汉英公示语的交际翻译策略
硕士学位论文-从交际翻译理论看公示语的汉译英
上海海事大学SHANGHAI MARITIME UNIVERSITY 硕士学位论文MASTER’S DISSERTATION论文题目：从交际翻译理论看公示语的汉译英学位专业：外国语言学及应用语言学作者姓名：姚强指导教师：韩忠华教授魏耀川副教授完成日期：二O O九年五月On the Translation of Chinese Public Signs: From the Perspective of CommunicativeTranslation TheoryBy Yao QiangUnder the Supervision ofProfessor Han Zhonghua & Associate Professor Wei YaochuanA ThesisSubmitted to the College of Foreign Languagesof Shanghai Maritime Universityin Partial Fulfillment ofthe Requirements for MA DegreeShanghai Maritime UniversityMay 2009AcknowledgementsMany people have given their assistance in my preparation of this thesis; however, I alone am responsible for any mistakes and imperfections occurring in it. Like any inexperienced writer, I met with some difficulties at first. And I am clearly aware of the fact that the thesis could not be considerably better but for all the invaluable advice and kind help from these people.My scripts have been carefully read in full by my supervisor, respected Professor Han Zhonghua, who has generously offered his detailed and wide –ranging comments. It is my respected supervisor who makes the deficiencies in my article that used to be apparent and unavoidable become fewer and less glaring. I am also greatly indebted to associate Professor Wei Yaochuan for his generous help. I also benefit greatly from the informative and insightful lectures by Professor Wang Juquan, Professor Wang Dawei and Professor Zhen Lixin. To all these professors great thanks are due.My final and heartfelt thanks must also go to my family for the love, encouragement and support they have been giving me during the two years.摘要随着我国经济的发展和对外开放步伐的加快，中国与国际间的友好往来及经济合作日益增多，对外联系和国际交流日趋频繁。
从目的论角度看公示语的汉英翻译
从目的论角度看公示语的汉英翻译作者：赵越来源：《新课程学习·下》2015年第03期摘要：随着我国改革开放的不断深入，国际化进程的不断加快，我国各个城市内部的公示语汉英翻译越来越受到人们的关注，公示语的汉英翻译水平在一定程度上已经给整个城市的魅力值造成一定的影响。
从目的论的具体含义论述入手，分析了在目的论指导下的公示语汉英翻译，供相关人士参考，以更好地提升我国城市内部的公示语汉英翻译水平。
关键词：目的论；公示语；汉英翻译；角度分析公示语是指面向公众的提示、显示及指示，其内部含有与人们日常生活、生产等活动息息相关的内容。
同时，随着国内市场经济的不断发展，国内外国人士的不断增多，公示语在人们日常生活中扮演的角色将会越来越重要，其应用的范围也越来越广，所包含的内容也越来越丰富，在一定程度上已经成为人们日常生活及生产活动中必要的组成部分之一。
此外，随着公示语在大中型城市的广泛应用，城市内部的公示语在某种情况下已经组成了我国留于外国人士的第一印象。
因此，从目的论的角度看公示语的汉英翻译分析研究有着较大的理论和公示语汉英翻译实际意义。
一、目的论具体含义目的论在整个功能派翻译理论当中占据非常重要的地位，是整个功能派翻译理论的基础性理论。
其最早是由德国著名的翻译学家雷斯与付米尔于20世纪80年代提出，其在很大程度上摆脱了传统的等效翻译理论的对已英汉翻译的约束，以整个语言翻译的目的入手，将整个翻译工作放置于文化与理论相结合的环境当中，为整个世界内容各种语言之间全面地实现高效及准确的翻译起到了开辟性的作用。
在采用目的论进行翻译时，其将整个语言翻译的过程认知为一种跨文化交际的行为，整个翻译工作的目的就是为准确地实现跨文化的交际工作，这在很大程度上解决了长期的存在与翻译界意译与直译之间的矛盾。
在目的论翻译指导思想的指导下进行相关的翻译工作时应该严格握好语言翻译的语内连贯和语际连贯的原则，其强调在翻译过程中应从对方的语言习惯入手，不需要全面地按照忠实法则进行翻译。
汉英公示语的语言特点及交际翻译策略
也有学者将之界定为: 它是一种常见于公共场所
词组、短语的使用使语言表达更简洁明 了。如: 售
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*收稿日期: 2009- 08- 16 作者简介: 王晓梅 ( 1970- ), 女, 山西闻喜人, 运城学院外语系讲师, 硕士, 研究方向为应用语言学。
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交际翻译理论视角下公示语汉英翻译对策
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公示语的语言特点及其汉英翻译策略
2008年2月 台州学院学报Vol .30,No .1 第30卷 第1期 Journal of Taizhou University Feb . 2008 公示语的语言特点及其汉英翻译策略施建华(浙江传媒学院国际文化传播学院,浙江杭州310018) 摘要:公示语有其自身语言特点,即语言简洁明了,具有指示性、提示性、限制性和强制性,有静态和动态之分。
根据Peter Ne wmark 的翻译理论,分析公示语的特点,其翻译理据为交际翻译法。
将汉语公示语翻译成英语时,采用的策略分为跨文化交际策略、语境分析策略、通俗易懂策略和简洁明了策略。
关键词:公示语;汉英翻译;翻译;理据;策略 中图分类号:H315.9 文献标识码:A 文章编号:1672-3708(2008)01-0052-04 公示语是一种特殊的文体,它已涉及到我们生活的方方面面,渗透到社会的角角落落,如街头的路牌、商店的招牌、广告语、警示语、宣传口号等等。
它在我们的生活中随处可见,“小心地滑Cauti on,W et Fl oor ”,“售票处Ticket Office ”,“中央电视台CCT V ”等。
不同类别的公示语分别可以起到规范人们的社会行为,调整人际关系,提高生产率,威慑罪犯和激情励志的作用。
因此有学者将公示语简述为:“就是给公众在公共场合看的文字语言。
英文有与之相对应的说法,‘public signs ’”;[1](P97)也有学者将之界定为:“它是一种常见于公共场所的特殊文体,或用寥寥文字,或用简明易解的图示,拟或图示与文字兼用,表示对受众的某个要求或引起人们的某种注意。
[2](P43)笔者认为吕和发先生对公示语的概述较全面地指出了其内容、性质和特点,它是:“公开和面对公众,告示、指示、提示、显示、警示、标示与其生活、生产、生命、生态、产业休戚相关的文字及图形信息”。
[3](P22)翻译得法的公示语可以使来华的外籍商人、游客在衣、食、住、行等方面感受到“在家”般的方便和舒心。
从目的论看公示语的汉译英
从目的论看公示语的汉译英摘要：英文公示语的使用是一个城市国际化的重要标志之一，作为一种特殊的文本形式，公示语具有极强的功能性和交际性，现实中的公示语翻译必须立足于这一特点。
本文旨在运用目的论来分析公示语汉译英中的错误例子，提出公示语的翻译必须尊重目的语的文化背景和表达习惯。
关键词：公示语目的论文化1.引言公示语是指在公共场合出现的起提示、指示或者警示等作用的符号或者文字。
它属于社会用语范畴，被广泛运用于各种社会交际场合，包括道路、交通设施、建筑物、旅游景点等等。
随着经济的快速发展，国内许多城市都在迈向国际化，公共场合使用英文公示语的现象日益频繁。
作为一种特殊的语言形式，公示语与我们的生产和生活环境紧密相连，从中可以看出一个城市的精神和文化内涵。
通常情况下，公共标志的语言水平的高低可以反映出一个城市发达与否。
目前，我国各大城市的公示语汉英翻译或多或少存在这样或那样的问题，在北京奥运会和上海世博会期间，相继成立各专业委员会，同时也建立了“全国双语标识路牌纠错协作网”等网站，目的在于指导如何规范公示语翻译，因为公示语翻译质量的参差不齐不仅会给外国人带来不便利，还会给一个城市的国际形象带来负面影响。
本文以弗米尔的“目的论”的指导，采取文本分析的方式，例举并分析公示语汉译英中的错误例子，尝试性提出公示语翻译的策略。
2.目的论作为德国最具影响力的一大译学流派，目的论于20 世纪70 年代末发展起来，代表人物-- 弗米尔在《普通翻译的理论框架》一文中首次提出翻译不能只看重形式，而应该注重文化与交际功能的目的论。
目的论学派认为：翻译不仅仅是一个转码过程，而是“种人类行为”。
人类行为都是具有目的性的，因此，有别于传统翻译理论对原文本的注重，目的论的主要关注点在于目标文本。
目的论有三大法则：2.1目的法则根据“目的决定手段”原则，翻译活动很大程度上受制于目标文本用户的情况和他们所处的文化背景。
进行任何项翻译活动之前，译者都必须立足于客户或者目标文本使用者的感受，也就是说，译者使用的翻译策略不是参照原语环境，而是必须依据目标文本的用户所处的文化背景而定。
公示语汉英翻译的问题与对策
摘要英语公示语对在中国的外国友人来说是最便捷的路标指示，它的作用是显而易见的。
然而，目前错误和不规范的英文公示语已经严重影响了中国的对外形象，而且也给外国友人带来了很多的麻烦。
本文作者通过多次调查研究，从跨文化视角，将公示语英译错误分为两类，即语言层面和文化层面，然后，作者对这两类错误进行了分析，探讨出现这些问题的原因，并提出了解决这些问题的对策。
关键词：公示语；问题；对策；跨文化交际ABSTRACTEnglish public signs as the simplest guide are apparently essential to foreigners in China. However, the improper and nonstandard English public signs have been a pressing problem because they have defaced China’s International image and have given much trouble to the foreigners in their daily life.On the basis of many researches, the author classifies the public signs translation errors from linguistic and cultural aspects, analyses these two types of errors, illustrates the causes, and puts forward some strategies for improvements of public signs translation, from the perspective of intercultural communication.Key words：public signs; problems; strategies; intercultural communicationContents1．Introduction (51)2. An Overview of Public Signs (52)2.1 The Definition of Public Signs (52)2.2 Functions of Public Signs (53)2.3 Types of Public Signs (54)3. Intercultural Communication (56)3.1 Definition of IC (56)3.2 Language and Culture (56)3.3Application of IC to Translation of Public Signs (57)4. Problems of Public Signs C-E Translation and Analysis of Causes (59)4.1 Problems on Linguistic Level (59)4.2 Problems on Cultural Level (62)4.3 Causes Analysis (64)5. Strategies of Public Signs Translation (65)5.1Literal Translation (65)5.2 Liberal Translation (66)5.3 Addition and Omitting (67)6．Conclusion (69)Acknowledgements (70)References (71)1．IntroductionIn 2008, China held the Beijing Olympic Game successfully, and now the 2010 World Expo is being held in Shanghai. At present, more and more foreigners stream into China. They come to China to travel, study, and do business, etc. Most of them speak English instead of Chinese. Under such circumstances, English Public signs will play a very important role, because these signs will help foreigners to find their way in a new environment or get the information they want. However，the improper and nonstandard English public signs have been a pressing problem because they have defaced China’s international image and have given rise to troubles and inconvenience to the foreigners in their daily life. So it is very necessary to carry on the following error research on English translation of public signs. Many essays about this research have been published on many journals. However, most essays in these journals only discuss the problem from a special perspective and there has not been a thorough and systematic study of the distribution of error frequency and the causes of the errors on C-E sign translation so far. Therefore, this thesis intends to conduct a study of the translation of public signs with the aim to explore the strategies and methods to enhance public sign translation. And it will mainly focus on the following three parts: the application of intercultural communication to public signs; the error analysis on English translation of public signs and strategies for improvement.2. An Overview of Public Signs2.1 The Definition of Public SignsWhen we discuss the definition of “public signs”, it is necessary to clarify the definition of “sign”, in the English language first. The research of public sign was started in 1959 by two scholars named Vinay and Darbelnet from western country[1]424. According to Oxford English Dictionary , “sign” refers to a characteristic device attached to, or placed in front of, an inn or a store, as a means of distinguishing it from others or direct attention to it. In Webster’s Third International Dictionary, “sign”is defined as a lettered board or other public display placed before or on a building, room, store or office to advertise business there transacted or the name of person or firm conducting it [2]. From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language,“sign” is defined as “a board, a post, or place displayed in a public place to convey information or a direction.” [3]While in China, it is in recent years that the expression of public signs comes into our view. In its literal meaning, public sign refers to the words or expression shown to the public in public places. Dai Zongxian & Lu Hefa[3] put forward