Standardization of Public Signs Translation in Forbidden City and Daming Palace National Heritage Park

ABSTRACT

Public signs are very widely used and have seeped into almost every aspect of our daily life. However, the Chinese-English translations of public signs has much to be desired, due to different linguistic structures and cultural diversities between the two languages, and the special linguistic features inherent in public signs. At present, no formal standards have been established to guide the translation.

This paper aims to make a comprehensive research on the English translation of public signs of Forbidden City and Daming Palace National Heritage Park, two similar but different scenic spots in Beijing and Xi’an, both of which are typical cities of historical and cultural interest. Thus public signs collected from these scenic areas are very representative, which enhances the value of this thesis. From the perspective of standardization, this paper analyzes some improper or even failure of public signs translation in the two scenic spots systematically and divides them into categories. Principles and strategies for the Chinese-English Translation of public signs are also put forward after that. It is of great significance not only for overseas tourists, but also for the guiding of English translation of Chinese public signs in scenic spots.

Key Words: public sign of scenic spots, standardization, translation, strategy

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my gratitude to all those who helped me during the writing of this thesis. I gratefully acknowledge the help of my supervisor, Ms. Ouyang Na, who has offered me valuable suggestions in the academic studies. For her constant encouragement and guidance. She has walked me through all the stages of the writing of this thesis. Without her consistent and illuminating instruction, this thesis could not have reached its present form.

Second, I also owe a special debt of gratitude to all the instructors in English Major, from whose devoted teaching and enlightening lectures I have benefited a lot and academically prepared for the thesis.

At last, but not the least, my gratitude also extends to my family who have been assisting, supporting and caring for me all of my life.

Introduction

Research Background

Language plays a key role in our daily life and work, and translation is very important in the exchange of information. Indeed, it has a great contribution to the world’s development, in terms of economic development and cultural exchange. With the increment of world economy and people’s life standard, more people go abroad to become part of another culture, and the translation of public signs from one language to another can be vital in their life and travel experience. With the reform and opening-up policy, more foreigners come to China for study, work and travel, especially after China’s entry into WTO. Statistics show that there are more than 230 million Chinese and foreigners who came to Beijing for the 2008 Olympic Games, more than 350 million Chinese and foreigners to Shanghai for 2010 World Expo, and more than 15 million people to Xi’an for 2011 Xi’an Expo, most of whom are English speakers.

Correct and proper translation of public signs will promote the image of the country in the world and facilitate a rapid development in economy, politics and culture in international circumstances. Barry Gray, the Chairman of International Graphical Symbols Committee, believes that signs affect everyone, including travelers, shoppers, teachers, students and businesspersons. Improper signs are irritating at best, and threaten people’s life and health at worst (Wang 67).

Many Chinese translators and scholars in this field have made full use of various resources and carried out researches in the translation of public signs from Chinese to English in recent years. An increasing number of papers and articles have been published and more people began to attach importance to the mistranslation of public signs, especially in important or world famous scenic spots, like the Forbidden City in Beijing and Daming Palace National Heritage Park in Xi’an.

Located in the center of Beijing, the Forbidden City, is historically and artistically one of the most comprehensive museum in China. It was established on the basis of the Forbidden City, which was a palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1840), as well as their collection of treasures. The Forbidden City was once the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is nearly 600 years old, with construction started in 1406 and completed in 1420. The rectangular palace covers an area of 720,000 square kilometers with a total of 9999 room spaces. In 1924, the imperial family of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1840) was removed from the Forbidden City, and in 1925 the Forbidden City was established in the same site. It has become a must-go place for every foreigner who came to China.

The Daming Palace is the most well-preserved royal site in China, and it is the leading item in the application for the National Heritage of Silk Road (Zhang and Wang 101). The Daming Palace was first built by Emperor Taizong (599-649) of the Tang Dynasty in the northeast corner of Chang’an, the capital city. At its height, Chang’an was a very big walled city measured 8 kilometers by 9.5 kilometers. The city was rectangular, and the northern park and recreation area had gates leading back into the city with a small pond and stream. This addition to the city was destroyed, and currently there is a section with archeological discoveries, and the rest is a park. In 2007, the government and the municipal committee of Xi’an staged a project to turn the historical Daming area into the Daming Palace National Heritage Park to preserve the area to let the public enjoy the national heritage that was once the royal grounds of the Tang Dynasty. The park opened in October of 2010. Certain key buildings were also planned to be constructed to retell the grandeur of the Tang dynasty. Since the late 1970s, it has seen great development in Xi’an, the capital of thirteen dynasties of China as well as the capital of Shaanxi Province and the leading city in the northwest of China today.

In recent decades, the two cities, Beijing and Xi’an have enhanced more cultural communications with the outside world, with more foreigners from all over the world for a first-hand experience or taste of traditional Chinese culture. However, there are still some non-standard translations in the two scenic spots, which greatly hindered the enhancement of the city’s image. In her article Sanz Rosa Lore states that “the analysis of patterns of theme selection provides important insights into the writing and translation of a specific genre. Evidence shows that tourist materials, especially the scenic-spot introductions have played an important role in the promotion of the country’s tourism resources to its foreign tourists” (292). As has been pointed out more than a decade ago, “the Propriety of a person is representative of his literacy, and the language level of an organization, a country or a nation directly bears on its international image” (Epstein 36-37). The leading researchers in China have long ago expressed their concern that “the translation market is far from being standard and there is much misunderstanding about translation itself”, and they called for the actions from all the society to address this issue (Huang 24-26).

Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the impropriety on Chinese-English translation of public signs and provide strategies to reduce these mistranslations in English versions of public signs to provide the accurate information to foreigners and avoid misunderstandings, because “only when we know why and how an error has been made can we correct it in a systematic way (Wang 67).”

Purpose of the Study

This paper aims to make a comprehensive research on the English translation of public signs of Forbidden City and Daming Palace National Heritage Park, two similar but different scenic spots in Beijing and Xi’an, both of which are typical cities of historical and cultural interest. Thus public signs collected from these scenic areas are very representative, which enhances the value of this thesis. From the perspective of standardization, this paper analyzes some improper or even failure of public signs translation in the two scenic spots systematically and divides them into categories. Principles and Strategies for the Chinese-English Translation of Public Signs are also put forward after that. It is of great significance not only for overseas tourists, but also for the guiding of English translation of Chinese public signs in scenic spots.

Structure of the Thesis

The first chapter introduces the research background and the purpose of the study. The second chapter introduces the concept of public signs and the translation standards of public signs. The third chapter focuses on the mistranslations of public signs in Forbidden City and Daming Palace National Heritage Park by way of classification. The fourth chapters come up with some coping strategies when translating the public signs in scenic spots by exemplification of some successful translations and the fifth chapter is the conclusion.

An Overview of Public Signs Translation

Definition of Public Signs

In this section, the definitions, features as well as functions of public signs will be given from different aspects. According to English Dictionary for the Public Signs, public signs are those that “have a wide coverage from public signs in public places, such as parks, hospitals, museums, supermarkets, railway stations, etc. It also has a wide scope ranging from public signs for keeping social orders, such as directions in railway stations or supermarkets, tourist directions or instructions printed in scenic spots, the traffic signs, the names of organizations and institutions, and the names of roads” (16). The public signs are signs that are publicly displayed, providing messages as warning, instructing, notifying and many other information that are connected with peoples’ understanding of the issues related to the scenic spots and its social life. Other scholars try to define public signs as words or graphic source that is linked with our life, production and ecology. They are very common in public places and is a useful tool in people’s life, serving like a city’s face and business card, as well as a symbol of civilization. China boasts a history of five thousand years, with tourism becoming a rising industry and of course public signs playing an important role in the cross-cultural communication. Usually, English and other language’s translation is attached to the public signs in order to attract more tourists, or offering more convenience to foreigners. Qualified the public signs translation plays a positive role in attracting a large number of tourists, expand the reputation of China, and increasing the profit of tourism. It is the sign of a city’s cultural and educational level. In light of this situation, some steps must be taken improve the translation of public signs and to create a more harmonious tourism environment.

