Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Language and Cultural Communication (ICLCC 2026)

4th International Conference on Language and Cultural Communication (ICLCC 2026)

📍Beijing, China🗓️ 24-26 April 2026
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Modulation of Obligation Strength in the English–Chinese Translation of Diplomatic Texts: A Case Study of COP29 Decisions

Authors
Fangyuan Zhu1, *
1School of Languages and Communication Studies, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing, 100044, China
*Corresponding author. Email: yuanfang20468@163.com
Corresponding Author
Fangyuan Zhu
Available Online 13 July 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-597-3_36How to use a DOI?
Keywords
modulation; obligation adjustment; diplomatic translation; deontic modality; Systemic Functional Linguistics
Abstract

This study investigates the adjustment of deontic obligation strength in the English–Chinese translation of COP29 Decisions. Integrating Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) with pragmatic equivalence, it constructs a parallel corpus (N = 830 segments) to analyze the interpersonal functions of “urges-type” performative verbs. Quantitative results reveal a systematic recalibration of obligation strength, notably negotiation-oriented mitigation (40%) for urges, action-oriented intensification (59.4%) for invites, and stance-oriented intensification (12.1%) for notes. Qualitative synthesis demonstrates that these shifts are not arbitrary but contingent upon contextual variables, specifically the interplay between agency and clause content. The study proposes a Context-Driven Modulation Adjustment Model, framing diplomatic translation as a dynamic equilibrium that balances directive force with professional prudence. These findings help clarify how diplomatic translation balances cooperative positioning with directive pressure in climate governance discourse, and they suggest the value of developing translators’ institutional sensitivity alongside lexical accuracy.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Language and Cultural Communication (ICLCC 2026)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
13 July 2026
ISBN
978-2-38476-597-3
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-597-3_36How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Fangyuan Zhu
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/13
TI  - Modulation of Obligation Strength in the English–Chinese Translation of Diplomatic Texts: A Case Study of COP29 Decisions
BT  - Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Language and Cultural Communication (ICLCC 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 327
EP  - 333
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-597-3_36
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-597-3_36
ID  - Zhu2026
ER  -