Functionalist Approach To The Chinese-English Translation Of Public Signs In Scenic Spots

With the rapid development of international exchange and the intensification of our reform and opening-up policy, China is becoming more and more open to the world than before. Especially in recent years, China has been attracting worldwide attention as the host of many celeberated international events, such as the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. Undoubtedly, there will be increasing numbers of overseas tourists coming to China. As an important medium of international communication, public signs, especially Chinese-English bilingual public signs in the scenic spots, have a vital role to play in showcasing the image of China to all the foreign visitors. However, English versions of Chinese public signs in scenic spots are far from being satisfactory, many problems and errors are found in the translation.These poorly-translated public signs not only fail to achieve the intended communicative function but also severely damage the China's image and its international tourism. Therefore, Chinese-English translation of public signs in scenic spots deserves an in-depth study. Based on the previous researches and from the perspective of German functionalist translation theory, this thesis strives to do a systematic research on the translation of the public signs in scenic spots and attempts to seek effective ways of improving the translation quality of public signs in Guilin through case studies. English public signs in scenic spots are especially designed for the foreign tourists and aim to convey the messages of the source public signs to the target readers adquately and accurately, facilitating their travel in China, transmiting Chinese culture to them and arousing their interests for travel. Due to the characteristics and specialized functions of the public signs, translators need practical theories to guide their translation and should adopt proper translation strategies which are target language oriented and reader oriented. German functionalist translation theories are of great help to analyze the translation problems and errors of public signs in scenic spots. According to this approach, the intended purpose or function of the target text determines the overall translation strategies. The addressee, the intended receiver or reader in the target language culture, is one of the most important factors that determine a translation purpose. Therefore, translators should bear the intended functions and the addressee of the public signs in mind and adopt vatious translation strategies to ensure seccessful communication.The author explores various translation problems of English public signs in major scenic spots in Guilin.They are classified and analyzed in the light of functional approach. Based on analyses of rich examples, this thesis offers practical strategies applicable to the C-E translation of public signs in scenic spots, including literal translation, liberal translation and adaptation. At the same time, it points out the significance of emphasizing the translators'role and establishing supervision organization in improving the quality of English public signs in scenic spots.