论文总字数：30640字

摘 要

1. Introduction １

1.1 Research background １

1.2 Need of the study １

2. Literature Review ３

3. The Theory on Skopos ５

3.1 Definition of skopos theory ５

3.2 The application principle of skopos theory ５

3.3 Evaluation criteria ６

4. Study on C-E Translation in Nanjing Museum From a Skopos Theory Perspective ７

4.1 Study on C-E translation of the exhibit names ７

4.1.1 Flourishing age of Jiangnan ７

4.1.2 Accuracy and splendor ７

4.1.3 Vitalization of six dynasties ８

4.2 Study on C-E translation of the exhibit captions ８

4.2.1 Ancient impression ８

4.2.2 Last charm of Tang dynasty ８

4.2.3 Chinese knot ９

4.2.4 Pavilion of the republic of China １０

4.2.5 Prehistoric period １０

4.2.6 Approaching buddha １１

5.Methods Used in the Process of Translation １２

5.1 Literal translation １２

5.2 Free translation １２

5.3 Additional translation １３

6. Conclusion １４

6.1 Major findings １４

6.2 Limitations of this study and suggestions for future research １４

References １５

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank all the people who have helped me during my thesis writing.

First of all, I should be most grateful to my respected tutor Zhang Wei，who has generously offered her detailed and wide – ranging comments.

From the initial topic selection to the completion of this paper are inseparable from her careful guidance. She solved many difficulties for me with her professional knowledge, which made my writing more smooth. I am very honored to have such a responsible mentor. Next, my gratitude should be given to the professors in my school. In addition to explaining the basic knowledge in books, teachers also provide us with rich extra-curricular content,they have shared their academic knowledge and profound thinking with us, which makes my thesis more thoughtful.

Finally,my parents and friends who have always supported me are indispensable to the completion of this thesis.When I have trouble in writing, they always come to comfort me and put forward their own opinions and ideas at the first time. They have made great contributions to my writing.

Abstract

The Nanjing museum is now a large and comprehensive national museum, ranking second only to the Palace Museum in the number of precious cultural relics in China. These cultural relics are the most direct witness to the development of Chinese civilization and history for thousands of years, and they play an important role in spreading Chinese culture.

Skopos theory is a translation theory based on the understanding of the receivers, which is determined by the expectations, needs, known knowledge and environmental conditions of the target audience.

Based on the materials of some representative exhibits in Nanjing museum such as the names and captions of some exhibits in it, and the skopos theory put forward by Vermeer, this paper analyzes the application of the three principles of skopos theory in the C-E translation of exhibits. With the method of case analysis, the translation methods and skills used in the translation of these exhibits are obtained by studying a large number of examples, such as the transliteration of place names, free translation, literal translation, additional translation, so as to provide reference for future translation practice.

Keywords: Skopos theory ; Nanjing museum; translation study

中文摘要

南京博物院现为大型综合性的国家级博物馆，珍贵文物数量居中国第二，仅次于故宫博物院。这些文物是数千年中华文明历史发展最为直接的见证,它们对传播中华文化起着至关重要的作用。

目的论是一种以接受者的理解作为依据的翻译理论,它是由目标受众的期望、需求、已知知识和环境条件共同决定的。

本文以南京博物院中一些具有代表性意义的展览品作为素材，比如南京博物院内一些展览品的名称和解说词，把费米尔提出的目的论作为理论依据，分析了翻译目的论三大原则在展览品汉译英中的应用，采用实例分析法，通过研究大量案例得出这些展览品在翻译时所采用的翻译方法和技巧，如音译法、意译法、直译法、增译法等，为以后的翻译实践带来思考和借鉴。