Functions of Public Signs

The linguistic features of public signs are the use of concise and polite language, and Sanz argues that public signs are a persuasion art by means of effective words and belong to a kind of special communication (302). According to the definition of Professor Ly, public signs have four functions, including: instructing, prompting, restricting and warning (23-26).

Instructing

Signs that give readers detailed information with no prohibition and restriction can be called instructive (or directive, or guiding) notices. This is the most basic function of sign language. Instructive signs generally provides information about what it is and what service it provides, such as: “Fitting Room” (试衣间), “Ticket Window” (售票窗口), “Take-away” (外卖服务).

Prompting

In order to remind readers to pay due attention to those objects, they can take action according to the actual prompts. When they read the sign, they can do something by reasoning accordingly. For example, “Wet Paint” (油漆未干) reminds people that the bench has been just painted and they should not sit on the bench. Other examples are as follows: “Staff Only” (员工专用), “No Vacancies” (无空位), “Out of Order” (故障), “Shark Sighted” (此处发现鲨鱼).

Restricting

Signs that are restricting in nature put forward restriction or constraints on the public, and they are expected to obey certain rules accordingly. The function of this kind of sign is to confine some limits on the activities without any implication of impoliteness, roughness or unreasonable tone. For example, the sign “Be Quiet Please!” (请保持安静) is actually a requirement that the public should remain quiet without any suggestion of rudeness. Other examples include: “No more Steps” (游人止步), “Ticket Only!” (凭票入场), “Slow Out!” (慢速驶出), “Handicapped Only!” (残疾入专用), “Free for Children under 12!” (12岁以下儿童免费) and “Be Cautious!” (注意安全), etc.

Warning

In contrast with the former three functions, signs with warning function have a stronger tone because they are the ones that force people to do or keep them from doing something. More often than not, direct language is employed. The most remarkable linguistic feature of this kind of signs is the use of imperative tone and the word “No”. For example, the sign “No Smoking” (严禁吸烟) can be regarded as a warning sign which stops the public from smoking. Other signs are “Police Line! Do Not Cross!” (警戒线, 勿超越), “No Littering” (严禁乱扔垃圾) etc. Additionally, the function of public signs can also be classified into two types: static and dynamic. In fact, a public sign can sometimes have more than one function, with one of the four functions being the most prominent. Therefore, different translation strategies should be adopted in line with different functions of public signs.

Mistranslation in the Chinese-English Translation of Public Signs

The current translation of public signs in Forbidden City and Daming Palace National Heritage Park leaves much to be improved. The author collects related data from first-hand experience by raveling several times to the two places and taking records or photographs, so that a detailed classification of the existing mistranslation or even failure of translation can be presented in this chapter.

Mismatch

Example 1): The public sign of a picture of Gift Shop/Souvenir Shop

Target Text: Shop；

Example 2): The public sign of Public Phone

Target Text: Public Phone and Exit；

Inconsistency

Example 3): 清思店遗址

Target Text: Site of Qingsi Hall; SITE OF QINGSI HALL

Example 4): 紫宸殿遗址

Target Text: The Site of the Cichen Hall; Site of Zichen Hall

Example 5): 望仙台

Target Text: Wangxian Pavilion; Sendai At; SITE OF WANGXIANTAI; Site of Wangxiantai; The Site of the Wangxian Platform (Fairy Seeking)

Example 6): 大明宫微缩景观

Target Text: Miniature of Daming Palace; The Miniation Landscape

Example 7): 您所在的位置

Target Text: You Are Here; Where you are

Example 8): 序厅

Target Text: Lobby; Preface Hall; Ad in the Foyer

Example 9): 游园车站点

Target Text: Touring Vehicle Stop; Sightseeing Mobility Stop

Example 10): 咨询电话

Target Text: Consulting telephone; Hotline

Grammar and Spelling Mistakes

Example 11): 站点介绍

Target Text: Site Introduces

Revised Version: Site Introduction

Example 12): 表演

Target Text: Perform

Revised Version: Performance

Example 13): 开闭馆时间

Target Text: Open closed time

Revised Version: Opening hours

Example 14): 1.3米以下儿童免票须成人陪同乘坐（不占座位）

Target Text: do not need buy ticket (but having no seat) and accompanied by adult.

