On the afternoon of May 8, Senior Translator Liu Qiang, Chief English Editor at China Internet Information Center under China International Communications Group (CICG) and author of the column Global Insights Notes, delivered an invited academic lecture for faculty and students of the School of Foreign Languages. The lecture was entitled International Communication of China’s Political Discourse: Translation Dilemmas, Theoretical Reflections and Communication Pathways.

The lecture was presided over by Professor Li Xin, Deputy Director of the Center for Translation and Cross-Cultural Studies. Professor Zhu Yifan, Party Secretary of the School of Foreign Languages, and Associate Professor Tao Qing, Vice Dean and Director of the Department of Translation, attended the event. Scholars from Shanghai International Studies University and other academic institutions, along with translation enthusiasts, took an active part in the lecture.

Focusing on the international communication of China’s political discourse, Mr. Liu Qiang drew on his years of frontline professional experience to deliver insights along three dimensions: practical dilemmas, theoretical exploration and communication pathways. He analyzed the challenges in political discourse translation regarding core positioning and audience reception, and offered an in-depth elaboration on the dynamic interplay between meaning and stylistic expression in translating political documents. He outlined five defining features of China’s political discourse: implicature, ambiguity, standardized fixed expressions, rich rhetorical devices, and extensive use of abbreviations. With real-world examples, he further illustrated the inherent translation challenges and corresponding adaptation strategies. Mr. Liu stressed that the international communication of political discourse goes far beyond simple translation. It requires a proper balance between translation and original discourse creation. By accurately interpreting political concepts, recognizing Sino-Western narrative disparities, and adopting an international audience-oriented perspective, we can forge a shared discourse system and enable more effective global communication of China’s perspectives.

The lecture concluded with lively interaction. Mr. Liu Qiang exchanged views with the audience on such hot topics as the training of translation talents in the AI era, research topics in political discourse translation, and academic paper writing. Rich in content and forward-looking in perspective, the lecture was well received by all participants. It helped SFL faculty and students further improve their academic literacy and translation practical competence, and boosted the high-quality development of the SFL teaching and research.