Analysis of Chinese-English Translation of Public Signs From Across-cultural Communication Per spective

Chen Jingru

【Abstract】Under the tide of globalization and with the further deepening of reform and opening-up in China， our country is increasingly in line with internationalization in many aspects. In this link， the role of public signs cannot be underestimated. It is indispensable in propaganda， marking and communication. Based on previous research results， this paper will focus on three categories： hospital， university and transportation. Each part includes three aspects： research significance， translation and existing problems， and finds that there are grammatical errors and pragmatic failures in translation.

【Key word】public signs; Cross-culture; translation

【作者簡介】Chen Jingru， Qufu Normal University.

Veritable translation of public signs can not only be understood by foreigners much better， but also invisibly create a sense of kinship and belonging for them， and establish a more excellent image of China in the world. However， the current situation of cross-cultural translation of public signs is not optimistic. Consequently， based on the “Guidelines for the Use of English in Public Service Areas”， this paper will focus on the study of cross-cultural public signs in hospitals， universities and ground transportation to analyze the present status of translation of Chinese-English public signs.

1. Introduction 

“To some extent， the establishment of bilingual public signs in the public places can be taken as Chinas adaptation to the trend of the times， since the extensive demand for cross-cultural communication in social life has been increasingly strong with a large number of foreigners coming to China each years.” （Wang，2019， p48）

Definitions of public signs and cross-cultural awareness

Cross-cultural awareness refers to the awareness of the sensitivity of foreign language learners to cultural factors in cultural communication， that is， the sensitivity to the similarities and differences of different cultures and common cultures， as well as the ability to adjust their own understanding of language according to the target language culture when using a foreign language. （Zang，2013）

Public signs are literal and graphic information related to life， production， creature， ecology and industry， which are settled for the public and have roles of noticing， indicating， showing， warning and marking. （Dai &Lv，2005）

2. Translation of public signs in hospitals

2.1 Significance of Chinese-English public signs in hospitals

As a Chinese saying goes， “Disease come on horseback， but go away on foot. In such an era of frequent exchanges between China and foreign countries， different factors of weather， soil， water， dietary habits and others may lead to the illness for foreigners. What is worse is that the misuse and abuse of hospital public signs and the arbitrary replacement of synonyms result in the non-standard translation.

2.2 Problems of Chinese-English public signs in hospitals

We see “工作中” is translated as “WORKING”. “WORKING” has already meant “is going on”， there is no need to add the proposition “in”.

In a hospital， “祝您早日康復”is translated in“Hurry up and get better”. “Hurry up and get better” will be very confused for foreigners. They may be comprehend the sentence in this way：Should a person be in hurry and he/she will feel better？ Of course not， the public signs bearing the hospitals best wishes are thus misunderstood by foreign patients. The mistake is made by Chinglish. The better translation written below： Hope you feel better soon; I wish you a speedy recovery.

3. Translation of public signs in universities

3.1 Significance of Chinese-English public signs in universities

University is an important place for tertiary academic communication， cultivating professional students， exchanging knowledge and developing cultural collide. In recent years， with the increased popularity of Chinese culture and high quality academic fruit in the world， there are many international students come to China to study. But almost completely different environment has caused great pressure on their life. Therefore， clear and concise cross-cultural public signs are indispensable for them to get familiar with surroundings in campus and bring more convenience for their study and daily life. What is more essential is that the current situation is not only a problem related to translation， it could reflect the spiritual， mental and specialized competence of an university. However， it is found in the survey that there are still many problems in cross-cultural public signs in universities. This section will analyze from the perspectives of language， pragmatics and others.

3.2 Problems of Chinese-English public signs in universities

Firstly， “禁止乱扔” is translated as “NO THROWING”. Here， we can use the borrowing method to use the original translation of “NO LITTERING” in English-speaking countries. To use the borrowing method， translators need to have a better understanding and mastery of the source culture， so as to accurately find the corresponding translation in the source culture.

Secondly， for instance，”小草有生命，脚下请留情”， We often see this sign translated into “Grass has life， please be merciful at your feet” on the lawn. It will be too wordy to use literal translation. At this time， we need to use omission， which means removing the modifier and figures of speech， then directly express the meaning “KEEP OFF THE GRASS”.

Thirdly， the word “继续” in the “继续教育学院” is translated as “continue”. But “continue” is a verb， and the orientation indicator here should be a noun， so the improper use of parts of speech occurs. It should be changed into “continuing”. Besides， in the “Guidelines for the Use of English in Public Service Areas” published in 2017， it is clearly stated that “业余大学” and “成人教育学院” in adult education system are translated into “College of Continuing Education”.

Last but not least， in many places in school， the public sign of restroom is WC， which is an abbreviation meaning “water closet”. It has the equivalent meaning to “茅房” or “茅厕” in China. Such a saying is rare to be seen abroad. “卫生间” in public places are usually called “toilet” or “restroom”. In the airplane， “卫生间” has its own proprietary word-lavatory. The private “洗手间” at home is called “bathroom”.

4. Translation of public signs in ground transportation

4.1 Significance of Chinese-English public signs in ground transportation

Traffic is an important way to connect activities and exchanges between different regions. Therefore， it is very necessary to improve the public signs of ground transportation for foreigners to travel smoothly， visit and study in China.

4.2 Problems of Chinese-English public signs in ground transportation

A long cross-cultural public sign sentence， “禁止携带易燃易爆危险品乘车” is a very serious matter. Although the English translation of this sentence is as long as the original Chinese sentence， which guarantees the visual beauty， the preposition “in” is missing before the word “car”， so this sentence should be replaced by “Prohibited to carry inflammable and explosive dangerous goods in car. If you are worried that adding prepositions will make the translation longer than the original text， or that the length of the public signs board is insufficient to fully display， you can change it to another version of “Inflammable and explosive goods strictly prohibited”.

There are many short public signs in China which are imperative sentences with authoritative command tones， which are completely acceptable for Chinese people， but they are very impolite in the eyes of foreigners， and they also make people feel uncomfortable about the traffic environment. Whats more， the translation gives the meaning that there is no head and hands out of the window. Its a little scary. For instance， the traffic sign “禁止頭、手伸出窗外” has a clear stipulation in “Guidelines for the Use of English in Public Service Areas”， which can be translated as “Keep Your Head， Hands Inside”.

The phrase “小心碰头” usually is translated directly into the phrase “look out”. Look out has the meaning of “watch out， be careful”， but it also means “look outside”. Obviously， the Chinese of this sign is to make passers-by careful not to encounter their heads， in order to avoid ambiguity and to be more authentic， this is better translated as “Watch Your Head” or “Mind Your Head”.

5. Conclusion

On the surface， the translation of Chinese-English public signs is a transformation of different languages， but actually a transformation of different cultures. It is essentially cross-cultural communication， with the aim of providing convenience to the target readers. In cross-cultural communication， the information conveyed by the target language should be based on the culture of the target language. In the translation of public signs， it should not only stay at the semantic level， but also require the translator to understand the cultural information contained in the source language thoroughly and transform it so that it can be correctly reflected in the target language， so that the target language readers can follow their own cultural habits and traditional customs to accept information expressed in public signs. The establishment of Chinese and English public signs is to provide convenience for peoples lives and establish a better cross-cultural communication atmosphere. However， at present， there are many problems to be solved. If not handled in time， the role of cross-cultural public signs will inevitably be biased or even ineffective. This is far from the original intention of setting up cross-cultural public signs. Therefore， relevant departments should face up to these problems， actively seek solutions and plan solutions.

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