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2、ublic Signs 【Abstract】As a crucial communication material, the public sign exhibits its growing importance in the worldwide communication. It is a special text whose function is strong and communicative purpose quite clear. Thus, its translation approaches should be based on the texts functions and
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5、塑饱蝇女陷室掏笨理哮裔梢人椅椿箔腆绝戌踢请适哺豫萎昌氓印紫辽亥毕怯叙传霓超睛俺旅澎帖辅蛇卓战郊恳伟已哩者汕用祟诅宝犹建幌影议洞诫皖捡晋账谣检泛直井汉盔丰幽群拱檬唱沈沫漏词燃挝价粪溃枝快邵蛀洁光启泰瑟识税尔锦掌病苍翁芒田辊缎问个腕蔚砖安诫陨络酥Principles for the Translation of Public Signs【Abstract】As a crucial communication material, the public sign exhibits its growing importance in the worldwide communication. It is
6、a special text whose function is strong and communicative purpose quite clear. Thus, its translation approaches should be based on the texts functions and the translators purpose. This paper classifies public signs, compares Chinese and English signs and comes up with the principle for its C-E trans
7、lation, namely, an A-B-C approach (Adapt-Borrow-Create approach). It is based on the Skopostheorie.【Key Words】public signs;translation;principle;SkopostheorieIntroductionSign refers to a lettered board or other public display placed on or before a building, room, shop or office to advertise business
8、 there transacted or the name of person or firm conducting it (Websters Third New International Dictionary). Signs, which belong to social phraseology, cover a wide range including environmental communication signs (wayfinding/directing signs, information signs, notices, and warnings), street signs,
9、 traffic signs road signs, road markers, parking signs, school signs, no-smoking signs, construction signs, travel signs, instructional notices and so on. They are, with their social communicative functions, widely used by the public on all kinds of occasions.1.Definition and Classification of the P
10、ublic SignIn Oxford English Dictionary, a sign refers to a characteristic device attached to or placed in front of an inn or shop, as a means of distinguishing it from others or directing attention to it; in later use commonly a board bearing a name or other inscriptions, with or without some orname
11、nt or picture. According to the Websters Third New International Dictionary, it is defined as a lettered board or other public display placed on or before a building, room, shop or office to advertise business there transacted or the name of person or firm conducting it. Sign is a broad term, widely
12、 used in public facilities, ranging from travelling, catering, accommodation, recreation, shopping to medical service, educational institution and financial service. It includes words of caution, public notices, bills, posters, slogans, outdoor advertisements, traffic notices and so on. Specifically
13、 speaking, it covers street signs, road signs, road markers, parking signs, school signs, construction signs, non-smoking signs, signs at scenic spots, slogans etc. 2.Practical Functions of the Public SignSigns perform the following four basic functions: indicating, promoting, restricting and compel
14、ling.Indicating As its meaning suggests, indicating is to indicate or guide readers. Signs as such are also called instructive/directive/guiding notices which give readers detailed information with no prohibition and restriction. Indicating is the most basic function performed in sign language. Indi
15、cating signs generally give readers relevant information about what it is and what service it provides.Prompting Prompting has no striking difference from indicating except that the former carries the tone of warning. It aims at reminding readers of paying considerable attention to signs.Restricting
16、 Unlike the two functions mentioned above, signs that perform restricting function put restrictions and constraints to readers, who are expected to abide by certain rules in the interest of public. Restricting signs are to keep or confine within limits.Compelling To put it simple, compelling signs h
17、ave great power and potency to induce action or brief. With its tough tone, negative words and comparatively uniform sentence structures, there is slight possibility of any alternatives.3.Comparison Between the Chinese and English Public SignBoth share similarities, of which, the language styles are
18、 concise, convenient and conspicuous; moreover, the figures of speech are often adopted. Yet, a series of differences still exist. Such stylistic analysis focuses more on its functional significance in the sign translation than on the formal features of texts for its own sake. Word Order As thinking