Revised Version: Children under 1.3 meters high accompanied by adult are free of charge.

Redundancy and Ambiguity

Example 15): 请保持环境卫生!

Target Text: Please maintain the environmental sanitation!

Revised Version: No Littering!

Example 16): 代步车止步

Target Text: Caution! Walk only!

Revised Version: Bicycles Prohibited.

Example 17): 游览车售票、乘车处

Target Text: Sightseeing Mobility Tickets & Station

Revised Version: Ticket Service for Sightseeing Vehicles

Example 18): 图例

Target Text: Legend

Revised Version: Symbols

Example 19): 前方下坡

Target Text: Slope in the place ahead

Revised Version: Steep slope ahead

Example 20): 价格举报电话

Target Text: Price Report

Revised Version: Price Complaints

Example 21): 钱票请当面点清

Target Text: Please confirm your ticket & cash

Revised Version: Please Check your Note

Example 22): 为保护水资源，请勿向水中乱扔杂物

Target Text: In order to protect the water resources, please do not litter to the water!

Revised Version: No littering in the water!

Example 23): 遗址博物馆讲解员公示栏

Target Text: Bulletin Board of Commentators with Heritage Museum

Revised Version: The Guide Interpreters’ Column the Heritage Museum

Example 24): 推出以下讲解服务优惠

Target Text: Roll out preferential commenting service

Revised Version: Provide the tourists with preferential quality services

Example 25): 残障人士服务

Target Text: Services for the Disabled and Handicapped

Revised Version: Service Center for Underprivileged

Example 26): 恶劣天气

Target Text: Hostile weather

Revised Version: Harsh weather

Chinglish Translation

Example 27): 感应龙头，自动出水

Target Text: Induction tap Automatic water

Revised Version: Automatic water dispenser

Example 28): 您所持的门票为全园通票

Target Text: The ticket you hold is a through ticket.

Revised Version: This is a Park Pass.

Example 29): 租车人必须年满18岁以上至60周岁以下，具有完全民事行为能力的公民，自身身体与心理状况适合骑车。

Target Text: Renters must be over the age of 18 and under the age of 60 with full capacity for civil conduct. The physical and mental conditions for renters may be fit for riding or driving a scooter.

Revised Version: Renters must be able bodied and over the age of 18 and under the age of 60.

Example 30): 全票

Target Text: Whole-price ticket

Revised Version: Full-Fare Ticket

Example 31): 有效证件

Target Text: valid proof documents

Revised Version: Valid / ID Documents

Example 32): 高台边缘注意安全

Target Text: Caution! Edge of high platform!

Revised Version: Caution! Beware the drop!

Example 33): 因个人保管不善造成财务的遗失、被盗、损坏等经济损失由本人负全部责任。

Target Text: If the tourists’ money or belongings were lost, they have no others to blame.

Revised Version: Renters are responsible for their own property and safety.

Example 34): 大明宫位于唐长安城(现西安)北部龙首原上。唐代是中国封建时代最为繁荣昌盛和兼容幵放的时期,唐长安城作为一个生活着百万人口的熙熙攘攘,摩肩接踵的国际大都市,是世界文化的中心,对后世和国外产生了重要的影响,而大明宫更是中心的中心。

Target Text: Darming Palace was located on the Longshouyuan height to the north of Chang’an (now called Xi’an) - the then capital of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty was the most prosperous, inclusive and open dynasty of China’s feudal era. As the world’s cultural center, the capital, Chang’an, a busy international metropolis populated with over one million people, exerted great influence on later dynasties and foreign countries. If Chang’an was the center of world culture, then Darning Palace should be considered the center of the center.

Revised Version: Darming Palace was located on the Longshouyuan height to the north of Chang’an (now called Xi’an) the then capital of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty was the most prosperous, and inclusive dynasty of China’s feudal era. As the world’s cultural center, the capital, Chang’an, a busy international metropolis populated with over one million people, exerted great influence on later dynasties and foreign countries. If Chang’ an was the center of the world culture, then Darning Palace should be considered the center of the international world.