the definition of “public signs” as “public display of written message bearing a designation, direction and other closely related literal and graphical information.” Prof. Lu Hefa has also classified the scope of signs in China in his dictionary A Chinese-English Dictionary on Signs[4]. According to him, public signs are very commonly used in people’s social life. In a word, the information, which is open to the public and related to their daily life, will be within the scope of researches on public signs. A public sign refers to a language-based message carrier used in public places to inform the public what they are supposed to know. The public signs are widely used in many fields and impact every aspect of our daily life. Therefore, the translation of public signs is ofgreat significance.2.2 Functions of Public SignsPublic signs are widely used and serve different functions for normal operation of the society. According to Professor Lu Hefa[5]38, public signs may fall into the following four categories in terms of function, namely directing, prompting, restricting and compelling. The different functions of the public signs directly affect the style and the mood of the translation.(1) DirectingBasically speaking, public signs serving directing function are information providers and the purpose is to give readers guidance about the service that they are entitled to. They are prevailing in a city and can be found almost everywhere. Examples as follows:问询服务Information售票处Ticket Office外卖Take Away营业时间Business Hours(2) PromptingPublic signs of prompting remind people to pay attention to them. Prompting signs are similar to the directive ones in their informative function. They are widely used on public occasions and often use brief and euphemistic words as well as different forms of sentences structures. For example:油漆未干Wet Paint向左急转弯Abrupt Turn Left减价销售On Sale道路封闭Road Closed(3) RestrictingNot as the two functions mention above, the function of restriction put constrains and restrictions to the readers. The purpose of public signs in this category is to confine the activities or actions of the related public with the special words. The languages are direct and simple, but the readers don’t feel these signs are impolite or rude. Look at the following:凭票入场Ticket Only慢速驶出Slow Out游客止步Staff Only限停车10分钟10 Minutes Parking(4) CompellingPublic signs of this type have a more tough tone than those with other three functions. They require readers to take or not to take certain actions, usually with direct tough, forceful language. And the language is supposed to bear no compromise.严禁乱扔垃圾No Littering不得进入草地Keep Off the Grass禁止酒后开车No Driving after Drinking禁酒区Alcohol Free ZoneAbove are the four functions of public signs. Chinese and English public signs have the same functions and express specific information.2.3 Types of Public SignsPublic signs can be found very easily around us. They are displayed in different places for different usages and functions. According to the places they placed, the author divides them into the following types.(1). Public Signs for Traffic and RoadTraffic and road signs are used to provide help for people and keep a good social order as well. These signs are playing a very important role in the society, especially in crowded places.(2).Public Signs for TourismMany public signs are placed at scenic spots. Some of them are used to remind the visitors to abide by some rules while others are to help them further understand the history or culture.(3).Public Signs for Service Industry and BusinessWith the development of economy, there are more and more public signs appear in the field of business and service industry. Many signs put on the window or at the door can easily attract consumers from both at home andabroad.(4). Public Signs for Environmental ProtectionNowadays, the situation of environment is getting worse and worse among the whole world. Public signs as one of the communication materials, perform not only the function of publicizing, but also a kind of “High Touch” service[6]26. That’s to say, public signs for environmental protection help to call for people to be self-discipline in protecting our environment.From the above we can see that public signs are widely used in people’s daily life. They can be found in every kind of public places. They are easy to remember and their four functions determine the language styles.3. Intercultural CommunicationIt is quite clear that