Modern Social Science Research

With the vigorous development of online new media, online buzzwords that possess both social attributes and cultural connotations have become important carriers for the cross-cultural communication of Chinese culture. However, issues such as their high concentration of cultural connotations, semantic flexibility, and lack of unified translation methods have hindered their accurate international communication. This study selects highly discussed social and lifestyle-related online new media buzzwords from major WeChat official accounts (e.g., Oxford Dictionary, China Daily Bilingual News) over the past five years as research objects. Employing the case study method, it systematically explores the application scenarios, communication effects, and scope of application of literal translation, free translation, and transliteration with annotation. The research finds that each of the three strategies has its own advantages: literal translation is suitable for buzzwords with culturally resonant images, free translation excels at addressing cultural barriers, and transliteration with annotation is applicable to culture-specific concepts. In the application process, the core lies in balancing the accuracy of semantic transmission, the retention of cultural characteristics, and the cross-cultural resonance with the audience. This study aims to provide practical references for the accurate English translation of online new media buzzwords and contribute to the efficient and in-depth international communication of Chinese online culture.

New media buzzwords; Cross-cultural communication; C-E translation strategies