A Study Of The Strategies Of Interpreting The Fuzzy Language In Foreign Affairs Speeches

Fuzziness is one of the essential characteristics of language and there are a large number of fuzzy expressions in the language of human beings.In 1965,L.A.Zadeh,an American scientist,came up with the theory of Fuzzy Set,stimulating new studies related to fuzziness,such as fuzzy logic,fuzzy math,and fuzzy linguistics.Since then,scholars from home and abroad have begun to research into fuzzy language.However,most of the studies focused on the fuzziness of language from the perspective of linguistics and there were few studies examining the fuzzy language in foreign affairs interpreting like the diplomatic speech or press conference interpreting.Foreign affairs interpreting includes interpreting for the press conference,diplomatic activities like foreign visit,foreign communication,press conference,speech,state banquet,etc.These activities are of vital significance because they aim to promote the exchanges and understanding between countries and represent countries' international images and status.The press conferences held during the Chinese NPC and CPPCC are important foreign affairs activities in China.With the growth of China and its increasing foreign exchanges,the conferences have gained more attention,thus becoming one of the crucial channels for countries around the world to know about China.As a result,the research on press conference interpreting during the two sessions has become an important aspect in the study of foreign affairs interpreting,attracting increasingly much attention from the interpreting researchers.There is a large amount of fuzzy language in the press conferences due to its sensitivity.Therefore,it is of vital importance to find the proper methods to interpret them and accurately convey the meaning of the speaker.This thesis tries to apply the theory of fuzzy language to analyzing the press conference interpreting during the two sessions in China and summarize related strategies of interpreting the fuzzy languages in it,which could provide reference to the interpretation of foreign affairs speeches.This author collects from the website of Chinese Foreign Ministry the interpreting texts of the press conferences held by Premier Li Keqiang from 2013 to 2016.After being checked and transcribed,they are used as materials for this study.After discussing the concept,functions and classifications of the fuzzy language,the author uses the qualitative analysis to explore the methods used by the interpreters to deal with the fuzzy language in the press conference.Then the author summarizes two main strategies: keep the fuzzy information and replace the fuzzy information with a more accurate one.The specific approaches include literal translation,supplement,conversion,addition,omission,paraphrase,and explanation.This study is beneficial for the interpreters to have a better understanding of the usage of the fuzzy language in the foreign affair speeches and ways of interpreting it,thus providing guidance for foreign affairs interpreting.It will also help to enrich the study in the field of fuzzy language and foreign affairs interpreting.