Lost in Translation: How Language Impacts Diplomacy
China and the US envision very different world orders they wish to see arise — they’re just not that good at talking to each other about it.
It was with the signing of the ‘Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations’ on January 1, 1979 that the United States officially transferred diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, thereby signalling the normalisation of China-US relations.
The past 40 years have since been characterised by peaks and troughs, with some marked progress towards improved ties having been made. Nevertheless, resting shallowly beneath flattering gestures between heads of state, an undercurrent of mutual distrust persists.
The balance of power in global politics is changing — and in this new era, China and the US envision very different world orders that they would like to see arise. The only problem is that both sides are not very good at articulating what it is they wish to see manifest to each other — with fundamental cultural and linguistic differences underlining this dilemma.
Although language has been regarded as an impediment to fruitful China-US relations, not enough focus is being dedicated towards a comprehensive understanding of the…
