Translation of Government Portal News from an International Communication Perspective: A Case Study

Abstract

The government portal in a foreign language is an important communication platform for improving city image and promoting international exchanges. News translation for the portal is in nature a communication act. To achieve good communication effect, Lasswell’s 5Ws model can serve as useful guidance. In the translation process, translators need to familiarize themselves with the differences between news in English and news in Chinese and translate with an initiator-awareness so as to ensure correct translation of political expressions, expressions on China’s stand and meaning conveyed in the original Chinese news, with an target-reader awareness so as to decide what to translate and translate in a way that is readable and acceptable to target readers, and with a communication-effect awareness so as to increase cognitive alignment in target language readers.