Translation For China’s Globalcomminication:a Narrative Account

In the context of globalization, our government has a strong desire of―goingglobal‖and the international community has an eagerness for knowing China as well.Translation for China‘s Global Communication (TCGC) is an important channel formeeting wishes of both sides, and therefore Studies on TCGC is of great significance.Currently though some progress has been scored in this field, Studies on TCGC stillhas the following problems: First, as a foundation for its own development, Studies onTCGC is yet to clarify some of its basic concepts, develop its unified theoreticaldiscourse and improve its overall structure. Next, Studies on TCGC needs to updateits research approach from solely employing qualitative analysis to combining bothqualitative analysis and quantitative analysis such as by using corpus. Last but not theleast, the previous studies of TCGC mainly summarize their practical experiences inthe TCGC, or indiscriminately apply the―in-coming‖translation theories to theTCGC. Therefore, Studies on TCGC calls for a systematic, profound,cross-disciplinary―out-going‖translation theory, which should not only conform tothe features of the TCGC, but also strike a balance both in the micro and macro wayor both theoretically and practically in the Studies on TCGC.In view of those problems, it is suggested that Studies on TCGC should enhanceitself from framework building, practical research and theoretical study for itssustained development. This paper will venture an exploration into the theoreticalstudy of TCGC. As is known, narratology has developed from the phase of classicalnarratology to that of post-classical narratolgy by evolving from being singular tobeing plural, from being close to being open, from being static to being dynamic, thushaving its potential for interpreting academic questions both in the micro and macroway or both theoretically and practically. TCGC, as a special form of translation, is atransnational, inter-lingual, cross-cultural international communication activity inwhich all kinds of China‘s information and ideas are turned into foreign languagesand transferred to foreign receptors through various media and channels. By actively communicating China‘s information and ideas, its purpose is to make Chinaunderstood by the world, constitute a good international image, enhance the softpower of Chinese culture and build a favorable international environment for China‘smodernization drive. This paper explores the possibility of applying narratology to thestudy of TCGC.In fact, narratolygy and TCGC indeed share some common points. Above all,both claim to―tell stories‖in terms of their definition. Narration is defined as telling―everyday stories we live by‖(Mona Baker,2006:3). TCGC is to tell China‘s storiesto the world with internationally-accepted ways of expression. Second, both are acommunication activity in terms of function. Though classical narratology confinesnarrative communication to text only, post-classical narratology has shattered thefetters of text and shifted their focus to context and reader, hence restoring the originalmeaning of communication. TCGC, as a special form of translation with thecommunicative nature, is also a communication activity; moreover, it is atransnational, inter-lingual and cross-cultural communication activity. Therefore, atthis point both also meet. In addition, narratology and TCGC have a theoreticalpotential for chemical reactions. Some key structuralist concepts in the classicalnarratology such as narrative time, narrative perspective and narrative structure can beadopted to analyze the micro text of TCGC; non-structuralist concepts like reader,context and ideology in the post-classical narratology can also be employed tointerpret TCGC ideologically and analyze the narrative material selection and thenarrative reception of TCGC. Therefore, narratology is one of the theories whichTCGC can draw inspirations from.Then this paper, by drawing on the strong points of classical narratology andpost-classical narratology (Mona Baker‘s narrative theory in particular), makes acomprehensive narrative account of the translation process for China‘s globalcommunication in the broad sense, namely, the narrative material selection, thenarrative reframing process and the narrative reception of non-literary TCGC, with afocus on the narrative reframing process, in other words, the translation process forChina‘s global communication in the narrow sense. After that, several conclusions are obtained: In the narrative material selection, the TCGC translator should select thenarrative materials in the narrative framing of TCGC while taking the ideology of thepatronage, the requirements of the narrative receptor and communicative rules intoconsideration. In the narrative framing process, the translator has to make are-narration both on the micro textual level (from narrative time, narrative perspectiveto narrative structure) and on the macro ideological level (from temporal and spatialframing, selective appropriation of textual material, framing by labeling torepositioning of participants). In doing so, the translator intends to build a textualbridge for narrative communication and an ideological fence for narrative competition.In the narrative reception, the translator should adopt a dual strategy by combingdomestication and foreignization, and employ China English when necessary, for(s)he has to consider the dual nature of TCGC on the one hand and the narrativereceptor‘s reception ability on the other hand. Meanwhile, for the sake of the narrativereceptor, the translator should also make use of transediting such as deletion, additionand recasting in the translation process to improve the narrative reception effect.From above, it is obvious that this paper has three shining points: First, literarynarratology is applied to non-literary TCGC, which broadens both the scope ofnarratology and the horizon of Studies on TCGC. Second, this paper, by applyingnarratology to TCGC critically, makes a comprehensive narrative account of thetranslation process for China‘s global communication in the broad sense from threeaspects, namely, the narrative material selection, the narrative reframing process andthe narrative reception and reveals in particular that the narrative reframing process,that is, the translation process for China‘s global communication in the narrow sense,is a renarration both on the micro textual level and on the macro ideological level. Inthe former, the translator means to build a textual bridge for narrative communication;in the latter,(s) he intends to make an ideological fence for narrative competition.Third, a systematic, profound, cross-disciplinary―out-going‖translation theory isproposed, which not only conforms to the features of the TCGC but also strikes abalance both in micro and macro way or both theoretically and practically in theStudies on TCGC. It is expected that this study can not only reveal the nature of TCGC in the light of narratology, contribute to in the Studies on TCGC andTranslation Studies at large, but also serve the―going global‖strategy of Chineseculture both in practice and in theory.