Author(s)

Rongqin Li ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ School of Foreign Languages, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou, 730000, China

Corresponding Author

Rongqin Li

ABSTRACT

Vagueness is an intrinsic property of natural language and a typical feature of diplomatic discourse. As China's diplomatic engagements expand alongside its development as a major country, diplomatic interpreting, a core part of cross-cultural communication, exerts a direct impact on national interest delivery and international image building. Due to the strong political sensitivity of diplomatic language, spokespersons frequently adopt vague wording to reconcile stance formulation and communicative flexibility for safeguarding national interests and core positions, yet such usage poses tough challenges for interpreters. Relevant existing studies are insufficient in contextualized research on diplomatic vague language interpretation, hence this thesis adopts qualitative and case study methods based on China's 2024 MFA regular press conferences to analyze its interpreting under Relevance Theory. From the perspective of Relevance Theory, interpreting constitutes an ostensive-inferential communication process requiring interpreters to deduce implicit communicative intentions from contextualized ostensive behaviors and abide by optimal relevance to deliver effortlessly comprehensible target-language expressions. The paper categorizes frequently-used vague language into demonstratives, subjective adjectives, abstract nouns and hedges (the most widely applied). Three interpreting strategies are summarized: vague-for-vague translation, precise rendering of vagueness and omission, facilitating audiences' optimal relevance and accurate comprehension of diplomatic intentions. This research offers practical interpreting guidance, advances interdisciplinary integration of pragmatics and interpreting, and broadens research coverage for both diplomatic vagueness and Relevance Theory's application.

KEYWORDS

Diplomatic Interpreting; Vague Language; Relevance Theory; Interpreting Strategies

CITE THIS PAPER

Rongqin Li. A Study on the Interpretation Strategies of Diplomatic Vague Language from the Perspective of Relevance Theory: A Case Study of the Regular Press Conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2024. Lecture Notes on Language and Literature (2026). Vol. 9, No.1, 116-124. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/langl.2026.090117.

REFERENCES

[1] Gile, D. Basic Concepts and Models for Interpreter and Translator Training(Rev. ed.)[M]. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing,2009.
[2] Channell, J. Vague Language[M]. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994.
[3] Gutt, E A. Translation and Relevance: Cognition and Context[M]. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1991.
[4] Lakoff, G. Hedges: A Study in Meaning Criteria and the Logic of Fuzzy Concepts[J]. Journal of Philosophical Logic, 1973, 2(4): 458-508.
[5] Sperber, D, Wilson, D. Relevance: Communication and Cognition[M]. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 1986.
[6] Zadeh, L A. Fuzzy Sets[J]. Information and Control, 1965, 8(3): 338-353.
[7] Deng Y T. A Research on Fuzzy Language in Diplomatic Interpreting from the Perspective of Relevance Theory[D]. Beijing: China Foreign Affairs University, 2023.
[8] Hao M. Translation Strategies of Fuzzy Language in Diplomatic Interpreting Under Skopos Theory: A Case Study of Press Conference Interpreting[J]. Overseas English, 2016(14): 88-90.
[9] He Z R, Ran Y P. An Introduction to Pragmatics[M]. Changsha: Hunan Education Press, 2002.
[10] Qu L Z. Research on Fuzzy Language in Chinese-English Diplomatic Interpreting Based on Cooperative Principle[D]. Guangzhou: Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, 2024.
[11] Wang L, Li T. A Corpus-based Research on Hedges in Chinese-English Conference Interpreting[J]. Chinese Translators Journal, 2015, 36(5): 96-100.
[12] Zhang B Q. Stylistic Transfer Strategies of Fuzzy Expressions in Diplomatic Interpreting[D]. Jinan: Shandong University, 2023.
[13] Zhang P J. A Course in English-Chinese Translation[M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2018.
[14] Zhang Y T, Guo Y P. Foreign Affairs Translation Strategies from the Perspective of Functional Equivalence[J]. Overseas English, 2021(12): 79-80.

Sponsors, Associates, and Links

---

• Journal of Language Testing & Assessment
  
  
• Information and Knowledge Management
  
  
• Military and Armament Science
  
  
• Media and Communication Research
  
  
• Journal of Human Movement Science
  
  
• Art and Performance Letters
  
  
• Lecture Notes on History
  
  
• Philosophy Journal
  
  
• Science of Law Journal
  
  
• Journal of Political Science Research
  
  
• Journal of Sociology and Ethnology
  
  
• Advances in Broadcasting