The 4th Public Signs Correction Contest of Zhejiang Province, a non-profit competition held by the Hangzhou Translation Association, was organized to promote citizen awareness of Chinese-English public sign translation and to optimize the English language environment in Zhejiang. Students from NITs School of Foreign Language Studies excelled in the contest.
Yao Tingting Wins First Prize
When asked why she participated in the contest, Yao replied, smiling, “To be frank, I just wanted to give it a try; I wasnt thinking about the result. Ms. Ding Xu told me that the contest is a rare opportunity because it is held only once every two years, and she encouraged everyone, including me, to participate in it.”
Yao shared her experience: “During summer vacation, when I was touring Mogan Mountain, I observed that there were mistakes in the public sign translations, so I took some pictures. When I returned home, I began to study the subject in depth. I searched through a large amount of information on the Internet and also consulted with Ms. Ding. I was quite surprised and excited to learn that I had won the first prize because I had never even considered winning.” She concluded, “To some degree, the gains actually are proportional to the pains.”
Wu Yixiao Wins Pennant
When asked about her original intentions for participating in the contest, Wu said, “Its mainly because of my interests. I like to try new things, so I immediately decided to join in.”
During summer vacation, Wu went shopping in the Carrefour supermarket and found translation errors on the trolley slogans. She was very puzzled as to how such a large supermarket could make such obvious mistakes, so she decided to some research to find the most appropriate translations under the guidance of Ms. Ding Xu. Wu commented, “The contest has really been fun and has enriched my knowledge of English. I especially enjoyed using my knowledge of the language for such a practical, everyday application.
Qian Chen and Wang Peiyi Win “Outstanding Team”
Qian, leader of the NIT public signs correction team, said, “The process was rather challenging, but the result was gratifying. We enjoyed it all.”
Wang added energetically, “The news of our victory made us pulse with excitement. However, the most impressive part of the contest has been how our translations are continuously being modified under Ms. Ding Xus patient guidance. The contest not only requires a correct translation, but also requires that we include an explanation of the translation theory used. Its a challenge for both of us.” Qian added, “We take turns doing the work of correcting errors and modifying the translations. During the contest, we could see how our ability to analyze and solve problems improved dramatically, and how we began to understand more deeply the practical applications of translation theory.”
