On C-E Translation Of Tourist Materials From The Perspective Of Functionalist Theory

The present study adopts the functionalist theory of translation as its theoretical basis to translation of Chinese tourist materials into English. As is known to all, with the rapid development of tourism in China, its promotion is lagging behind, particularly promotion in overseas market. After analysis, I find that common problems in C-E translation on tourism can be categorized into two groups, namely, linguistic mistakes and cultural misunderstanding. These phenomena hinder further development of China to be a nation with top tourism industry and highlight the urgency, necessity and significance of improving its translation. Thus, it is required that translators should not only have a good command of the two languages, but also ability to cultivate good cross-culture competence.From the perspective of functionalist theory, it gives a comparative and contrastive study of tourist materials between Chinese and English. Language features of Chinese and English tourist materials are introduced respectively and origin of the divergence is further explored. This is to say, linguistic and cultural differences in Chinese and English attribute to the great divergence. As a specialized text, informativity and appeal are two distinctive functions of tourist materials. Accordingly, despite great difference of tourist materials between Chinese and English, the ultimate goal is to fulfill its informative as well as operative function effectively.According to functionalist theory represented by Hans J. Vermeer, translation is a purposeful human activity, involving source text, target text, source text writer, target text reader, translator and other factors. And the prime principle that determines any translation process is the purpose (Skopos) of the overall translational action. I maintain that Skopos of the translation, text typology, translation brief, general Skopos rules ought to be taken into full consideration in translational practice. In theoretical analysis, basic notions of Top-down Functionalist Translation Procedure and translation problems are also discussed.Chinese tourist materials in the present study include tourist guidebooks, tourist maps, introductions of tourist attractions, tourist brochures, hotel information, public signs, place names and the like. In order to acquire the purpose and communicative function of the translation, which aim at attracting foreign tourists to make tours in China and thus promoting Chinese culture, I maintain that the translation of Chinese tourist materials in English should be under the guidance of the general principle of target readers-focus and Chinese culture-focus. Meanwhile, the purpose also decides the choice of translation strategies. Therefore, within the framework of functionalist approach, I put forward the following specific comprehension of the strategies of the translation of Chinese tourist materials in English. In translational practice, the translator ought to always keep factors beyond linguistics in mind, such as the purpose of the translation, the target readers and Chinese culture and employ numerous strategies appropriately. I suggest that feasible strategies such as transliteration, liberal translation, transliteration plus liberal translation, transliteration plus explanation, amplification, analogy, adaptation, be adopted in tackling practical translation in names of scenic spots, quotations from Chinese poems and couplets, or other problems from tourist materials.The present thesis is only a tentative study on translation of Chinese tourist materials in English. Nevertheless, the study is so comprehensive that it still has a long way to go in its research. Anyway, hopefully the present study will give some help to the standard and improvement of the translation of Chinese tourist materials in English, and thus contribute to the development of Chinese tourism.