If we are careful enough, we can find Chinglish everywhere. “开放的” should not be simply translated into “open”, with a connotation meaning of “free admission". Besides, “Longshouyuan height” is a confusing expression, “the center of the center” was another example of Chinglish.

Baker holds that we should try to achieve “pragmatic equivalent effect” in the process of translation in which the source language and target language should have equal pragmatic value or function (171-172). In this case, “open” is a mismatch of “开放”，and “the center of center” is a redundant and ineffective expression for English natives. In this sense, the suggested version is provided by the author as the above. Wording is also a big problem for the translator. When a translator uses an improper word in translation, then he will surely fail. The translator must take into consideration of the deep meaning of the word from the perspective of the target reader.

Cultural Mistranslation

Example 35): 为了您不被门禁机误伤，请与前面的游客保持一定距离

Target Text: Please keep the visitor in front of you at arm’s length to avoid accidental hurt by access control machine.

Revised Version: Please queue in an ordering fashion when entering ticket gate.

Culture is a part of translation that high lights the cultural differences. This kind of translation involve some issues linked to culture, such as dialects, proverbs, idioms, etc. It needs to deal with the issues between the source and the target language, that is to say he must respect at the same time the cultural source of point of view and the target culture. In fact, the phrase “at arm’s length” is usually used figuratively as an idiomatic expression, meaning “to keep away from”. The translation is clearly not to the point. The above example is completely word-for-word translation because of lack of a cross-cultural awareness. If the translators translate the source text too literally or go against the habits of the target language speaker, they are bound to produce a poor translation rather than an adequate one, which will cause misunderstandings or absurdness.

Coping strategies in Public Sign Translation

In the former chapter, the author listed many existing problems facing the translators and tourists. As can be seen, many examples are taken from Darming Palace National Heritage Park. In this chapter, several coping strategies will be proposed on the basis of the problems, and for balance’s sake, most of these successfully translation examples will be taken from the Forbidden City in Beijing. It has been pointed out by researchers that It is the stylistic features of public signs that determines its translation strategies (Pi 131-132). The famous classification of translation two classes of translation strategies proposed by New mark, namely semantic translation and communicative translation are dependent on different types of texts. When the text is more expressive than vocative, semantic should be more employed; if the text is more vocative than expressive, communicative translation should be more employed (257). In this sense, considering the text type of public signs, mainly three strategies will be proposed here, namely, amplification, omission and cultural transference. Sometimes, both strategies need to be mixed and employed.

Amplification

Example 35): 殿外各有一只乌龟，和一只仙鹤。在中国这两种动物寓意是吉祥如意，皇帝想让自己的江山延续下去，取龟鹤延年。大殿外，东面和西面分别设有日晷和嘉量，寓意皇帝在时间和空间都公正无私，对全天下普通百姓都是平等的。

Sun dial and a grain measure are both measuring instruments, and the translation must be considerate in the sense that foreigners might know nothing about them. It will be more easy to make sense.

Example 36): 这座攒尖顶的方形大殿是中和殿，它的整体规模呢就比太和殿小了很多。中和殿是皇帝去太和殿大典之前休息的地方。每年皇帝祭祀之前，都要在这里阅读祝文，接受官员们的朝拜。里面陈列的是当年乾隆皇帝用过的八抬大轿。

Target Text: The Hall of Complete Harmony is a square building with a single pyramid roof. Its overall size is smaller than hall of supreme harmony. It is the place where the emperor rest before he goes to the hall of supreme harmony. Every year the emperor would read wishing messages before his worship the ancestors and accept officials’ pilgrimage. The exhibit is eight huge Jiao, which is to carry Qianlong Emperor.

The foreign guests have no background knowledge about “jiao”. So some explanation is totally justified to fully communication the cultural image to foreigners.

