本科畢業(yè)論文--從交際翻譯理論看公示語(yǔ)的漢譯英

PAGE上海海事大學(xué)SHANGHAIMARITIMEUNIVERSITY碩士學(xué)位論文MASTER’SDISSERTATION論文題目：從交際翻譯理論看公示語(yǔ)的漢譯英學(xué)位專業(yè)：外國(guó)語(yǔ)言學(xué)及應(yīng)用語(yǔ)言學(xué)PAGEOntheTranslationofChinesePublicSigns:FromthePerspectiveofCommunicativeTranslationTheoryByYaoQiangUndertheSupervisionofProfessorHanZhonghua&AssociateProfessorWeiYaochuanAThesisSubmittedtotheCollegeofForeignLanguagesofShanghaiMaritimeUniversityinPartialFulfillmentoftheRequirementsforMADegreeShanghaiMaritimeUniversityMay2009AcknowledgementsManypeoplehavegiventheirassistanceinmypreparationofthisthesis;however,Ialoneamresponsibleforanymistakesandimperfectionsoccurringinit.Likeanyinexperiencedwriter,Imetwithsomedifficultiesatfirst.AndIamclearlyawareofthefactthatthethesiscouldnotbeconsiderablybetterbutforalltheinvaluableadviceandkindhelpfromthesepeople.Myscriptshavebeencarefullyreadinfullbymysupervisor,respectedProfessorHanZhonghua,whohasgenerouslyofferedhisdetailedandwide–rangingcomments.Itismyrespectedsupervisorwhomakesthedeficienciesinmyarticlethatusedtobeapparentandunavoidablebecomefewerandlessglaring.IamalsogreatlyindebtedtoassociateProfessorWeiYaochuanforhisgeneroushelp.IalsobenefitgreatlyfromtheinformativeandinsightfullecturesbyProfessorWangJuquan,ProfessorWangMyfinalandheartfeltthanksmustalsogotomyfamilyforthelove,encouragementandsupporttheyhavebeengivingmeduringthetwoyears.

畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì)（論文）原創(chuàng)性聲明和使用授權(quán)說(shuō)明原創(chuàng)性聲明本人鄭重承諾：所呈交的畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì)（論文），是我個(gè)人在指導(dǎo)教師的指導(dǎo)下進(jìn)行的研究工作及取得的成果。盡我所知，除文中特別加以標(biāo)注和致謝的地方外，不包含其他人或組織已經(jīng)發(fā)表或公布過(guò)的研究成果，也不包含我為獲得及其它教育機(jī)構(gòu)的學(xué)位或?qū)W歷而使用過(guò)的材料。對(duì)本研究提供過(guò)幫助和做出過(guò)貢獻(xiàn)的個(gè)人或集體，均已在文中作了明確的說(shuō)明并表示了謝意。作者簽名：日期：指導(dǎo)教師簽名：日期：使用授權(quán)說(shuō)明本人完全了解大學(xué)關(guān)于收集、保存、使用畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì)（論文）的規(guī)定，即：按照學(xué)校要求提交畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì)（論文）的印刷本和電子版本；學(xué)校有權(quán)保存畢業(yè)設(shè)計(jì)（論文）的印刷本和電子版，并提供目錄檢索與閱覽服務(wù)；學(xué)?？梢圆捎糜坝?、縮印、數(shù)字化或其它復(fù)制手段保存論文；在不以贏利為目的前提下，學(xué)?？梢怨颊撐牡牟糠只蛉?jī)?nèi)容。作者簽名：日期：

學(xué)位論文原創(chuàng)性聲明本人鄭重聲明：所呈交的論文是本人在導(dǎo)師的指導(dǎo)下獨(dú)立進(jìn)行研究所取得的研究成果。除了文中特別加以標(biāo)注引用的內(nèi)容外，本論文不包含任何其他個(gè)人或集體已經(jīng)發(fā)表或撰寫的成果作品。對(duì)本文的研究做出重要貢獻(xiàn)的個(gè)人和集體，均已在文中以明確方式標(biāo)明。本人完全意識(shí)到本聲明的法律后果由本人承擔(dān)。作者簽名： 日期：年月日學(xué)位論文版權(quán)使用授權(quán)書(shū)本學(xué)位論文作者完全了解學(xué)校有關(guān)保留、使用學(xué)位論文的規(guī)定，同意學(xué)校保留并向國(guó)家有關(guān)部門或機(jī)構(gòu)送交論文的復(fù)印件和電子版，允許論文被查閱和借閱。本人授權(quán)大學(xué)可以將本學(xué)位論文的全部或部分內(nèi)容編入有關(guān)數(shù)據(jù)庫(kù)進(jìn)行檢索，可以采用影印、縮印或掃描等復(fù)制手段保存和匯編本學(xué)位論文。涉密論文按學(xué)校規(guī)定處理。作者簽名： 日期：年月日導(dǎo)師簽名：日期：年月日指導(dǎo)教師評(píng)閱書(shū)指導(dǎo)教師評(píng)價(jià)：一、撰寫（設(shè)計(jì)）過(guò)程1、學(xué)生在論文（設(shè)計(jì)）過(guò)程中的治學(xué)態(tài)度、工作精神□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格2、學(xué)生掌握專業(yè)知識(shí)、技能的扎實(shí)程度□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格3、學(xué)生綜合運(yùn)用所學(xué)知識(shí)和專業(yè)技能分析和解決問(wèn)題的能力□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格4、研究方法的科學(xué)性；技術(shù)線路的可行性；設(shè)計(jì)方案的合理性□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格5、完成畢業(yè)論文（設(shè)計(jì)）期間的出勤情況□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格二、論文（設(shè)計(jì)）質(zhì)量1、論文（設(shè)計(jì)）的整體結(jié)構(gòu)是否符合撰寫規(guī)范？