A Study on the Chinese Translation of Place Names in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand

Abstract

The purposes of the study are: 1) to examine the methods of the Chinese translation of Thai place names in Chiang Rai Province, 2) to analyze the problems in the Chinese translation of Thai place names in Chiang Rai Province, and 3) to make suggestions for teaching Chinese translation of place names in Thai-Chinese translation courses. The samples used in the research were 191 place names in Chiang Rai Province that appeared in various public signs. Data were analyzed by using frequency, percentage, and descriptive analysis. The results revealed that, the most frequently used Chinese translation method is the phonetic translation (54.79%), followed by literal translation (13.30%), free translation (12.77%), mixed phonetic and free translation (12.23%), and conventional translation (1.06%), as well as 5.85% of the unidentified translation methods. From the inductive analysis of problems in the Chinese translation of Thai place names in Chiang Rai, four main problems in the Chinese translation of place names in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand are found. The inconsistent Chinese translation is mostly found (54.81%), while the inappropriate application of Chinese translation methods (20.74%), the inconsistent translation of traditional and simplified Chinese characters (17.78%), and other Chinese translation errors (6.67%) are respectively found. Recommendations for the teaching Chinese translation of place names in Thai-Chinese translation courses are:  1) Incorporating Chinese translation of place names into Thai-Chinese translation textbooks, and 2) Place name translation teaching should give more emphasis to practice. In summary, the author intends to contribute a reference for the unification and standardization of Chinese translations of place names in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand.