Modern Social Science Research

In todays densely populated and culturally diverse cities, the translation of public transportation signs is particularly important. Appropriately translated signs play a clear role in guiding and informing for international communication and navigation, and are crucial for the development of global cities. To enhance the idiomaticity and appropriateness of the Chinese-English translation of public transportation signs, this study empirically examines the English translation of public signs on Metro Line 1 and Line 4 in Nanchang under the guidance of eco-translatology theory and analyzes the strengths and weaknesses, categorizes the causes of translation errors, discusses Chinese-English translation strategies from three dimensions—language, culture and communication, and proposes corresponding strategies for improvement measures to enhance the translation quality of public transportation signs and improve Nanchangs external urban image. Since public transportation signs serve a vocative function and convey strong communicative intent, the translation should consider the cultural nuances of the target language and make judicious selections regarding the cultural connotations they encompass and at the same time attention should be paid to its communication effect.

Eco-Translatology; Public Transport Signs; Nanchang Metro Lines 1 and 4;Chinese-English Translation: Translation Strategy