A Study Of Errors In C-E Translation Of Scenic Spot Signs Of Jilin Province In Light Of Functionalist Translation Theories

The increasing communications between China and the outside world have accelerated the booming of China's tourism industry.The English translated versions of scenic spot signs play a major role in providing foreign visitors with relevant information and services.However,there are a mass of translation errors that may cause confusions and inconvenience to them.Scholars and experts of this field have made plentiful research achievements,but more empirical studies should be conducted to thoroughly investigate these translation errors.This thesis conducts a comparative-analytical case study on C-E translation of scenic spot signs in Jilin Province in light of German functionalist translation theories and Carl James' s error analysis theory.After a comprehensive and detailed analysis of the translation errors,the author further explores the underlying reasons behind each specific error type and then proposes some applicable and instructive translation principles and strategies.In this thesis,on the basis of Christiane Nord's functional classification of translation errors and Carl James' s error analysis theory,a new error taxonomy model is established to identify and classify the translation errors in the collected data.Through quantitative study,results show the frequencies of error types as follows:linguistic errors > pragmatic errors > non-standard naming > cultural errors > misuse of Chinese Pinyin.Besides,plentiful typical examples are provided to illustrate each specific error type.These poor translations are mainly caused by translators' carelessness,irresponsibility,lack of linguistic and pragmatic competence,lack of cross-cultural awareness and unified translation criteria,ignorance of the knowledge on scenic spot signs and negative transfer of Chinese.Then,principles of conciseness,consistency and comprehensibility,as well as strategies of the ABC(adaptation,borrowing,creation)approach and no translation are proposed to improve the quality of scenic spot sign translation.