Omission

Example 37): 乾清宫，明清两代皇帝在紫禁城中居住和处理日常政事的地方。殿外各有一只乌龟，和一只仙鹤。在中国这两种动物寓意是吉祥如意，皇帝想让自己的江山延续下去。取龟鹤延年。大殿外，东面和西面分别设有日晷和嘉量。寓意皇帝在时间和空间都公正无私，对全天下普通百姓都是平等的。而乾清宫的名字的寓意国家安定有序，皇帝光明磊落。我们看上方的牌匾是中国的四个大字，正大光明。意指心怀坦白，言行正派。皇帝除了在此处居住，还处理政务召见官员以及举行典礼和皇家宴会。

Target Text: Palace of Heavenly Purity is the emperor in the Forbidden City in the Ming and Qing dynasties lived and where the daily political affairs. Here is each a turtle and a crane outside the hall, Which the two kinds of animals in China is stand for good fortune, and the emperor hoped Qing dynasty to extend. In the east and the west, there is a sun dial and a grain measure. Sundial is an ancient timing device, and grain measure is an ancient measuring instruments. The moral is the emperor should be disinterested in time and space, and be equal to the whole world of ordinary people. And the moral of the name of the palace of heavenly purity is stability and orderliness, the emperor should be aboveboard. Pease look up, it is a plaque that has 4 Chinese characters, Zheng Da Guang Ming. It means frank in heart, decent with behaviors. Apart from living in here, the emperor also handled affairs, summoned officials and held ceremonies and royal banquets.

The implication of the four characters are already clear, and thus it is unnecessary to repeat them at the latter half of the script.

Example 38):眼前这座宏伟的宫殿，就是俗称“金銮殿”的太和殿了。太和殿最早建于明代，名为奉天殿、皇极殿，到了清代才叫太和殿。两千三百七十七平米的面积以及三十五点五米的高度，使她成为紫禁城中最大的宫殿。正殿前面左右各有一个中国传统狮子雕像，脚踩一个球的是雄狮，脚踩一个小狮子的雌狮。正殿上黄瓦重檐，横梁上金龙彩画，中间有蟠龙藻井。

Target Text: This is the Hall of Supreme Harmony, known as “throne room”. It was first built in the Ming dynasty, named Fengtian hall, Huangji hall, then renamed the hall of supreme harmony in the Qing dynasty, it is the largest palace in the Forbidden City. There are two traditional Chinese lion statues in front of the main hall, the male lion tread on a ball, and the female lion tread on a little lion. There are gold-tiled eaves，gold dragons and paintings on beams，a coiled dragon in the middle of caisson ceiling.

All these numbers are used to prove the hugeness of the hall. If the tourists are already clear about that, the communication is already achieved and thus it can be omitted.

Cultural Transference

Example 39): 中国人自国以来就非常喜欢玉器，这是由一整块玉雕刻而成的，造型非常精美。

Target Text: Chinese people like jade very much, Jade has a magnetic field, which can change one’s destiny. It is carved from a single piece of jade, and is very beautiful.

Example 40): 故宫可分为“外朝”和“内廷” 两大部分。“外朝”建筑雄伟壮观，主要包括太和殿、中和殿、保和殿，另有两侧的文华殿和武英殿左右对称，主要是举行盛大典礼的地方。而“内廷”是皇帝皇后、嫔妃和皇子的住所，中部主要为乾清宫，交泰殿、坤宁宫，两侧还有东西六宫，后面还设有皇家花园，御花园、慈宁花园、乾隆花园。除此之外，故宫里还有各式各样的，数不尽数的宫殿。据说数量达九千九百九十九间半之多。有个很著名的说法说一个婴儿从出生那天开始每晚住故宫里不同的房间，那么到27岁才能住一个遍。

Target Text: The Forbidden City can divide into two parts -- the Outer Court and the Inner Court. The buildings in the Outer Court are magnificent. The main buildings include the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. There are two palaces, the Wenhua Palace and the Wuying Palace, in the left and right side, and they are symmetrical builds. These two palaces are the main place of host ceremonies. The Inner Court is the domicile of the Emperor and Empress, imperial concubines, and princes. The main buildings are Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Union, Palace of Earthly Tranquility, and six palaces in the east and west as symmetry distribution. And there are Royal Garden -- the Imperial Garden, the Cining Garden, and the Qianlong Garden. In addition to these, there are various and countless palaces. There is a story says if a baby lives in different room every night, after he lives in every room for one time, he will be 27 years old.

