Untranslatable Flavours: Examining the Loss of Culinary and Cultural Nuance in Chinese-to-English Dish Name Translation

Authors

  • Lay Shi Ng Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
  • Ruey Shing Soo Faculty of Education, Language and Communication Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
  • Chun Keat Yeap Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA Malacca Branch, Campus Alor Gajah

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17576/3L-2025-3103-30

Abstract

As globalisation broadens culinary exposure, accurately translating Chinese food names into English has become crucial in bridging cultural and linguistic gaps for international diners. However, the translation of Chinese dish names into English often entails a significant loss of culinary and cultural nuance, resulting in a diminished representation of the original flavours, techniques, and heritage. This study explores the intricacies and limitations inherent in conveying the essence of Chinese cuisine to English-speaking audiences. The research aims to investigate the extent to which translation fails to capture essential cultural and culinary elements, thereby impacting international diners' understanding and appreciation of Chinese dishes. The primary objectives of this research are to explore how translation strategies such as literal translation, transliteration, and term translation affect the conveyance of culinary and cultural elements, and to evaluate the extent of nuance loss in translation. Methodologically, a corpus of English-translated Chinese dish names was compiled and analysed to examine the linguistic structures, cultural markers, and culinary terms to uncover patterns and identify translation limitations. This study adopts Cultural Translation Theory as its analytical framework to examine how cultural meanings are mediated and transformed across languages, with a focus on the interplay between language, culture, and identity in the context of culinary discourse. The analysis drew on established frameworks in translation studies and cultural semiotics to interpret how language choices influence the perception of the original dishes. By focusing exclusively on comparative analysis, this study provides insights into the complexities of culinary translation, highlighting the challenges of preserving cultural authenticity in cross-linguistic contexts. The study reveals that the translation of Chinese dish names into English is shaped less by cultural fidelity than by pragmatic considerations of clarity, accessibility, and marketability. Keywords: Chinese dishes; translation; linguistic structures; cultural markers; culinary terms

Author Biographies

Lay Shi Ng, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Scopus ID: 57189247816ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7065-4841

Ruey Shing Soo, Faculty of Education, Language and Communication Universiti Malaysia Sarawak

Soo Ruey Shing is an academic and teacher educator at the Faculty of Language and Communication, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), where he teaches courses in the field of Applied Linguistics and TESOL. Prior to joining UNIMAS, he was with the University of Selangor, Malaysia, and held several administrative positions at the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences. He received his master’s degree in ESL from University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. He obtained his doctorate in TESL education from Sultan Idris Education University, Malaysia. His research interests include instructional communication, teacher education, Applied Linguistics, classroom discourse, ESP/EAP and educational psychology. Soo has more than 15 years of experience in the field of language education as a lecturer, administrator, practitioner and researcher.

Chun Keat Yeap, Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA Malacca Branch, Campus Alor Gajah

Yeap Chun Keat obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Chinese Studies from University Tunku Abdul Rahman. Then he obtained his Master’s degree in Library & Information Science from University of Malaya and Ph.D. in Linguistics and Applied linguistics in Foreign Languages (Mandarin) from the Minzu University of China. Currently, he is a Senior Lecturer at the Academy of Language Studies, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malacca Branch.

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Published

2025-09-30

Issue

Vol. 31 No. 3 (2025): September 2025

Section

Special Section

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