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Functionalist Approaches To Chinese-English Translation Of Public Signs

Posted on:2008-03-26Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:K Q WangFull Text:PDF
GTID:2155360215964978Subject:English Language and Literature
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
Public signs play such an important role in public communication and our daily life that they have always been called "the face of the city". Nowadays, bilingual public signs are provided in most cities in order to bring convenience to foreigners. However, the research of public sign translation in China is rather late compared with that of the foreign countries. In many big cities, public sign translation errors occur so frequently that they lower the quality of the translation and even impair the charm and international image of the cities. Thus, it is not only necessary but also urgent to study the principles of public sign translation and to eliminate translation errors in public signs.As a break with the traditional idea of equivalence, functionalist theory has opened a new vision for translation theory and practice. According to functionalist theory, translating is an action full of purposes. That is to say, the target text should meet the intended purpose as it is supposed to. Anything that obstructs the achievement of purpose is a translation error.The thesis discusses the functional features, stylistic characteristics and text type of public signs. Besides, it puts forward the translation brief which includes the purpose of public sign translation and the intended function of the target text. Based on plenty of examples collected through various channels, the thesis analyzes pragmatic, cultural and linguistic translation errors in public signs according to the classification of translation errors by functionalists. Furthermore, detailed explanation and suggested versions are given after every example.As the most important part of functional theory, Skopostheorie claims that "the end justifies the means", which gives much freedom to translators. In other words, the translation methods should be determined by the intended function of the target text and translators should choose translation methods purposely. So, various translation methods can be adopted in translating in order that the translation fulfills the intended function. Thus, the thesis endeavors to propose several translation methods for C-E translation of public signs, using real cases to illustrate each of them. The author sincerely hopes that this thesis would do its share in arousing public attention to the quality of C-E translation of public signs.
Keywords/Search Tags:public signs, translation errors, Functionalist theory, translation methods
PDF Full Text Request
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