□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格2、是否完成指定的論文（設(shè)計(jì)）任務(wù)（包括裝訂及附件）？□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格三、論文（設(shè)計(jì)）水平1、論文（設(shè)計(jì)）的理論意義或?qū)鉀Q實(shí)際問(wèn)題的指導(dǎo)意義□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格2、論文的觀念是否有新意？設(shè)計(jì)是否有創(chuàng)意？□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格3、論文（設(shè)計(jì)說(shuō)明書(shū)）所體現(xiàn)的整體水平□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格建議成績(jī)：□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格（在所選等級(jí)前的□內(nèi)畫“√”）指導(dǎo)教師：（簽名）單位：（蓋章）年月日

評(píng)閱教師評(píng)閱書(shū)評(píng)閱教師評(píng)價(jià)：一、論文（設(shè)計(jì)）質(zhì)量1、論文（設(shè)計(jì)）的整體結(jié)構(gòu)是否符合撰寫規(guī)范？□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格2、是否完成指定的論文（設(shè)計(jì)）任務(wù)（包括裝訂及附件）？□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格二、論文（設(shè)計(jì)）水平1、論文（設(shè)計(jì)）的理論意義或?qū)鉀Q實(shí)際問(wèn)題的指導(dǎo)意義□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格2、論文的觀念是否有新意？設(shè)計(jì)是否有創(chuàng)意？□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格3、論文（設(shè)計(jì)說(shuō)明書(shū)）所體現(xiàn)的整體水平□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格建議成績(jī)：□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格（在所選等級(jí)前的□內(nèi)畫“√”）評(píng)閱教師：（簽名）單位：（蓋章）年月日PAGEI教研室（或答辯小組）及教學(xué)系意見(jiàn)教研室（或答辯小組）評(píng)價(jià)：一、答辯過(guò)程1、畢業(yè)論文（設(shè)計(jì)）的基本要點(diǎn)和見(jiàn)解的敘述情況□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格2、對(duì)答辯問(wèn)題的反應(yīng)、理解、表達(dá)情況□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格3、學(xué)生答辯過(guò)程中的精神狀態(tài)□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格二、論文（設(shè)計(jì)）質(zhì)量1、論文（設(shè)計(jì)）的整體結(jié)構(gòu)是否符合撰寫規(guī)范？□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格2、是否完成指定的論文（設(shè)計(jì)）任務(wù)（包括裝訂及附件）？□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格三、論文（設(shè)計(jì)）水平1、論文（設(shè)計(jì)）的理論意義或?qū)鉀Q實(shí)際問(wèn)題的指導(dǎo)意義□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格2、論文的觀念是否有新意？設(shè)計(jì)是否有創(chuàng)意？□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格3、論文（設(shè)計(jì)說(shuō)明書(shū)）所體現(xiàn)的整體水平□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格評(píng)定成績(jī)：□優(yōu)□良□中□及格□不及格（在所選等級(jí)前的□內(nèi)畫“√”）教研室主任（或答辯小組組長(zhǎng)）：（簽名）年月日教學(xué)系意見(jiàn)：系主任：（簽名）年月日摘要隨著我國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)的發(fā)展和對(duì)外開(kāi)放步伐的加快，中國(guó)與國(guó)際間的友好往來(lái)及經(jīng)濟(jì)合作日益增多，對(duì)外聯(lián)系和國(guó)際交流日趨頻繁。突出表現(xiàn)在城市面貌上，越來(lái)越多的公示語(yǔ)逐漸采用中英雙語(yǔ)來(lái)表示。由于城市公示語(yǔ)和社會(huì)生活、國(guó)際形象等都有著密切聯(lián)系，公示語(yǔ)的翻譯也顯得愈發(fā)重要。但因?yàn)楣菊Z(yǔ)有其獨(dú)特的語(yǔ)言特點(diǎn)和不同的功能意義，公示語(yǔ)的漢英翻譯也面臨許多實(shí)際困難?；谝陨显?，作者嘗試從理論和實(shí)踐的角度分析現(xiàn)今漢英公示語(yǔ)翻譯中所存在的一些問(wèn)題。通過(guò)對(duì)大量標(biāo)準(zhǔn)以及問(wèn)題公示語(yǔ)翻譯的深入觀察分析，作者對(duì)公示語(yǔ)的一般特征進(jìn)行了總結(jié)并從語(yǔ)言和文化兩個(gè)層面對(duì)公示語(yǔ)翻譯中出現(xiàn)的問(wèn)題進(jìn)行了分類。語(yǔ)言層面的錯(cuò)誤包括拼寫、用詞不當(dāng)、用詞累贅及語(yǔ)法錯(cuò)誤等；文化層面的錯(cuò)誤包括中式英語(yǔ)、語(yǔ)氣不當(dāng)、忽略文化差異等。在理論方面，作者發(fā)現(xiàn)交際翻譯理論在公示語(yǔ)翻譯中尤其具有啟發(fā)性。