On The Addition Strategy In Press Conference Interpretation

With deepening of reform and opening-up and advancement of globalization, China, as the largest developing country in the world, plays a more important role in the international arena. More exchanges are made in politics, economy and culture among countries. Every year on March during NPC and CPPCC sessions, the press conference has become an important channel for the world to know more about China. Compared with general interpretation, the features of press conference are more serious in themes, formal in contents and sensitive in language. The quality of press conference interpretation (PCI) will directly affect Chinese image in the world.This thesis studies on-the-spot interpretation from the Premier Li Keqiang’s talk after the conclusion of NPC and CPPCC sessions mainly in 2013 and one of common-used interpretation strategies—addition. First, this thesis introduces the concept and features of PCI, concept and function of addition strategy as well as relations between them. Second, the author presents major reasons for applying addition strategy by making contrastive study between English and Chinese through the analysis of different sentence structures, word usage, habitual expressions, politics, culture, and modes of thinking. This thesis selects materials from on-the-spot interpretation activity from the Premier’s talk for conducting cases analysis, aiming at summarizing types of additions in Chinese to English (C-E) interpretation as two categories, including linguistic and non-linguistic levels and other specific groups. Moreover, according to those detailed analysis of cases, the application of addition strategy in PCI is highly reinforced.A large number of cases analyses in this thesis show us the importance and necessity of addition strategy on press conference. Adding relevant information is not only faithful to the original text but also prominent in connection, certainty, logic and completeness of the interpretation to avoid ambiguity as well as not to twist original meanings. All of these can conform completely to English expression habits and demands so as to make good effect on communication and promote further understanding towards China for other countries worldwide.