Metaphor Translation For Narrative Reframing In Diplomatic Discourse

The use of metaphor has become one of the prominent features of China’s diplomatic discourse,and metaphor translation is one of the major difficulties for diplomatic translators.Since diplomatic discourse contains abundant narrative contents,metaphor in diplomatic discourse is more than a rhetorical device.It serves as a narrative device to construct diplomatic narratives and signal diplomatic stances.Narratives with metaphors are implicit and rich in cultural connotations.To make the translation of diplomatic discourse comprehensible,translators tend to adjust metaphors and thus reframe the whole narratives.In recent years,some countries led by the US constantly stigmatize China in the name of defending human rights.To refute the rumors,Chinese Foreign Ministry spokespersons have been offering verified,convincing narratives.The metaphors employed in the narratives and their English translated versions are worth investigating.Drawing on Mona Baker’s Narrative Theory,this study explores how translators reframe metaphorical narratives in diplomatic translation.The data to be analyzed are collected from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokespersons’ responses on human rights issue and their English translated versions,with a time frame from August 1 2021 to July 31 2022.Altogether 411 pairs of Chinese metaphors and their English translated versions are identified in the 117 texts collected for the study.Deviations are firstly identified through a comparative analysis of the source metaphorical texts and their translations.Then the study investigates what framing strategies are responsible for these deviations and discusses how the metaphorical narratives change in the process of reframing.It is found that the framing strategies of selective appropriation and framing by relabeling are frequently used in diplomatic translation to adjust metaphors and reframe narratives.In the process of reframing,the diplomatic narratives show changes in terms of narrative elements,stances and features.Specifically,metaphorical elements in the diplomatic narratives are found relabeled or selectively appropriated through addition or omission;the stance of a narrative may be thus accentuated or undermined;the reframing leads to new features in the narratives,such as being more explicit,comprehensible and idiomatic,or being less euphemistic and aesthetic.Based on the above findings,the thesis discusses the possible factors that motivate translators to reframe metaphorical narratives.The study is expected to shed some light on the practice of metaphor translation in diplomatic discourse.