Research Article
Translating China’s European Union Policy Papers: An Examination of Evolving Strategies, Purposes, and Power Dynamics (2003-2018)
Zhen Lyu*
Issue:
Volume 11, Issue 1, March 2025
Pages:
1-10
Received:
18 December 2024
Accepted:
30 December 2024
Published:
17 January 2025
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijalt.20251101.11
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Abstract: As China ascends to global prominence, there is an increasing demand for academic analysis of how it translates its political discourse for international audiences, aiming to ensure its policies and perspectives are understood globally. Within this broad context, exploring the translation strategies China employs in its interactions with foreign entities, particularly the European Union (EU), provides a fascinating perspective on how China leverages translation as a mechanism of soft power to enhance its diplomatic communications. The EU, with its considerable economic and political clout, stands as a pivotal partner for China, making their bilateral interactions an essential field of study. Over the last two decades, the relationship between China and the EU has fluctuated across economic, diplomatic, and other dimensions. This dynamic provides a compelling case for dissecting how China has adapted its translation strategies and purposes in communication with the EU. Recent studies on Chinese political discourse (CPD) translation have explored the interplay of discursive features, ideology, and purposes. Studies within Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) frameworks often emphasize ideology as manifested in specific discursive features, while neglecting critical dimensions such as power dynamics, discourse types, and situational contexts. Studies on CPD translation purposes and strategies lack longitudinal analyses and have predominantly centered on China’s domestic affairs, overlooking China’s policy papers addressing foreign countries. This study analyzes the evolution of translation strategies and purposes in China’s EU policy papers, namely those from 2003, 2014, and 2018. Using Fairclough’s CDA, it examines both the Chinese and English versions, considering the impact of shifting power dynamics, situational contexts, and discourse types. The analysis reveals that the 2014 paper utilized strategies of ideological filtering, priority balancing, and consensus negotiation, while the 2003 and 2018 papers employed literal strategies. This longitudinal study indicates that the translation purpose has shifted from facilitating negotiations to projecting self-representation. This transformation reflects the increasing economic interdependence between China and the EU, which has enhanced China’s political influence within the EU and altered the power balance in its favor, leading to a more confident articulation of its views on Sino-EU relations.
Abstract: As China ascends to global prominence, there is an increasing demand for academic analysis of how it translates its political discourse for international audiences, aiming to ensure its policies and perspectives are understood globally. Within this broad context, exploring the translation strategies China employs in its interactions with foreign en...
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