A Survey Report On English Translation Of Public Signs In Medical Institutions

With a closer relationship between China and other countries and regions worldwide,a continuous stream of people from all over the world flood into China,making the employment of Chinese-English(hereinafter referred to as C-E)public signs in public places a necessity.And errors should hardly present themselves in medical institutions.Nevertheless,there have not been enough researches on the English translation of public signs in medical institutions in China,especially in Chongqing.Taking 10 “AAA hospitals” in Chongqing as examples,a field survey on the current situation of C-E public sign was carried out.Thanks to this survey,a total of 490 less appropriate public signs were collected,in which names of departments,warning signs,and guidance information signs were involved.The samples were classified into three main types,namely,substance errors(18.57%),text errors(54.90%),and discourse errors(26.53%)according to Carl James’ s methodology of error analysis.And then the revised translation was given based on the “Kan Yi Xie” Principle proposed by Lin Ke’nan,and with the reference of Guidelines for the use of English in public service areas(hereinafter referred to as the state standard)as well as the parallel text of the English-speaking nations searched online.It was found that reasons including the incompetence of the translators,the deficiency in manufacturers’ and posters’ responsibility,the lack of the application of related guidelines and insufficient knowledge of public signs led to diversified errors.To cope with such a problem,translators should input more authentic English materials and abandon word-for-word translation,translation initiators should focus on translation quality,manufacturers’ and posters’ should enhance their working ethics,translation practitioners should improve their professionalism,the government should promote the application of the state standard,and the public should get involved in correcting translation errors.With the underlying reasons of errors and according enlightenment and inspirations,this survey is expected to provide reference for translators and English learners,in the hope of arousing reflections of relevant departments and insiders,and reducing errors in public signs translation in medical institutions,thus enhancing the quality of renditions in particular,as well as promoting internationalization of medical institutions and the city image of Chongqing in general.