C-E translation of public signs is closely related with Chinese and English. So bilingualism has always been regarded as an essential requirement for the translator. In fact, the activity of translation is a kind of intercultural communication. In Nida’s opinion, the most serious mistakes in translation are usually made not because of verbal inadequacy, but of wrong cultural assumptions[7]. Therefore, it is a must for translators to know some about intercultural communication.3.1 Definition of ICIt is clear that IC refers to the communication among people from two or more cultures. Successful IC is based on the positive feeling and beliefs we bring to the intercultural encounter and on the behavioral skills we possess. Professor Jia Yuxin[8]23thinks that the intercultural communication is the communication between people from different cultural backgrounds. Hanvey[9] believes that the sense of IC is the sensitive recognition of cultural factors between joiners during their communication.Language can not exist without culture. Naturally, in the course of intercultural communication, the participant or the translator should not only be familiar with his own language and culture, but also the language and culture of his counterpart, especially the differences between the two involved cultures[10].Only when he keeps these cultural factors in mind can he be competent in the process of intercultural communication.3.2 Language and CultureThe relationship between language and culture has been studied for many decades. Brown, H.D describes the two like this: “A language is a part of a culture and a culture is a part of a language; the two are intricately interwovenso that one cannot separate the two without losing the significance of either language or culture.”[11]56 Language is a bridge people can use to learn or understand cultural values and it is necessary to know cultural values to acquire the language to portray them. Language is a very important component of the culture. In fact, language is decided and restricted by the culture. Culture can have a great effect on the existence and development of language in many aspects.Therefore, in order to communicate effectively and competently across cultures we need to be aware of both linguistic and cultural knowledge at the same time. It is also suitable to PS translation, since this specific translation task is involved with both two different languages and cultures. If we want to have correct and idiomatic English public signs, we should not only be bilingual, but also be bicultural.3.3Application of IC to Translation of Public SignsPublic signs translation is an activity of intercultural communication, that’s to say the intercultural awareness is a must for translators when translating public signs into English. Just as Nida has put: to be bilingual, one has to be bicultural[12]. Cultural approaches consider translation as a communicative process which appears between cultures[13]27. Concerning public signs translation, the translators should focus on differences between the characteristic of Chinese and English language. It is true that cultural discrepancy is an important factor in the course of C-E translation of public signs.In addition, public signs translators should take readers’response as an important criterion in the assessment of translated version. Since these readers are mainly foreign visitors and tourists who know little about the history and culture of about China. It is true that many problems and errors in public signs translation are caused by the insufficient intercultural awareness. Some translators are deeply influenced by their mother tongue, which is a big problem when translating Chinese public signs into English. To solve the problem, public sign translators should correctly express the meanings of Chinese PSs in accordance with the idiomatic expressions of the target language when doing PStranslation. In this way, our translated versions can be better and more easily understood by target readers. It is evident that failure of IC in this specific translation task will undoubtedly lead to the occurrences of many mistaken and obscure English versions of Chinese PSs.4. Problems of Public Signs C-E Translation andAnalysis of CausesNowadays, a variety of international events are held in China, with an increasing number of foreigners coming here. English as the universal language of the world, becomes the most convenient tool