Chinese-English Translation of Public Signs for Tourism

Abstract

Bilingual 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 attractions 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 translation. The data analysis indicates that three translation strategies are employed in translating public signs—i.e. literal translation, semi-literal and semi-adaptive translation, and free adaptation—and that literal translation is the most common strategy. It is found that all three strategies 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 translation.