Thai Cultural Reflection in the Translation of Address Terms from Chinese TV Series

Abstract

Background and Objectives: This study investigates the Thai cultural reflection embedded in the translation of Chinese address terms appearing in Thai subtitles of contemporary Chinese TV dramas. As address terms play a crucial role in expressing interpersonal relationships, hierarchy, and social values, the transfer of forms of address from Chinese into Thai therefore reflects the process of cultural negotiation and the translator’s adaptive strategies in achieving a balance between linguistic accuracy and cultural appropriateness. This study aimed to investigate how Thai subtitles convey and adapt the meanings of Chinese forms of address, and to analyze how these translation patterns reflect the cultural perspectives and communicative conventions of Thai society.

Methods: This study adopts a qualitative, descriptive design. The data were drawn from five Chinese TV series with Thai subtitles. Each address term was examined in terms of its linguistic form and its pragmatic function in the Thai subtitles. The analysis was guided by four theoretical frameworks: Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (1978), which emphasizes the social context of language use; Goffman’s theory of face (1967); Brown & Levinson’s politeness theory (1987), which explains face concerns and strategic politeness; and Scollon & Scollon’s intercultural communication theory (1995), which accounts for cross-cultural adaptation strategies.

Results: The findings indicate that the translation of Chinese address terms into Thai subtitles reflects a process of cultural negotiation manifested in three major characteristics: 1) the Thai-oriented cultural transformation of address terms, whereby translators reduce the complexity of kinship distinctions, gender markers, and social status embedded in Chinese, to align with Thai communicative norms; 2) the preservation of Chinese cultural elements, in which original forms and hierarchical nuances are retained to maintain source-cultural identity and sociocultural meaning; and 3) the adjustment of politeness levels and face maintenance in the Thai context, achieved through the addition of prefixes and suffixes to conform to Thai norms of etiquette and social harmony. Overall, these three patterns demonstrate that translating address terms is not merely a lexical transfer but a process of cultural mediation that balances the hierarchical precision of Chinese with the flexibility and politeness conventions of Thai society.

Application of this study: The findings of this study can be applied to the development of culturally informed translation approaches, particularly in the translation of film and series subtitles, as well as in the teaching of Chinese and Thai languages from a cultural perspective. They can also contribute to intercultural communication training. Moreover, the study enhances understanding of the role of translators as “cultural mediators,” who must maintain a balance between linguistic accuracy and cultural appropriateness.

Conclusions: The translation of forms of address from Chinese television series into Thai subtitles is not merely a process of lexical substitution; rather, it involves cultural interpretation and adaptation that enables Thai audiences to understand and access the social values embedded in Chinese culture in ways that are compatible with the Thai context. Translators therefore play a crucial role in bridging the linguistic and cultural worlds of the two societies, facilitating mutual understanding. The findings indicate that the translation of forms of address constitutes a socio-cultural process that reflects the subtle coordination and mediation of identities between Chinese and Thai cultures.