Research on Pathways for Generative AI to Assist College English Courses in Telling China's Stories Well: A Cross-Cultural Transcreation Perspective

Abstract

Telling China's stories well is an important task of cultural education and curriculum-based ideological and political education in college English teaching in the new era. Cross‑cultural transcreation is more than simple word‑for‑word translation. Its goal is to keep the original culture true, adjust the way we tell the story, and help people from other cultures understand us. In this way, two sides can reach a shared understanding.Generative AI can help students tell Chinese stories in English. It can translate cultural terms, rewrite stories and give quick feedback, so students do not struggle so much with English words and sentences. Still, it brings problems too. It may simplify deep cultural meanings. It may follow Western ways of storytelling without us noticing. Students may stop thinking for themselves. Some teachers also lack the skills to check whether the AI’s version tells the culture correctly.This study uses three theories: cross‑cultural transcreation, cultural discount and human‑machine collaboration. It talks about what AI can do and what risks it has. Then it builds a teaching plan: students create the stories, teachers guide and check, and AI only helps as a tool. This plan can be used in college English classes to teach students how to share Chinese culture with people abroad.