Deciphering translation practices in Macao's casino wonderland of Cotai

Macao's gambling hub, Cotai, is renowned for its striking coexistence of grand casinos, replicating European landmarks and evoking futuristic panoramas. This convergence of elements from various cultures, predominantly European, not only attests to Macao's cosmopolitan character but also encapsulates the essence of Macao as a translational city. This study delves into Cotai's translational landscape, focusing on the use of English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Portuguese, and other languages or semiotics. It discerns that the language pair of Simplified Chinese and English, rather than Traditional Chinese and Portuguese (Macao's two official languages used in other parts of Macao), dominates in Cotai. This paper elucidates the empirical findings, scrutinising the geopolitical and socioeconomic forces underpinning Cotai's translational landscapes through a self-established theoretical framework. It foregrounds the pivotal role of translation in shaping the urban landscape, arguing that an expanded view of translation, encompassing multimodal dimensions, introduces a novel paradigm for comprehending language dynamics and cross-cultural negotiations in urban settings. Emphasising the emancipatory and interdisciplinary nature of translation, the paper suggests its potential to enhance research on urban language practices. Copyright © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.