Abstract

Besides the famous places of interest in Hangzhou that overseas travelers hope to visit, the special Hangzhou Cuisine is also an attraction that foreign visitors are eager to taste. However, there are very few restaurants in Hangzhou that have English menus, which would cause inconvenience for foreigners. Thus, there is a practical need for an appropriate English version of Hangzhou Cuisine names in many of the city’s restaurants.

Due to the special features of Hangzhou Cuisine names, it is not an easy task to translate them into both accurate and elegant English. At present, there are problems existent in many English versions of Hangzhou Cuisine names such as inappropriate words, spelling mistakes and the ignorance of cultural differences. Adopting functionalist theory as guidance and collecting data from representative and authorized sources such as Hangzhou Cuisine Museum, the book Hangzhou Cuisine in Four Languages, the author attempts to find out the specific functions of menus and figure out what kind of elements should be taken into consideration when translating Hangzhou Cuisine names. On the basis of these analysis above, the author not only tries to discuss which English version of Hangzhou Cuisine name is the most proper among various English translations, but also hopes to put the theory into the practice of appreciating excellent English translations of Hangzhou Cuisine names. At the end of the paper, the author puts forward systematic methods and principles in the hope to contribute to the standardization and improvement of English Hangzhou Cuisine menus. 

Key Words：functionalism；Hangzhou Cuisine;  menu translation

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 Background of the Research-1

1.2 Research Objectives-1

1.3 Methodology-2

1.4 Outline of the Paper-2

2. Literature Review-4

2.1 Previous Studies-4

2.2 Brief Introduction to Functionalist Theory-5

3. Characteristics of Hangzhou Cuisine and Hangzhou Cuisine names-8

3.1 An Overview of Hangzhou Cuisine-8

3.2 Features of Hangzhou Cuisine-8

3.3 Characteristics of Hangzhou Cuisine Names-9

3.3.1 Fact-telling Dish Names-9

3.3.2 Dish Names with Metaphors-11

3.3.3 Dish Names Related to Hangzhou Culture-12

3.3.4 “False” Dish Names-13

3.3.5 Dish Names with Praising Words-14

4. Functionalist Theory Applied in Menu Translation of Hangzhou Cuisine-15

4.1 Menu Translation-15

4.1.1 Functions of Menus-15

4.1.3 Definition of Menu Translation-16

4.1.4 Requirements of Menu Translation-16

4.2 Status Quo of Current Menu Translation of Hangzhou Cuisine-18

4.3 Problems Existent in Current Menu Translation of Hangzhou Cuisine-19

4.4 Judgment of Different English Versions under the Guidance of Functionalist Theory-21

5. Suggested Principles and Methods in Translating the Menu of Hangzhou Cuisine-25

5.1 Suggested Principles-25

5.2 Suggested Translation Methods-25

5.2.1 Literal Translation-25

5.2.2 Free Translation-27

5.2.3 Transliteration-31

6. Conclusion-32

References-33