When translation meets dissemination: Translations of the Chinese diplomatic term Mìngyùn Gòngtóngtǐ in English news reports

Abstract

English news reports have disseminated discrete translations of the Chinese diplomatic term Mingyun Gongtongti (a community with a shared future). This study scrutinizes the numbers, contents, and attitudes of English news reports to evaluate whether and how modifications in the translation of this term changed its dissemination. A corpus of English news reports incorporating translations of this diplomatic term was constructed for this study. Subsequently, semantic network analysis, machine-based sentiment analysis, and manual analysis of affect markers in accordance with the Appraisal System were performed. The study results revealed that amendments in how the term was translated caused changes in its dissemination. The number and overall positivity of news reports increased significantly and the contents of news reports became more specific after the translation changed to a community with a shared future. However, Western news reports subtly steered the discernment of the term by their audiences. They strategically selected linguistic resources to express their concerns and display unsupportive attitudes toward the term. This positioning emanated partly from ideological differences, profit maximization motives, and geopolitical tensions. This study argues that translations of diplomatic discourses must be restricted by factors in the field of communication. The role of translation in the making of international politics through media, as well as the role played by the media in the handling of international relationships by translating terms and broadcasting their renditions, are of great significance.