of our communication. Although experts have called for more attention on the translation of public signs, and the present situation is far from being satisfactory. Ni Chuanbin and Liu Zhi[14]19published the paper Translation Principles for Public Signs and Example Analysis in which the authors put forward five principles. After that, there are many papers about translation of public signs appearing in some journals, but most of them didn’t form syste matical research. On the next part we will discuss the problems on the translation of public signs from linguistic and cultural aspect, and then analyse the causes.4.1 Problems on Linguistic LevelThe errors of linguistic translation are often due to deficiencies in the translator’s source or target competence. He Ziran ever explained that by making linguistic errors, the translators or interpreters fail to conform to the target language structure, instead they casually translate the source text in their own language structures.4.1.1 MisspellingThe most commonly encountered problems in the C-E translation of public signs are undoubtedly the spelling mistakes or misspelling. Errors of this kind are easily noticeable, but they are intolerable to English readers because they leave a bad impression to foreigners on the English proficiency of Chinese people. Such mistakes can be found everywhere, for example:(1) Ants and Crafts(工艺品)You may feel confused by this phrase if you are not on the spot and see the real objects with your own eye. It is put before the arts and crafts department in a sale stall in Nanjing Airport. It should be Arts and Crafts.(2) We may be surprised to see such an expression “Read End Collision”on a super highway, with the original meaning “追尾危险”. This public sign is very common and essential on super highways to warn drivers against accidents and keep the traffic order. However, the word “Rear” is mistaken for “Read”, and with no doubt it loses the intended meaning.In real life, spelling mistakes take up a lot in the overall translation problems of public signs. We may think that the translators should be responsible for them. Some may lack professional competence or may be because of their carelessness. Also the printers or makers of the public signs should be responsible for the problems.4.1.2 Grammatical ErrorsSentences in a good translation should, at least conform to the grammatical rules or conversations of target language. And it is particularly true for the translation of public signs. However, a lot of grammatical problems can be found in the translation of public signs. Most of these errors are not that visible as misspelling, but they also show the poor proficiency of the translator and their irresponsible attitude.Example 1: The International Building in Guangzhou, which is the tallest in China and also the symbol of Guangzhou city. It should stand for China’s international image. However, one of the signs on the International Building goes like: “加强国际交流合作，让世界了解广州”. The translation is: “International Exchange and Cooperation Facilitate Development of Guangzhou into International Metropolis!”It’s quite difficult for foreigners to understand. Due to the grammar problems, this sign could hardly play the role of building up an international city image. It is suggested to be translated as: “Facility the Development of Guangzhou into an International Metropolis through International Exchange and Cooperation!”Example 2: “通往下层” is translated into “To the below floor” on a certain street in Nanjing. The English version is grammatically wrong because the word “below” is a preposition instead of an adjective. Therefore, the English version should be “To the lower floor”.Example 3: “请保护环境卫生” is translated into “Please keep environment sanitation”, which has big grammatical problems. In terms of the sentencestructure, it is obvious that the word of “environment” is the object of the verb of “keep” and the word of “sanitation” is the object complement. According to English grammar, there exists a logical subject-predicate relationship between the object and its complement. So this sentence should be translated into “Please keep the place clean and tidy.”4.1.3 Words Improperly UsedA famous translator ever said that the proper words should be in the proper places in the translation. If not, errors might happen. The so-called “using improper words” shows that the translator does not fully understand the original public signs, and