Dezheng (William) Feng – författare

Nowadays, discourse analysis deals with not only texts but also paratexts and images; so do translation and interpreting studies. Therefore, the concept of multimodality has become an increasingly important topic in the subject areas of linguistics, discourse analysis and translation studies. However, up to now not much research has been done systematically on multimodal factors in translation and interpreting, and even less in exploring research models or methodologies for multimodal analysis in translation and interpreting.

This book aims to introduce and apply different theories of the multimodal discourse analysis to the study of translations, with case studies on Chinese classics such as the Monkey King, Mulan and The Art of War, as well as on interpretations of up-to-date issues including the Chinese Belt and Road Initiatives and Macao tourism.

The chapters reflect the first attempts to apply multimodal approaches to translation and interpreting with a special focus on Chinese-English translations and interpreting. They provide new understandings of transformations in the multimodal translation process and useful reference models for researchers who are interested in doing research of a similar kind, especially for those who are interested in looking into translations related to Chinese language, literature and culture.

Nowadays, discourse analysis deals with not only texts but also paratexts and images; so do translation and interpreting studies. Therefore, the concept of multimodality has become an increasingly important topic in the subject areas of linguistics, discourse analysis and translation studies. However, up to now not much research has been done systematically on multimodal factors in translation and interpreting, and even less in exploring research models or methodologies for multimodal analysis in translation and interpreting.

This book aims to introduce and apply different theories of the multimodal discourse analysis to the study of translations, with case studies on Chinese classics such as the Monkey King, Mulan and The Art of War, as well as on interpretations of up-to-date issues including the Chinese Belt and Road Initiatives and Macao tourism.

The chapters reflect the first attempts to apply multimodal approaches to translation and interpreting with a special focus on Chinese-English translations and interpreting. They provide new understandings of transformations in the multimodal translation process and useful reference models for researchers who are interested in doing research of a similar kind, especially for those who are interested in looking into translations related to Chinese language, literature and culture.

This book helps readers to understand communication and society in contemporary China through systematic analysis of multimodal discourse at the national, institutional, and individual levels. China has undergone profound changes during the past decade or so. Politically, the Chinese government has been more proactive in domestic governance and foreign policies, as manifested in the Chinese Dream campaign and the national image publicity films respectively. Hand-in-hand with the socio-political change is the rapid development of new media, which has been changing how corporates do business, how institutions brand their images, as well as how individuals construct their identities and social relations. These developments have brought about significant changes to the discursive practices at the national, institutional, and individual level, characterized by the extensive use of multimodal resources and distinct promotional purposes.

Feng systematically investigates and discusses the new discursive features in relation to relevant socio-cultural contexts. The analysis and discussion provide researchers with a social semiotic perspective on various aspects of communicative and social changes in contemporary China. The book also contributes to the growing field of multimodality by developing a set of cross-disciplinary analytical frameworks to deal with complex discourse forms in print media, moving images, and new media.

The research findings provide a unique Chinese perspective on a broad spectrum of issues such as discursive governance, nation branding, university marketization, and identity performance. The book is relevant not only to discourse analysis and multimodality, but also to other disciplines which will benefit from a systematic understanding of Chinese discourse, such as cultural studies, communication studies and area/China studies.