关键词：目的论；南京博物院；翻译研究

1. Introduction

1.1 Research background

China is a country of vast territory and rich resources with a long history, rich in museum collections and a wide variety of archaeological and tourism value.In recent years, more and more foreigners have come to China to experience our magnificent mountains and rivers and our time-honored culture in various ways.As one of the main Windows of external publicity, the museum has become one of the places for foreign tourists to learn about Chinese history, culture and products.Nanjing Museum is located at 321 Zhongshan East Road, Xuanwu District, Nanjing.Its predecessor was the National Central Museum initiated by Cai Yuanpei in 1933.Nanjing Museum is a large-scale and comprehensive national museum and a national comprehensive museum of history and art. It is now a national first-class museum, the first batch of national museums jointly built by the central and local governments, a national AAAA-level tourist scenic spot and a national key cultural relic protection unit. Covering an area of more than 130000 square meters, Nanjing Museum is a "one-house and six-hall" pattern.In addition, there are "six" research departments, namely, the Archaeological Institute, the Cultural relics Conservation Institute, the Ancient Architecture Research Institute, the display Art Research Institute, the non- Heritage Conservation Research Institute, and the Ancient Art Research Institute, as well as the only ethnic folklore research institution in the Chinese museum.In November 2018,Nanjing Museum was selected as the "2018 National Research and Practical Education Base for Primary and Middle School Students".

1.2 Need of the study

As early as the 1950s, Nanjing Museum participated in the cultural relics exhibition organized by the state and went to the Soviet union, Germany and other countries for exhibition.

Since the reform and opening up, academic exchanges with the international community have increased day by day, and cultural relics exhibitions have been held in many countries and regions to promote national culture and enhance international exchanges.It signed the academic and cultural exchange agreement with other countries, and carried out friendly exchange activities on this basis. Scientific research cooperation with foreign academic institutions is also increasing, and remarkable achievements have been made in the spread of Buddhism to the south, the archaeology of early rice field sites, the study of human bones in the south of the Yangtze river. After that, he signed cooperation agreements cultural institutions at home and abroad, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States, the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada, the Imperial Palace in Taipei, the National Kyushu Museum in Japan, and the Ancient Palace Museum in Korea. In addition, he carried out a large number of academic and cultural activities.

2. Literature Review

This chapter gives a detailed explanation of the development of Skopos Theory in different periods and the emphasis of translation.

Once Skopos Theory was put forward, many scholars expressed their own views on the original basis. Skopos theory is put forward by Vermeer on the basis of functional translation theory, which holds that the target text depends on the purpose of translation.Translators can choose appropriate translation strategies and retain or adjust the content of the original text according to the different purpose of translation (1989). Skopos theory has three principles: the principle of purpose, coherence and the faithfulness. Skopos principle is the first principle of translation, which refers to the communicative purpose of the target text. Coherence means that the translation must conform to the standard of intra-lingual coherence, that is, the translation is readable and acceptable. The principle of faithfulness means that there is interlingual coherence between the original text and the target text (Newmark, 1981).

Nida, a famous translation theorist, put forward the theory of functional equivalence from the perspective of linguistics and communication. The main purpose of the theory is functional equivalence, which emphasizes that in the transformation of two languages, the one-to-one correspondence is not limited to the words ,but the functional equivalence between the two languages (2001). Public signs refer to the applied style that is open to the public, serving as instructions, notices, publicity and other social services (Kelly, 1998).It is characterized by simplicity and standardization, so the basic requirement of public signs translation is to convey the equivalence of the original text (Wang Huan, 2018). Nida proposes two specific principles. One is the principle of function priority. When translating public signs, the translator should first clarify the functions of the original public signs, and then try to translate them without changing their functions (2001). Therefore, after the translation of public signs, the translator should compare the public signs before and after translation to see whether the response of the target readers is consistent with that of the original readers and achieve functional equivalence (Yang Rongjing, 2012). The other is the principle of brevity. Conciseness is a typical style of public signs, so after reflecting functional equivalence, try to express it in a concise way as far as possible (Li Jianhua, 2012).

Les, one of the representatives of the German functional translation school, put forward the text type theory. He divides the text into information type, expressive type and operational type (2001). The language of informational text is logical and its function is to provide facts. Such as some regional names or service organizations. Information-based text language is simple and clear, and its main function is to provide basic information to let the viewer know their location and understand some facilities (Geng Xiaochao, 2018). The expressive text language has aesthetic characteristics, paying attention to the text format, the author's attitude and the expression of inner feelings (Nord, 2001). It aims to express the emotion and attitude of the information senders, highlights the beauty of the language through some rhetorical devices and a large number of modifiers.Operational text language has the characteristics of dialogue and strong appeal, and its function is to infect readers and trigger actions (Liu Yueyang, 2017). It is worth saying that most of these public signs are imperative sentences, which can remind, admonish or force what to do or not to do. Different text type theories should adopt different translation strategies (Reiss, 2004). In the translation of informative public signs, the primary task is to convey the original text information ,the translator should use the language form that the public is familiar with, and the strategies of borrowing translation and communicative translation can be used in this translation (Xu Jiajia, 2015). The translation of expressive public signs should convey not only the message of the original text, but also its aesthetic form (Li Yujuan, 2011). Besides, the operational public signs translation should focus on the response of the target audience (Erik, 2002). The translation should conform to their receptive ability, and the translator can adopt the strategies of borrowing and imitating translation (Ou Yan, 2006).

