A Survey Report On The Translation Of Public Signs In Chongqing Nine Hospitals

The translation of public signs in Chinese medical institutions is relevant to international patients’ ability to access medical treatment and to the representation of China’s international image.However,there is a lack of specific,systematic,and in-depth investigations of the translation of public signs in medical institutions.To this end,the aim of this study was to investigate the current status of English translations used on public signs in Chongqing medical institutions,with a detailed analysis of the quality of these translations,a summary of factors influencing this,and several suggestions for the improvement of translation quality.For this purpose,bilingual public signs in nine hospitals in Chongqing were examined by means of a field investigation and questionnaires were distributed to collect data on respondents’ perceptions of bilingual public signs in the city’s medical institutions.The questionnaire-based component of the study aimed to analyze perceptions and future expectations of bilingual public signs in Chongqing medical institutions among the target audience of these signs.For this purpose,the author designed an English questionnaire for foreign students studying at Chongqing colleges and universities.The English questionnaire consisted of 12 questions,to which 53 valid responses were collected.The results of the questionnaire-based survey indicated that the respondents overall considered the translation of public signs in medical institutions to be a very important issue;recognized that there are many problems and errors to be found in the translations of such signs,which arise for various reasons;and also recognized the need to take measures to effectively improve the quality of these translations.For the field survey,the author visited nine hospitals of various grades in Chongqing and collected original textual and pictorial materials,including 414 photos,representing a total of 843 bilingual signs.James’ analytical framework for translation errors was used to analyze the translation problems identified in these 843 bilingual signs,including spelling errors,text errors,and discourse errors,with reference to a set of national standards and the COCA as the main assessment criteria.A wide variety of translation errors was identified,including lexical errors,inconsistent translations,and missing information.Lexical errors occurred 170 times,translation inconsistencies 116 times,and missing information 53 times.Additionally,47 instances of relatively low-level spelling errors were identified.There was no direct correlation between a hospital’s grade and the quality of translation observed in its bilingual public signs.Finally,the author summarizes these problems and presents policy proposals that would help to further standardize the English translations used in Chongqing public signs.The author also points out the shortcomings of the present study as a reference for subsequent research on the English translation of public signs in medical institutions.