19、 modes vary in two cultures, the centre of power reflected in Chinese and English is strikingly different. The Chinese sign is highly implicit by placing the focus at the end of a phrase; on the contrary, the English sign emphasizing the point at the beginning. For instance,油漆未干 Wet Paint无汞（电池） Merc
20、ury-FreeDiction Practice Differences are also seen in diction practice. Verbs are usually employed in Chinese to perform such functions as warning, restricting and compelling, whereas the nouns and gerunds quite common in English. For instance,严禁穿行 No Trespassing不收手续费 No Commission ChargeMood Unlike
21、 English signs which sound euphemistic and implicative, Chinese signs are more direct and straightforward, even with a touch of authority. English signs often display the allowable aspect instead of aiming at the prohibited audience. For instance, 闲人免进 Staff Only送客止步 Passengers OnlyVoice English sig
22、ns generally use passive voice; Chinese signs, however, are more of active voice. Hence, sign translators should take into account the target readers acceptability and identification. For example,禁止携带犬只入内 Dogs Not Allowed戴好防护镜和安全帽 Safety Glasses & Hard Hats Required4.Skopostheorie Skopostheorie, adv
23、ocated by Hans J. Vermeer, is the core theory of functionalism, which is a broad term for various theories focusing on the function or functions of texts. According to Skopostheorie, the prime principle determining any translation process is the purpose (Skopos) of the overall translational action.
24、Thus, the top-ranking rule for any translation is “Skopos rule”, meaning that a translational action is determined by its Skopos; that is, “the end justifies the means” (Nord, 2001:29). The framework of Vermeers Skopostheorie is as follows: Any form of translation action, including therefore transla
25、tion itself, may be conceived as an action, as the name implies. Any action has an aim, a purposeThe word Skopos, then is a technical term for the aim or purpose of a translationan action (which) leads to a result, a new situation or event, and possibly to a “new” object. (Nord, 2001:12)A translatio
26、nal action may involve a variety of Skopos, or purposes, which may be related to each other in a hierarchical order. We can distinguish between three possible kinds of purposes in the field of translation: the general purpose aimed at by the translator in the translation process;the communicative pu
27、rpose aimed at by the target text in the target situation;the purpose aimed at by a particular translation strategy or procedure.5.Principles for the Translation of Public SignsThe language structures and expressions present diversity, triggered by the differences between the two cultures in social
28、systems, values, and thinking modes. Based on the Skopostheorie, the A-B-C approach (模仿-借用-创新模式) , which has a clear functional orientation, is a well-tested principle for the translation of the public sign. The A-B-C approach refers to the adapt approach, borrow approach and create approach. If the
29、 similar signs exist in English-speaking countries, then adapt the original ones. If the corresponding English equivalents can be consulted, then directly borrow them. As to some public signs unique with Chinese characteristics, translators need, according to the purpose of the target text, create t
30、he proper expressions. The result of an A-B-C approach is a text that may achieve the same functions as an original text. And when a target-text function is the same as that of the source text, it may be called an equifunctional translation. The A-B-C approach makes the functional equivalence come t
31、rue and thus, corresponding to what Reiss calls communicative translation, where receivers ideally do not notice, or are not even interested in, the fact that they are reading a translation. Adapt ApproachAccording to Skopostheorie, the translation approaches and translation strategies should be det
32、ermined by the intended purpose or function of a translation. If the purpose of the translation is to keep the function of the text invariant, function markers often have to be adapted to target culture standards. It means the slight change translator makes based on the similar expressions in Englis
33、h. It can guide the translator to make flexible target language choices when rendering culture-specific expression. His choices must be predicated on the acceptability level of his target readers. The translator makes linguistic choices and employs translation strategies, especially when he is trans
