Ukraine: In China, what is the “great translation movement”?

Banner of the @TGTM_Official Twitter account, registered on the American social network since March 2022 and currently very active.

In particular, he offers, in his biography, “peace and love”, to justify his commitment to “great translation”.

© Screenshot / Twitter

Text by: Stéphane Lagarde Follow

7 mins

The Chinese press has spoken very little of Boutcha, in Ukraine.

State media did not report the massacre except to quote the Kremlin saying it was staged.

A distortion of reality exposed by Chinese speakers who, since the beginning of the conflict, have been working to translate pro-Russian comments and positions that have swept over social networks and Chinese media.

Advertising

Read more

From our correspondent in Beijing,

Translate "

", what the Chinese read and hear " 

", beyond the language barrier.

The movement, grouped under the hashtag #TheGreatTranslationMovement (#大翻译运动), was born spontaneously with the first bombs that fell on Ukraine, remembers one of these war translators joined by RFI, and who prefers to keep the 'anonymity.

We wanted to show the violence of xenophobic and extremist rhetoric that pervaded state-controlled networks and media, especially in the comments

These translations of Chinese nationalist remarks actually go back a few years.

First via the Chonglang TV channel, on the American community site Reddit.

Then the invasion of Ukraine happened.

Pro-Putin surge

“ 

 , ”explains Han Yang, contacted by RFI.

Active in particular

, the latter recounts having had as a university friend one of the spokespersons of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who affirmed on Wednesday that the images of civilian deaths in the Ukrainian city of Boutcha were " 

 but that no blame should be assigned to anyone until all the facts were known.

Han Yang says he is not part of the "great translation movement", but approves " 

 ”.

Because what surprises the most on Chinese social networks at the moment is the uniqueness of your tone.

After two days of hesitation, the guardians of the great computer wall very quickly gave instructions to the media, asking them to resume the " 

" displayed by the Chinese authorities for Russia.

This has notably led to a wave of videos showing Vladimir Putin in his daily life, from breakfast with the family, to the summons of generals to brandish the threat of nuclear weapons.

The "movement" also showed that Ukraine's borders had recently disappeared on some maps of the conflict shown by Chinese television, probably before they reappeared when Moscow redrew the outlines.

来自#大翻译运动贡献者的宣言的汇集

Messages from the contributors of #TheGreatTranslationMovement pic.twitter.com/z0lYvC6hgK

— The Great Translation Movement 大翻译运动官方推号 (@TGTM_Official) April 5, 2022

Anti-Chinese sentiments 

War in Ukraine, and war of words on the networks.

Many of these Chinese keyboard patriots do not hide their admiration for the Russian president.

The translation of their sometimes extremist remarks against Ukraine, which risked drawing a backlash, has since been blocked by Reddit due to a lack of confidentiality.

The movement then migrated to Facebook, Instagram, Telegram and Twitter.

In just over a month of war, the TGTM_Official Twitter account exceeded 100,000 subscribers on April 5th.

Enough to alert the authorities who have strongly criticized this army of shadow translators.

It was the official media that sounded the charge.

 sees in the "great translation" an " 

".

Diaspora Chinese also pointed out that these translations risked " 

".

“

,” says the 

. .

" 

 subsidiary tabloid continues

.

“Ukrainian Little Sisters”

The "great translation movement" made a name for itself in particular by translating the sexist remarks and jokes of Chinese Internet users who offered 

 " at the start of the war, when others wanted welcome, with very emphatic nods, " 

 ".

These inappropriate comments are not specific to China, where they have also led to the closure of the social accounts of their authors, underline the authorities.

Censorship silenced sexist attacks and the Chinese embassy in kyiv quickly called on Internet users to calm their attacks against Ukraine, so as not to risk endangering its nationals, then stranded in Eastern Europe.

By digging into the most extreme rhetoric, the movement would distort the reality of a diverse and silent Chinese opinion, some editorials claimed.

In the censorship-controlled opinion pages like the rest of the publications, some columnists accused the "great translators" of wanting to organize "a color revolution" in China.

In addition to the magnifying glass effect on a very active hateful minority on the Internet, which especially bothers the Chinese authorities, it is the mirror effect of this great translation which exposes in broad daylight the propaganda campaign targeting the West and in particular the United States or NATO, accused of being responsible for the war.

The risk is that the image of China will be degraded in the eyes of European opinion, while Europe remains the biggest outlet for “Made in China” today.

Same thing for Japan, when the “movement” translates the sometimes aggressive comments of Chinese Internet users about the recent earthquake that shook Tokyo;

or South Korea, when these same nationalists claim elements of Korean cultural heritage as Chinese.

How is Chinese media reporting on the #BuchaMassacre?

A short thread 🧵:

— David Demes 戴達衛 (@DemesDavid) April 4, 2022

"Patriot Zombies"

While the Chinese government was still hesitating about the elements of language to use at the start of the conflict, the "great translators" showed that the flow of Russian propaganda on Chinese networks was picked up by the media and in comments on the networks.

" 

 ," Chang Ping said,

.

“ 

, pretends to wonder this veteran journalist in exile. 

 »*

►Read also: The supremacy of the dollar questioned by Russia at war and China

Revealing the negative of a speech, as was done in the past with film photos, is also for these "great translators" to expose the existence of a very active group of young Chinese nationalists nicknamed "Little Pink".

Unlike those who used to be called "Wu Mao" (literally "five cents" paid based on the number of pro-government comments), these "little roses" don't need to be paid to overflow with patriotic enthusiasm.

Most of them are uncensored.

“ 

 explains an anonymous member of the movement.

 »

►Also listen: War in Ukraine, can China change the game?

Behind the smokescreen of smooth Chinese opinion, opposed to Westerners and claiming to understand the “reasons” for the Russian “special military operation”, what does the rest of Chinese society think of the war in Ukraine?

The "great translation movement" denies wanting to expose a defiant extremist minority vis-à-vis foreign countries, and also ensures that it translates the words of Chinese criticizing the invasion of a sovereign country by Vladimir Putin's troops. .

The problem,

, is that these messages disappear from the networks almost as soon as they appear.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• China

• Ukraine

• Internet

• Social networks