3. The Theory on Skopos

From the previous sections, we can have a general idea of Skopos theory. This chapter will further explain the definition of Skopos theory, translation principles and evaluation criteria to help readers have a deeper understanding of my thesis.

3.1 Definition of skopos theory

The term skopos is usually used to refer to the purpose of translation. Vermeer believes that one of the most important factors in determining the purpose of translation is the audience--the recipient of the translation, who has their own cultural background knowledge, expectations for translation and communication needs. In addition, he believes that the role of the original text is to provide some information to the target audience.

3.2 The application principle of skopos theory

In order to use skopos theory to translate articles or sentences accurately, we need to master its translation principles. This part introduces the relevant translation rules.

Skopos theory consists of four principles, including the principles of skopos, coherence, fidelity and loyalty. Each principle has a corresponding standard. First of all, all translation activities should follow the principle of skopos, which means that the purpose of the translation action determines the entire process of the translation action, that is, the result determines the method.

In addition, we want to mention the principles of coherence and fidelity. Coherence requires the readability and acceptability of the translation, enabling the recipient to understand and make sense in the culture of the target language and the communicative context in which the translation is used. Fidelity refers to being faithful to the original text, but the degree and form of fidelity to it depends on the purpose of the translation and the translator's understanding of the original text.

Finally, what we need to observe is the principle of loyalty. On the one hand, the translator has a moral responsibility for the recipient of the translation and must explain to them everything they have done and the reasons for doing so. Another aspect of this principle is that translators are required to be loyal to the original author. The translator should respect them and coordinate the target language of the translation with the author's intention.

3.3 Evaluation criteria

As for the standard of translation, skopos theory uses adequacy rather than equivalence as the criteria for evaluating translation. Adequacy means that the translation must meet the requirements of the translation purpose. Equivalence means that the target text and the original text are in different cultural contexts but achieve similar communicative functions.Skopos theory focuses not on whether the translation is equivalent to the original text,but the translator's translation strategy must be determined by the intended purpose or function of the translation.

4. Study on C-E Translation in Nanjing Museum From a Skopos Theory Perspective

In this chapter, I will give some examples of the collections in Nanjing Museum and analyse their meanings from the perspective of skopos theory.

4.1 Study on C-E translation of the exhibit names

4.1.1 Flourishing age of Jiangnan

Seeing this title, we can know what this exhibit wants to introduce to us. The title mentions the Jiangnan region, and is embellished with the word flourish, In English, the meaning of flourishing is similar to that of prosperous, which is interpreted as rich and successful.Therefore, as soon as tourists see the name, they can imagine the splendid scene of that time. The title uses literal translation skills, and the word selection is more inclined to the recipients' habits. This translation meets the understanding requirements of the receivers of the target language.

4.1.2 Accuracy and splendor

Clocks and watches are special and precious kinds in the rich collections of Nanjing Museum. They are extremely practical and noble works of art. They appear in different shapes, but they are luxurious in decoration, exquisite in production and complex in function, representing the highest level of clock manufacturing at that time. This name uses literal translation method, with two nouns to make a high generalization of the quality and appearance of clocks.Through this visit, tourists can have a more comprehensive understanding of all aspects of clocks and watches.

4.1.3 Vitalization of six dynasties

The first word of the title is a central word. In English,this noun means the state of being vitalized and filled with life. This word can bring people the belief of hope. As for the six dynasties, if tourists are not familiar with Chinese history, they can understand it from the following commentary. Tourists intend to imagine the scene of the six dynasties at that time by observing the title.

4.2 Study on C-E translation of the exhibit captions

4.2.1 Ancient impression

Jiangsu is located in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River with a long history and prosperous economy and culture. In ancient times, in this magical land where rivers and seas converge, forests, vegetation and animal species are abundant. In the endless life reproduction, human beings appear.

