Reception of the Interpretation of China’s Political Discourse in English-language Media and Variations in China’s Image

Abstract Studies of the language interpretation of Chinese political discourse usually focus on the interpretation product through a textual analysis conducted between the source and target-language texts. Few studies touch upon the reception and implications of this specific type of interpretation in English-language media. This study aims to investigate the proportion of different types of representations in media coverage and the variations in China’s image. Firstly, we present the distribution of different types of representation; this is followed by a calculation of the frequency of appraisal epithets within the appraisal system; finally, the study identifies various translation strategies employed in government interpretation and media reports, and the variations in China’s image. The evidence suggests the statistical significance of both equaled and downgraded images between the government interpretation and media translation; furthermore, government interpretation presenting more cases of equaled images, and media translation produced a higher number of downgraded images.