TITLE:
The Translation of Intangible Cultural Heritage Crafts: From “Technical Transmission” to “Cultural Translatability”—A Case Study of Su Embroidery Stitches and Dai Pottery-Making
AUTHORS:
Shiyao Ma, Sen Yuan
KEYWORDS:
ICH Translation, Cultural Memes, Three-Level Translation Model, Digital Technology Empowerment, Civilizational Dialogue
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.12 No.11,
November
26,
2025
ABSTRACT: In the context of globalization, the cross-cultural communication of Intangible Cultural Heritage (hereafter referred to as “ICH”) has gone beyond mere technical sharing and become a key pathway for decoding the genes of civilizations. Taking technical texts of crafts such as Su Embroidery stitches and the Dai ethnic group’s slow-wheel pottery-making as research objects, this paper reveals the inevitability of the dimensional upgrade of ICH translation from “correspondence of technical parameters” to “translatability of cultural memes”. By constructing a three-level translation model of “technical decoding - cultural interpretation-philosophical sublimation” and integrating empirical evidence from digital technologies like 3D modeling and AR demonstrations, the paper proposes quantitative standards, including the coexistence of terminology standardization and regional variations, and the proportion of cultural explanations accounting for no less than 65%. These standards provide an operable paradigm transformation plan for ICH translation. The study aims to address practical dilemmas in current ICH translation, such as 32% of terminology distortion and 58% of cultural information loss, and facilitate Chinese culture to participate in global civilizational dialogue in the form of “dynamic integration”.