MIASU Research Seminar – 10 February – Ruiyi Zhu

N.B. This seminar is in-person only 

Translation as Slippage: Mediative Labour and Contested Hybridity at a Chinese Mine in Mongolia 

Ruiyi Zhu (University of Cambridge)

Since the economic liberalisation in the 1990s, Mongolia has experienced a significant influx of Chinese investment and labour, which has been a source of social tension. In particular, Chinese-owned companies in the extractive industries are considered sites of perilous encounters. This paper focuses on slippage as a translation strategy adopted by bilingual interpreters at a Chinese mine in eastern Mongolia. While previous research presents translation as a conduit for enabling communication and mutual understanding, I propose an alternative perspective: translation can also function as a filter, selectively facilitating communication while obstructing others. Moreover, the interpreters’ tactful mediation is crucial for navigating and maintaining the socioeconomic disparities and political boundaries in the extractive economy, which often casts a suspicious light on liminal subjects.