Jul 2026· ALLAIS Journal of Arabic Language and Literature· Vol 5, pp. 84-96· 0 citations· 10 references
Abstract
Translation is one of the most important indispensable means of communication between people from different linguistic backgrounds, most especially in this digital age. This study examines the role of translation as a mediating tool for intercultural understanding on social media platforms, with particular focus on English-Arabic interactions in Nigeria that is known as a multilingual and culturally diverse society, where social media has become a key space for cross-cultural communication. The research adopts a qualitative approach, which is employed to analyse the content of selected social media post, alongside case studies of intercultural exchanges. It explores how translation facilitates communication across linguistic boundaries, while also investigating instances where mistranslation or loss of cultural nuance leads to misunderstanding or conflict. The findings highlight that translation on social media functions not only as a linguistic process but also as a form of cultural mediation. While machine translation tools enhance accessibility and speed, human translation, on the other hand, proves more effective in preserving pragmatic and cultural nuances. The study contributes to the fields of Translation Studies and Digital Communication by demonstrating the complex interplay between language, culture, and technology in online environments. It also provides practical recommendations for improving intercultural communication through more culturally aware translation practices on social media platforms.
This study demonstrates that the primary challenge in translating Indonesian literary works into Arabic lies in the cultural elements embedded in metaphors, proverbs, and local expressions. Employing a qualitative textual analysis of Hamka’s Di Bawah Lindungan Kaʿbah, the research reveals that differences in worldview between Indonesian and Arab societies influence lexical choices and stylistic expressions, making literal translation insufficient. The findings highlight the necessity for translators to grasp the cultural context of the source text to ensure comprehensive meaning transfer. The study contributes to translation studies by formulating strategies that integrate semantic and stylistic approaches, including transliteration with explanatory notes, functional equivalence in the target culture, and the preservation of social metaphors. These strategies prove effective in maintaining cultural authenticity while ensuring readability for Arabic audiences. Overall, the research reinforces the view that literary translation is an act of intercultural mediation, synthesizing linguistic, semantic, and cultural dimensions to preserve meaning, aesthetic nuance, and cultural resonance in the target language.
This study examines the emergence of localized English expressions in Indonesian social media discourse, highlighting how English is adapted and reinterpreted in multilingual digital contexts. While previous studies on English in Indonesia have primarily focused on formal domains such as education and language policy, limited attention has been given to informal online communication where linguistic innovation is highly visible. This study aims to analyze how English lexical items are re-semanticized and creatively transformed by Indonesian users on social media platforms. The study employed a qualitative approach using data collected from Instagram posts and comments, focusing on selected examples of English-derived expressions such as boba, gas, voucher, server, and suamiable. The analysis compares the conventional meanings of these terms in Inner Circle English with their localized meanings in Indonesian usage. The findings reveal that English functions as a flexible linguistic resource, undergoing processes of semantic shift, metaphorical extension, and lexical blending. These localized forms reflect users’ creativity as well as their ability to adapt global linguistic resources to local cultural contexts. The study concludes that English in Indonesian social media is not merely borrowed but actively reconstructed, contributing to the dynamic development of English in the Expanding Circle.
Miftahush Shalihah· Bhinneka: Jurnal Bintang Pen...· 0 citations
This study explores the role of media linguistics in shaping the linguistic norms of contemporary mass media in Kazakhstan, an area that remains insufficiently examined in relation to bilingual media practices, genre variation, and digital communication platforms. It focuses on the influence of global communication trends, digital technologies, and national language policy on linguistic change. The research examines the introduction of English-language borrowings, their adaptation in Kazakh and Russian, and the modification of traditional linguistic structures. These shifts are driven by the widespread use of English-language platforms such as social media (Facebook, Instagram, Telegram), streaming services, and international content formats. The findings show that English loanwords are most common in advertising and news, where there is a need for rapid adaptation to global trends. In contrast, analytical and official publications adhere to traditional linguistic norms, highlighting a balance between formal and informal communication. The study also emphasizes the importance of Kazakhstan’s national language policy in preserving linguistic identity, with measures regulating foreign words in the media to develop sustainable language standards. Digital technologies also shape informal media discourse through memes, hashtags, and hybrid language forms. These changes are particularly evident among younger audiences, who adapt more quickly to language innovations, while older generations tend to be more critical of these shifts. In conclusion, media linguistics proves to be an effective tool for analyzing the intersection of globalization, national identity, and digital transformation, offering valuable insights into the adaptation of linguistic norms amid rapid technological development.