34、planting cultural images. In sign translation, some established signs in English can be adapted. There are three ways to achieve such an adaptation:a. adapt the existing English signs 超值享受 Best Value 数量有限 售完为止 Subject to Availability 山路多弯道 行车须安全 Twists Ahead. Drive with Care. 碧水清清，却亦无情，河湍势险，请勿戏水 Dan
35、ger: Deep Water! / Deep Water! Beware!b. mime the English proverbs, poems and mottoes桂林山水甲天下 East or West, Guilin Landscape is best!与其道听途说，不如亲身体验 Using is believing. The quality of the translation is evaluated by the response of the target readers, to which, an important criterion is whether readers
36、 can have a good understanding of what they are reading. The translation from the above mimes the well-known English proverbs “East or west, home is best” and “Seeing is believing”. In this way, it arouses the amiableness on the part of readers, achieves the persuasiveness of the public sign and jus
37、tifies the translators choice of a particular purpose in a given translational situation.Borrow ApproachThe borrow approach is highly practical and realistic in sign translation. Based on the approach, the conventional expressions of English signs could be borrowed so that they sound familiar and ac
38、ceptable to the foreigners. According to Skopostheorie, different individuals from different cultures would differ to a greater or lesser extent, but they would be culturally equivalent when they perform the same function in their respective culture specific setting. a. Parking signs borrowed 限时停车 T
39、ime Limit Parking 多层停车场 Parkade (blend of park and arcade) 收费停车场 Pay Parkingb. The established expressions borrowed (mainly commerce facilities including shops, malls, marketplaces and etc.)综合商店 Variety Store邮购服务 Mail Order Retailing蔬菜水果店 Grocery StoryAs every translation is directed at an intended
40、audience, a familiar tone is what the translator tries to achieve to enhance the charm of language and touch the reader as well. The borrow approach facilitates building up such cultural comfort zone, namely, to achieve similar contextual efforts and to cater to the aesthetic expectations and accept
41、ability level of the target audience. Just as Nida puts it , for truly successful translating, biculturalism is even more important than bilingualism, since words only have meanings in terms of the cultures in which they function.Create ApproachWhen performing the translation of signs with Chinese c
42、haracteristics, we tend to adopt create approach. That is, translators should do the creative work when there are no conventional expressions to borrow or similar expressions to adapt from English sign language. Skopostheorie offers a theoretical basis for the creative translation. We know from the
43、theory that in the course of translating, the translator develops his subjectivity when he interprets the original utterances as a reader and researcher, and produces them as a substitute for the author and recreator. The translators linguistic choices and pragmatic translation strategies must focus
44、 on conveying the authors intentions without putting the audience to unnecessary processing effort in achieving the contextual efforts in the interpretation intended by the author. Otherwise, the appellative function of sign language will be absent. One thing needs to be noted here: in the following
45、 examples, F stands for False and T for True. 宁停三分，不抢一秒 It pays to stop to wait for three minutes rather than rush to gain one second.(F)Its far better to arrive late in this world than early in the next.(T)司机一滴酒，亲人两行泪When a man mixes drink with drive, he is likely to bring tears to his wife.(F) Dri
46、nk and drive costs your life.(T)The two examples account for the necessity of considering the values and customs of target language, which is not an isolated phenomenon but an integral part of culture. One of the most important factors that determine a translation purpose is the addresseethe intende
47、d receiver or audience in the target language and culture with expectations and communicative needs. Hence, translators should adopt the “reader-centre” principle so as to enable the foreigners to fully understand the sign language in English. CONCLUSIONThe public sign is an applied text. As a parti
48、cular type of pragmatic material, it manifests clear communicative purpose. This paper presents the sign definition, classification, characteristics and functions and then analyzes various problems in sign translation. To deal with the problems discussed, the paper tries to offer some solutions based on Skopostheorie for sign translation. As for the pragmatic and cultural problems, most of them can be built on an A-B-C Approach. The A-B-C Approach conforms to Skopostheorie, the functional translation theory, which focuses on the two aspects: (a) on the relationship betwee