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

Geographical names are not only linguistic symbols that represent geographic entities, but also contain abundant natural or cultural connotations. Ancient Chinese geographical names, especially, bear the weight of the important historic and cultural information in the development of Chinese civilization; therefore, the accurate and standardized translation of ancient Chinese geographical names is of great significance in promoting Chinese nation’s long-standing history and culture to the west.This report is based on the translation practice of geographical names in "History of Ancient Chinese Navigation". The author argues that while translating ancient Chinese geographical names, translators should abide by five translation principles, namely, following the pronunciation of the owner, standard source language pronunciation, established translated names, adequate compensation and proper rendering for the translation with this regard. At the same time, according to different situations, translators should also utilize two translation strategies, namely, transliterate directly or transliterate the specific term and paraphrase the generic term.Through this translation practice report, on the one hand, the author intends to provide an intact, accurate and systematic set of translation principles and strategies for the translation of ancient Chinese geographical names; on the other hand, the author hopes that this report can shed light on the translation study of ancient Chinese nautical science literature, and even on the translation study of ancient Chinese classics of natural sciences and social sciences.