| The translation of public signs belongs to the field of applied translation. It is a new topic in the current translation research and it is also a weak link in the study of functional translation theory in China. At present, a lot of English versions of Chinese public signs in scenic spots are far from satisfactory, there exist severe translating problems and errors in public signs of many scenic spots. They not only fail to achieve the communicative function as intended, but also affect the important status of China in international tourism. Therefore, Chinese-English translation of public signs in scenic spots deserves an in-depth study. Based on the previous researches and from the perspective of functional translation theory, the thesis attempts to seek the effective ways of improving the translation quality of public signs in Mount Tai through case studies.Firstly, by studying the cases, the author finds that the common translation problems and errors of public signs in Mount Tai mainly fall into three categories: linguistic, cultural and pragmatic aspects. Furthermore, the author analyzes and summarizes the causes for those problems and errors. In translating, translators are influenced by the source language structure, thinking pattern and cultural background. The failure in target-language and target-reader orientation causes translation problems and errors of various kinds. Secondly, functional translation theory is an effective theoretical approach to analyze the translation problems and errors of public signs in scenic spots. It looks upon translation from the perspective of language functions and emphasizes the transmission of text functions; it puts communicative purpose at the first place. Chinese-English translation of public signs in scenic spots should be oriented toward the target language and the target culture. The cultural elements in the source language should be transferred into the target language by adopting various translation techniques and by avoiding translation problems and errors.The thesis is composed of six chapters:Chapter One is Introduction. It defines background of the research, significance of the research, data collection, research methodology and research questions are also included.Chapter Two is Literature Review. This chapter begins with general view of public signs. Then the chapter goes on to focus on the previous researches on public signs translation at home and abroad.Chapter Three is Theoretical Framework: Functional Translation Theory. It includes German Skopos Theory, Nida's principle of dynamic equivalence and functional equivalence, Newmark's text-type classifications, semantic translation and communicative translation. They all provide us very useful guidelines for studying public signs translation.Chapter Four is the focus of the thesis. It uses functional translation theory to analyze the translation problems and errors of public signs collected in Mount Tai. On this basis, applicable methods and strategies for public signs translation in scenic spots are explored, and finally the author's suggested translation versions are followed.Chapter Five is Research Findings and Discussion. The author introduces the research findings of the thesis and discusses the advantages and the insufficient factors of functional translation theory to study the translation problems and errors of public signs in scenic spots.Chapter Six is Conclusion. Firstly, the author explores the causes for various kinds of translation problems and errors discussed. Secondly, the author points out the limitations of the research and suggestions for further study. |
