Functional Approach To Translation Of Public Sings In Scenic Spots

With the rapid development of the international exchange and the intensification of our reform and opening-up policy, especially with China's host of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, public signs, functioning as a communication bridge between Chinese and foreign people, play a more and more important role in the building of Chinese international image and the research on the translation of them draws more and more attention from the language circles. At the same time, we find that there are many problems and errors in the existing public signs and the translation is far from being satisfactory. So, it is necessary to make some further researches on public signs and their translation.The author of this thesis strives to do a systematic research on the translation of the public signs in scenic spots from the functional approach view.As the English public signs in scenic spots are especially designed for the foreign tourists, the purpose of C-E translation of public signs is to ensure the target readers'accurate and barrier-free comprehension of the messages the source public signs convey, facilitate their travel in China, transmit Chinese culture to them and arouse their desires for travel. Because of the special text type and distinctive language style of public signs, they need practical theories to guide their translation and translators should adopt those translation strategies which are target language oriented and reader oriented. Researching C-E translation of the public signs in scenic spots from the view of functional approach is of great help to solve many problems in translation practice. Functionalism is a broad term for various theories focusing on the functions of the text and translation. Here in this thesis, the functional approach includes both German functionalist theories (macro-functionalism) and British discourse analysis theories (micro-functionalism). According to the functional theories, the intended purposes or functions of the target text determine the overall translation strategies. And one of the most important factors that determine a translation purpose is the addressee—the intended receiver or reader in the target language culture, with expectations and communicative needs. Therefore, in the translation of the public signs, we should bear the intended functions and intended addressee of the public signs in mind and adopt suitable translation methods to fulfill the successful communication. During the translation, the register theory is a useful tool in the analysis of both the source text and the target text, and register analysis is a necessary step to make the selection of proper translation methods. Although the fields of Chinese and English public signs are equivalent, their modes and tenors are different due to the different cultural backgrounds and expectations of information of their respective readers. Translators, based on the accurate register analysis of the source text and the target text, are justified to adopt various strategies and methods in the translation, such as free translation and adaptation, to achieve the intended functions of the target text.The author explores various translation problems of the public signs in some famous scenic spots in the Yangtze River Delta. These problems are analyzed and some solutions are provided from the view of functional approach. In this way, the author hopes to make her contribution to building up a good language environment for foreign tourists who will come to Shanghai and its surrounding cities during the time of 2010 World Expo.