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GUO Kaizhi, WANG Junhong
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DOI:10.17265/1539-8080/2026.03.006
University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
The core difficulty in translating cross-cultural communication texts lies in how to handle terms that carry specific cultural cognitive patterns. This paper takes Nida’s Functional Equivalence Theory as an analytical framework, and using the Japanese-Chinese translation practice of cross-cultural specialized terms in the intercultural training textbook 『異文化トレーニング』 as an example, compares the differences between the initial translation and the final translation to examine the translation strategies for cross-cultural terms and the applicability and limitations of Functional Equivalence Theory in Japanese-Chinese translation. The study finds that the core mechanism of translating cross-cultural terms is “conceptual reconstruction,” i.e., the translator needs to recreate the source language concept based on the target language’s cognitive framework and expressive habits. Specifically, the translation of loanwords needs to go beyond literal correspondence to achieve the indigenized reconstruction of concepts; the translation of specialized terms needs to strike a balance between disciplinary consensus and contextual adaptability; and the translation of Sino-Japanese homographs requires vigilance against “formal fidelity” masking “semantic deviation.” This paper further points out that the value of Functional Equivalence Theory lies in providing a “reader-centered” translation orientation, but its effective realization in terminology translation depends on the translator’s deep understanding of conceptual connotations and the creative use of target language expressive resources. This study can provide strategic references for the Japanese-Chinese translation practice of cross-cultural communication texts.
Functional
Equivalence Theory, cross-cultural terms, Japanese-Chinese translation, conceptual
reconstruction, translation strategies
GUO Kaizhi & WANG Junhong. A Study on Japanese-Chinese Translation Strategies of Cross-Cultural Terms From the Perspective of Functional
Equivalence Theory. US-China Foreign Language, March 2026, Vol. 24,
No. 3, 123-132 doi:10.17265/1539-8080/2026.03.006
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