just makes a literal translation, which makes people puzzled.Example 1: 敬老院——Old Man’ HouseTo respect the aged and love the young are always the traditional virtues of China. In western countries, people do not like somebody else to say that they are old. So this pubic sign should be translated into “Senior Citizens’ House”.Example 2: 客户服务中心——Client Ministrant Centre“Ministrant”, as an adjective, is very formal and seldom used, meaning serving attendance. So it is not proper here, and we can use a very simple word “service” to replace it. It can be translated into “Customer Service Centre”.Example 3: 请勿停车使用——No Occupying While StablingThe revised English version should be No Occupying While Stationary. We can always find the above example on the toilet doors on trains. Here the word “stabling” is misused for it means “space in stables (a building for keeping and feeding horses in)”.In the translation of public signs, poor choice of words can be easily found. It is a very serious problem to choose wrong words. It shows the poor capability of the translators. Each word, when used in a new context, is a new word [15]251.A word is the smallest unit of language on its own, and the meaning is the most essential aspect of a word. So words should be chosen on the basis of accurate understanding of them.4.2 Problems on Cultural LevelApart from mistakes on the linguistic level, the mistranslation concerning culture also needs attentive study. Translation involves the transfer of two cultures as well as that of two languages, and that translation is regarded as a cultural communication to transplant the source culture. It is not an easy task to translate between Chinese and English because the two languages belong to entirely different cultural traditions. So translation is the intercultural communication between the western and Chinese cultures.To some extent, linguistic mistranslation is more tolerable to target readers in comparison to the mistranslation on the cultural level. Translation mistakes on the cultural level may make foreigners feel they are offended in such fields as customs, beliefs and faith. Therefore, mistranslation resulting from cultural ignorance is a problem that needs urgent solution, otherwise, China will be regarded as a country in the lack of cultural respect to others.Generally speaking, mistranslation from the perspective of culture can be classified into two categories: Chinglish and Inappropriate tone.4.2.1 ChinglishChinglish translations always come from the word-for-word translation method, which results from either the translators using such translation tools as dictionaries and translation machines or their lack of proficiency in translation. Chinese and English-speaking people have different thought patterns and accordingly different ways to express ideas. If these differences are ignored, it’s very easy to produce Chinglish.Example 1:请勿乱扔杂物——No Throws TrashThis public sign is widely used, especially in tourist attractions. But the translation is far from being satisfactory. It is apparently affected by Chinese pattern of thinking and it is typical Chinglish. The revised version is “No Littering”.Example 2: 不得在停车场内随地吐痰、大小便——Spitting, going convenient around must be prohibited.There is no such phrase as “going convenient around” in English. It might be an absurd word for word translation of “随地大小便”as in Chinese, “goaround”means “随地”and “convenient”means “方便”.Chinglish like this makes target readers who don’t speak Chinese puzzle or may laugh. A suggest version is “Spitting, urinating or defecating must be prohibited”.Example 3:一次性用品——A Time Sex ThingWhat will foreigners feel when they see signs with such filthy words? The translation is different from the original meaning. “一次性”means it can be used once only, but the translation not only twists the Chinese meaning, but also becomes an international joke. We can translate it into “Disposable Articles”.The following are more examples about Chinglish.Wrong Correct游客止步Consumers Stop Employee Only肉松Meat Pine Dried Meat Floss激情海岸Sex on the Beach Exotic Flavor买一赠一Buy one, give one Buy one, get one free英语之窗The Window of English English Service AvailableThe examples similar to those mentioned above are too numerous to show one by one. It can be said that the phenomenon of Chinglish is caused by translating Chinese according to the superficial Chinese meaning. And the translators didn’t pay attention to the differences