The Great Translation Movement Shines a Spotlight on ...

Calling their social media campaign “The Great Translation Movement,” this group of anonymous dissidents created a Twitter account to collect ... 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Credit:IllustrationbyCatherinePutzSincethestartoftheRussianinvasionofUkraine,Chinahasbeenactivelypromotinganalternativerealitythatpushespro-Russiaandpro-Putinmessages.OnheavilycensoredsocialmediaplatformsinChina,asignificantgroupofinternetusersstartedtosharetheirsupportforRussianPresidentVladimirPutin,withmessagesadvocatingforRussiatousenuclearweapons.DocumentedbytheNewYorkTimes,onlineopinioninChinaismostlypro-Russia,pro-war,andpro-Putin.ThoseradicalideasandopinionscertainlydonotrepresenttheviewsofallChineseresidents,butindividualsandmessagesspeakingagainstthewarandsupportingpeaceareseverelycensoredbyChina’scyberspaceauthorities.Ontheotherend,despitethemurkyofficialpositionfromtheChineseMinistryofForeignAffairs,ChinesecensorsappeartosidewithviewsthatsupportnationalismandRussia,andhavedemonstratedaveryhightoleranceformessagesthatbelittleUkraine(includingcallsforyoungUkrainianwomentobebroughttoChinatomarryChinesebachelors).AgroupofChinesedissidentshashadenough.TheydecidedtotakeactiontonameandshamethosewhopraisePutin,theunjustifiedinvasion,authoritarianism,andthespreadoffar-rightnationalistideasonsocialmedia.Callingtheirsocialmediacampaign“TheGreatTranslationMovement,”thisgroupofanonymousdissidentscreatedaTwitteraccounttocollectsocialmediamessagesthatsupportradicalideasandRussianwaractivities,andtranslatethemtoEnglish,Spanish,Japanese,Korean,andotherlanguages.Thecampaignalsohasthehashtag#TheGreatTranslationMovementavailableindifferentlanguagesforTwitteruserstojointhemovement,sharecontent,andattractmoreattentionfromthegeneralpublic.OnitsofficialTwitteraccount,theGreatTranslationMovementhasathreadthatinformspotentialparticipantsaboutthewaystosupportthecampaign.Justamonthafteritscreation,TheGreatTranslationMovementTwitteraccountnowhasmorethan99,000followers.Theidentitiesofthecampaignorganizersremainunknown.TheGreatTranslationMovementisbelievedtohavestartedamongusersinasubredditchannelnamedChonglangTV.Callingitselfalighthousethatforeverstands,thesubreddithadbeenanactivespaceforChinesedissidentstospeakagainsttheauthoritarianregimebutwaslaterbannedbyRedditinearlyMarchforviolatingpoliciesconcerningpersonalprivacy.Getbriefedonthestoryoftheweek,anddevelopingstoriestowatchacrosstheAsia-Pacific.GettheNewsletter Thetranslationmovementdoesnothaveanidentifiableleadershipteam,andwheninterviewedbyDeutscheWelle,participantsinthecampaignsaidthatduetosecurityconcerns,theydonotknoweachother’snamesorwhereabouts.Speakingofthepurposeofthecampaign,theysaythattheywouldliketoraiseawarenessamongpeoplearoundtheworldthatChinaisnotasniceasitspropagandasaysandthatpeoplelivinginChinaarepoisonedbyarrogance,nationalism,cruelty,andalackofsympathy.Whendoingtranslationsforcampaign,someparticipantsacknowledgedthattheywereshockedbythedisturbingcontentandhadtotemporarilystopreadingChinesesocialmediafortheirmentalhealth.Enjoyingthisarticle?Clickheretosubscribeforfullaccess.Just$5amonth.TranslatingmaterialsfromChinesemediaandsocialmediaisnotacompletelynewtask.Journalists,researchers,andprofessionalsworkingonChina-relatedworkregularlydothisworktohelpnon-ChineselanguageuserstounderstandcriticalinformationregardingChina.However,theGreatTranslationMovementcreatedanewchannelforinternetusersaroundtheworldtoseetherarelydiscusseddarksideoftheChineseinternet.UtilizingtheGreatFirewall,ChineseCommunistParty(CCP)propagandahasbeenimplementingdifferentstrategiesforitsinternationalanddomesticaudiences.WhiletryingtoappealtointernationalaudiencesbycriticizingissuessuchasracismandcolonialisminWesterndemocracies,Chinahasincreaseditseffortstocultivatefar-rightnationalismideologiesasadomesticpropagandatooltojustifyitspoliciesinXinjiang,HongKong,andthelackofhumanrightsimprovements.TheGreatTranslationMovementofferspeoplewhodonotunderstandtheChineselanguageanopportunitytoexaminemanyoutrageouspropagandamaterialsandtheoutcomesofthosepropagandaefforts.Withthis“nameandshame”tactic,themovementalsobecameatooltofightagainstextremenationalisminChinaandthegovernment’spropagandaeffortstopromotethosemessages.Shortlyafterthevulgarlanguagearound“sheltering”youngUkrainianwomencreatedabacklash,ChinabegancensoringsexistmessagesthatmockedthesufferingsofUkrainiancivilians.TheGreatTranslationMovementdeclaredapartialvictoryagainstCCPpropagandaonTwitter,citingsignsthatvariouslevelsoftheChinesegovernmenthaltedandcensoredtheirpropagandaeffortsduetothepressurefromthecampaign.ChinesestatemediaoutletGlobalTimescalledthemovement“acognitivewar”againstChina.TheoverseaseditionofthePeople’sDaily,theCCP’sofficialmouthpiece,calledthetranslationactivitiesasmearcampaignthatisdoomedtofail.SomecriticsalsoblamedtheGreatTranslationMovementforcausingtheriseofanti-AsianracismincountriessuchastheUnitedStatesandCanada.Butthoseclaimsallappeartobeself-contradictory:Whileanti-Asianhatecrimesincreasedby300percentand339percentinCanadaandtheUnitedStates,respectively,thoseissuesappearedin2020,twoyearsbeforethestartoftheGreatTranslationMovement.ThereactionsfromtheChinesegovernmentindicatetheeffectivenessofthissocialmediacampaign.ByrevealingthenotorioussideofChina’sstatepropaganda,themovementsubsequentlybecameadeterrenttoBeijing’sdomesticpropagandaefforts.ComparedtoBeijing’spropagandamechanisms,theGreatTranslationMovementhaslimitedresourcesandimpactoninternationalpolitics.Butthisdecentralizedsocialmediacampaignhascreatedsignificantchallengestothestate-sponsoredpropagandaeffortssupportedbybillionsofdollarsoffunds.WhileasocialmediacampaignisunlikelytooutperformtheCCPpropagandaapparatus,theeffectivenessofthissocialmediacampaignhighlightsacriticalweaknessinChina’spropagandatactics.Oncerelyingonisolationanddisinformation,andinformationgaps,CCPpropagandanowfacesfurtherchallengesastheirmessagesandeffortsnowbecomeembarrassmentsoninternationalsocialmediaplatforms. 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