交際翻譯理論是由英國(guó)翻譯理論家紐馬克率先提出的。這一理論對(duì)于公示語(yǔ)翻譯具有十分重要的理論啟示。紐馬克認(rèn)為所有文本可分為三類，即表達(dá)型文本、信息型文本和號(hào)召型文本。而根據(jù)文本類型的不同，紐馬克又提出了兩種相應(yīng)的翻譯方法，即語(yǔ)義翻譯和交際翻譯。語(yǔ)義翻譯以作者為中心，其表達(dá)效果要盡量貼近原文效果，因此適用于表達(dá)型文本的翻譯。而交際翻譯則更趨向于讀者，其翻譯宗旨是以讀者為中心，因此該翻譯方法更適用于信息型文本和號(hào)召型文本。鑒于對(duì)公示語(yǔ)語(yǔ)言特點(diǎn)的考慮，作者發(fā)現(xiàn)公示語(yǔ)的文本特點(diǎn)實(shí)際上融合了信息型文本和號(hào)召型文本的顯著特征。因此，作者認(rèn)為在公示語(yǔ)翻譯中應(yīng)當(dāng)使用交際翻譯策。由于交際翻譯策略只為譯者提供了一個(gè)框架，并沒(méi)有給我們翻譯公示語(yǔ)提供可供操作的具體方法。因此，本文作者針對(duì)公示語(yǔ)翻譯中出現(xiàn)的錯(cuò)誤，討論了一些具體的翻譯方法。如采用國(guó)際常用的表達(dá)法，進(jìn)行漢英置換、用詞簡(jiǎn)明扼要、使用漢語(yǔ)拼音、功能優(yōu)先等方法。對(duì)于具有中國(guó)文化特色的公示語(yǔ)，可以采用不譯、轉(zhuǎn)換思維角度、委婉語(yǔ)氣及添加法來(lái)成功的傳達(dá)原文的信息?？傊?，本文以交際翻譯理論為指導(dǎo)，系統(tǒng)的研究和分析了目前我國(guó)公示語(yǔ)英語(yǔ)翻譯的錯(cuò)誤和問(wèn)題，并提出了相應(yīng)的解決方法。希望通過(guò)本文的研究，能對(duì)公示語(yǔ)的英譯做出一些微薄的貢獻(xiàn)。關(guān)鍵詞：公示語(yǔ)；漢英翻譯；交際翻譯；翻譯錯(cuò)誤；翻譯方法AbstractWiththeacceleratingdevelopmentofChina'seconomyandopeningtotheoutsideworld,theeconomiccooperationandfriendlyexchangesbetweenChinaandtheoutsideworldtendtoincreasegreatlyasthesameasextrovertedcontactsandglobalcommunications.Therefore,moreandmoreChinese-Englishbilingualpublicsignsappearinpublic,whichisthedistinguishedfeatureoftheupdatingdevelopmentofmoderncitiesinChina.SincepublicsignsattachgreatimportancetosociallivesandinternationalimagesofChina,publicsignstranslationappearstobeofgrowingsignificanceandemergency.However,regrettablemistakesinpublicsignstranslationcanbefrequentlyobserved,duetotheuniquelinguisticfeaturesanddiversifiedfunctionsofEnglishpublicsigns.Forthatreason,theauthorventuresanattempttoanalyzethecurrentproblemsexistingintheC-Etranslationofpublicsignsandtoseekpropertranslationstrategiesbothfromtheperspectivesoftheoryandpractice.Bycloselyobservingnumeroussamplesofbothstandardandproblematictranslationofsigns,theauthormanagestogeneralizethecharacteristicsofpublicsignsandtocategorizetheproblemsandmistakesinthecurrentC-Etranslationofpublicsignsfromlinguisticandculturallevelrespectively.Theerrorsonthelinguisticlevelincludespellingerrors,inaccuratediction,wordredundancyandgrammaticalerrors;whiletheerrorsontheculturallevelconsistofChinglish,harshtone,ignoringculturaldiscrepancy,etc,.Intermsoftheory,theauthorfindsthatthetheoryofcommunicativetranslationisparticularlyinspiring.Communicativetranslationtheory,whichispioneeredandproposedbyPeterNewmark,mayprovidethetheoreticalenlightenmentforthestrategyoftheC-Etranslationofpublicsigns.AccordingtoNewmark,alltextscanbeclassifiedintothreetypes,namelyexpressive,informativeandvocative.Newmarkalsointroducestwoapproachesfordifferenttypesoftexts,namelysemantictranslationandcommunicativetranslation.Semantictranslation,whichisthetranslationattheauthor'slevel,isapplicabletoexpressivetexts.Thatistotranslateascloseastothesourcetext.Informativeandvocativetextsshouldbetranslatedatthereadership'slevel.Thatmeanstoemphasizeontheeffectitexertsonthereaders.Therefore,itrequiresthatcommunicativetranslationbeutilized.Takingtheircharacteristicsintoaccount,thetexttypeofpublicsignsactuallyinterminglesthemainfeaturesofboththeinformativeandthevocativetexttypes.Inthatsense,itisadvisablethatthemethodofcommunicativetranslationbeadoptedintheC-EtranslationofpublicThecommunicativetranslationapproachonlyprovidesthetranslatorwithaframeworkwhilenospecifictranslationmethodsareoffered.Therefore,theauthorofthisthesisdiscussesseveraltranslationmethodswithregardtotheerrorsinthetranslationofpublicsigns,suchasFollowinginternationalstandard,Economyinwordemployment,UtilizationofPinyin,Functionalpriority,Notranslation,Thinkingintheoppositeway,EuphemistictoneandAddition.ByusingtheCommunicativetranslationapproach,theauthormakesasystematicstudyandanalysisofthetranslationofpublicsignsinordertofindsomenewtranslationmethodsandskills.ItishopedthatthisthesiswillbeofsomehelptotheimprovementofC-EtranslationofpublicsignsinChina.KeyWords:PublicSigns;Chinese-EnglishTranslation;CommunicativeTranslation;TranslationErrors;TranslationMethods

ContentChapterOneIntroduction 11.1SignificanceofSignTranslation 11.2CurrentStudiesonC-ETranslationofPublicSignsinChina 11.2.1AchievementsoftheCurrentStudy 2ResearchCenter 2ActivitiesandWebSites 2BooksandDictionaries 3Symposiums 31.2.2LimitationsofthePresentStudy 3InadequateRulesandRegulations 4UnsystematicTheoreticalResearches 41.3ResearchMethodandDataCollection 41.4TheStructureoftheThesis 5ChapterTwoAsurveyofNewmark’sTranslationTheory 62.1Newmark’sviewonTranslation 62.2LanguageFunctionsandNewmark’sTextTypology 72.3CommunicativeTranslation(CT)andSemanticTranslation(ST) 102.3.1BackgroundofCT&ST 102.3.2DefinitionsofCT&ST 122.3.3ComparisonbetweenCT&ST 132.3.4DevelopmentofCT&ST 162.4CT&STandTextTypology 182.4.1ApplicationofCT&STindifferenttext-types 182.4.2CT&STandHybridTexts 212.5Summary 21ChapterThreeGeneralizationofPublicSigns 223.1DefinitionofPublicSigns 223.2FunctionsofPublicSigns 253.2.1Directing 253.2.2Prompting 253.2.3Restricting 263.2.4Compelling 273.3ClassificationofPublicSigns 273.3.1FromthePerspectiveofInformationState 283.3.2FromthePerspectiveofSocialApplication 28TrafficSigns 29RoadSigns 29SignsatScenicSpots 29NamesofInstitutionsandShops 30SignsforShopping 30PublicSlogans 303.4StylisticFeaturesofPublicSigns 313.4.1Lexicalfeatures 31FrequentUseofNounsandNounPhrase 31WideUseofVerbsandGerunds 32UseofAbbreviation 32AvoidUsingUncommonWords 32CapitalizationofEnglishSigns 333.4.2.GrammaticalFeatures 33UseofPassiveStructures 33UseofImperativeSentences 34UseofPresentTense 34UseofSimple,ShortSentences 343.4.3OtherFeatures 35CombiningWordswithPictures 35SetExpressions 35SignswithLocalCharacteristics 363.5Summary 36ChapterFourErrorAnalysisoftheTranslationofPublicSigns 374.1ErrorsontheLinguisticLevel 374.1.1LexicalErrors 38Misspelling 38InaccurateDiction 40WordRedundancy 424.1.2GrammaticalErrors 44MisuseofNumbers 44MisuseofPartofSpeech 45MisuseofArticleandPreposition 46OtherGrammaticalErrors 464.2ErrorsontheCulturalLevel 484.2.1Culture,LanguageandTranslation 484.2.2TypicalCulturalErrors 49Chinglish 50HarshTone 52IgnoringCulturalDiscrepancy 54CulturalDefault 564.3Summary 58ChapterFiveApplicationofCTtotheTranslationofPublicSignsSuggestedMethods 595.1EnlightenmentofNewmark’sTheory 595.1.1TextTypesofPublicSigns 595.1.2CTandtheTranslationofPublicSigns 605.2SuggestedTranslationMethodstoPublicSigns 615.2.1FollowingtheInternationalStandard 625.2.2EconomyinWordEmployment 675.2.3Utilizationof“Pinyin” 