A Study Of The English Translation Of The2013Report On The Work Of The Government From The Perspective Of Nida’s Functional Equivalence Theory

As China rises in power in the world, the interactions between China and the restof the world becomes increasingly frequent. However, conflicts andmisunderstandings abound. Against this backdrop, an effective communicationbecomes ever more urgent. The outside world wants to have a clear and whole pictureof China’s policies and principles while China is more than eager to promote itselfand project a sound image in the international community in a bid for a favorableenvironment for development. The Report on the Work of the Government (RWG)can serve as an ideal media for this purpose. It includes a variety of information onthe social, economic and cultural development status as well as the national blueprint.It belongs to a special type of text, demonstrating both universal and unique linguisticcharacteristics. First, the RWG is delivered orally by the premier at the People’sCongress, yet is written with extreme elaboration. The RWG is composed of a reviewof the achievements made in the past one year and deficiencies, while providing ablueprint for years ahead. With unique authority and authenticity, the RWG enjoyshigh social status and accordingly, its translation should have a clear and precisediction, which has stricter requirements for its translators. However, the study of itsEnglish translation still remains weak and no one has ever done a systematic study ofit so far.Applying Nida’s functional equivalence theory, this thesis studies the Englishtranslation of the2013RWG, highlighting the translation skills and strategies ofpolitical texts.The thesis begins with a general introduction, including the background, thescope and significances, the study methods and the structure of the thesis. In ChapterTwo, a brief introduction of Nida’s functional equivalence theory is presented along with its relevant studies at home and abroad. It also includes the discussion of thefeasibility of Nida’s theory into the translation of the RWG. Chapter Three is focusedon the RWG from the perspective of its writing process, its content, its functions, itscharacteristics and the previous studies of its English translation. Chapter Four gives athorough analysis of the English translation of the2013RWG at the lexical andsyntactic level. The principle of faithfulness is also highlighted. In the concluding part,the implications of the current study are indicated and the limitations are reflectedupon as well as proposals for further studies in this regard.