Classification of translation of public signs [on English translation of public signs]

On English Translation of Public Signs: Present Situation, Causes and Countermeasures

-Taking English Translation of Public Signs in Tiantai Mountain Scenic Area in Hong 'an as an example

Abstract: In an open international environment, China attracts more and more tourists. However, due to many factors, the current English translation level of public signs is still unsatisfactory. Taking the problems existing in English translation of public signs in Tiantai Mountain Scenic Area in Hong 'an as an example, this paper analyzes the present situation and causes of English translation of public signs, and puts forward some suggestions. Keywords: English translation of public signs, functional classification, causes and countermeasures

Introduction: Public signs include instructions, prompts and warnings on scenic spots, various "notes" posted at the entrance of scenic spots and scenic spots, and public signs in traffic, restaurants and other related public places around tourist attractions. It plays the role of pointing out the direction for tourists, or reminding them of their actions, or telling them the relevant rules of the scenic spot. Nowadays, with the deepening of international communication, more and more foreign tourists come to visit China, so it is urgent to improve the English translation of public signs. This paper attempts to analyze the current situation of English translation of public signs, analyze the reasons and put forward corresponding countermeasures.

1. Definition and classification of public signs

Public signs refer to written and graphic information which is closely related to the public's life, production, life, ecology and career.

Public signs can meet the social, behavioral and psychological needs of foreigners and ordinary citizens working and traveling in China, and have four indicative application functions in practical application: indicative, suggestive, restrictive and mandatory. According to their functions, they can be divided into the following four categories:

(1) Indicative public signs: Indicative public signs reflect thoughtful information services without any restrictions and emphasize meaning, and their purpose is to provide some relevant information to the public. Such as: ticket &; Travel Center ticketing and tourism center, Public Toilet, etc.

(2) suggestive public signs: suggestive public signs have no specific meaning, but only play a suggestive role. Please Pay Here, please pay here, and the height limit of restricted height is 3m.

(3) Restrictive public signs: Restrictive public signs put forward restrictions and constraints on the behavior of the relevant public. The language is straightforward, but the tone is weak, and it will not make people feel tough, rude and unreasonable. Such as: Handicapped Only disabled access, construction site no admission, etc.

(4) mandatory public signs: mandatory public signs require the relevant public to take or not to take any action, and the language is straightforward, tough and non-negotiable. For example, No Photography is forbidden to take pictures, and No Briefing of Groups is forbidden to be explained by tour guides.

2. The present situation and analysis of English translation of public signs

The research on Chinese-English translation of tourism public signs in China started relatively late, but the present situation of Chinese-English translation of tourism public signs in many cities is unsatisfactory. Many English translations of public signs in scenic spots all over the country are full of mistakes, which not only spoil the scenery, but also leave a bad impression and a laughing stock for Chinese and foreign tourists. Moreover, they fail to play their due role, become useless furnishings, and sometimes even mislead foreign tourists, which greatly affects the role of public signs and even weakens the image of the city. Therefore, it is a necessary and urgent task to standardize the use of public signs translation, correct all kinds of mistakes in translation and solve the problems in public signs translation.

The author made a field trip to Tiantai Mountain Scenic Area in Hong 'an, and made the following analysis on the English translation of public signs found in it.

2.1 wrong translation

2.1.1 word-for-word translation

word-for-word translation is a blunt translation of Chinese into English, which easily gives the public the impression of wrong translation of public signs. At the entrance of Tiantai Mountain Natural Scenic Area, it was found that the English public notice of "welcome to Tiantai Mountain" was actually "Tiantai Mountain Welcome". Not to mention the English translation of Tiantai Mountain, the usage of the word "Welcome" is also not in line with English collocation habits. I think it might as well be translated into "Welcome to Tiantai mountain" which is more acceptable to the public. As for the translation of Tiantai Mountain, the author will reflect it in the following.

2.1.2 Use of Pinyin

In many translated works, Pinyin has been widely used, but it is often used in the translation of names and currencies. According to the analysis of the collected data, it is found that improper use of pinyin is also an important reason for wrong translation. In the above, for foreign tourists, the Chinese pinyin "shan" can't convey any image of "Mountain", but only the common words about mountain in their daily life can help them understand the scenic spot, so it is more reasonable to translate it into "Tiantai mountain" here. In addition, in this scenic spot, we found that the corresponding translation of "ticket for gongshilan scenic preference" is "ticket for gongshilan scenic preference". We still put aside other parts of the translation and talk about the publicity translation of the publicity column alone, so it is unacceptable to directly use pinyin for translation, not to mention foreign tourists. When translating public signs, we need to consider the object of the translation, and we must not simply use pinyin without knowing how to translate.

