Interpreting Strategy Under The Theory Of Functional Equivalence

In the 1980s, along with the deepening of the opening up policy and reform, China’s economic and cultural exchanges with the world were increased. Interpreting plays a significant role and serves as a bridge in the international communication. Culture needs language as its carrier and the interpreter to express it in the cross-culture communication. There are many causes that lead to the failure of the interpretive communication, among which difference between the source language and the target language is deriving from their different cultures is an important one. Therefore, cultural difference matters much more in the interpretive events, and exerts significant influences. In a word, the interpreter’s work is not only a linguistic process, but also a communication of culture.This thesis focuses on the interpreting strategy under the Theory of Functional Equivalence. In other words,the thesis is to illustrate that the interpret acts as a bridge not only in the cultural publicity,but in cultural communications.The thesis applies the theory of functional equivalence to analyze Premier Li Keqiang’s press conference. First, the thesis introduces the research background, the purpose, the significance, and its structure, introducing the current state of the English-Chinese interpreting. Second, the documents of the theory of functional equivalence was reviewed, generalizing and classifying the previous research on the theory, which shows that under the guidance of the theory of functional equivalence, the interpreter’s communication is more of culture than of usual language. In the heart of the thesis, Premier Li Keqiang’s interview with the press is analyzed in terms of the barriers derived from the cultural difference, which is subdivided into two aspects:first, the information loss due to the cultural difference; and second, the misinterpretation resulted from the cultural difference. Lastly, it is discussed that in the interpretive practice, they should employ different interpreting strategy and skill tactically according to circumstances, like literal translation, free translation etc., to reduce communication barriers resulted from the cultural difference.