A Study on Japanese Translation of Social Science Texts from the Perspective of Functional Equivalence Theory—A Case Study of Promoting the Building of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind Through Exchanges and Mutual Learning Among Civilizations

Abstract

Against the backdrop of deepening globalization, the external communication of Chinese characteristic social science texts has become a pivotal pathway to enhance international discourse power. Taking Promoting the Building of a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind Through Exchanges and Mutual Learning Among Civilizations as the research object, this paper investigates the practical application of Nida’s Functional Equivalence Theory in the Japanese translation of social science texts. Through an analysis of Japanese translation practices of the source text, this paper discusses core translation challenges including rendering culture-loaded words, transforming Chinese four-character idioms, and restructuring complex long sentences. It further summarizes translation strategies compatible with Japanese linguistic conventions that accurately reproduce the core semantics of the original text. This research aims to facilitate the precise international dissemination of fine Chinese ideological and cultural achievements as well as Chinese governance concepts, provide practical support for deepening Sino-Japanese inter-civilizational communication, and advance the cross-border dissemination of the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind.