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1、Chinese-English Translation of Public Signs for TourismLeong Ko, The University of QueenslandABSTRACTBilingual public signs are extensively used in Chinese-speaking regions such as Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. This article concentrates on issues relating to Chinese public signs at tourist a
2、ttractions and their translation into English. Based on examples collected from these three regions, it finds that Chinese public signs in tourist areas constitute a special genre and tend to use a descriptive and/or figurative language style to convey a simple message, which creates challenges for
3、translation. The data analysis indicates that three translation strategies are employed in translating public signsi.e. literal translation, semi-literal and semi-adaptive translation, and free adaptationand that literal translation is the most common strategy. It is found that all three strategies
4、have limitations in conveying the message meaningfully and naturally. The article concludes that the unique nature of public signs in tourist areas suggests a need for further investigation of the language styles used in such signs in both languages and the most appropriate strategies for their tran
5、slation. KEYWORDSPublic sign, bilingual sign, public sign translation, literal translation, adaptation.1. IntroductionIn Chinese-speaking countries and regions, bilingual Chinese/English public signs in are used extensively in public places such as hotels, restaurants, shopping centres, airports, pa
6、rks, train stations, public amenities and places of tourist interest to convey information to readers of the two languages. Public signs have a number of distinctive features. For instance, they are mostly in the form of a single sheet of board, paper or metal, with clearly written words or drawings
7、 in large print for people to read or view from a distance. Due to the constraint of physical space, the expressions used on public signs are usually succinct, conveying essential information in just a few words, such as Wet paint and No entry. The translation of public signs can therefore be consid
8、ered a special domain that requires appropriate strategies to convey the information from the source language to the target language effectively.Tourism is a typical field in which public signs need to be translated. Due to some special features of the Chinese language used in tourism, the translati
9、on of such public signs presents unique challenges and creates a number of problems for translators. This article will discuss the features of Chinese public signs in tourist areas, examine some problems in their English translation, and explore possible solutions. The study is based on real example
10、s collected from tourist attractions in Mainland China (or China), Taiwan and Hong Kong.2. Definition of public signsPublic signs are mostly referred to as signs in English, and have been defined in different ways. Ashley Montagu defines a sign as a “concrete denoter” possessing an inherent, specifi
11、c meaning, similar to the sentence “This is it; do something about it!” (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2009). From the marketing and advertising perspective, a sign is “a device placed on or before a premise to identify its occupants and the nature of the business done there or to advertise a business or
12、 its products” (ibid.). It is defined in Westers New Collegiate Dictionary (1977) as “a posted command, warning, or direction.” According to Macquarie Dictionary (1987), a sign is “an inscribed board, space, etc., serving for information, advertisement, warning, etc., on a building, along a street,
13、or the like.” The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (1997) defines a sign as “a piece of paper, metal, etc. in a public place, with words or drawings on it that give people information, warn them not to do something, etc.” According to these definitions, then, a sign can contain words and/o
14、r pictures/drawings. Such signs are often referred to as “public signs” in Chinese based on the understanding that they appear in public places. When discussing public signs, it seems that Chinese scholars tend to refer specifically to the language used in such signsi.e. public sign languageand the
15、vehicles for such language can range from simple road signs to tourism brochures that carry detailed information. For instance, Ding (2006) suggests that a public sign refers to a kind of language that indicates what the public need to know in public places, including signs, pointers, road signs, sl
16、ogans, public notices and warnings. He further argues that “There is no corresponding term in English and so we might just translate it as an environmental communication notice and sign” (ibid.: 42) (my translation). Luo and Li (2006: 66) point out that a public sign refers to a kind of language dis
