A Tentative Study on the Translation Strategies of Public Signs

By Shen Anda

In partial fulfillment of the requirement

For the B.A. degree

Department of English

College of Liberal Arts

Nanjing University of Information Science amp; Technology

MAY, 2018

Acknowledgements

This thesis is of great importance in my college life. It’s It is a reflection of my four years English study. Upon the accomplishment of this thesis, I would like to give my sincere gratitude to all who have assisted and supported me.

First of all, my heartfelt appreciation goes to my supervisor, Associate Professor Li Xiaosa, for her academic direction, continuous feedbacks, and for her understanding and encouragement during the process of my writing this thesis. Without her valuable suggestions and constant help, my thesis could not have been finished.

Second, words of deep gratitude must be given to my classmates and friends. They spare no effort to help me when I am in trouble. I’m really grateful to them for their selfless contribution and silent support.

Last but not last, I want to express my thanks to my boss and colleges in my working company. They helped and encouraged me a lot so that I can concentrate on my thesis writing.

A Tentative Study on the Translation Strategies of Public Signs

Shen Anda

Department of English

College of Liberal Arts

Nanjing University of Information Science amp; Technology, Nanjing 210044

Abstract: Public signs play an important role in our daily life and they have many aspects which need our attention. The purpose of this thesis is to reveal discover some strategies and principles of the translation of translating public signs and give some practical suggestions to public sign translators make the C-E translations conform to the standard.

The theoretical basis of this thesis is Nida’s dynamic equivalence, as well as Vermeer’s Skopos theory. In doing the research, I make the author made full use of the Internet and any many other resources to collect examples and then do , followed by a detailed comparative analysis to find existing reveal problems with translation in this field. Finally, the study and try to conclude sums up some practical translation strategies..

The conclusion shows It is concluded that the easiest and most accurate way to translate public signs is to use parallel texts. , while all the C-E translations should obey the following four principles: Principle of Conciseness, Audience Reception, Euphemism, Borrowing Translation. The Despite its limitations, the present study has offered some useful insight into the translation of public signs from Chinese to English has some value though it also has some limitations.

Key words: Public signs; C-E translation; Translation strategies

摘 要

公共标识语在日常生活中发挥着极其重要的作用，其很多层面需要我们的关注。本论文的目的在于揭示一些公共标识语翻译的策略和规则，并给予一些实际有效的建议来促使标识语的中英翻译更为合乎规范。

本论文主要以奈达的动态对等，弗米尔的目的论为理论基础。在研究中，我充分利用互联网及其他资源搜集了诸多例子，并对其进行对比研究，以找出现存的翻译问题并尝试归纳出实际可行的翻译策略。

研究发现公共标识语最简单最准确的译法是直接使用平行文本，但是所有的标识语中英翻译都应该遵循总结的四条原则:简单原则，受众接受性原则，委婉原则,借译原则。本研究存在一定的不足之处，但仍然具有一定的参考价值。

关键字：公共标识语； 中译英； 翻译策略

CONTENTS

Abstract i

摘 要 ii

Chapter One Introduction 1

1.1 Definition of Public Signs 1

1.2 Features of Public Signs 1

1.2.1 Concise Language 1

1.2.2 Proper Tone 2

1.2.3 Simple Sentences 2

1.3 Basic Functions of Public Signs 3

1.3.1 Indicating Function 3

1.3.2 Promoting Function 3

1.3.3 Restricting Function 3

1.3.4 Compelling Function 4

Chapter Two Existing Problems in C-E Translation 5

2.1 Chinglish 5

2.2 Excessive Translation 5

2.3 Culture Default 6

2.4 Incomformity 7

Chapter Three Translation Strategies of Public Signs 8

3.1 Principle of Conciseness 8

3.2 Principle of Audience Reception 8

3.3 Principle of Euphemism 9

3.4 Principle of Borrowing Translation 9

Chapter Four Conclusion 11

4.1 Major Findings 11

4.2 Limitations of the Study 11

References 12

Chapter One Introduction

Public signs can be seen anywhere in our daily life, and they can give us warning, direction, guidance and many other information. Due to the quick rapid development of China’s economy, the number of many foreigners come to visiting China has been soaring, so how to translate public signs correctly means a lot.

1.1 Definition of Public Signs

Public signs are signs which use graphics, colors, words, letters or the combination of them to give information, warning, direction and guidance to people. They are shown in public places like roads, hospitals, tourist attractions, recreation fields and so on. They almost have influence on every aspect of life. Public signs are a reflection of a country’s effective management and modernization, they are also a mirror of the country’s culture.

1.2 Features of Public Signs

Public signs belong to functional category. They differ from other types of languages in the unique features embodied in their applied environment. Generally speaking, there are several features. (Yu, 2012: 45)

1.2.1 Concise Language

Public signs have limited space to write words on and some kind of public signs only use graphics or symbols to express, so the expression of public signs should be concise and neat. Associated words and other irrelevant ingredients must be omitted. For example, to express the Chinese meaning “Information Desk”, English only uses one word “Information” or a symbol “?” and when it comes to parking lots, English only uses one word “P”.

1.2.2 Proper Tone

From the perspective of teleology, public signs have the characteristics of intentional movement and “post-spoken strength”. Especially when warnings, prohibitions, etc. are expressed, public signs contain a large amount of mood information so that the target audience can understand the information and take appropriate actions. Such common signs include “No...”, “ ...Forbidden”, “Please...”, “Do not...” etc. In English, imperative sentences or verbs are often used to express dynamic meanings such as order, request, advice, and prohibition. The tone is strong and contains functions such as requirements, restrictions, and compulsion. For example, “Keep off Grass” (Please do not trample on the lawn); “Slow” (Slow down); “Pet Not Allowed” (Do not bring pets inside).

1.2.3 Simple Sentences

In the language of public signs, statements are often used to convey some indicative and informative information to target audience, and imperative sentences are often used to show some warning information. In some English public signs, articles, auxiliary verbs and copulas sometimes can be omitted to make the signs easy to understand. For example: We often use “Shop Closed (商店停业)” instead of the whole sentence “The Shop Is Closed”. Simple sentences can avoid misunderstanding and let people get the key points as quick as possible.

1.3 Basic Functions of Public Signs

As a communication tool, public signs use simple sentences and concise words or icons or the combination of both to deliver necessary and useful information to the public. They play an important role in our life. From the perspective of pragmatics, public signs have four prominent application functions as below and the displayed information status is either “static” or “dynamic”. (Ren, 2010: 135)

1.3.1 Indicating Function

The indicative sign does not have any restrictions or mandatory intentions. It embodies a thoughtful information service and does not require readers to take certain actions. Its function is to indicate the content of the service. For example:

Conference Center会议中心,Washing Bay洗车场, International Departure国际出发 etc.

剩余内容已隐藏，请支付后下载全文，论文总字数：21512字