A Study Of The Translation Of Eco-discourse In China’s Government White Papers-An Appraisal Perspective

This thesis selects both the Chinese and English versions of the White Papers on environment-related topics issued by the Chinese government.Based on the sub-system of the Appraisal Theory proposed by Martin,the research materials are processed under the framework of the Attitude System with them identified and annotated according to the three sub-types of the Attitude System,which are the Affect resources,Judgement resources and Appreciation resources.After the processing of the research materials,the distribution and frequency of the Attitude resources of each version of the White Papers can be analyzed respectively based on the data acquired.Meanwhile,a comparative analysis is conducted on the differences between the distribution and frequency of the two versions,how such differences are used to emphasize and send different information,and what kind of country image is built in front of different audiences.Based on the analysis of the Attitude resources of the two versions of environment-related White Papers,the result of this thesis shows that the distribution and frequency of Attitude resources of the two versions of research materials are approximately the same with some insignificant differences working for different purposes.The same about the two versions is that the positive and affirmative Attitude resources are used more often in both versions,with the aim to show the positive attitude and the strong stand the Chinese government has towards the environmental problems,and the vital importance the government attaches on such topics.These positive and affirmative resources are also conveyed to the audiences of the White Papers in order to stimulate the same positive attitude.The other thing the two versions have in common is that the Affect resources take up the largest proportion among all the Attitude resources,followed up by the Judgement resources and the Appreciation resources.Even though with the distribution of the Affect resources being on top,the un/happiness and dis/satisfaction resources are avoided in order not to show personal emotions in the official document.Meanwhile,the majority of the Affect resources identified in the texts are inclination used to express the government’s strong stand and inclination towards alleviating environmental problems,and security resources used to raise confidence and sense of security of the domestic audience in their country and government.According to the comparative analysis of the two versions,the result shows that there are some insignificant differences among different types of Attitude resources working for different purposes.The occurrence of the English version’s Affect resources is 568,and the one of the Chinese version’s is 580;the occurrence of the English version’s Judgement resources is 226,while the one of the Chinese version’s is 235;The occurrence of Appreciation resources of the English version is 337,and the one of the Chinese version is 346.After analyzing examples from the text,the reason is that the difference is made to cater to different audiences: for domestic audience,the government wants to build a dependable and credible image;But in front of the abroad audience,the Chinese government intends to build a pragmatic and responsible image,and let the world know that China is a country of actions rather than slogans.