Abstract

As China’s reform and opening to the outside world developed by leaps and bounds, especially after the hosting of the twenty-ninth Olympic Games in Beijing and World Exposition in Shanghai, the Chinese cuisine has received increasing attention in the intercultural communication between China and the West. Therefore, the role that the translation of the Chinese menu plays is self-evident. In order to make the Chinese menu translation more accurate and standardized, the author points out the rationale and significance and problems existing in the English translation of Chinese menu, gives linguistic analysis of Chinese dish names which includes neat and balanced in structure, rich in rhetorical device, and frequent use of abbreviation, and discusses the classifications of Chinese dish names. Guided by Skopos theory, the essay explains the principles of translation of Chinese menu and gives some useful translation methods, such as literal translation, free translation, and transliteration.

KEYWORDS:the Chinese menu; Skopos; the translation methods

摘　要

随着中国改革开放取得突飞猛进的成果，特别是2008年北京奥运会和2010年上海世博会的成功举办，中外交流更加频繁，其各个方面都引起了广泛的关注，其中与日常生活密切相关的中餐菜单翻译更是不言而喻。近年来，许多学者从不同的角度和各种理论出发就中文菜单翻译展开了广泛的研究和讨论。然而中文菜单翻译这个特殊领域仍还未研究透彻，在中文菜单英译过程中存在一些问题亟待我们解决。本文试图以目的论的为指导，通过分析中餐菜名的语言学特性，中餐菜名独特的命名方法和分类，中餐菜单翻译的目的和原则，归纳了一些的中文菜单翻译的方法，如直译、意译、音译等。

关键词:目的论；翻译策略；中文菜单

1    Introduction
1 Introduction
1.1 Rationale and significance of the research
With the implementation of the policy of China’s reform and opening up to the outside world, the success of the twenty-ninth Olympic Games in Beijing and World Expo in Shanghai, the communication between China and foreign countries becomes increasingly frequent. China has become increasingly connected with foreign countries in economy and culture.
China has a history of more than five thousand years and cultivates an various of cuisines with their own cultural characteristics. As a vital part of Chinese traditional culture, Chinese food culture attracts more and more foreigners. The Chinese Menu, as a window of opportunity for spreading the Chinese culture, is brimming with cultural connotations. An appropriate Chinese menu translation, as a special kind of advertisement and bridge between the Chinese food culture and the foreign food culture, takes up a weighty position and shoulders the responsibilities to spread the Chinese traditional culture all over the world.