Table 1_Transcreation of Chinese heritage food labels for cross-cultural consumption: a multimodal and reception-oriented study.pdf

Three recurrent configurations emerged: semantic preservation, cultural recontextualization, and symbolic substitution. Semantic preservation sustained source-culture visibility but often left unfamiliar participants uncertain about product type, sensory qualities, and use. Cultural recontextualization retained culturally specific terms while adding concise explanations, sensory descriptors, serving cues, or heritage framing; participant accounts recurrently linked this configuration with comprehensibility and trust.

Symbolic substitution was described by some participants as immediately readable and aesthetically approachable, although other accounts indicated weaker cultural anchoring. Perceived authenticity was not inherent in Chinese names or motifs; rather, participants negotiated it through the interplay of explanation, visual design, prior familiarity, and imagined consumption. By grounding claims about label effectiveness in audience interpretation rather than design intention alone, the study develops a reception-oriented account of transcreation.

The findings suggest that cultural specificity and accessibility need not be opposing goals when source-culture markers are supported by concrete, context-sensitive guidance. These conclusions remain exploratory and are limited to the three product categories and qualitative sample examined.</p>