English Translation Of Tourist Materials In A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Tourism has become an important industry undergoing rapid growth on a global scale. The development of the travel industry has, in turn, exerted a tremendous influence on the economies and cultures of the world. Tourism creates the need to communicate with people of various cultural backgrounds.This paper attempts to put forward a notion that English translation of tourist materials (ETTM) should be done in a cross-cultural perspective, and it also tries to verify the feasibility of this translation approach from two macro angles --- theoretical point of view and practical point of view.The paper begins with an introduction of English translation of tourist materials and its language features. Then the author analyzes the relationship between language, culture and translation, the cultural differences between the west and east in English translation of tourist materials, and puts forward the idea that ETTM should be done in a cross-cultural perspective. The third part makes an analysis and assessment of Nida's theory with highlight of his "dynamic equivalence" and "receptors" concept. Furthermore, salutary enlightenment is drown from the study of his theory, that is, because of the special nature of the translation of tourist materials and the function of the tourist text, this kind of translation should be purpose-oriented. And it is unnecessary for us to aim at the static, word-to-word equivalence. Instead , the translator has more freedom in this kind of translation, dynamic equivalence is most desirable. The fourth part discusses the practical feasibility of ETTM in a cross-cultural perspective, namely, approaches to English translation of tourist materials, and demonstrates the theoretical value and practical significance of the application of Nida's theory to suchmaterials. The last part is the reiteration of the main standpoints of the thesis.