TRANSLATION AND DISSEMINATION OF NEWS FROM MAJOR CHINESE MEDIA IN THE RUSSIAN LANGUAGE

Abstract

The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of translation and dissemination of news from major Chinese media in Russian as an instrument of China’s soft power and public diplomacy toward a Russian-speaking audience. The objective of the study is to identify how interlingual and intercultural adaptation of news discourse transforms the original ideological constructs and contributes to constructing a specific image of China in the Russian information space. The material consists of texts from the Russian-language versions of the Xinhua News Agency, the People’s Daily Online portal, and CGTN-Russian for the years 2018–2023, including news, analytical pieces, and editorial materials. Methodologically, the work relies on discourse analysis, comparative juxtaposition of Chinese originals and their Russian versions, elements of content analysis, and hermeneutic interpretation of key political and philosophical concepts. The results show that the translation of complex concepts (“community of shared future for mankind,” “socialism with Chinese characteristics,” “harmonious society,” “Chinese dream”) is accompanied by inevitable semantic simplification and reaccentuation, leading to a partial loss of their civilizational depth and the imposition of meaning frameworks familiar to the Russian tradition. The thematic analysis revealed the dominance of blocks devoted to economic and technological achievements, international politics, Chinese-Russian partnership, culture, and the social sphere, which forms a predominantly positive and coherent image of China as a successful, peace-loving, and Russia-friendly state. At the stylistic level, stable rhetorical strategies are observed (positive vocabulary, depersonalization of criticism of the West, appeal to shared values, quoting Russian experts, “sandwich” presentation structure), which enhance audience trust and legitimize the Chinese point of view. The discussion of the results makes it possible to qualify the Russian-language news flow of Chinese media as a form of conceptual and narrative engineering aimed at long-term embedding of a China-favorable image into the worldview of the Russian recipient and at redistributing influence in the global media space.