Interpretation Strategies Of Diplomatic Vague Language Under Relevance Theory

Vagueness is generally regarded as an inherent property of language.Vague language is quite common in diplomatic situations,where diplomats often intentionally use vague language to achieve specific diplomatic purposes.Effectively interpreting vague language poses a challenge for interpreters,but research combining diplomatic interpretation with vague language is currently limited.Therefore,by adopting qualitative and case study methods,this study takes the remarks of 36 regular press conferences of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2022 as the research materials,classifies the vague language in diplomatic interpretation,and analyzes the interpretation of vague language in foreign affairs with the help of Relevance Theory.According to Relevance Theory,interpretation is essentially a process of ostensive-inferential communication.Interpreters infer the speaker’s communicative intention on the basis of ostensive acts and contextual assumptions.When interpreting,interpreters must select appropriate target language that listeners can understand with adequate contextual effects based on the principle of optimal relevance.It is found that the types of vague language commonly used by spokespersons include deixis,subjective adjectives,abstract words,and hedges,among which abstract words are the most frequent.Interpreters tend to use three strategies-interpreting vagueness to vagueness,vagueness to accuracy,and omission-to help target language audience achieve optimal relevance and obtain the best contextual effects through the ostensiveinferential process.In this thesis,Relevance Theory is applied to explore the phenomenon of diplomatic vague language.The study is expected to provide guidance for the research on interpretation strategies of diplomatic vague language and to expand the application of Relevance Theory to a certain extent.