The translation methods used in this introduction include literal translation and free translation. When describing what natural scenes are contained in this magical land, the translator uses the attributive clause guided by where, which is more consistent with the usage of English grammar. Foreign visitors want to have a deeper impression on the living environment of people in ancient China by watching this exhibition.

4.2.2 Last charm of Tang dynasty

During the five dynasties and ten kingdoms period, the Jianghuai and Jiangnan areas were ruled successively by two kingdoms:Wu with the capital in Yangzhou and southern Tang. The political strategy of the southern Tang with the capital in Nanjing,

"secure the border and rest people",guaranteed the kingdom the most economical and cultural wealth among all. The culture and art of this period played a significant role in conjoining the declining Tang dynasty and the upcoming Song dynasty.

Transliteration is used in the translation of several regions of the commentary, which is simple and easy to understand without confusing the visitors. In addition, according to the principle of skopos theory, our translation should conform to the understanding of the recipient. Therefore, when translating idioms, the translator uses two verbs followed by the target object, so that the meaning of this idiom can be clearly understood: to protect our borders and reassure the people. The last point I want to mention is that the last sentence uses the additional translation, adding a declining before the Tang dynasty and an upcoming before the Song dynasty, which vividly points out the situation of the two dynasties at that time. Visitors plan to understand the development situation of various fields in the Tang dynasty after reading this commentary.

4.2.3 Chinese knot

Chinese knot culture has a long history, which symbolizes the ancient history and sentiment of the Chinese nation. The Chinese knot began in the ancient times. "There was no writing in ancient times, so we tied ropes to remember things". This method was an ancient skill invented by human beings in the primitive society.The knitting process of Chinese knots is very complex and time-consuming. Each basic structure is made up of a rope from beginning to end, and each basic knot is named according to its shape and meaning. Finally, the combination of different knots, together with ornaments, will become a folk handicraft with rich cultural heritage and strong national flavor. Today, Chinese knot has been listed in the intangible cultural heritage.

This caption is a combination of literal translation and amplification translation. When translating proverbs, we add a conjunction to make it easier for the visitors to understand . In addition, it uses literal translation method to introduce the origin of Chinese knot and its weaving steps, so as to convey the wisdom and unity of our Chinese nation to tourists. Viewers would like to gain a deep understanding of the richness of Chinese culture through their study of folk art.

4.2.4 Pavilion of the republic of China

In the form of street view display, the pavilion of the republic of China concentrated the prosperous scene of the upper class living conditions in that period of history, focusing on objects. Through the real restoration of the architectural scene, supplemented by advanced technologies such as sound, light and electricity, it simulated and reproduced to create a historical atmosphere. At the same time, the traditional workshops and modern public service institutions are integrated into them in the form of physical stores, and interactive participation is carried out to highlight different styles.The exhibition hall not only displays the architectural features, but also dynamically restores the living conditions of the city at that time, making the audience cross the space-time barrier like walking on the streets of the Republic of China.

The translation skills of this commentary involves literal translation and free translation, which recreates the life style of the republic of China to the tourists. “Through the real restoration of the architectural scene, supplemented by advanced technologies such as sound, light and electricity, it simulated and reproduced to create a historical atmosphere”. This sentence changes the structure of the original text and is more in line with the English expression. Visitors mean to experience the social customs of that time in the shadow of fleeting time by reading this caption.

4.2.5 Prehistoric period

The human history of Jiangsu started about 350000 years ago with the appearance of the Nanjing Ape men. The following hundreds of thousands of years witnessed human activities throughout the region. About 8000 years ago, the ancient inhabitants of Jiangsu embraced the Neolithic Age and started to live a settled life. The rice cultivation developed 6000 years ago stimulated the economic growth, which laid a solid foundation for the cultural development at the time. With the accumulation of physical wealth and the formation of social stratification , cities and states marks of civilization finally emerged.

In this commentary,many idioms that are difficult for foreign tourists to understand are appropriately deleted, which is not only more conducive to the understanding of the recipients, but also more in line with the expression of English. In addition, we can see that translators use the structure of noun phrases, which is very common in English expression. Therefore, the sentences in this article are translated according to the habits of the recipients. Foreign tourists want to be familiar with the development of various aspects of the prehistoric period from this text, which is more conducive to their learning of our Chinese cultural development.

