On English Translation of Chinese Diplomatic Discourses from the Perspective of Pragmatic Triadic Relations

Abstract

Translation is a special case of language use and a special way of communication that spans language, time and culture. Translation of diplomatic discourse is a complicated communicative activity in which numerous factors should be taken into consideration such as the speech style of the speaker, the situational context and the distinctions between the source language and the target language. The pragmatic triadic relation mode of relational pragmatics is beneficial for the translation of diplomatic discourses from Chinese to English, according to which, the translator, language and context interact with each other in the translation process and constitute a complete system. The translator plays a subjective role whose mastery of both the source language and the target language will affect his understanding of the source text and his ways of re-expression and recreation; the linguistic and cultural characteristics of the source language will to some extent influence the translator’s selection of words and understanding of the speaker’s intention; while the situational and cultural contextual factors such as time, space, participants, culture, customs and values will also have impacts on translation. Comprehensive consideration of all these aspects will produce appropriate and effective translation of a diplomatic discourse and promote the dissemination of Chinese culture.