旅游景点名称翻译中的问题及其策略.doc

1、ContentsAcknowledgmentsiAbstract in EnglishiiAbstract in Chineseii1. Introduction12. Names of Tourist Attraction2 2.1 Features of the Names of Tourist Attraction22.2 Classifications of the Names of Tourist Attraction22.3 Functions of the Names of Tourist Attraction43. The Present Situation of the Tr

2、anslation of Names of Tourist Attraction5 3.1 The Problems5 3.1.1 Incongruous Names5 3.1.2 Misunderstanding6 3.1.3 Cultural Loss7 3.2 Causes Behind These Problems7 3.2.1 Difference in Languages and Cultures8 3.2.2 Difference in Traditional Customs8 4. Strategies for Translating Names of Tourist Attr

3、action9 4.1 Transliteration9 4.2 Free translation10 4.3 Transliteration plus Free translation11 4.4 Transliteration plus Explanation12 5. Conclusion14 Bibliography15Acknowledgments At the point of finishing this paper, Id like to express my deepest thanks to all those who have given me help in the c

4、ourse of my writing this paper. First and foremost, Id like to show my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Ms.XX, a respectable, responsible and resourceful teacher, who has given me so much useful advices on my study and writing, and has tried her best to improve my study and paper. Secondly, Id li

5、ke to express my gratitude to my roommates who gave me the confidence and offered me their help. Last but not the least, Id like to thank all my English teachers in the college of foreign languages. Without their help, it would be impossible for me to finish my study and paper.AbstractNowadays，the p

6、resent situation of the translation of names of tourist attraction is unpromising and even it has, to some extent impaired the development of our national tourism. This thesis is aimed to investigate the problems in the translation of names of tourist attraction and the strategies for solving these

7、problems. Firstly, this thesis analyses the features, classifications and function of names of tourist attraction. Then it pointes out the causes behind these problems: difference in the languages and cultures, difference in traditional customs. Based on this, it tries to propose the strategies for

8、these problems such as transliteration, free translation, transliteration plus free translation, transliteration plus explanation, which can be used to solve these problems effectively and achieve the best publicity for the tourist attraction. Key Words :names of tourist attraction，features，cultures

9、, problems in the translation，strategies摘 要目前，旅游景点名称翻译的现状不容乐观，不正确的翻译已经制约了我国旅游业的发展。本文旨在探讨旅游景点名称翻译中的问题及其解决这些问题的策略。文章首先分析了旅游景点名称的特点，分类和功能，然后指出问题产生的原因：不同的语言文化和传统习俗；在此基础上尝试着提出了解决旅游景点名称翻译中问题的策略。作者认为直译，意译，直译加意译，直译加解释等方法可以有效地解决其翻译中的问题，从而使其达到最佳的宣传效果。关键词：旅游景点名称，特点，文化，翻译问题，策略iiThe Problems in the Translation o

10、f Names of Tourist Attraction and their Strategies1. IntroductionTourism is one of the largest multinational activities in the world. According to WTOs forecast, the gain of international trips will have almost reached about 1.6 million dollars by the year 2020. China is set to be the worlds largest

11、 destination and the fourth major source of tourists by 2020. This great growth offers golden opportunities as well as a unique set of challenges for China because the history of tourism in China is much shorter compared with the developed countries. With the ever deepening of Chinas reform and open

12、-up policy, the fast development of the national tourism and increased tourist growth rates call for an equally accelerated preparation with respect to standardized service.During the development of tourism, more and more foreign visitors come to China to get a better understanding of its unique his

13、tory and culture and enjoy its diverse landscapes. In order to fulfill the need of the foreign tourists, the tour companies, travel agencies, publishing houses of various sorts produce a large number of tourism materials for their reference. As English has become the most widely used language around

14、 the world throughout the previous centuries, Chinese government and the officials of the tourist attraction have made the names of tourist attraction translated into English. However, because of the great linguistic and cultural differences between the East and West, there are many difficulties in

15、the translation. At present, the quality of the translation of the names of tourist attraction is far from excellent. Numerous and serious errors can be found in the translation all over the nation. The development of our national tourism has been impaired by the incorrect translation. The main prob

16、lems in the translation are incongruous names, syntactic errors and cultural loss. The translation problems caused by cultural loss in the translation of names of tourist attraction are so conspicuous that they need to be solved immediately. This thesis is a tentative study of finding the main probl