4.2.6 Approaching buddha

The emperors and royals of Qing Dynasty worshiped Tibetan Buddhism, and Buddhist temples were set up in the royal gardens. All kinds of Buddhist offerings such as niches, pagodas, Buddhist pavilions, Buddhist statues were enshrined, especially statues.Buddha statues are made of mud, stone, wood, gold and copper and other materials, among which Buddha statues are of regular shape, accurate proportion and exquisite production, which can be called art treasures.The Buddha statues on display this time are the golden bronze statues cast by the Qing palace. These golden bronze statues are of standard shape, well-proportioned structure, exquisite materials, smooth surface processing and bright gold plating, fully showing the elegant royal style.

This caption uses noun phrases to describe the shape and materials of buddha statues, as well as their characteristics. On the one hand, the layout of this parallel structure meets the requirements of English translation. On the other hand, it also follows the skopos principle and takes the translation habits of foreign visitors into consideration.Visitors are going to learn more about the cultural background related to Buddhism from this exhibit.

5.Methods Used in the Process of Translation

Through the analysis of the names and commentaries of the exhibits in Nanjing Museum in the previous chapter, we can summarize some translation methods used in the process of translation.

5.1 Literal translation

Literal translation refers to the translation method that is not only faithful to the original content, but also to the original form. On the premise of maintaining the content of the original text, the target text and the original text should be infinitely close in terms of word selection, sentence structure, style features.

For example, the translation of the names of the two exhibits mentioned in the previous content adopts this translation method.

In addition, transliteration is also a translation method of literal translation. Transliteration is a translation strategy in which the original Chinese pinyin is used to directly replace the English translation. According to international practice, most place names in China are transliterated. Words translated according to transliteration method can only be used together to express the corresponding meaning, and can not be used alone. When translating proper nouns such as people's names and place names, transliteration can effectively reduce communication barriers.

It is quite common for us to use transliteration in the translation of the exhibits in Nanjing museum, because we always mention the corresponding place names in the captions, so as to provide visitors with more comprehensive information.

5.2 Free translation

Free translation is a kind of translation method that only keeps the original content, not the original form. That is to say, free translation is mainly based on the meaning. It only requires the general idea of the original text to be expressed, without paying too much attention to details.If necessary, the sentence structure needs to be adjusted.

"Finally, the combination of different knots, together with ornaments, will become a folk handicraft with rich cultural heritage and strong national flavor. ". In English translation, attributive postposition is a very common translation method. The phrases after with are used to modify the nouns.Therefore, translators adopt this skill here to better accord with the translation habits of foreign tourists.

5.3 Additional translation

In order to meet the needs of the target language readers, amplification is a kind of translation method. Since the two languages of English and Chinese have different ways of thinking and language habits, translators need to add some words, short sentences to express the meaning of the original text more accurately.

"There was no writing in ancient times, so we tied ropes to remember things".In this proverb, a conjunction "so" is added to clarify the reasons and results. This method is to ensure the accuracy of the translation.

6. Conclusion

According to the previous chapters, this chapter summarizes the major findings, and points out limitations of translation.

6.1 Major findings

The collections of Nanjing Museum have special significance in a certain period. Studying these collections from the perspective of skopos theory can better clarify the profound meaning of these collections that we want to express. For example, some of the exhibits mentioned in my article are representative collections in different museums. Some of them describe the living environment of our ancient people, some illustrate the situation of the glorious period at that time, and some reflect the unity spirit of our Chinese nation. All in all, these collections are a microcosm of our historical period.

In addition, I found that during the translation process, the translator used many translation methods, such as literal translation, free translation, and additional translation. The purpose of using these methods is to conform to the translation habits of foreign tourists, which is more conducive to their understanding.

6.2 Limitations of this study and suggestions for future research

Due to this sudden corona virus disease, my thesis material collection is not very comprehensive. Most of my materials are collected from the official website of Nanjing Museum and various information on the Internet. Therefore, my research will have some limitations, and can not analyze the materials in all aspects. I hope I can have an opportunity to study the C-E translation in Nanjing Museum again in the future and get more detailed conclusions on the basis of comprehensive collection of information.

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