摘 要

菜名翻译有极强的目的性。满足消费者的需求，刺激消费者的食欲；与此同时，传播中国的饮食文化是中菜英译的目的。它不仅要求译者能切确地了解每一道菜的原材料以及烹饪方法，而且要领会中西菜肴的差异，以便于采取正确的翻译方法和技巧。本文将从目的论的角度分析中菜英译的翻译策略，指出常见的翻译问题，介绍目的论的基本概念，最终提出简单科学的翻译模式。

关键词：目的论；中菜英译；翻译策略

Contents

1. Introduction................................................................................................................1

2. Demonstration............................................................................................................2

2.1 Skopos Theory..........................................................................................................2

2.1.1 The definition of Skopos Theory..........................................................................2

2.1.2 The principles of Skopos Theory..........................................................................3

2.2 The translation of Chinese dish names.....................................................................4

2.2.1 Features of Chinese dish names............................................................................5

2.2.2 Problems in Chinese dish names translation.........................................................6

2.3 Translating strategies of Chinese dish names guided by Skopos Theory................8

2.3.1 Literal translation..................................................................................................9

2.3.2 Free translation....................................................................................................11

2.3.3 Transliteration.....................................................................................................13

1. Conclusion...............................................................................................................14

Works Cited..................................................................................................................16

Bibliography.................................................................................................................17

On English Translation of Chinese Dish Names from the Perspective of Skopos Theory

1. Introduction

China is a traditional cooking country, and the cooking culture is an important part of traditional culture. With the increasingly development of globalization, the impact of Chinese traditional culture in the whole world is obvious. Names of Chinese dishes reflect the consummate cooking skills, the unique regional specialties and the magnificent food culture of China. Severing as a window and a bridge, they help foreign friends understand China and Chinese cooking culture better. In a global context, the translation of Chinese dishes attracts more and more attention, and how to translate the dish names correctly become ever more important. A unified and accurate translation of Chinese dishes is urgently needed.

Skopos Theory is the core theory of German functionalist translation theory. Skopos is a Greek word for ‘purpose’. According to Skopostheorie (the theory that applies the notion of Skopos to translation), the prime principle determining any translation process is the purpose (Skopos) of the overall translational action. This fits in which intentionality being part of the very definition of any action (Christine, Nord 27).

Hans J.Vermeer introduced this term into translation theory in the 1970s. Skopos Theory includes 3 rules: skopos rule, coherence rule and fidelity rule (Liu 378). Among them, skopos rule is the highest principle.