Translating Chinese Proverbs in Diplomatic Discourse: A Political Equivalence Approach

Abstract

This paper examines the challenges of translating proverbs in the diplomatic discourse, with a focus on Chinese proverbs. In diplomatic discourse, proverbs play an important role in conveying messages and cultural nuances. Understanding and translating these proverbs is therefore crucial in international relations and diplomacy. Using the proverb “Let he who tied the bell [on the tiger’s neck] take it off'” (解铃还须系铃人, Jiě líng hái xū xì líng rén) as a case study, the paper analyzes how President Xi Jinping and other Chinese officials use the saying in high level context and how it is rendered in official English readout and international media, alongside translation in other languages. The study codes observed rendering into four forms (T1-T4), ranging from minimal literal to full imagery and paraphrase, and evaluates them through Political Equivalence (political orientation, equilibrium and dynamics). The analysis shows that full imagery version what include “on the tiger’s neck” often improves cross-cultural intelligibility while retaining the proverbs responsibility logic, whereas paraphrase maximizes immediacy at the cost of rhetorical projection. These findings suggest that proverb translation in diplomatic discourse should align with communicative purpose and political sensitivity.