A study on English translation strategies of “Natural Metaphors” in China’s rural revitalization discourse—A case study of the white paper China’s Green Development in the New Era
中国乡村振兴话语中“自然隐喻”的英译策略研究——以《新时代的中国绿色发展》白皮书为例

摘要

本文旨在探讨中国乡村振兴话语对外传播中“自然隐喻”的英译策略，以提升中国政治话语的国际传播效能与感召力。研究以莱考夫与约翰逊的概念隐喻理论为框架，选取《新时代的中国绿色发展》白皮书为语料，将文本中的自然隐喻划分为结构、实体及方位隐喻三类，系统分析其在跨文化语境下的认知映射机制与转换逻辑。研究发现，自然隐喻的翻译本质是生态认知的跨语际转换。译者针对基于人类共通体验的方位隐喻，多采用直译策略实现无障碍映射；针对具文化差异的结构与实体隐喻，则灵活运用意译、重构或去隐喻化手段消解认知隔阂，同时对承载独特民族情感的核心意象保留异化直译。结论指出，成功的政治隐喻翻译需在“文化自信”与“沟通实效”间寻求动态平衡。本研究揭示了乡村振兴话语隐喻翻译的认知规律，为构建融通中外的对外话语体系提供了理论参照与实践路径。

Abstract

This paper investigates English translation strategies for “natural metaphors” in China’s rural revitalization discourse, aiming to enhance the international appeal of Chinese political discourse. Grounded in Lakoff and Johnson’s Conceptual Metaphor Theory, the study analyzes the white paper China’s Green Development in the New Era by categorizing natural metaphors into structural, ontological, and orientational types to examine their cross-cultural cognitive mapping.
Results indicate that translating natural metaphors entails an interlingual conversion of ecological cognition. While translators favor literal translation for orientational metaphors based on shared human experiences, they employ flexible strategies—including free translation, reconstruction, and demetaphorization—for structural and ontological metaphors to bridge cultural gaps, preserving foreignization only for core, culturally-loaded images. The study concludes that successful political metaphor translation necessitates a dynamic balance between “cultural confidence” and “communicative effectiveness,” offering theoretical and practical insights for constructing a coherent global discourse system.