Title: A Study on the Identification Style and the English Translation of China’s Diplomatic Discourse Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC

Abstract: Identification plays a crucial role in the construction of China’s diplomatic discourse. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, China’s diplomatic discourse rooted in traditional Chinese culture proposes the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind as the cornerstone for identification, reflecting the mutual aspirations and moral value within the international community. Additionally, the rhetorical strategy of identification by content and style is utilized to align the audiences with the speakers’ viewpoint. These strategies include identification by sympathy showing emotion, aspiration and rationality, identification by antithesis accentuating rhetorical situation, identification by inaccuracy invoking shared perception, and identification by style resonating with the audience. To faithfully convey the identification style inherent in China’s diplomatic discourse, translators should adhere to the diplomacy motivation principle, aim-needs principle, consubstantiality-context principle, and translation-identification principle. This means they should use appropriate translation strategies that highlight consubstantiality, enhance the rhetorical strategy of identification, and express ideas in a form resonant with the intended audience. These efforts may contribute to enhancing the international appeal, influence, and shaping power of China’s diplomatic discourse.

Keywords: rhetorical strategy of identification, diplomatic discourse, multi-context, categorization of translating principles, emphasis on consubstantiality of communicators

Author: Lin Deng, Ph.D. Candidate, School of Foreign Languages, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China; Associate Professor, School of Foreign Languages, Jiangxi University of Science and Technology, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China.

DOI: 10.19967/j.cnki.flc.2024.02.005