Translation and Exegesis: Chinese State Media for the English Reader: A Case Study of People's Daily Zhong Sheng Editorials on the Belt and Road Initiative

Abstract

English translations of Chinese state media allow those with a professional or casual interest in Chinese policy and politics to gain direct insight into Chinese political narratives. For the translator, however, there is a great temptation to alter the language of the text so as to better suit the conventions of English. This thesis employs a “semantic” translation strategy which emphasizes close adherence to the source text in order to reflect the distinctive features of Chinese state media, exploring the benefits and conflicts of such a strategy. It includes original English translations of 15 Chinese language editorials sourced from the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party. These editorials authoritatively articulate the Party’s stance regarding the Belt and Road Initiative, a major Chinese economic strategy. It is hoped this thesis demonstrates the value of a semantic translation strategy in providing direct access to primary source material on Chinese political narratives, and in particular on a central subject of Chinese foreign policy in the first half of the 21st Century. Show more