A Study On C-E Translation Of Public Signs In Urumqi From The Perspective Of Eco-translatology

As a kind of external publicity language, bilingual public signs mark the development level and openness of a city. The quality of the public sign translation directly affects the image and further development of the given city. Xinjiang, located in the hinterland of the Eurasian Continent, where the C-E translation of public signs is significant to mold the image of China and spread Xinjiang’s multi-culture. The multi-ethnic culture in the capital city Urumqi is more centralized and obvious. However, the translation of public signs here is less than satisfactory, which may produce negative impact on Xinjiang’s image and the spread of its multi-culture. Thus, the C-E translation of public signs in Urumqi is worth researching.This thesis attempts to study the C-E translation of public signs in Urumqi from the perspective of Eco-translatology, a systematic translation theory first put forward by Chinese scholar Professor Hu Gengshen in recent years. With the interdisciplinary nature of “ecology” and “translation”, this theory defines translation as translator-centered, translational eco-environment adapted cyclical alternations of translator’s adaption and selection. Bearing varied content, Eco-translatology not only contains translation theory, but also plays a strong guiding role in translation practice. It offers a new interpretation of the concept, the nature, principles, methods, processes and evaluation criteria of translation from the perspective of ecology.Since the day when Eco-translatology was proposed, many scholars have done their related researches based on this theory, and have confirmed the feasibility and practicability of Eco-translatology. Given the above, this thesis attempts to adopt Eco-translatology to study the translation of public signs in Urumqi, aiming to provide readers with relatively clear translation steps and dimensions. Meanwhile, this research is expected to help improve the public sign translation in Urumqi. The C-E translation of public signs under the guidance of Eco-translatology has three stages: before translating, the translator needs to make adaptations to the translational eco-environment at different levels and in different aspects. Therefore, besides the basic function of public signs, a qualified translator is desired to be conscious of the public sign translation eco-environment, different linguistic characteristics of Chinese and English public signs, as well as the special target addressees; while translating, the translator is supposed to make multi-dimensional transformations under the translation principle of Eco-translatology, mainly in linguistic, cultural and communicative dimensions, and consider other dimensions appropriately so as to generate such target texts that conform to the demands of the translational eco-environment and the target addressees; after completing the translation, the translator is supposed to evaluate and improve his/her translation by using the practical evaluating system of Eco-translatology.