17、ems in the translation of names of tourist attraction and proposing the strategies for solving the problems in the translation of names of tourist attraction.2. Names of Tourist Attraction 2.1. Features of the Names of Tourist Attraction1.The tourist attraction has its own proper name and common nam

18、e , just like our peoples name. The proper name is like peoples family name. It is the sign to distinguish a class of tourist attractions and others, such as “殿”,“楼”,“桥”.The common name is like peoples first name. It is the sign to distinguish the same class of tourist names, such as “太和殿”,“中和殿”,“保和

19、殿”.2. The name of tourist attraction should be short and suitable. The main function of the name of tourist attraction is to distinguish the tourist attraction, therefore, it can not be too long. In the names of Chinese tourist attraction, the name is often limited within four words. For example,“居庸

20、叠翠”，“卢沟晓月”.3. The name should be easy to remember for tourists. The word which is hard to pronounce or similar in pronounces or uncommon should avoid being used in the name of tourist attraction, such as “九牛居”,“钓鸟台”.4.Language and culture are always linked closelyNames of tourist attraction are the

21、carriers of culture. Many famous tourist attractions are named according to their historic buildings, events and stories or something special customs. The names of tourist attraction are supposed to convey the information and culture to the tourists.2.2 Classification of the Names of Tourist Attract

22、ionGenerally speaking, the tourist attraction in China can be divided into five main kinds: land scenery, waters scenery, biological and climatic scenery, ancient cities and ruins, and architecture and facilities.1.Land scenery. China has a vast territory and complicated geological and geographic co

23、nditions. Landforms like mountains, canyons, cliffs, volcanoes, and coral reefs are natures great wonders that never fail to impress people. China is home to many famous mountains, such as the five great mountains. They were named according to their geographic locations, including Mount Taishan to t

24、he east in Shandong Province, Mount Huashan to the west in Shaanxi Province, Mount Hengshan to the south in Hunan Province, Mount Hengshan (with the same name sound but different characters in Chinese) to the north in Shanxi Province, and Mount Songshan in the center in Henan Province.2.Waters scene

25、ry. There are a great number of rivers flowing on the land of China. Yangtze River is the longest one in China. Lijiang River is a bright pearl among Chinas beautiful mountains and rivers. China is a country with numerous lakes, among which Qinghai Lake is the largest one. Landscape of waterfalls, l

26、andscape of springs, and landscape of oceans all reflect the beauty of waters scenery. The most famous scenic spots are the Hukou Waterfall, the Huangguoshu Waterfall, the Diaoshuilou Waterfall, Beidaihe Beach Resort, and Qingdao Bathing Beach Resort.3.Biological and climatic scenery. Biological lan

27、dscape includes famous forests, grassland and woodland-steppe, landscape of flowers, and habitat of wild animals. The Great Xing an Range is praised as the green-treasure house of the motherland. The Inner Mongolia Grassland is the leading of Chinas five largest grasslands. There are some landscapes

28、 of natural phenomenon and climate, for example, Sunrise in Mount Taishan, Sea of Clouds, Erhais Moon, and Three Pools Mirroring the Moon.4.Ancient cities and ruins. China is not only one of the four great nations in the world with an ancient civilization, but also one of the cradle lands of ancient

29、 human occurrence and evolution. In the long history, Chinese people have created colorful materials and non-material cultural heritages, especially the ruins and historical relic sites, which are treated as the most important tourism resources. In this category, we have many famous scenic spots: th

30、e cradle of the Chinese revolutionJinggangshan, ancient temples like the Confucius Temple, ancient center of transportationThe Silk Road, the ancient city of Pingyao in Shanxi Province and so on.5.Architecture and facilities. China is a country with a long history and an ancient cultural heritage. H

31、istory has left behind in China many old and outstanding architectural relics, of which the most famous is the Great Wall. To worship nature and their ancestors, people have built countless sacrificial establishments in various styles. The Temple of Heaven is well known all over the world. Garden ar

32、chitecture includes imperial gardens, private gardens falls into this category. People are eager to visit art museums, theme parks, Buddhism pagodas, Chinese residences, famous ancient imperial tombs, and traffic and water conservancy constructions. The typical scenic spots are Summer Palace, the Fo

