A Research On The Interpretation Of Premier Li Keqiang’’s Press Conference Speeches From The Perspective Of Adaptation Theory

With the further development of economic globalization and China’s raised international standing, China has become more and more involved in world issues, which improves China’s international status increasingly and thus leads to great demands for cross-cultural communication. The annual Premier’s Speech at the Chinese and foreign Press Conference during the two sessions is no doubt the most attractive and authoritative report which delivers China’s latest national conditions and recent development directions to foreign media. It concentrates on politics, economy, culture, education and people’s daily life which surely presents the most important and authoritative information about current China. The speeches at the Premier’s Press Conference use plain and accurate words, concise and informal language, compact and smooth sentences, special culture-loaded terms which make language more appealing and official. However, such unique language characteristics require a more qualified interpreter in the process of translation due to the profound influence both on China’s international reputation and its evaluation by the world.This thesis is an attempt on the interdisciplinary study of interpretation from the perspective of Adaptation Theory put forward by Jef. Verschueren, the head of the Belgium Pragmatics Association, by adopting a method of qualitative analysis to explore adaptation and choice-making on the interpretation of Premier Li Keqiang’s Press Conference. Through the detailed analysis of four angels and classifying each application on the interpretation of Premier’s Press Conference speeches, the thesis elaborates on the application of Adaptation Theory in a more comprehensive way. The author of the thesis tries her hand at proving that the Adaptation Theory has a high explanatory power to the Premier’s Press Conference and through some specific cases with qualitative study methods finds out that the interpreter consciously or subconsciously chooses strategies of Adaptation Theory in his interpreting process. By doing so, this thesis not only provides a new arena in the research of interpretation studies, but also puts forward some enlightenment for the practical interpretation of the press conference.