Author(s)

Yongkun Wan

Corresponding Author

Yongkun Wan

Abstract

Since the beginning of the 21st century, there has been an increasing interest among scholars in the study of the English translation of Chinese signs. Quite a number of scholars draw on theories and methodologies of all kinds to explore topics related to sign translation, which has made great contributions to the study of signs. Nevertheless, few articles are written from the perspective of reader-centered theories. This dissertation, taking the reader-centered perspective as the framework and adopting the method of DTS, seeks to open up a new perspective for Chinese-English translation of signs by providing an insight into the practical application of such theories. By closely observing numerous samples (including some photographs) of both standard and problematic translation of signs, the author manages to generalize the characteristics of signs and to categorize the problems and mistakes in the current Chinese-English translation of signs. Then, proper translation strategies are proposed on the basis of in-depth study of relevant theories and keen observation of practice. It has been an honor for the author to have opportunity to participate in this important research. The author hopes that his effort will, in some small way, serve to study the texts of China’s foreign language signs.

Keywords

Signs; Chinese-English Translation; Language; Culture; Reader-centered Theories