17、played in public places, serving a special communicative function and providing information and instructions, and that such language includes road signs, advertisements, product brochures, tourism guides, propaganda materials and public notices. He (2006) suggests that a public sign exhibits a speci
18、al linguistic style that is designed to be viewed by a specific group of people in order to achieve a special communication purpose, and examples include road signs, advertisement boards, shop signs, warnings, propaganda materials and tourism brochures. Based on the English definitions of signs and
19、the understanding of public sign language by Chinese scholars, a public sign can be considered to be a sign containing words and/or drawings, posted in a public place, which serves the purpose of conveying certain information. This study is based on this definition, and deals with public signs that
20、contain words only. 3. An overview of research on Chinese-English public sign translationPublic sign translation is a special domain of translation, as it involves dealing with linguistic, cultural and social features in both languages. There have been problems with Chinese-English public sign trans
21、lation for some long time. For instance, on a visit to Wuyi Mountains (a tourist attraction) in China in 1983, I noticed that the Chinese for toilet had been translated as water place. However, it was not until 2005, when the first national conference on research on public sign translation was held
22、in China (Huang 2005), that public sign translation began to receive particular attention. This was probably due to international events such as the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 and the World Expo in Shanghai in 2010. Since this first conference, many scholars have examined Chinese public signs
23、and their English translations from different perspectives (e.g. Yang 2005; Jin 2008; Luo and Li 2006; Ding 2006; Niu 2007; Qu 2007; Shao 2009). The issues they have explored fall mainly into the following four areasthe functions of public signs, their linguistic features, problems in their translat
24、ion, and translation strategies. With regard to the functions of public signs, it is generally believed that they provide information, instruction, reference and warning (e.g. Luo and Li 2006; Ding 2006; Niu 2007; Shao 2009). This is generally in line with the English definitions of signs discussed
25、above. Niu (2007) also argues that problems in public sign translation lie mainly in the failure to properly carry out the functions of public signs. In terms of linguistic features, many researchers believe that public signs are generally concise, straightforward, clear and easy to understand. For
26、instance, Ding (2006: 42) claims that public signs are “concise, conventional, consistent, conspicuous, convenient,” and Luo and Li (2006) believe that language expressions in public signs are concise and standardised. This view is shared by a number of other researchers (e.g. Yang 2005; Jin 2008).
27、The vast majority of public signs, such as road signs, are shorter than or equivalent to a sentence. Their comments about the concise and clear linguistic features of signs mostly apply to this category. However, it should be noted that there are other signs such as the rules for use of a public fac
28、ility, which can be detailed documents comprising a number of paragraphs. Many translation problems have been identified in the Chinese-English translation of public signs. Generally speaking, the problems fall into the following categories: spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, mistranslations, an
29、d unclear, distorted or lost meaning (e.g. Ding 2006; Public Sign Translation Research Centre of Beijing International Studies University 2007; Luo and Li 2006; Niu 2007; He 2006). For instance, “Wet floor” was translated as “Slip carefully” (Niu 2007) and “Staff only” was translated as “Guest go no
30、 further” (He 2006). In terms of translation strategies, there have been a number of suggestions for resolving these problems, including borrowing or adapting existing public signs in English, and creating English translations based on the Chinese context (e.g. Ding 2006; Niu 2007; Shao 2009). Howev
31、er, it should be noted that public signs are used in many different contexts to serve a wide range of purposes (e.g. Dai and L 2005). In fact, there are no established rules or standard practices for preparing public signs, be they in English or Chinese. As Luo and Li (2006) point out, public sign t
32、ranslation is a practical issue, and researchers need to identify the essential problems in public sign translation and propose practical solutions. Therefore, specific translation strategies are often needed to tackle the problems encountered in translating actual public signs, especially those wit
33、h unique features, in order to produce meaningful solutions. A review of the literature has also indicated that the translation of public signs in the tourism area is significantly under-researched. The following discussion will concentrate on issues in this specific field. 4. Public sign translatio
