From May 16 to 18, the Second National Symposium on Discourse Translation and Communication was successfully held at Sichuan International Studies University (SISU).

The symposium, themed “Discourse Construction and International Communication in the Context of Chinese Modernization,” brought together more than 200 experts, scholars, and students from 94 universities across China for in-depth discussions on the evolving landscape of discourse studies and translation practice within the framework of national development strategies.

At the opening ceremony, Professor Zou Yu, Party Secretary of SISU, and Professor Zhang Wei, Chair of the Discourse Translation and Communication Research Committee, delivered welcome remarks. Professor Zou extended his greetings to all attendees and highlighted the symposium as a timely and constructive initiative contributing to China’s strategic communication capacity and the development of a discourse system with distinctive Chinese characteristics.

Professor Zhang Wei stressed the urgent need to strengthen research on discourse interpretation and international communication amid changing global dynamics. He remarked that in today’s international context, discourse is power—and power resides in discourse. He reaffirmed the Committee’s commitment to building platforms for scholarly exchange in foreign language disciplines, with the aim of amplifying academic voices and showcasing the humanities' contributions to national development strategies. The opening session was chaired by Professor Li Jinshu, Dean of the College of Translation and Interpreting at SISU.

The keynote session featured eight distinguished scholars who delivered presentations on cutting-edge topics in discourse and translation studies. Among them, Professor Hu Anjiang of SISU gave a presentation titled “The Translation and International Communication of Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature.” He emphasized that while progress has been made, significant challenges remain in terms of institutional development, communication effectiveness, and systemic capability. He called for comprehensive reform to address structural gaps, discourse limitations, translation difficulties, and dissemination barriers. Professor Hu advocated for the construction of a multidimensional, cross-platform communication framework and proposed an interdisciplinary approach—rooted in epistemology, methodology, ontology, praxis, and values—to build new models for integrated translation and international communication.

The event was hosted by the Discourse Translation and Communication Research Committee of the Association for Comparative Studies of Chinese and Foreign Languages and Cultures, organized by the College of Translation and Interpreting at SISU, and co-sponsored by the editorial boards of Shanghai Journal of Translators, English Studies, Foreign Language and Literature, Translation Teaching and Research, and Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.

The closing ceremony was chaired by Professor Zhang Li, Party Secretary of the College of Translation and Interpreting. Speaking on behalf of the organizing committee, she extended heartfelt thanks to all keynote speakers, panel presenters, and the dedicated team who worked behind the scenes to ensure the success of the symposium.