On the C-E Translation of Public Signs from the Functional Perspective

With the rapid development of Chinese economy, more and more foreigners have been attracted to China to invest, work, study and travel. To help the foreigners better understand China and facilitate cross-cultural communication, bilingual or even trilingual public signs spring up in every part of China. As is known that public signs, usually in the form of a few words, a picture or words accompanied with a picture, function not only as a " face" of a city and a nation, but also as a first calling card given to the foreigners. Moreover, public signs have definite functions-informing, warning or directing. However, to our disappointment, mistranslations of the public signs are present everywhere.