Translation and Reception of Culture-Loaded Terms: A Multimodal Intercultural Communication Study of the Qi Culture VR Museum

This study investigates how VR technology transforms the translation of culture-loaded terms from linguistic conversion to multimodal meaning production. Using the “Qi Culture VR Museum” as a case study, we demonstrate that VR enables an active process of meaning reconstruction through “perceptual construction” and “context generation.” By integrating multimodal analysis with critical theory, this research develops an “immersive translation” model to analyze how concepts like “Jixia Academy” are encoded in VR. Findings indicate that while increasing immersion, VR also subtly shapes cultural cognition through its technological framework. This interdisciplinary work connects translation, media, and cultural studies, offering new insights for digital heritage communication and critical perspectives for cultural digitization. Note: This study does not analyze user-response data; thus, “reception” is treated as an inferred construct based on design analysis rather than an empirically measured outcome. This interdisciplinary work connects translation, media, and cultural studies, offering new insights for digital heritage communication and critical perspectives for cultural digitization.