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Translation and Foreign Language Learning

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ArticleInterdisciplinary Studies of Translation http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.08.024

Error Analysis of Political Speech Interpretation: A Case Study of Javier Milei’s 2024 Davos Forum Address

Yuanyuan Chen, Yuran Wang*

College of Foreign Languages, Fuzhou University of International Studies and Trade, Fuzhou 350202, Fujian, China.

*Corresponding author: Yuran Wang

Published: September 26,2025

Abstract

As globalization and political multipolarity intensify, cross-border political communication increasingly depends on accurate and effective interpreting. This study examines the Chinese interpretation of Javier Milei's 2024 Davos Forum address through the lens of Error Analysis (EA). Drawing on a purpose-built corpus and contrastive analysis of the source speech and its interpreted output, it identifies recurrent error types—omissions, semantic mistranslations, and non-propositional fillers/disfluencies—and analyzes their distribution. The analysis attributes these errors to limitations in auditory processing, gaps in foreign-language competence, insufficient situational preparedness and stress regulation, and constrained real-time formulation capacity. On this basis, the paper advances targeted recommendations for improving political interpreting: strengthening bilingual competence, integrating technology-enhanced training, increasing field practice coupled with psychological conditioning, and implementing rigorous pretask preparation. Collectively, the findings illuminate the error ecology of high-stakes political interpreting and offer actionable guidance for interpreter training and for enhancing the fidelity and efficiency of international political communication.

Keywords

Error analysis; Corpus; Political interpreting

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How to cite this paper

Error Analysis of Political Speech Interpretation: A Case Study of Javier Milei’s 2024 Davos Forum Address

How to cite this paper: Yuanyuan Chen, Yuran Wang. (2025). Error Analysis of Political Speech Interpretation: A Case Study of Javier Milei’s 2024 Davos Forum Address. Translation and Foreign Language Learning1(1), 149-155.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.08.024