Study On The "Self-shaping" And Translation Of China’s Overseas Image In Science And Technology From A Multimodal Perspective

At present,China’s cause in science and technology is advancing rapidly.In order to strengthen its voice in scientific and technological affairs in the world,China needs to positively display its achievements in this area to foreign countries.However,some western countries have fabricated the “China Threat in Science and Technology Theory” and used various policies to suppress China’s development in this field.Besides,with the development of media technology,people are more inclined to know the world through multimodal discourses,rather than unimodal discourses such as texts.Against this backdrop,it is necessary to carry out research on the“self-shaping” and translation of China’s overseas image in science and technology from a multimodal perspective.Based on theories including multimodal metaphors and multimodal discourse analysis,this paper uses tools like corpus analysis software and ELAN multimodal annotation software,and combines qualitative and quantitative research methods to explore dimensions of China’s contemporary image in science and technology jointly shaped by various modalities in bilingual documentaries.After defining the image dimensions and characteristics of subtitles,the paper further explores feasible points and disadvantages of existing translation methods and skills in documentaries related to overseas “self-shaping” of China’s image in science and technology,and proposes corresponding suggestions for improving translation quality.Through thematic analysis and case study,the findings of the study are as follows.Firstly,many multimodal video clips,including those with shots of multimodal metaphors,are extracted from videos with relatively large views about China’s image in science and technology that were released on the You Tube platform by CCTV-4.In the critical video clips,complementary or non-complementary relationships are formed among subtitles,pictures and sounds.And the key shots have jointly shaped China’s image that persistent and assiduous contributors are fearless of challenges and world-leading innovation benefiting the public is made through their hard work.Specifically,the image is formed from three interrelated dimensions,including innovation,challenges,and contributors.Secondly,the characteristic of subtitles in the videos is the use of professional,cultural-and linguistic-specified expressions.The characteristic of the pictures is that shots with varied distances or various angles complement the meaning of subtitles.And the one of the sounds is that the utilization of various rhythms,pitches and beats makes the meaning more complete with other modes.Lastly,for the translation methods of the subtitles in different multimodal relations,liberal translation is preferred in translating idioms and culture-specific items,while literal one is more suitable in the translation of four-character phrases,three-character expressions and principle introduction.In addition,it is always necessary to ensure translations are concise with correct collocation and grammar,and without tendentious words.Meanwhile,to enhance the readability of the translation,common translation skills such as omission,shift and addition,are applied.In future studies,it is suggested that more bilingual videos related to China’s science and technology should be included,and comparative studies with English videos related to science and technology made by foreigners should also be conducted,to obtain more comprehensive research results.