685.2.4FunctionalPriority 685.2.5EuphemisticTone 695.2.6NoTranslation 705.2.7ThinkingintheOppositeWay 705.2.8Addition 715.3Summary 73Conclusion 74Bibliography 76PAGE73ChapterOneIntroduction1.1SignificanceofSignTranslationWiththeimplementationofthereformandopening-uppolicyin1978,Chinahasgraduallyturnedintoanopencountryanditscommunicationswithforeigncountriesinthefieldsofdiplomacy,economyandcultureareincreasinglyenhanced.NowadaysforeignersofallworksoflifeswarmintoChinaforstudy,forwork,fortourismorforotherreasons.ManyimportantinternationalconferencesandforumsarealsoheldinChina.So,howtoprovideconveniencefortheseforeignersduringtheirstayandletthemknowmoreaboutChinaisthetoppriorityforustocontemplate.Formostforeigners,theyknowlittleaboutChinese,letaloneChineseculture.Undersuchcircumstances,theC-Etranslationofpublicsignsplaysanimportantroleasawayofcommunicationbecausethesesignswillprovideforeignerswiththeinformationtheywantandguidetheiractions.Manybigandmedium-sizedcitiesinChinanowhavebilingualpublicsignsfortheconvenienceofforeigners,butthequalityoftranslationisfarfromsatisfactoryowingtoinnumerousandridiculousmistakes.BarryGray,theChairmanoftheInternationalGraphicSymbolsCommittee,pointsoutthat“Signingaffectseverybody——travelers,shoppers,visitors,drivers,etc.,whetherinthecourseofbusinessorpleasure.Badsigningisatbestirritatingandatworstcanbelifethreateninganddangerous.”Therefore,itisthehightimeforustogiveadetailedinvestigationofcurrentsigntranslationinordertoobtaingoodbilingualpublicsignsandacquireapositiveinternationalimage.1.2CurrentStudiesonC-ETranslationofPublicSignsinChinaC-Etranslationofpublicsignshasdrawnincreasingattentionfromtheacademiccircleandthepublicinrecentyears.AccordingtothestatisticsfromCHKD,thereareabout103papersdiscussingC-Etranslationofpublicsigns.Obviously,manyachievementshavebeenmade.1.2.1AchievementsoftheCurrentStudyResearchCenterIn2002,theresearchtopicofC-EtranslationofpublicsignswasestablishedbyBeijingInternationalStudiesUniversity,wherearesearchcenteronthisissuewasalsofounded.Theprofessorshavegonearounddifferentuniversitiesandcollegestogivelecturesonthistopic.InAugust,2003,thewebsitewassetupbythisresearchcenter.Inthesummervacationsof2004and2005,themainmembersoftheresearchcenterwentto17citiestogetthefirsthandsourcesofpublicsignsinBritain,France,Germany,theNetherlands,Belgium,Austria,Luxembourg,Italy,Finland,SwedenandVatican.Theytookmorethan3000photographsofpublicActivitiesandWebSitesInJuly,2005,ChinaDailyandotherinstitutionsunveiledaplantoimprovethepublicsignsinChineseandEnglishalloverthecountry.Andthen,Beijingalsolaunchedacampaign--BeijingSpeaksForeignLanguagesProgram—forstandardizingpublicsignsinthecity.Thewebsitededicatedtotheprogramwassetup,whichwaspopularinpeoplewhoactivelygotinvolvedintheactivities.InSeptember,2005,TranslatorsAssociationofChinadevelopedaprogramtoimprovetheEnglishtranslationofpublicsignsinbigcities,inwhichtranslatorsassociationsindifferentcitiessparednoeffortsincludingthefirstgroupofexperimentalcitiessuchasBeijing,Shanghai,Guangzhou,Tianjin,Chongqing,Shenzhen,QingdaoandGuilin.Andthen,devotedtothisissue,anumberofwebsiteswereestablishedtoaskformoreattentionandmoreinvestigationsuchasthewebsiteofChinaDaily,ofBeijingInternationalStudiesUniversity,ofTranslatorsAssociationofShenzhen,ofTranslatorsBooksandDictionariesAChinese-EnglishDictionaryonSignswaspublishedbyTheCommercialPressinSeptember,2004.InMay,2007,coauthoredbyWangYingandLuHefa,thefirstbookspecializedinstandardizingtheEnglishtranslationofPublicsigns,Chinese一EnglishTranslationofSignswaspublishedbyChinaTranslation&PublishingCorporation,whichprovidesthispaperwithvaluablematerials.SymposiumsInSeptember,2005,theFirstSymposiumonChinese一EnglishTranslationofPublicSignswasheldinBeijingInternationalStudiesUniversity,inwhichalotoftranslationexpertsandscholarsgavetheirpresentationonthistopictocleansethelanguageenvironmentandtopromotethecommunicationsbetweendifferentcountries.TheseexpertsandscholarsalsoheatedlydiscussedthetheoriesandpracticeofEnglishtranslationofChinesepublicsigns,aswellassomerulesandregulationstosolvetheproblems.InJuly,2007,theSecondSymposiumonChinese-EnglishTranslationofPublicsSignswasheldinTongjiUniversityinShanghai,whosethemewas“TranslationofPublicSignsandConstructionofLanguageEnvironment”.Alotofscholarsandexpertsgottogethertodiscusssuchtopicsastranslationofpublicsignsandinterculturalcommunication,translationofpublicsignsincities,1.2.2LimitationsofthePresentStudySomeachievementshavebeenmadeinrecentyearsinthetranslationofpublicsignsandmoreandmorepeoplestarttogiveattentiontothistopic.However,therearealsosomeproblemstobesolvedinfurtherresearches.InadequateRulesandRegulationsAsanewfieldintranslationstudies,theC-Etranslationofpublicsignsstillhasalongwaytogo.Thelackofrelevantregulations,tosomeextent,isresponsiblefortheproblemsinthetranslationofpublicsigns.AlthoughinbiggercitiessuchasBeijingandShanghaisomerulesandregulationshavebeenmadetocleansethelanguageenvironment,thestandardsintheseregulationsdonotaccordwitheachother.Moreandspecificrulesandregulationsshouldbeformulatedandtranslators,whoplayimportantrolesinthetranslation,shouldbequalifiedfortranslationofpublicsigns.TheauthoritiesconcernedshouldalsogivemoreattentionUnsystematicTheoreticalResearchesAlthoughtherehavebeensomeresearchesonthetheoriesoftranslationofpublicsignssuchascommunicativetheory,pragmaticsandotherrelevanttheories,thereisnotaverysystematicone.Thepreviousinvestigationsusuallyfocusedonsomecommonexamplesandspecifictranslationmethodsortechniques;theresearchesoverlappedoncertaintopicssuchasthetranslationofthenamesofroadsandstreets,thetranslationofpublicsignsinsomescenicspots.Therefore,relevanttheoriesintranslationstudiesandinotherdisciplinesshouldbeadoptedtoshedlightonthetranslationofpublicsigns.1.3ResearchMethodandDataCollectionThisthesisadoptsacomparativeanalyticalcase-studymethodtoidentifytheerrorsthatoccurinthetranslationofpublicsigns.ThesubjectsofthisresearcharetheChinesepublicsignsandtheirEnglishtranslation.MostexamplesarecollectedfrompaperspublishedbyotherscholarsinperiodicalsoftranslationstudiessuchasChineseTranslatorJournal,ShanghaiJournalofTranslators,JournalofForeignLanguages,andthelike;someexamplesarecollectedformthewebsitessuchas/herewego,andhttp://www.chinglish.de/.Andtherestofexamplesarephotographedorcollectedbytheauthorhimselfinpublicplacessuchassupermarkets,scenicspots,streetsandsoon.Errorsofeachkindwillbeexamined,classifiedandcorrected.1.4TheStructureoftheThesisThisthesiscomprisesthefollowingsixchapters:ChapterOneservesasabriefintroduction,presentingthesignificance,researchmethod,datacollectionandthecurrentsituationofsigntranslationinchina.ChapterTwoisadetaileddescriptionandanalysisofPeterNewmark’stranslationtheoryChapterThreefocusesonanoverviewofthepublicsign,centeringonitsdefinition,functions,classificationsaswellaslanguagefeatures.ChapterFourisanin-depthanalysisontheproblemsexistinginthetranslationofpublicsignsfromtheperspectivesoflinguisticandculture.ChapterFiveistheapplicationofcommunicativetranslationapproachtothetranslationofpublicsigns,andsuggestedtranslationmethodsareprovided.Thelastpartisasystematicconclusionofthewholepaper.

ChapterTwoAsurveyofNewmark’sTranslationTheoryPeterNewmark,awell-knowncontemporaryEnglishtranslationtheorist,educator,andprolificwriter,makesgreatcontributiontocommontranslationtheoriesandpractice.Byreviewingthehistoryoftranslationtheory,Newmarkmakescomparisonsandcommentsontheviewpointsofdifferentscholars,andthenputsforwardhisownideasontranslation.ProfessorNewmark’smajorcontributionstothegeneraltranslationtheoryishisclassificationoftypesontexts—expressivefunction,informativefunctionandvocativefunction,andthetwocorrespondingtranslationmethodsfordifferenttypesoftexts—semantictranslationfocusesprimarilyuponthesemanticcontentofthesourcetextandcommunicativetranslationfocusesessentiallyuponthecomprehensionandresponseofreceptors.AlltheseareexplainedindetailsinhisinfluentialmasterpiecesApproachestoTranslation(1981),ATextbookofTranslation2.1Newmark’sviewonTranslationTranslationisakindofcross-linguistic,cross-culturalandcross-socialactivity.Therearevariousdefinitionsoftranslationandthediversityinthedefinitionsoftranslationliesinthedifferentemphasislaidtothematerialtobetranslatedandtothepurposeoftranslation.Whatistranslation?AccordingtoNewmark,“Often,thoughnotbyanymeansalways,itisrenderingthemeaningofatextintoanotherlanguageinthewaythattheauthorintendedthetext”.Concededly,heplacesastrongemphasison“text”here.Infact,heclassifiesdifferenttypesoftextonthebasisofthelanguagefunctions.Asforthenatureoftranslation,Newmarksaysthattranslationisascience,askill,anartandamatteroftaste:Atranslatorisalwaystryingtoextendhisknowledgeandimprovehismeansofexpression;heisalwayspursuingfactsandwords.Heworksonfourlevels:translationisfirstascience,whichentailstheknowledgeandverificationofthefactsandthelanguagethatdescribesthem.Here,whatiswrong,andmistakesoftruthcanbeidentified;Secondly,itisaskill,whichcallsforappropriatelanguageandacceptableusage;Thirdly,anart,whichdistinguishesgoodfromundistinguishedwritinganditisthecreative,theintuitive,sometimestheinspiredlevelofthetranslation;Finally,amatteroftaste,whereargumentceases,preferencesareexpressed,andthevarietyofmeritorioustranslationsisthereflectionofindividualdifferences.2.2LanguageFunctionsandNewmark’sTextTypologyManytheoristshavedividedtextsaccordingtosubject-matter(literature,institutions,technology,etc.),butitperhapsmoreprofitabletobeginwithBuhler’sstatement(1934)ofthefunctionsoflanguagewhichhadawideinfluenceonthePragueSchoolandhasbeenusedbysometranslationtheorists(Newmark:2