33、rbidden City, Disneyland, Big Wild Goose Pagoda, and Zhaozhou Stone Bridge, etc(Dongxu).2.3. Functions of the Names of Tourist AttractionThe name of tourist attraction is just like a signboard of the tourist attraction. Having a good and suitable name for the tourist attraction has a great meaning a

34、s well as making a successful advertising. It has a great influence on improving the repute of the tourist attraction, increasing the popularity of the tourist attraction and promoting the development of the national tourism.Firstly, many names of tourist attraction have their own cultural connotati

35、on. A correct and suitable name helps to show the culture to the tourists. The tourists can appreciate the beautiful story or customs as well as enjoying the beauty of the tourist attraction. Such as 万里长城、十三陵、唐蕃会盟碑、白马寺、焚书坑.They are all named according to the historical events or historical allusions

36、。Secondly, a good and suitable name of the tourist attraction has a good influence on making the tourists remember the tourist attraction. If the name of tourist attraction leaves great impression to the tourist and let them understand the beauty behind the name, the tourists will remember it and wa

37、nt to come again. There are many examples in Chinese tourist attraction, such as 长城(Great Wall),苏州园林(SuzhouGardens)，秦始皇兵马俑(QinTerra-CottaWarriorsandHorsesFigurines),西山晴雪(theSunnyWesternHillsafterSnow).Thirdly, a good and suitable name of tourist attraction also can be a great way to introduce our na

38、tion and national culture to foreign tourists. Tourists can learn a lot from it, such as our culture, custom, language, lifestyle, belief and so on. It facilitates promoting our national opening and strengthening the communication between nations.Finally, a good and suitable name of tourist attracti

39、on has great effect upon increasing the income of the tourist attraction and improving the development of national tourism. According to the World Tourism Organizations prediction, China will have become the biggest tourist destination all over the world by 2020. Therefore, a good and suitable name

40、of tourist attraction will become more and more important to improve our national tourism and increase the income of the tourism.3. The Present Situation of the Translation of Names of Tourist Attraction3.1 The ProblemsWith the development of our national tourism to the outside, more and more people

41、 pay attention to the translation of the name of tourist attraction. But the present situation of the translation of names of tourist attraction is unpromising to some extent, which have resulted in unsatisfactory communication with foreign visitors, and even ,to some extent, have impaired the devel

42、opment of our national tourism.3.1.1 Incongruous NamesIn the translation of names of tourist attraction, different translators use different translating methods, which leads to the problem of incongruous names. Incongruous names can make the foreign tourists feel uncertain whether those different na

43、mes refer to the same attraction or not. For example:In Nanjing Yuhuatai Cemetery of Revolutionary Martyrs,“雨花石博物馆”is translated into “Rain Flower Stone Museum”on the tourist map of Beimen, “Yuhua Pebbles Museum” on the tourist map in front of the statues, “The Museum of Yuhua Stones”on the Attracti

44、on Area map of the distribution function, “Rain Flower Pebbles Museum”on the signs of the attractions.In the city of Liuzhou，“鱼峰公园”has four English names: Standing Fish Park, Standing-fish Hill Park, Yufeng Park and Yufeng Scenery District;“雀山公园”has three English names: Queer Shan Park, Que Shan Par

45、k and Que er Hill Park;“鹅山公园”also has three English names: E Shan Park, Ershan Hill Park and Ershan Youth Park.Incongruous names can affect the effect of the publicity of tourist attraction and damage the image of tourist attraction. Therefore, in order to improve the image of tourist attraction and

46、 attract more tourists, it is important to make the translation of the name of tourist attraction more normative and congruous.3.1.2 MisunderstandingMisunderstanding also can be a common mistake in the translation of the name of tourist attraction. Misunderstanding is often caused by different langu

47、ages and cultures between the source text and target text. The translators neglect the differences between the Chinese and foreign culture. For example:(1) The famous attraction of Kaifeng “清明上河园” was translated in “Park with up-the-River-on-Chingming Festival views”. However, “up the river” is a sl

48、ang. It means “put into the prison”. It did not fit the meaning behind the name of the park and might give the foreign tourists bad impression.(2) Another famous attraction in Kaifeng“包公祠”was translated into “The Memorial Temple of Lord Bao”. Although “Lord Bao” keeps the form of language clear and coherent, it is not easy for tourists to understand. BaoZheng is a historical figure and his image represents fairness and probity. And he has great prestige in Chine