The relationality of parts for narrative identity constitution in the corporate profile translations of China’s multinational corporations

The corporate profile translations of multinational corporations (MNCs) in emerging economies such as China possess rich information for narrative analysis. Nevertheless, how the parts of a corporate profile translation form a whole narrative remains undertheorized. This study, therefore, examines t...

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Main Authors: Wang, Li, Ang, Lay Hoon, Gao, Fumeng, Abdul Halim, Hazlina
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature 2023
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/109236/
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author Wang, Li
Ang, Lay Hoon
Gao, Fumeng
Abdul Halim, Hazlina
author_facet Wang, Li
Ang, Lay Hoon
Gao, Fumeng
Abdul Halim, Hazlina
author_sort Wang, Li
building UPM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The corporate profile translations of multinational corporations (MNCs) in emerging economies such as China possess rich information for narrative analysis. Nevertheless, how the parts of a corporate profile translation form a whole narrative remains undertheorized. This study, therefore, examines the relationality of parts in the corporate profile translations of China’s MNCs by integrating William Labov’s narrative structure with Margaret Somers’ narrative identity theory. Specifically, we conduct a theoretical thematic analysis of how constituents form a whole narrative in relevant corporate profiles, of the shifts in the relationality of parts from the Chinese source texts (STs) to the English target texts (TTs) of these profiles, and of the influences of these shifts on the constitution of corporate identities in the target texts. Our results show that in the corporate profiles of Chinese MNCs, episodes are not randomly selected and related to each other but follow predominant patterns. However, we find no unified patterns in the shifts in the relationality of parts via the corporate profile translation of China’s MNCs. We thus reveal how corporations’ identities are constituted in diverse ways that reflect their fluid and unique features. Accordingly, our findings have implications for translation studies and corporate communications.
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spelling upm-1092362024-08-19T07:11:26Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/109236/ The relationality of parts for narrative identity constitution in the corporate profile translations of China’s multinational corporations Wang, Li Ang, Lay Hoon Gao, Fumeng Abdul Halim, Hazlina The corporate profile translations of multinational corporations (MNCs) in emerging economies such as China possess rich information for narrative analysis. Nevertheless, how the parts of a corporate profile translation form a whole narrative remains undertheorized. This study, therefore, examines the relationality of parts in the corporate profile translations of China’s MNCs by integrating William Labov’s narrative structure with Margaret Somers’ narrative identity theory. Specifically, we conduct a theoretical thematic analysis of how constituents form a whole narrative in relevant corporate profiles, of the shifts in the relationality of parts from the Chinese source texts (STs) to the English target texts (TTs) of these profiles, and of the influences of these shifts on the constitution of corporate identities in the target texts. Our results show that in the corporate profiles of Chinese MNCs, episodes are not randomly selected and related to each other but follow predominant patterns. However, we find no unified patterns in the shifts in the relationality of parts via the corporate profile translation of China’s MNCs. We thus reveal how corporations’ identities are constituted in diverse ways that reflect their fluid and unique features. Accordingly, our findings have implications for translation studies and corporate communications. Springer Nature 2023-12 Article PeerReviewed Wang, Li and Ang, Lay Hoon and Gao, Fumeng and Abdul Halim, Hazlina (2023) The relationality of parts for narrative identity constitution in the corporate profile translations of China’s multinational corporations. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10 (1). art. no. 104. pp. 1-11. ISSN 2662-9992 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-023-01603-3?error=cookies_not_supported&code=e5fafcbd-ed72-4f7c-909d-bc577a11bc5c 10.1057/s41599-023-01603-3
spellingShingle Wang, Li
Ang, Lay Hoon
Gao, Fumeng
Abdul Halim, Hazlina
The relationality of parts for narrative identity constitution in the corporate profile translations of China’s multinational corporations
title The relationality of parts for narrative identity constitution in the corporate profile translations of China’s multinational corporations
title_full The relationality of parts for narrative identity constitution in the corporate profile translations of China’s multinational corporations
title_fullStr The relationality of parts for narrative identity constitution in the corporate profile translations of China’s multinational corporations
title_full_unstemmed The relationality of parts for narrative identity constitution in the corporate profile translations of China’s multinational corporations
title_short The relationality of parts for narrative identity constitution in the corporate profile translations of China’s multinational corporations
title_sort relationality of parts for narrative identity constitution in the corporate profile translations of china’s multinational corporations
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/109236/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/109236/
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/109236/