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Translation and Foreign Language Learning

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ArticleTranslation Theories and Skills http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.10.005

Conceptual Metaphors in Chinese Diplomatic Discourse and Their Korean Translation

Xiaodan Hou*, Yiming Zhang

Qufu Normal University, Rizhao 276800, Shandong, China.

*Corresponding author: Liyu Yang

This paper is a phased achievement of the Youth Project of the Ministry of Education Humanities and Social Sciences Fund, titled “The Translation and Dissemination of Major-Country Diplomacy with Chinese Characteristics for the New Era in South Korea” (Project No.: 23YJC740022).
Published: October 31, 2025

Abstract

Conceptual metaphor in diplomatic discourse functions not merely as rhetorical embellishment but as a cognitive instrument that enhances linguistic persuasiveness and facilitates intercultural communication. Consequently, the interpretation and translation of diplomatic metaphor constitute a pivotal factor in bilateral diplomatic understanding. Drawing on a parallel corpus of diplomatic statements retrieved from the official website of the Chinese Embassy in South Korea, this paper examines the typological features of conceptual metaphor embedded in China’s diplomatic discourse and investigates the corresponding Korean translation methods. The analysis identifies three dominant categories: structural metaphor, ontological metaphor, and orientational metaphor. To handle these diplomatic metaphors, four translation techniques are systematically employed: (i) image retention, (ii) image deletion, (iii) image substitution, and (iv) image supplementation with annotation. The findings provide an empirically grounded framework for translating conceptual metaphor in diplomatic contexts and offer reference resources for trainee diplomatic interpreters and translation professionals.

Keyword

Diplomatic discourse; conceptual metaphor; Korean translation methods

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Copyright

© 2025 by the author(s).
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not modified or adapted.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

How to cite this paper

Conceptual Metaphors in Chinese Diplomatic Discourse and Their Korean Translation

How to cite this paper: Xiaodan Hou, Yiming Zhang. (2025). Conceptual Metaphors in Chinese Diplomatic Discourse and Their Korean Translation. Translation and Foreign Language Learning1(3), 425-431.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/tfll.2025.10.005