Translation of public signs in scenic spots is a comprehensive work that involves language, society, time, space, culture and psychology (Chen 39). In order to deliver the original meaning of the source text, sometimes we need to explain our cultural habit to them so that it is easier to get across the key information.

Conclusion

Findings of the Thesis

This thesis gave some examples of mistranslation of public signs in the Forbidden City and Darning Palace National Heritage Park by listing and analyzing some bilingual translation versions of public signs in the two scenic spots by classification, exemplification and compare and contrast. The author classified the translation mistakes in order to find the difference causes for them.

Thus, it is critically important for supervision departments to share the responsibility for the improvement of the translation. The Chinese English translation of public signs is of sometimes not-so-good quality, which is mainly due to the negligence and unfulfilled management of the supervision departments. In this sense, the Chinese English translation of public signs should be standardized, and it is very urgent. Besides, language experts and teachers in college should make joint efforts too in this regard.

The findings above-mentioned are only based on case study, and the author believes that there should be more similar cases in other scenic spots, which needs the future effort of language experts and supervision departments. With the further rapid economic development in China, more and more foreigners have come and will come to China to open businesses, to study or to visit the places of interests with a strong wish to study Chinese history and culture. In order to introduce Chinese history and culture more effectively and improve the image of our city and nation, the standardization of the translation of public signs has become one of the most important factors for China to speed up its economic globalization. Yet, many problems found in the translation of public sign in tourist sites in Xi’an and Beijing in China will affects not only the communicative effect of the public signs but also the international status of the two cities. Thus, the job of correcting and standardizing translating these signs is very challenging.

Limitations of the Study

Although this case study has gained some findings about the translation of public signs and their standardization, the current research in its present form still has its own limitations due to several reasons.

Firstly, the number of examples is comparatively few because the case study is only limited in the two scenic spots.

Secondly, the revised translation versions, which are proposed by the author are taken as examples for this case study, are suggested on the basis of the literature research. However, better version surely still exists in these scenic spots.

Thirdly, this case study is not thorough and profound enough owing to the limited time allowance and the author’s bilingual and bicultural competence. Some of the analyses might be comparatively shallow and simple.

Recommendations for Further Studies

Based on the limitations of this current study, some recommendations for further studies are offered. This thesis is only concerned with the translation of sign commentaries in the two cultural Sites, so the translation of public signs in scenic spots requires a thorough research from different angles. How to tackle the translation problems and reduce these error needs to be further studied. It is generally acknowledged that the Chinese to English translation of public sign in tourist sites should be target-language oriented and target-culture-oriented.

As an English language major, we should pioneer the right attitude and the right spirit will surely help the task of standardization of the public signs. Since public signs play so important part in our daily life, especially to foreign visitors and travelers, any ambiguity, misuse and misunderstanding of their translation can lead to adverse consequence. Only by seriously discussing the language patterns and styles of them can English public signs play an active part in deepening the reform and speeding up the globalization.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Works in English

Baker, M. In Other words: A Coursebook on Translation. London: Routledge, 1992.

Newmark, P. Approaches to Translation. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001.

Sanz, Rosa Lore. “The Translation of Tourist Literature: The Case of Connectors.” Multilingual 2003 (22): 291-308

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黄友义, 黄长奇. 翻译质量与翻译协会的责任. 中国翻译, 2005(5): 16-29.

吕和发, 单丽平. 汉英公示语词典. 北京: 商务印书馆, 2004.

吕和发. 公示语的功能特点与汉英翻译研究. 术语标准化与信息技术, 2005 (2): 22.

皮德敏. 公示语及其汉英翻译原则研究. 外语学刊, 2010(2): 131-132.

王颖, 吕和发. 公示语汉英翻译. 北京: 中国对外翻译出版公司. 2007.

杨镕静. 目的论视角下公示语汉英翻译研究—以故宫博物馆公示语为例. 语文学刊,2012 (12): 50-64

张林鹏, 王新文. 大明宫国家遗址公园遗产旅游可持续发展初探. 丝绸之路，2010 (24): 101-103.