Abstract: Nowadays, the status of our country’s public signs in scenic spots is still far from being satisfactory. These translation errors not only make us neglect the basic functions in explanation, illustration and promotion, but also hinder the favorable communication between West and China. Therefore, taking Nanjing Xuanwu Lake for example, this paper on the basis of functional approaches focuses on the errors analysis and translation features in Nanjing Xuanwu Lake based on the data recently collected by the author herself from Nanjing Xuanwu Lake. The study insists on analyzing the reasons of the error translation and put forward some suggestions on the improvement of public signs translation. It contributes to strengthen the normalization of public signs translation in Nanjing scenic spots. 

Key words: public signs; functional approaches; nanjing xuanwu lake

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要：

1. Introduction1  

 1.1 Definition of Public Signs

 1.2 Public Signs in Scenic Spots

2.Literature Review and Theoretical Framework2

 2.1 General Review of Public Signs and Public Signs in Scenic Spots

 2.2 Theoretical Framework: Functionalist Approaches

 2.3 Three Principles under Skopos Theory

 2.3.1 The Skopos Rule

 2.3.2 The Coherence Rule

 2.3.3 The Fidelity Rule

3.Translation Status and Errors of Public Signs in Nanjing Xuanwu Lake5

 3.1 Translation Status

 3.2 Problems and Errors 

  3.2.1 Word-To-Word Translation Errors

  3.2.2 Wrong Direction Errors

 3.2.3 Cultural Differences

 3.2.4 Spelling Errors

 3.2.5 Chinglish

4.Suggestions on the Public Signs in Nanjing Xuanwu Lake9

 4.1 Reasons of Problems and Errors

 4.2 Suggestions and Strategies

5.Conclusion11

Bibliography 12

Acknowledgments13