depth interviews, findings reveal four major tensions as Chinese journalists strive to negotiate authority among foreign audiences: reaffirming professional boundaries; navigating the management directives; maintaining a state messaging position; and understanding digital infrastructure. This study further contextualizes how, parallel to digital transformations, cultural transformations around journalistic knowledge claims are linked to historically and socially embedded priorities and constraints. The established conceptualizations of digital journalistic authority require expansion, as China’s case illuminates the complex interplay between technology, politics, media regulation, and individual agency in shaping the epistemic landscape of contemporary journalism.

The Use of Nazım Hikmet's Works as a Tool of Cultural Diplomacy with Soviet Cartoons: Analysing in terms of Cultural Exchange

This study examines how Nazım Hikmet's literary works were used as a tool of cultural diplomacy through Soviet cartoons. It is known that the Soviet Union followed a strategy based on Nazım Hikmet's works in order to create more influence in the ideological struggle during the Cold War and to promote its own culture abroad. This study explains how the Soviet Union saw Hikmet's works as a means of cultural exchange. The Soviet Union attempted to spread its ideological message in foreign countries by using Nazım Hikmet's poems and writings. The study also examines how Soviet cartoons were created based on Nazım Hikmet's works and how these cartoons were shown abroad to promote Soviet culture. By using themes and characters taken from Nazim Hikmet's works, Soviet cartoons aimed to convey Soviet culture and ideology to foreign audiences. In conclusion, this article considers how Nazim Hikmet's works played a role in Soviet cultural diplomacy and how the Soviet Union sought to increase its ideological and cultural influence abroad, discussing the consequences of such cultural exchange. This examination offers an important contribution for researchers interested in cultural diplomacy, international marketing, literature and cinema.

Work on Grammatical Properties of Russian Anthronyms in a Foreign Audience

Work on Grammatical Properties of Russian Anthronyms in a Foreign Audience

Social Media, Stereotypes, and the Acknowledgement of War Crimes

ABSTRACT Human rights activists increasingly employ social media to promote post-conflict justice and reconciliation. This study asks what role social media play in facilitating the acknowledgement of war crimes committed by members of one’s ethnicity and what the implications of mediated visibility are. It finds that people are less willing to acknowledge ingroup responsibility for war crimes on social media because they fear being negatively stereotyped by foreign audiences and reputationally undermined. The study sheds light on the unintended negative consequences of mediated visibility of war crimes and counters presumptions of digital universalism showing that implications of visibility are context dependent.

Truth and other lies: online foreign image management in Iran during the Rouhani Era

ABSTRACT States’ communication with foreign audiences is commonly conceptualized as either propaganda (by autocracies), public diplomacy (by democracies), or PR work (by public relations agencies). This article argues that strict separation between these areas of foreign policy communication hinders more than helps our understanding of how states attempt to garner support among a global audience. Theorizing Iran’s ex-foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif’s communication on Twitter as a fusion of PR, public diplomacy, and propaganda with emotionally evocative performances of nationalism, this article shows how foreign policy communication develops in tandem with, but also in contrast to audience reactions and discussions.