Session

In Japanese interpersonal communication, intimacy is typically signalled through softened speech, indirectness and careful attention to relational hierarchy. In English or Chinese, however, mock aggression or playful insults may function as a marker of closeness. This presentation examines this cross-linguistic variation and its implications for dialogue translation and community interpreting. Drawing on naturally occurring discourse and examples from popular manga and novels, the analysis reveals differences between the three languages: Chinese and English both possess cultural scripts where offensive-sounding utterances can index intimacy (though they differ in scope and cultural embeddedness), whereas Japanese does not attest a comparable script. This reflects how different languages encode relational meaning through distinct pragmatic strategies. For translators and interpreters, this variation matters practically: the same utterance may signal affection in one language and genuine hostility in another. Recognising which cultural script is operative allows professionals to make informed decisions about register, tone, and relational framing - particularly in contexts where affective meaning is as important as propositional content. Based on a theoretical map of how 'offence as intimacy' operates across languages, this presentation offers practical insights for navigating the pragmatic gap in conversational and dialogue-based translation work.