How Bilingual Instagram Reels Enact Translation as a Cultural Technology
In Chapter 1 of Sites of Translation: Multimodal Translation Strategies for Cultural Community Publics, Laura Gonzales posits that translation is an inventive, multimodal rhetorical technology rather than a passive, mechanical conversion of text. Gonzales challenges traditional, Western frameworks that view non-English language practices through a “deficit” model, arguing instead that multilingual communicators use translation as an active site where meaning is negotiated across linguistic, spatial, auditory, and visual modes to build cultural community publics.
In my own words, Gonzales demonstrates that translation is never neutral or purely alphabetic. When multilingual individuals communicate online, they do not simply swap words from Language A to Language B. Instead, they draw on a wide array of semiotic tools—including bodily performance, vocal tone, facial expression, music, and platform conventions—to translate non-literal cultural registers. Multilingualism thus functions as a sophisticated rhetorical asset that allows creators to bridge communicative gaps and share nuanced cultural experiences.
This multimodal translation process is vividly illustrated in an Instagram Reel by creator Laiq Shaiq (@laiqshaiq on Instagram). In the reel, the creator addresses the pragmatic cultural meaning of the Arabic expression “inshallah” (إن شاء الله). Rather than providing a standard dictionary definition of the sacred phrase (which literally translates to “God willing”), the creator translates the lived, cultural subtext of how the word is used within Arab and Muslim households when speaking to children.
Image Description / Alt Text: A video screenshot from an Instagram Reel by @laiqshaiq. The creator, dressed in a dark shirt, is seated in an office chair against a plain wall, leaning back in defeat with a hand slapped over his face while laughing helplessly. Superimposed over the top of the video is white English text in a standard Instagram POV font that reads: “POV: your parents say inshallah instead of yes so you know whatever you want is never happening”. Melancholic Arabic vocal music plays over the audio track.
Laiq Shaiq’s reel demonstrates Gonzales’s framework by proving that bilingual creators do not merely translate vocabulary; they translate unspoken cultural registers by deploying multimodality to construct shared digital public spaces.
If the creator had relied strictly on a literal translation, the comedic and cultural nuance of inshallah would be entirely lost. Instead, he constructs what Gonzales calls a “site of translation” by layering multiple modes:
- Textual & Conceptual Translation: The POV text overlay explicitly translates the pragmatic meaning of the phrase for an English-reading audience: using inshallah as a polite parental refusal.
- Kinesic & Performance Mode: The creator’s exaggerated body language—throwing his head back, slapping his face, and leaning into dramatic despair—viscerally communicates the universal childhood experience of hearing a soft “no” disguised as a religious phrase.
- Auditory & Musical Mode: The melancholy Arabic audio track adds a layer of dramatic irony, contrasting solemn musical registers with the relatable humor of domestic life.
- Platform Mechanics & Audience Participation: By utilizing Instagram’s “POV” format, the post invites heritage Arabic speakers to bond over a shared cultural inside joke in the comments, while simultaneously translating this cultural dynamic for non-Arabic-speaking viewers.
Through these rhetorical choices, translation operates as a tool for cross-cultural resonance and community building rather than a rigid linguistic exercise.
As digital platforms increasingly connect global audiences, Gonzales’s text reminds us that translation is central to digital rhetoric. Recognizing translation as a multimodal practice allows us to see how bilingual creators enrich social media and challenge English-only platform expectations.
Question for Public Discussion: How do social media algorithms either reward or penalize creators who rely on culturally specific code-switching and bilingual humor? What does this reveal about platform design and accessibility?
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