Constructing the national image of “China” in press conference interpreting: a corpus-based critical metaphor analysis

Introduction This study investigates the role of conceptual metaphors in constructing China’s national image within Chinese-English press conference interpreting. Methods Drawing on Critical Metaphor Analysis and the online corpus tool Wmatrix, the research identifies and examines metaphorical patterns in the interpreted diplomatic discourse. Results and discussion Six types of conceptual metaphors relating to “China” emerge in the interpreting data, with the human and journey metaphors occurring most frequently, followed by building, ecology, war, and entertainment metaphors. These metaphors correspond to six cognitive frames whose linguistic realizations generally construct a favorable national image. The image schemata profile China as a traveler on a journey of struggle, a contributor to the international community, a builder of global causes, a guardian of the global environment, a fighter in challenging endeavors, and a performer on the world stage. Influenced by individual and social resources, three interpreting strategies are deployed, revealing an overall aim to render the national image more relatable, vivid, and warm while emphasizing China’s importance in the international community. These findings extend critical metaphor research on press conference interpreting by illuminating how metaphorical framing contributes to image construction. They also offer practical insights for interpreter training, demonstrating that strategic metaphor choices can enhance the communicative effectiveness of diplomatic discourse while maintaining fidelity to institutional positions.