精“译”求精,推“城”出新——谈谈我国城市外宣用语及其英译

Acceptable Translation and the Success of Chinese Cities' Self-promoting Campaigns

随着改革开放的推进及中外交往的增加,我国一些大城市和具有比较优势或特色的中小城市"走出去"的愿望与日俱增。为了实现"走向世界"之梦,有关城市在提升自己实力的同时,也积极加强对外宣传。我们发现,有关城市推出的外宣用语不论原文还是译文都还存在一些问题。本文拟对有关问题进行分析,对对外宣传翻译的原则与策略进行探讨,同时对微调现成英语名句之仿译方法提出个人意见。

In their efforts to make themselves better-known to the outside world, many cities in China have had their selfpromotional slogans translated into English. In most cases, the effects of this effort fall well short of their expectations. This paper looks into the disappointing situation, analyzing the problems in both the slogans' Chinese originals and their rendition into English, and recommending some countermeasures for remedying the deficiencies.