34、n in places of tourist interest: case studiesTourism is a very broad area, and it is difficult to define precisely the kinds of services and facilities that are specifically designed for tourism. Similarly, some of the public signs found in tourist areas can also be found in other contexts. The disc
35、ussion in this section will only refer to public signs in tourist areas, excluding airports, hotels and restaurants. The examples used as case studies are from a collection of 162 real public signs in tourist areas in Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the presentation of examples, the English
36、 meaning of the Chinese signs is provided for reference wherever necessary by the author, while translation refers to the actual translation that appears on the relevant sign. The source of the sign, including the year, is also given.An analysis of the data indicates that in terms of translation pro
37、blems, public signs in tourist areas share some problems with those in other areas, such as spelling errors, grammatical mistakes and unclear or distorted meanings.Public signs containing spelling mistakes:Chinese: 讲究秩序，注意安全 Translation: Keep morder, be carefulSign found: City of Chengdu, China, 200
38、6 Public signs containing grammatical mistakes:Chinese: 请勿进入，钙化地带 Meaning: No entry into calcified regionTranslation: Forbidden away from enter, calcified regionSign found: Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area, Sichuan Province, China, 2006Chinese: 非工作人员请勿入内Meaning: Staff onlyTranslation: Not
39、 the worker please not into the inside!Sign found: City of Chengdu, China, 2006Chinese: 靜止設攤，禁止停車，違者取締 Meaning: No hawking. No parking. Offenders will be removed. Translation: No peddling, no parking. Crack down on that if you are against the regulation. Sign found: Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan, 2007Public
40、 signs with unclear or distorted meaning:Chinese: 持半票者，出示证件 Meaning: Show your ID for concession ticketsTranslation: Show your certificate for half-ticketSign found: West Lake Park, City of Hangzhou, China, 2008Chinese: 小心台阶Meaning: Mind the stepsTranslation: Carefully stepSign found: West Lake Park
41、, City of Hangzhou, China, 2008It has been found that Chinese public signs in tourist areas exhibit some unique features that are not found in signs in other areas. Public signs in tourist areas tend to adopt a tone of friendship, warmth, passion and affection, and may also incorporate a small talk,
42、 in an attempt to create empathy, sympathy, attention, care and so on. For instance:Chinese: 一花一草皆生命，一枝一叶总关情 Meaning: Each flower and grass has life, and each branch and leaf deserves your care.Sign found: A park in the City of Shaoxing, China, 2009“总关情” broadly entails “showing care, attention or p
43、assion,” which is very difficult to translate literally, especially without any further context. The original sign did not have a translation. It has been found that many public signs in tourist areas tend to be gentle, friendly, polite and poetic and incorporate small talk. Of 162 samples of public
44、 signs in tourist areas, 42, or 25.9 percent, fall into this category. It is this type of expression that often presents challenges for translators. An analysis of these 42 signs indicates that there are usually three approaches employed in translating such signs: (1) literal translation, which atte
45、mpts to translate every word even at the risk of producing an unclear message in English; (2) semi-literal and semi-adaptive translation, which attempts to translate every word where possible and modifies those words or phrases that cannot be translated literally; and (3) free adaptation, which exte
46、nsively modifies or omits the descriptive and/or figurative or figurative words or phrases. Strictly speaking, the second and third approaches can be classified together, as they belong to the same translation strategy adaptation. However, because the data collected indicate that the extent of adapt
47、ation varies significantly between the two groups of signs, an additional subcategory was created for the purposes of this research. The following are case studies in these three categories.4.1 Literal translationExample 1Chinese: 除了脚印什么都别留下，除了记忆什么都不要带走。 Meaning: Leave nothing but footprints, take n
48、othing but memories.Translation: Nothing left but footprints. Nothing taken away but memory.Sign found: Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area, Sichuan Province, China, 2006Example 2Chinese: 让您的行为和这风景一样美！ Meaning: Let your action be as beautiful as the scenery.Translation: Let your action as nice as the scenery!Sign found: Tibet, China, 2009In the above examples, the Chinese text uses a descriptive or figurative approach to convey the message in a friendly way. This type of descriptive or figurative wording is u