A Survey Of Chinese Diplomatic Interpreting

The study object of this paper is Chinese diplomatic interpreting (CDI). Thispaper tries to present a panoramic picture of CDI from three aspects: Chinesediplomatic activities and related interpreting activities, Chinese diplomatic interpretersand diplomatic training institutions. Diplomatic activity is not only the origin ofinterpreting, but also the prerequisite of the existence of interpreting, they areinseparable; diplomatic interpreters’ activities can reflect the general condition ofinterpretation at that time; the scale of diplomatic training institutions can show therise and fall of this industry. This paper is based on literature research on CDI. Thisauthor describes CDI diachronically, compares the past and present situations of CDIand analyzes the changes of CDI in three aspects: professional status, diplomaticinterpreters’ role and training institutions. By reviewing and analyzing the past andpresent situation of CDI, this author draws some implications for the futuredevelopment of CDI: first, establishing a set of scientific approach to trainingdiplomatic interpreters in China is possible; second, with the increasing specializationof the division of interpreting work, diplomatic interpreters need to choose a field astheir major.