2.2 Terminology mismatch

In the translation of public signs, the mismatch of translation terms will not only fail to achieve the expected effect, but will lead to misinterpretation. During the real-life tour of Tiantai Mountain, the public sign of the scenic spot "Millennium Cherry" was translated into English as "Centuries Cherry". Since it is a Millennium, the word "centuries" here seems to be somewhat poorly translated, more precisely, it is a mismatch of terms. Referring to the translation of Millennium Development Goal, the author thinks that it is more accurate to translate Millennium Cherry into Millennium Cherry. In the translation of public signs, we should pay more attention to the accuracy of translation, not to blur the translation object, especially in the translation of public signs, we should pay more attention to terminology matching.

2.3 Cultural incompatibility

Considering the cultural differences between different nationalities and countries, English translation of public signs should pay attention to respecting different cultural habits and traditions. The main reason for cultural incompatibility lies in the translator's misunderstanding or even ignorance of different cultures. Take the dragon for example. Although it exists in both Chinese and Western cultures, its symbolic meaning is quite different. In China, dragon is a commendatory term, which is not only a symbol of power, nobility and honor, but also a symbol of luck and success. However, Westerners' association and view of dragon are very different. dragon is a derogatory term and a symbol of evil in the West. The word "deformity" appeared in the scenic spot ticket discount column. It was verified that the English definition of the word "deformity" in the English-Chinese Oxford Advanced Dictionary was "in condition in which a part of the body is not the normal shape cause of injury, Illness or because it has grown wrongly ",however, all western readers find it insulting

, and in western countries, people are quite sensitive to the words that express the meaning of" disability ",so they need to be extra strict and pay more attention when using them.

2.4 disharmony in tone

disharmony in tone is caused by too strong or too weak information in the translation of public signs or improper pragmatic use. In the terms of the publicity column of scenic spot ticket concessions, the public sign of "the elderly with retirement certificates" is translated as "Elderly people retire card holders". Obviously, the translation given by the staff in the scenic spot is illogical, and the use of "elderly people" to represent the elderly is slightly discordant. Like the old, weak, pregnant and disabled seats that people often see on buses, we should try our best to coordinate the tone of these special words in the process of publicity translation. The author thinks that using "senior citizen" to represent the elderly shows respect and has a more harmonious tone.

In addition, it is found that there are still some minor problems in the translation of public signs in Tiantai Mountain Scenic Area, such as case mistakes and inconsistent translation names, among which the most obvious ones are three different translations of the word "scenic spot" on the same billboard. The author thinks that English translation of these seemingly negligible public signs should also be paid attention to in order to make public signs serve foreign tourists better.

3. Standardize the coping strategies of public signs translation

Countermeasures In view of the current situation of English translation of public signs in China, it is urgent to try our best to save the deterioration of English translation of public signs. How to solve this problem efficiently and in time, I think we should start from the following aspects.

3.1 standardize the English translation of public signs in scenic spots

in order to make foreign tourists understand the contents of public signs more clearly, it is urgent to standardize the English translation of public signs in scenic spots. In the process of English translation of public signs, we should avoid word-for-word translation, less use of pinyin translation, avoid terminology mismatch, strive for cultural compatibility and harmonious tone, etc. We should try our best to have evidence to follow, and repeatedly study and scrutinize the translation of public signs that are difficult to handle, so as to achieve accuracy and standardization.

3.2 Strengthen the understanding of English translation of public signs

Nowadays, many non-professionals do not have a correct understanding of translation, not to mention the translation of public signs, and many of them think that they know English, or some even think that they can engage in translation after passing CET-4 or CET-6. However, this is not the case. Translation is extremely delicate, and it requires a lot of translators, especially the English translation of public signs. Deepening the understanding of translation from all walks of life can help improve the level of social translation, and the translation environment of public signs will really sublimate.

3.3 Strengthen the training of public signs translation talents

As we all know, there are only a handful of professionals in translation in China, and even fewer people are engaged in public signs translation. Therefore, it is urgent to strengthen the training of public signs translation professionals. In this regard, the country should give more encouragement to the training of public signs translators and relax the conditions appropriately, but it should still strictly control the situation to avoid confusing the fish with the pearls.

3.4 Strict implementation of translation quality management

In view of the present situation of China's translation market and translation quality team, it is very necessary to further standardize and manage the implementation of translation quality. Although our country has made some efforts to standardize the use of Chinese language and characters, such as the promulgation and implementation of the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Common Language and Characters, there is no corresponding policy on the regulations on the use of foreign languages. If we can separately formulate relevant regulations in this regard, translators will naturally be more careful and conscientious in the translation process, which is also very important for the standardization of English translation of public signs.

4. Conclusion

Globalization, modernization, urbanization and informatization have put forward urgent expectations and strict requirements for the research and translation of public signs in China. Especially in the tide of increasingly close communication between China and the international community, English translation of public signs will face higher and stricter requirements and challenges. Accurate and standardized English translation of public signs is essential to the external image of a city and country, and at the same time, it will also play a decisive role in the lives of the public and tourists. We believe that today, with both challenges and opportunities, China's English translation of public signs will surely make another breakthrough.

References:

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