对北京地区医院标识语英译的调查分析及思考

Survey analysis and reflections of English translation of public signs in hospitals in Beijing

目的对北京市医院标识语英译情况进行调查分析,总结现状与问题并提出医院标识语英译的基本原则,为医院管理者和译者提供建议和参考。方法通过文字记录和数码拍照的方法收集北京地区6家三甲医院的中英双语标识语样本,并结合北京市地方标准进行对比分析。结果医院普遍重视中英双语标识语的应用,但是现阶段医院标识语英译在词汇、语法和文化因素等方面存在诸多问题,如中文标识语缺少对应英语译文、英语译文拼写和语法错误、英语译文中式英语、同一中文标识语不同英语译文等。结论医院标识语英译中的种种问题表明相关翻译原则的确立已成为当务之急,医院标识语英译应遵循以受众为中心、精通医学专业术语、增强文化差异意识和借用英语国家样本的基本原则。

Objective To conduct a survey of the English translation of public signs in hospitals in Beijing, and sum-marize the current situation, analyze existing problems and put forward basic principles in the English translation of public signs in hospitals in order to provide advice and reference for administrators in hospitals and translators. Meth-ods Samples of Chinese-English bilingual public signs in six top tertiary hospitals in Beijing were collected by means of written records and digital photos and then a comparative study was conducted in accordance with Beijing local standard. Results Hospitals attached importance to the use of Chinese-English bilingual public signs, yet problems were existed in the aspects of vocabulary, grammar and cultural elements abounded in the current translation, such as lack of corresponding translation, spelling and grammatical mistakes, Chinglish translation and different English translations for the same Chinese public sign. Conclusion Various problems in the English translation of public signs in hospitals indicate that the establishment of relevant principles is now an urgent task, basic principles like recipient-centeredness, mastery of medical terminology, awareness of cultural differences and use of samples in English-speaking countries must be obeyed.