A Practice Report On English Translation Of Names Of People In The History Of Ancient Chinese Navigation

Since the Ming Dynasty, the shipping industry of ancient China has been in a leading position in the world. As China opens its arms to the world, the foreign shipping experts and scholars are showing increasing interest in the study of ancient Chinese navigational literature. Such literature involves many names which connotate the owners’ social status and the culture of that time. The owners of such names include Emperors, ministers, navigators, poets and civilians. An accurate translation of the names can provide the readers with a comprehensive understanding of the historical events.This thesis discusses the author’s translation of Chinese Ancient Navigational Literature which covers over10,000words. In the thesis, the author elaborates on how to translate the names through the following principles as adaptation to original names, standard pronunciation, appropriate compensation, and principle established by usage. This thesis also displays the problems and solutions in the translation in the hope of providing suggestions to the future translation.