Yuanyuan An

School of Language and Culture, Changchun Institute of Science and Technology, Changchun, 130600, Jilin, China
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Horticulture, 2026, Vol. 16, No. 1   doi: 10.5376/ijh.2026.16.0001
Received: 02 Dec., 2025    Accepted: 05 Jan., 2026    Published: 21 Jan., 2026

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

An Y.Y., 2026, An ethical inquiry into translation in the international communication of ginseng and deer antler culture: from cultural representation to value negotiation, International Journal of Horticulture, 16(1): 1-14 (doi: 10.5376/ijh.2026.16.0001)

This study conducts a systematic investigation into the ethical issues of translation in the international dissemination of ginseng and deer antler (shenrong) culture, focusing on how these traditional medicinal and dietary resources are culturally represented, reinterpreted, and ethically challenged in cross-cultural contexts. The article first outlines the core connotations of shenrong culture, emphasizing its roots in the holistic life philosophy and Yin-Yang balance theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), while highlighting how differences in functional consumption preferences, regulatory systems, and ethical orientations in global markets significantly influence translation practices. It then constructs an analytical framework from three perspectives-cultural representation ethics, cross-cultural adaptation ethics, and value-negotiation ethics-to reveal the structural dilemmas faced by translators when striving to faithfully convey traditional knowledge, comply with target-language regulations, and address animal-ethics debates and cultural differences. Through case analyses of brand translations, packaging and promotional language, efficacy claims, and typical mistranslations, the study illustrates the mechanisms by which shenrong culture is functionalized, commodified, and deculturalized in global discourse. Building on the tension between responsibility ethics and communicative ethics, the article proposes balanced approaches such as a “stratified cultural visibility strategy,” emphasizing that explanatory translation, contextual supplementation, and cross-stakeholder collaboration are essential for protecting the cultural knowledge system of shenrong while ensuring effective intercultural communication. Ultimately, the study calls for establishing an ethics-oriented translation system for TCM culture to promotthe precise, sustainable, and responsible international dissemination of shenrong culture.

Shenrong culture; Translation ethics; Cross-cultural communication; Cultural representation; Value negotiation