Study On English-Chinese Character Name Translation

The Chinese translation of foreign names has been peripheral in translation studies. For many translators or scholars in the field, it does not constitute an issue that is worth much attention. As a result, many misleading instances have occurred. It is a commonly-seen phenomenon that one English name is rendered into several different versions in its Chinese translations. This not only misleads the translation readers but also hinders the intended cultural exchange through translation. Therefore, in order to achieve effective exchange of translation, the confusion in Chinese Translation of foreign names must be given serious attention. This thesis is a report on a translation project—a Chinese translation of the Australian scholar Louise Edwards’s essay "Women in Honglou meng:Prescriptions of Purity in The femininity of Qing Dynasty China". Based on analysis of instances from the project, the thesis examines problems that are frequently encountered in Chinese translation of English Names, in order to summarize some general translation strategies and translation skills in this respect.