Abstract

 Nanjing is a cultural city with a long history. In recent years, with the rapid development of economy and the increasing international communication, more and more foreign visitors come to visit. Therefore, public signs in tourist attractions play an important role in the process. However, to our disappointment, there are plenty of errors of public signs translation in tourist attraction in Nanjing, which will not only damage the international image of Nanjing, but also have an impact on foreign visitors understanding the history and culture of Nanjing. In this paper, the common errors of public signs translation in tourist attractions in Nanjing will be explained by the study of public signs and the concrete analysis of errors. The suggestions and strategies will be given for improvement.

    Key words: tourist attractions in Nanjing; public signs; errors; strategies

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction-1

2 Literature review-2

3 Basic information of public signs-3

3.1 The concept of public signs-3

3.2 The classification of public signs-4

3.2.1 Directing public signs-4

3.2.2 Prompting public signs-4

3.2.3 Restricting public signs-4

3.2.4 Compelling public signs-5

3.3 Features and functions of public signs in tourist attractions-5

4 Skopos theory and errors of current situation of public signs in tourist attractions in Nanjing-6

4.1 Errors in the form of language-7

4.1.1 Misspelling-7

4.1.2 Playing no attention to capital letters-7

4.1.3 Nonstandard punctuation-8

4.1.4 Grammatical errors-8

4.2 Pragmatic Errors-9

4.2.1 Inconsistent translation-9

4.2.2 The phenomenon of chinglish-10

4.2.3 Going against the habit of English expression-11

5 Strategies for the standardization of public signs in tourist attractions-12

5.1 Respecting cultural differences between countries-12

5.2 Establishing relevant administrative departments-12

5.3 Improving the comprehensive abilities of translators-13

5.4 Strengthening cooperation with local colleges and universities-14

5.5 Strengthening supervision and giving full play to the spirit of ownership-14

6 Conclusion-14

References-16