Context in Diplomatic Interpreting : Coping with Quotations from Classics

Interpreting quotations from classics is considered as one of the most challenging tasks for interpreters, in other words, idioms and quotations are potential problems in the interpreting process due to the fact that they have particular connotations and implications in the source language and culture, which cannot be found in the target language and culture. How will interpreters deal with such kind of expressions in the diplomatic encounter is the main target of the present study. In diplomatic settings the quotations from Chinese classics are not unprecedented but with a long diplomatic history in China. Confucius has said: “if you do not study the Songs, you will find yourself at a loss in conversation （Waley, 1938）.” Although Confucius aims at encouraging his son to study The Book of Songs, In fact under the circumstances of that times, this saying is not only an encouragement of education, but also an indication of the importance of poems and songs in the political and diplomatic settings. The even firm evidence is from Zuozhuan (Zuo’s Commentary), the China’s oldest work of narrative history. The quotation of classics at that time is a special feature of diplomatic discourse. A poem or the part of a poem in the Shi Jing (the Book of Songs) is frequently mentioned in Zuozhuan in connection with matters of divination and court records (Watson, 1989). The ancient politicians quoted the poem to achieve their diplomatic objectives euphemistically or to express their own personal opinions. Through an analysis of the transcripts of recorded annual press conferences where leaders answer questions of the journalists from various countries and regions, this project investigates the professional interpreting practice in the diplomatic encounters. The features of quotations from classics in different contexts, together with the strategies used by the interpreters, are to be analyzed in the present study. This study will not only contribute to the understanding of the strategies used in professional interpreting practice , but will also help to increase the interpreters’ awareness of contextual factors that have a bearing on their performance in specific situations.