Understanding reggaeton: one of the reasons why Chinese people are soaring in their interest in translation degrees.

Barcelona"I like it when you're hot".This phrase from Bad Bunny's song Sorry BB:/, In Catalan we could translate it literally and, nevertheless, we would understand that this hot It doesn't refer to temperature, but rather to sexual attraction. The translation would go unnoticed, and compared to the uploaded content of any other reggaeton song, it might seem like a rather mild phrase.

Now, if we were to do this translation exercise in China, the result would be very different: to begin with, we would have to translate the meaning of hot to more literal concepts, such as sexy or attractive, but, in addition, to avoid terms that are especially sensitive for the Chinese community, asterisks should be added within the word itself [se*xi] to avoid the text being subject to censorship.

This level of difficulty in translating a reggaeton song is one of the reasons that has led to the skyrocketing success of Chinese content creators who are dedicated to translating or explaining what these types of songs say in recent years, as shown by the study From 'fuck' to 'possess': intercultural mediation and identity construction in Chinese translations of Spanish-language songs (Of fuck to possess: Intercultural mediation and identity construction in Chinese fan translations of Spanish songs), by Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) researcher Le Yuan-Cloris.

In fact, the study published in the journal Language and Intercultural Communication, concludes that the increased interest in the Spanish language and culture in China has given rise to new channels for learning about them. This trend has also been reflected in UPF students: in the last five years, the number of students of Chinese origin in translation and language sciences studies has increased by 37%. There are currently around eighty Chinese students pursuing these studies, and most are pursuing a doctorate (51) or a master's degree (20).

Euphemisms and "domestication"

Beyond confirming the growing interest of Chinese people in the Spanish language, Yuan-Cloris' study details the strategies used by content creators—some of whom have accumulated more than 2 million views—who are dedicated to translating or transferring the content of reggaeton songs to the Chinese imagination. According to the UPF researcher, the most common strategy used by translators (in 68% of cases) is domestication, which involves replacing these concepts with other terms closer to the Chinese imagination.

For example, to translate the expression"to stand someone up"They use the Chinese expression 放鸽子, which literally translated means "to release a dove", since in the Chinese imagination the act of releasing a dove that does not return is associated with a broken promise. Another option they use are euphemisms, which are used above all to avoid censorship: fuck either do it, expressions such as 点有 (to possess) or 交欢 (to exchange pleasure) are used.

Having confirmed the interest in this type of content, the study led by Yuan-Cloris and directed by Daniel Cassany, coordinator of the research group on language learning and teaching at UPF, also highlights the potential that this type of non-professional translation could have in promoting cultural and linguistic diversity. Therefore, they conclude that language teaching professionals should encourage students' autonomy and involve them in activities like these as another way to practice or enhance their language skills.