InterpretationofbuzzwordrenxingatTwoSessions

DingXin

【Abstract】A buzzword renxing from Two Sessions has made headlines in domestic and overseas media. Now the word has an authority interpretation--capricious. The interpreter Zhang Lei has become a celebrity overnight. However，according to interpretive theory，the first interpretation theory initiated by French translator Danica Seleskovitch，there seems much more room for improving the interpretation of renxing.

【Key words】renxing； Two Sessions； interpretive theory

At a meeting of March 3，spokesman of CPPCC，Lv Xinhua responded a question about anti-corruption with a buzzword renxing before his interpreter Zhang Lei agilely interpreted it as capricious. Zhangs original interpretation follows as below：“I should say，the Party，the government，and the general public actually adopt the same attitude when it comes to anti-corruption. So we can be said to be capricious in fighting against corruption，and we are entitled to be so.”

Capricious literally means showing sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior （Oxford Dictionary，2009）. Usually it was a word with a negative meaning. Chinese Dictionary illustrates that the word renxing includes three different meanings. The most acceptable one is that a change of opinion or behavior without reason（The Modern Chinese Dictionary，2012）. From the perspective of single words，Chinese word renxing seems equal to its English interpretation capricious.

The interpretive theory states that there are three levels of interpreting，which are respectively lexical level，sentence level and discourse level. Basically，the interpreting on the lexical level is what we usually say word-for-word interpreting. Then interpreting on sentence level is to interpret the meaning of a sentence without considering the context； consequently，only the interpreting on discourse level can achieve the goal of interpreting-to establish the equivalence of communicative sense between discourses in different languages.

Generally，interpretive theory regards that interpretation should attach importance to messages understanding and presentation rather than blindly following the form and structure of source texts. Herewith，the literal translation of renxing as capricious seems to be at odds with interpretive theory.

Interpretation must take context into consideration. The words renxing was associated with anti-graft issues and the original sentence announced by spokesman Lv Xinhua was “有老虎的話，把他拉出来，大家都很任性。在这一点上，没有分歧。” Apparently，renxing here was transformed as a positive word. Capricious is a word with explicitly negative meaning. It is completely misleading to interpret renxing as capricious.

In the light of interpretive theory，the word renxing clearly means that people are all determined to combat corruption by analyzing the context of Lvs words. So the suitable interpretation for renxing should be determined or unswerving. Sometimes，to ensure the message come across to the audience，interpreters can use strategy of liberal translation to tackle the tricky words，such as renxing.

One more example about quoting the word renxing at Two sessions was the occasion when Prime Minister Li Keqiang was delivering a government work report. The word renxing said by Li was not translated as capricious. China Daily translated as ” powers should not be held without good reason.” in the method of liberal translation.

Good mastery of Chinese and English languages is a prerequisite for professional interpreters at Two Sessions，yet it is barely enough to tackle the volatile and abrupt problems. Spokesmen are entitled to quote the buzzword freely，so interpreters must be adaptive to the kind to emergencies. Considering this，It is fairly acceptable for Zhang Lei to translate renxing as capricious，especially on the occasion of solemnity and urgency.

Admittedly，renxing is a buzzword characterized with Chinas culture. Sometimes culture could be a barrier for understanding and translation，also requiring interpreters unremitting efforts to crack it down. How to interpret renxing is not only about the quality of interpretation，but，more importantly，concerning the messages sent by modern China.

Author's brief introduction

Dingxin（December 25，1993），female，the Han nationality ，Taizhou，Jiangsu province，undergraduate，study direction：translation and interpretation.