001b:12).NewmarktakesBuhler’sfunctionaltheoryoflanguageasadaptedbyJakobsonastheonethatismostusefullyappliedtotranslating.AccordingtoBuhler,whoisafamousGermanpsychologistandfunctionallinguist,thethreemainfunctionsoflanguageareexpressivefunction,representationalfunctionandvocativefunction.Buhler’sclassificationismodifiedandextendedbyJakobsonasrepresentationalfunction,expressivefunction,cognitivefunction,phaticfunction,poeticfunctionandmetalingualfunction.Basedontheirtheories,Newmarkputsforwardthethreemainfunctionsoflanguage:expressivefunction,informativefunctionandvocativefunction.Andcorrespondingly,Newmarkclassifiesthedifferenttextsintothreetypes:expressive,informative,andvocative,witheachtypeprocessingdistinctivefeaturesintheaspectsofauthorstatus,textemphasis,languagemannerandsoon.Obviously,thefunctionsoflanguageareofbasicimportanceasatoolforcategorizingtexts.(Newmark:2001a:44).FunctionExpressiveInformativeVocativeCoreWriterTruthReadershipAuthor’sstatusSacredAnonymousAnonymousType1.SeriousimaginativeLiterature2.Authoritativestatements3.Autobiography4.PersonalcorrespondenceTopicFormatNoticesInstructionsPropagandasPublicityPopularfictionScientificTextbookTechnologicalReportCommercialPaperIndustrialArticleEconomicMemorandumMinutesOtherareasofknowledgeoreventsTable1:Languagefunctions,text-categoriesandtext-types(Newmark,2001a:40)Firstly,theexpressivefunctionfocusesonthemindofthespeaker,thewriter,theoriginatoroftheutterance.Hejustexpresseshisfeelingsorideasregardlessofanyresponsesfromthereaders.Thustheexpressivetextisauthor-centeredandthestatusofthewriterissacred.Inexpressivetextstheunitoftranslationislikelytobesmall.Newmarkthinksthecharacteristicexpressivetext-typesare:(1)Seriousimaginativeliteraturesuchaslyricalpoetry,shortstories,novelsandplays;(2)Authoritativestatements.Typicalauthoritativestatementsarepoliticalspeeches,documentsetc.Suchtextshavethepersonal‘stamp’oftheirauthors,althoughtheyaredenotative,notconnotative.(3)Autobiography,essays,personalcorrespondence.Theseareexpressivewhentheyarepersonaleffusions,whenthereadersareofaremotebackground.Whentranslatingthistypeoftexts,thetranslatorshouldbeabletodistinguishthepersonalcomponentscharacterizedas‘personaldialect’ratherthannormalizetheminthetargettexts.Secondly,Thecoreoftheinformativefunctionoflanguageisexternalsituation,thefactsofatopic,realityoutsidelanguage,includingreportedideasortheories(ibid:40).Typicalinformativetextsareconcernedwithanytopicofknowledge,buttextsaboutliterarysubjects,astheyoftenexpressvalue-judgments,areapttoleantowards‘expressiveness’.Thistypeoftextsincludeatextbook,atechnicalreport,anarticleinanewspaperoraperiodical,ascientificpaper,athesis,minutesoragendaofameeting.Asuccessfultranslationofthiskindoftextistotransferthemessageefficientlyandkeepthenaturalnessofthegrammaticalformofthetargetlanguage.Newmarkpointsoutthat‘informative’textsconstitutethevastmajorityofthestafftranslator’sworkininternationalorganizations,multi-nationals,privatecompaniesandtranslationagencies.Andahighproportionofsuchtextsarepoorlywrittenandsometimesinaccurate,anditisusuallythetranslator’sjobto‘correct’theirfactsandtheirstyle.Last,thevocativefunctionisreader-centered.Thecoreofthevocative