between Chinese and English. They may impose the Chinese thinking model on the English version.4.2.2 Inappropriate ToneTo some degree, the tone decides what the additional function a public sign assumes besides the most fundamental one. Therefore, when translating public signs, we should not only translate the exact meaning but also the exact tone so that we could achieve functional equivalence in an overall way. But in most cases, equivalence in tone is always lost due to cultural misunderstanding.Example1: “青草依依，踏之何忍” can now be seen in many public places. Different from “请勿践踏草坪” which was often classified as a compelling sign in the public in the past, the former is more vivid and polite in tone because of personification used to express the meaning from the view the grass that we should protect. “Keep off the Grass”is the general translation, but the translation of “The Grass So Fair, Needs Your Care”put forward by Wu Weixiong[16]36 in 2004 is strongly recommended according to Nida’s functionalequivalence.Example 2: “请勿在此吸烟” This public sign is always translated into “No Smoking”which also violates Nida’s functional equivalence. The appropriate one is “Thank You for Not Smoking Here”From the discussion above, we can see that different cultures have different views of the same things, and errors will arise in the process of translation if those differences are overlooked by the translators. So translators should have a good command of cultural traditions of western countries.4.3 Causes AnalysisAs mentioned above, there are mainly two types of mistakes in Chinese-English public signs translation: translation errors on linguistic level and on cultural level. It may be due to translator’s carelessness such as spelling; it may also be due to translator’s low proficiency such as grammar errors. To solve those linguistic mistakes, translator needs to be both proficient and careful. In some cases, even if fully understanding the meaning of the original Chinese expressions, some translators may feel it difficult to find proper English words to replace the Chinese ones, and just use some words apparently seeming to be equivalent to the Chinese ones.For another thing, more and more new public signs appear nowadays. And these public signs have their own special characteristics. So it’s quite hard for the translator to express the English version correctly. The lack in the language competence was and still is a universal problem in the translation of pubic signs.Thirdly, with the development of science and technology, many signs are translated by computer software. In fact, it is very good to use computer as a reference. However, if we just rely on computer, the translation must have many problems.5. Strategies of Public Signs Translation5.1Literal TranslationLiteral translation is correct and must not be avoided, if it secures pragmatic equivalence to the original[17]. But literal translation is not word-for–word and one-to-one translations. Literal translation renders both the style and content of the original, and it also retains the original cultural information. Literal translation is widely used in translation of informative public signs which requires the accurate transfer of the original information.Example 1: 平等,发展,和平——Equality, Development, Peace.Example 2: 整个景区占地约8000平方米，以排云殿为中心，由排云殿、宝华殿、云锦殿、二宫门、芳辉殿、紫霄殿、德辉殿以及连通各座殿堂的游廊、配房组成(The Summer Palace)——The entire scenery area covers an area of 8000 square metres, with Paiyun Dian at the center, surrounded by Paiyun Men, Yuhua Dian, Yunjin Dian, Er Gong Men, Fanghui Dian, ZixiaoDian. Dehui Dian, all of which are linked by corridors and side halls.Information of the source texts are all maintained. Sentence orders remain unchanged in the translations. Even the target texts take the similar styles of the source text. The transfer of content must be put to priority. For informative public signs, literal translation can best reserve the original content.5.2 Liberal TranslationLiberal translation mainly conveys the meaning and spirit of the original without remaining the sentence patterns or figures of speech. Liberal translation echoes with Peter Newmark’s communicative translation. Liberal translation is the main strategy used in translation of evocative public signs. As discussed above, for evocative public signs, the focus of attention of the Chinese readers and that of the English readers are quite different. In this case, a liberal method is preferred.Example 1:…是当年慈禧到佛香阁拈香礼佛时的更衣之处(The Summer Palace)——It served as a dressing room for Empress Dowager Cixi on her way to the Tower of the Fragrant of the Buddha to pay her homage. Functionally speaking, this sentence is an informative one. Compared with “pay homage to the Buddha”, “burn incense”is less important information. The target text, although not completely transfer the original content, functions the same as the source text.Example 2:…高度体现了中国园林“虽由人作，宛自天开”的造园准则.