Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

Modern Chinese Legal Translation from the Perspective of Cannibalistic Translation: Subjectivity Reconstruction and Discourse Generation

Qiuchen LiuGuizhou Minzu University*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

This study takes Cannibalistic Translation Theory as the theoretical framework to re-examine the historical practice and cultural significance of legal translation in Modern China. Different from existing interpretive approaches that simplify modern Chinese legal translation as cultural adaptation, localization or political manipulation, it proceeds from the core issue of "translational subjectivity", and points out that against the historical context of national crisis and institutional transformation, legal translation is not a one-way receptive act, but a subjective practice gradually generated through selective absorption, semantic restructuring and term renaming. On the basis of sorting out the historical context of legal translation in Modern China, this study analyzes the power structure, discourse reconstruction and ideological shaping mechanism reflected in the translation process by combining representative legal texts and legal dictionary cases. The study finds that the formation of modern Chinese legal terminology system involves not only the import of foreign concepts of the Rule of Law, but also the selective appropriation and reproduction of other-oriented discourses. The cannibalistic perspective helps break the linear narrative of "passive acceptance" and provides a new theoretical path for understanding the subjectivity and cultural strategies in legal translation in Modern China.

Keywords: Translation Cannibalism; Legal Translation; Subjectivity; Cultural Power
Published: June 23, 2026
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.34673
Volume: CHR Vol.111
pp. 214-220
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