A. Mukhanbetzhanova,, S. Tapanova· The International Journal of...· 0 citations
The popularity of social media has altered the communication pattern of young people, particularly the students of Generation Z who are living in the digital world where internet usage is their daily routine. Communication in these online platforms tends to space out of typical written English by incorporating emojis, abbreviations, innovative spelling, different typography, and seamless blending of English and local languages. Although these linguistic creativities are typical of the telecommunication platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram, their intended meanings can be misinterpreted or perceived as reckless or as lack of language proficiency. This issue reveals an opportunity for further research on the communicative values and social meanings of digital languages. This research aims to determine the creative linguistic elements applied by Generation Z learners on social media, and to analyse the new trends in digital English. Qualitative content analysis was employed to document language as it is naturally found in the digital context. Information is gathered in the form of the screen shots of the actual online communication as captured in several social media platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp communication. The results indicate the Generation Z students employ creative features of language like emojis, abbreviations, stylised spelling and code-mixing language in deliberate and organised means. These practices are signs of flexibility, awareness, and good communicative competence in the digital spaces than indicators of poor language abilities. It was revealed that the creative uses of English language by Generation Z on social media are both purposeful and socially inclined. Emojis, stylistic variation, code-mixing, and the use of abbreviation act as extensions of emotion, expression of identity, and relationship expression, and not to be perceived as language deficiency. This online language emerges as a new English language variation which can be perceived as a strategic strength in social communication among Generation Z.
Siti Raihanah Mohd Shah, Erda Wati Bakar· Quantum Journal of Social Sc...· 0 citations
Literary translation involves more than linguistic conversion; it also entails the reconstruction and re-encoding of cultural meanings. From the perspective of cultural translation theory, this study takes Liu Cixin’s original Chinese novel The Three-Body Problem and its Spanish translation El problema de los tres cuerpos by Javier Altayó as the objects of analysis. Drawing on Nida’s framework of cultural classification, culturally embedded elements in the source text are grouped into five categories: ecological, material, social, religious-philosophical, and linguistic. Through a comparative reading of the Chinese and Spanish versions, the paper examines the translator’s shifting strategies among foreignization, domestication, and cultural negotiation. The analysis suggests that the translation does not rely on a single or fixed strategy. When dealing with culture-specific elements that carry strong historical or regional specificity, the translator is more likely to preserve foreignness through transliteration, literal translation, or brief explanatory additions. In contrast, for expressions that may hinder comprehension or lead to cultural misinterpretation, freer rendering, generalization, or contextual adjustment tend to be adopted in order to reduce the cognitive burden on target readers. Overall, the Spanish translation of The Three-Body Problem reveals a flexible negotiation process, in which cultural difference is retained to varying degrees while comprehension is facilitated and narrative flow is maintained. This case offers a useful reference for the Spanish dissemination of Chinese science fiction and more broadly for the cross-cultural transmission of heterogenous cultural elements.
Yueyang Zhang· Journal of Language, Culture...· 0 citations
This article examines the contemporary functions of English in Egypt through two interrelated lines of inquiry. First, it provides an updated account of the status and roles of English in the country, revisiting and extending Schaub's assessment in light of significant historical, socio‐economic and linguistic developments over the past two decades. Second, drawing on a qualitative linguistic analysis of a sample of posts and comments from Facebook, the study investigates how young Egyptians integrate English alongside Arabic in their everyday digital communication, creating patterns of code‐switching, code‐mixing and translanguaging. It also explores the communicative role of English in this digital user‐generated content, suggesting that English is increasingly employed not only for pragmatic purposes but also for creative expression and informal interpersonal interactions. By analysing the contemporary functions of English and linguistic practices of young Egyptians online, this study also contributes to a broader understanding of Egypt's current sociolinguistic positioning within the world Englishes framework and evaluates the conceptual validity of ‘Egyptian English’ as a distinctive hybrid variety.