Typical examples of translation errors of public signs

Typical examples of translation errors of public signs: spelling errors, grammatical errors, distorted meanings, etc.

1, misspelled.

Through the collection and integration, the author found that the public signs in Sandiequan area are as high as 90%, all words are capitalized and some are misspelled. For example, Red Pavilion is translated into RFD Pavilion, where red should be red and pavilion should be pavilion. Capitalization of English words is only used in special circumstances, such as proper nouns such as countries and languages, and the first letter is often capitalized; For another example, going to Guling Street (translated as going to Hannah Quinlivan Town, where "Guling" is a place name) should be translated as Ku Ling.

2. Grammatical errors.

Grammatical errors are reflected in the completeness of sentences, improper use of verbs and nouns, and singular and plural problems. For example, the translation of "SMOKING HAEMFUL TO HEALTH" is the sentence structure of the main table, without the copula be, the sentence is incomplete. In addition, there is no complete and accurate standard for reference, similar to whether tourists should use the plural in the "visitor service center".

3. The meaning of the word is distorted.

The distortion of word meaning is mainly a misunderstanding of the figurative meaning of Chinese words. For example, Tiebi Peak is translated as Tiebi Peak, which is a description of the shape of the peak. The color of this stone is red and black, like an iron wall, not a real iron wall; Eagle Mouth Peak, translated as Upper Eagle Mouth Peak and Lower Eagle Mouth Peak, is named after its magical gesture of spreading its wings like two goshawks screaming in the sky from a distance, rather than the translated "eagle mouth".

For another example, the translation of "Tianmentan" into a paradise gate pool is because two huge stones arch to form Tianmen, and there is a pool inside, hence the name Tianmentan. There are two mistakes in the word heaven. First of all, there is no such thing as heaven, but it should be heaven.