TITLE:
Micro-Level Negotiation and Cultural Reconstruction in the English Translation of Selected Works of Mao Zedong: A Skopos-Theoretical Perspective
AUTHORS:
Junye Li, Chunqiao Peng
KEYWORDS:
Selected Works of Mao Zedong, Skopos Theory, Political Texts, Micro-Level Metaphors
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.14 No.9,
September
18,
2026
ABSTRACT: The English translations of Selected Works of Mao Zedong constitute a significant achievement in the international dissemination of Chinese political texts and represent an important practice in communicating Chinese political discourse to the global community. Existing studies have primarily focused on macro-level translation issues, such as political terminology and core political metaphors, while relatively limited attention has been paid to the translation of different types of micro-level metaphors, including mythological allusions, work-method metaphors, and fable allusions. Taking Skopos Theory as its theoretical framework, this study employs textual analysis and comparative analysis to investigate the translation strategies adopted for different categories of micro-level metaphors in the English translations of Selected Works of Mao Zedong, with particular emphasis on how translation purposes influence translators’ strategic choices. The findings reveal that the translation strategies adopted for different types of micro-level metaphors do not simply conform to either domestication or foreignization. Rather, under the guidance of the intended translation purpose, translators dynamically negotiate among the transmission of political messages, the preservation of cultural connotations, and the acceptability of the target text in accordance with the discursive functions and cultural attributes of each metaphor. The study further demonstrates that translation purposes exert a direct influence on translators’ strategic decisions. Translators are therefore required to strike a dynamic balance among political message transmission, cultural preservation, and target-text acceptability in light of the cultural attributes and discursive functions of different metaphors. Skopos Theory provides an effective explanatory framework for understanding this mechanism of strategic decision-making and offers valuable insights for the translation of micro-level cultural expressions in Chinese political texts.