Translation Of Public Signs From The Perspective Of Functional Equivalence Theory

Bilingual public signs are indispensable for foreigners when they come to China.Nevertheless,the translation of public signs is not always satisfying.Based on Nida's functional equivalence theory,this thesis seeks to analyze the common errors in the translation of public signs,and provide reliable revisions,as well as some strategies concerning different parties to solve this problem fundamentally.All in all,this thesis intends to raise social awareness of the problem and advocate a supervision and accountability mechanism.This thesis consists of the following six parts:Firstly,the author briefly introduces the current situation of the Chaoyang District,as well as the background of this study,in order to attach importance to the necessity of this study.Second,the literature review is put forward,including the review of Nida's functional equivalence theory and the studies on public sign translation.Third,the classification of public signs in the Chaoyang District is proposed.Fourth,the analysis and modification of translation errors are discussed.In order to make this thesis more targeted,the author selected the bilingual public signs set up in the Chaoyang District as the research object.By launching a field research,the author collected 106 examples of wrongly translated public signs,and classified them into seven types.Revisions of these translations were given,too.The author also distributed questionnaires to English major students and English native speakers who are working and living in China,to ensure the objectivity of the result.The fifth part mainly focuses on strategies of improving public signs translation concerning different parties,which are individual translators,translation corporations,the local government and the academic circle.Finally,a concise conclusion of this study is drawn.The author also points out the limitations of this thesis,and the further study direction is suggested.