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

1. Introduction

1.1 Background of the Research

As the influence of China worldwide has been dramatically promoted in the recent decades, an increasing number of tourists from overseas are coming to China for visits. Hangzhou, a city with long history and profound culture, is a popular place that attracts foreign travelers. Besides the famous places of interests in Hangzhou that overseas travelers hope to visit, the special Hangzhou Cuisine is also an attraction that foreign visitors are eager to know and taste. However, at present few restaurants and hotels have English menus of Hangzhou Cuisine. Thus, there is a practical need for the cuisine’s English menus. 

Although Hangzhou Cuisine Museum was built and there are various dishes of Hangzhou Cuisine displayed with both Chinese and English names, providing some references for restaurants to translate their menus. However, the museum is mainly for spreading Hangzhou culinary culture, which means that some Hangzhou Cuisine translations are not appropriate for the menu due to their long and detailed explanatory words.

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 many awkward translations of Hangzhou Cuisine names, which may not only confuse foreign customers but also discourage them to order the dish due to cultural shock. For instance, the famous Hangzhou Cuisine “西施舌” is translated into “Beauty’s tongue”, and “猫耳朵” is translated into “Cat’s Ears”. Besides, there are different English versions of one dish name, which means that the Hangzhou Cuisine menu translation is not standardized yet. Take “宋嫂鱼羹” for example, “Song Sister’s Fish Broth”, “Lady Song’s Fish Soup” and “Song Sister’s Fish Soup” are the existing translations of the dish. Such a phenomenon may also cause people to consider which one is the closest in meaning to the original name of the dish. From the analysis above, it is obvious that there is still much to be desired in the menu translation of Hangzhou Cuisine.