武汉市公共服务场所公示语英译的语用失误研究

Research on Pragmatic Failures in C-E Translation of Public Signs in Wuhan

英文公示语是城市公共话语体系的重要组成部分,有着自身的语言文字特征和社会语用特征,应用广泛,意义重大。但由于汉英语言与文化背景差异,公示语译者常忽略目的语的文化价值观念,误用英语表达形式从而影响了交际的有效进行,不正确、不规范的英文公示语屡屡出现,为城市外宣也带来了负面影响。本文在国内公示语翻译研究基础上,以武汉市服务场所实地调研中收集的英汉公示语语料为研究对象,从语言语用失误与社交语用失误两个方面,归纳总结武汉市公共服务场所公示语翻译中的语用失误现象,在语用学原则的框架下,结合实例提出翻译策略建议,以促进武汉市国际化形象建设,推动城市的对外交流和发展。

English public sign makes an essential part of the public discourse system, which represents a city’s image and a sign of civilization. Based on the current researches on C-E translation of public sign, this paper studied the pragmatic mistakes found in the established public signs in Wuhan. In light of Thomas’s categorization of pragmatic failures, it analyzed the causes of mistranslation from the perspectives of pragma-linguistic failure and socio-pragmatic failure, and it then put forward three practical translation strategies to avoid pragmatic failures with reference to adaptable pragmatic rules, which aims at improving city’s international image and capabilities to fit the tendency of globalization.