(The Summer Palace)——…That best illustrates the guiding principle of traditional Chinese garden design: “the works of men should match the works of Heaven”.As a matter of fact, the adoption of literal and liberal translation in the C-E translation is quite flexible. Sometimes, the combination of the two methods of translation is also visible. However, just as Nord said that “ends justify means”, the actual functional purpose of a sign should always be the No 1 priority in the translation public signs. And the text type of a specific sign should also be taken into consideration.。
公示语的可供操作的翻译方法
公示语的可供操作的翻译方法随着中国与世界其他各国的联系越来越紧密，公示语在人们的生活中起到的作用也越来越明显。
一方面，我们高兴地看到在许多场合出现越来越多的双语公示语，有利于外国人更好地了解中国;另一方面，尽管公示语汉译英工作越来越受到重视，其现状却难以令人满意，比如，存在大量错译现象。
为了解决这些令人烦恼的错误，应该向翻译理论寻求帮助。
研究发现，纽马克的交际翻译理论能在一定程度上满足公示语汉译英的要求，指导其翻译实践。
1纽马克交际翻译理论的启示1．1公示语文本类型由于文本类型与翻译方法存在紧密的联系，译者有必要首先确定公示语的文本类型。
根据纽马克理论，所有的文本可分为表达型文本、信息型文本和号召型文本等几种主要类型。
公示语向目标读者提供信息，准确引导他们按公示语所指示的内容行事［1］。
从这种意义上来说，公示语属于信息型文本和号召型文本。
进行文本分类对公示语的翻译是相当重要的，译者可以基于公示语的文本类型采取适当的翻译方法。
1．2交际翻译理论与公示语的英译就如何翻译不同类型的文本，纽马克提出了两个基本的翻译方法:语义翻译和交际翻译［2］39。
他指出:语义翻译以作者为中心，其表达效果要尽量贴近原文效果，因此适用于表达型文本的翻译。
而交际翻译则更趋向于读者，其翻译宗旨是以读者为中心，因此该翻译方法更适用于信息型文本和号召型文本。
2公示语的可供操作的翻译方法基于对公示语语言特点的考虑，可以发现，公示语的文本特点实际上融合了信息型文本和号召型文本的特征。
因此，作者认为在公示语翻译中应当使用交际翻译策略。
由于交际翻译策略只为译者提供一个框架，并没有给我们翻译公示语提供可供操作的具体方法。
因此，本文针对公示语翻译中容易出现的错误，讨论了一些具体的翻译方法。
2．1采用国际标准虽然英汉公示语存在许多不同之处，但我们也能找出其中一些相似之处。
在很多国家，许多公示语具有相似的功能，而共同的公示语又有标准的国际表达方式供遵循［2］47。
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［ 中图分类号 】 ３５９ Ｈ １．
【 文献标识码 】Ａ Fra bibliotek【 文章编号】１７ － １ （０６ １－ ８ － ６２８ ０ ２０ ｌ２ ０９０ ６ ０ ３
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的 文 字 语 言 。 公 示 语 的 意 义 较 为 广 泛 。 以 涵 盏 标 可 志 语 、 识 语 、 示 语 、 语 等 。 而 且 公 示 语 应 用 广 标 标 标 泛 ， 及 日常 生 活 的 各 个 方 面 ， 如 政 府 机 构 、 业 涉 诸 商 服 务 部 门 、 事 业 单 位 、 共 交 通 行 业 、 共 管 理 机 企 公 公
能 出 发 ， 析 了 公 示 语 的 “动 态 ”和 “静 态 ”信 息 分 （ ０ ５ … ； 长 江 主 要 分 析 了公 安 标 示 语 和 警 示 语 ２０ ） 栗 的 特 点 ， 实 用 的 角 度 提 出 了 一 些 翻 译 的 模 式 从 （ ０ ３） ； 小 田 、 艳 方 从 美 学 的 角 度 分 析 了 标 ２０ 唐 唐 牌 语 的语 体 特 征 ， 出 了 标 牌 语 翻 译 的 美 学 原 则 和 提 策 略 （ ０ ５） ， 等 。 这 些 探 讨 分 别 从 错 误 分 析 、 ２０ 等 文 体特 点 以及翻 译原 则 和技 巧 等 方 面 进 行 了研 究 ， 但 在 完 整 把 握 公 示 语 范 畴 方 面 及 翻 译 准 则 方 面 似 乎
题。
报 纸 杂 志 、 章 等 。 而 号 召 型 文 本 强 调 以 读 者 为 中 文 心 。 召 读 者 按 照 作 者 意 图 做 出 反 应 。 通 知 、 明 号 如 说
书 、 传 广 告 等 。纽 马 克 同 时 指 出 。 本 的 划 分 并 非 宣 文
是 绝 对 的 。 多 数 文 本 都 同 时 具 有 这 三 种 功 能 ， 是 大 只 其 中 一 、 种 占 主 导 地 位 。 不 同 文 本 类 型 要 求 不 两
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惯例 和标准 。 尊重 汉英 ， 示语 的文化差异 。 ＾ ＼ 井将译 文读者 的文化习惯放 在首位 ， 出较 准确 的译 文。 作
【 关键词 】 公示语翻译； 文本类型； 交际翻译
ｔ ｎ ｌｔ ｎ） 主 ；翻 译 以 信 息 功 能 为 主 的 文 本 和 以 ｒ ｓａｉ 为 ａ ｏ 号 召 功 能 为 主 的 文 本 ，宜 主 要 采 用 交 际 翻 译 （ｃ ｒ－ ｏ ｎ
ｍｕ ｉａｉｅｔ ｎ ｌｔ ｎ 的 方 法 ｑ ｎｅ ｔ ｒ ｓａｉ ） ｖ ａ ｏ
语 义 翻译 的 目的 是 “ 目 的 语 浯 言 结 构 和 语 义 在 许 可 的 范 围 内 。 原 作 者 在 原 文 中 表 达 的 意 思 准 确 把 地 再 现 出 来 ” Ｎｅ （ ｗｍａｋ，１ ８ ２ ｊ 语 义 翻 译 重 ｒ ９ ８： ２） 。 视 的 是 原 文 的 形 式 和 原 作 者 的 原 意 ， 不 是 目的 语 而 语 境及 其表 达方 式。 交 际 翻译 的 目的 是 “ 力 使 译 文 对 目 的 语 读 者 努
构 、 育休 闲场馆 、 疗 卫生 机构 、 化 娱 乐设施 、 体 医 文 社 会 团 体 组 织 、 中小 学 、 研 院 所 、 教 会 所 、 游 景 大 科 宗 旅
公 示 语 的 文 本 类 型 及 特 征
纽 马 克 （ ｗ ｒ （ ９ ８） 照 布 勒 （ ｕ ｌｒ 的 Ｎｅ ｍａｋ） １ ８ 按 Ｂ ｈｅ）
语 言 功 能 理 论 将 所 有 文 本 划 分 为 三 大 类 型 ： 达 型 表 文 本 （ ｘ ｒｓｉｅｔｘ）、 息 型 文 本 （ｎｏ ｍａｉｅ ｒｘ ） ｅ ｐ ｅｓｖ ｅ ｔ 信 ｉｆｒ ｔ ｅ ｔ ｖ
和 号 召 型 文 本 （ ｏ ａｉｅ ｔｘ ）。 表 达 型 文 本 主 要 强 ｖ ｃ ｔ ｅ ｔ ｖ
同 的 翻 译 方 法 与 之 相 适 应 。 纽 马 克 主 张 ，在 以 表 达 功 能 为 主 的 文 本 中 ，作 者 独 特 的 语 言 形 式 和 内 容 应
视 为 同 等 重 要 ，翻 译 方 法 应 以 语 义 翻 译 （ ｓ ｍａ ｔ ｎｉ ｏ
国 内 近 年 来 对 于 公 示 语 的 研 究 ， 探 讨 标 语 标 以 牌 翻 译 的 居 多 ， 中 吕 和 发 从 公 示 语 的 四 种 应 用 功 其
维普资讯
语文 学刊 （ 高教 ・ 文 版） 外
２０ ０ ６年 第 １ ２期
汉 英 公 示 语 的交 际翻 译 策 略
。朱 琳
（ 北京语言大学 外语学院， 北京 １０ ８ ） ００ ３
［ 摘 要 】 在中国与世界接轨的今天， 汉莫公示语翻译日益显示出其重要性。笔者在撂讨公示语文本类型的
等。
公 示 语 通 常 出 现 在 醒 目 的 位 置 ， 有 窗 口 的 作 具
用 。 随 着 中 国 国 际 交 往 的 日益 广 泛 和 深 入 ， 示 语 公 的 翻 译 受 到 越 来 越 多 的 人 的 注 意 。 其 是 奥 运 会 和 尤 世 博 会 这 两 件 国 际 盛 事 的 举 办 日期 的 临 近 ． 荚 公 汉 示 语 的 翻 译 研 究 也 逐 渐 成 为 整 个 社 会 关 注 的 热 点 问
调 原 作 者 的 权 戚 地 位 ， 少 考 虑 读 者 的 反 应 ， 文 学 较 如 作 品 、 威 性 言 论 、 人 信 件 等 。 信 息 型 文 本 强 调 的 权 私
是真 实性 和语 育 的外 部 现 实 ， 教科 书 、 术 论 文 、 如 学
点 、 馆 饭 店 、 游 服 务 机 构 、 道 小 区 、 共 场 所 等 宾 旅 街 公