Reframing queer pop through media paratexts: translation of Chinese TV drama World of Honor in cyberspace

Abstract

ABSTRACT World of Honor, a danmei-adapted Chinese TV drama, was one of the most-watched TV series in China in 2021. Conceptualizing translation as a rewriting practice, based on a theoretical framework drawn from paratext studies and media studies, this article investigates how audience-created paratexts reframe queer pop in the translation of World of Honor in cyberspace. The research shows that comments and fanvids, as audience-created paratexts on YouTube, serve to render the implicit male-male romance between the two main characters in the TV drama more explicit in the streaming media. The comments help to interpret the homoerotic subtexts in the translation of subtitles and bridge cultural gaps for international audiences, while fanvids direct the storyline towards a danmei theme with the interplay of music and televisual footage. These media paratexts provide a communal space for audiences to interpret, communicate and participate, and enhance our understanding of danmei subculture within online communications.