英文本科毕业论文外贸公司网站英译研究的目的

1. Introduction 1
2. Current situation and features of company website translation 2
2.1 Current situation of company website translation 2
2.2 Samples of famous foreign company website 3
2.3 Features of company website translation 4
3. The skopos theory and company website translation 6
3.1 Introduction of Skopos theory 6
3.2 The wrong types of translation from the perspective of Skopos 8
   3.2.1 Functional translation errors 8
   3.2.2 Liguistic translation errors 9
   3.2.3 Cultural translation errors 10
4. Analyses of website translation of foreign trade company in Zhejiang province 13
4.1 Functional translation errors 13
   4.1.1 Problem of length 13
   4.1.2 Problem rooted from different thought pattern 15
4.2 Liguistic translation errors 16
   4.2.1 Spelling errors 16
   4.2.2 Improper use of punctuation 17
   4.2.3 Incorrect word translation 17
   4.2.4 Illogical arrangment 18
4.3 Cultural translation errors 19
5. Conclusion 20
Acknowledgements 21
References 22

1．Introduction

Thanks to the ongoing economic reform and opening-up and the irresistible trend of globalization, China’s communication with the world has been intensified in recent years. Though almost every company which deal with the foreign trade owns his English version website, the overall situation of the C-E translation of Chinese company website is far from satisfactory that leave a lot of work to do. For the present, most of the work are based on the rule of skopos theory which we will investigate later.
And with the popularity and applications of the Internet, the company website plays an increasing important role in foreign exchange, outreach, and the absorb foreign capital[2]. Although nowadays most domestic enterprises have set up their own websites and e-commerce platform, many export-oriented enterprises is established in English, the site has become a propaganda of the enterprise, an effective channel to promote company products. However, there is no difficulty in finding errors comparing the domestic foreign trade company website to the foreign company website. Some mistakes are even too much to bear. In recent years, there appears a large number of discussion on website translation, start from Skopos basis direction, and have a lot of research fruits on the problem of company website mistranslation. But for the relatively small corporate company website translation, it had not been given sufficient attention and standardized management, error-prone web site translation directly affect a company’s image.

2. Current situation and features of company website translation

In the world today, global and regional cooperation is in full swing and countries are increasingly interdependent. Company website provide a quick and convenient access to the general understanding of what a Chinese company is like, thus serving as bridges that enable business people from different countries with different cultural backgrounds to have a better understanding of each other. In fact, as a specialized and important area of translation, the translation of company profiles has its own features and particular communicative functions which deserve an in-depth and systematic study.
2.1 Current situation of company website translation
Foreign propaganda in the business text, Chinese text use more modifiers which using rhyme, parallelism, words with other parties type the text in order to increase the beauty, attract potential customers and clients. Many translators often find it difficult, even if be translated, also bite the bullet and let the readers of English-speaking find it difficult to understand. Company’s publicity text translation is accurate for the purpose of translation about business, product-related information. So prominent is the informational translation, first principle focus on the information, and others such as style, rhetoric and so on is secondary to bit. If translate directly, the text will cause a pile, information duplication, not meet the English language of expression. On the basis of Skopos principles, the translator should cut the original text appropriately in order for information receiver better understanding the text.
Different from other text types, a company profile is a special kind of text with particular purposes and functions. The translation purpose of company profiles is to enable more foreigners to know more about Chinese companies, thus achieving international recognition and establishing the credibility of the company and its products. In order to achieve these purposes and functions, more attention should be paid to target readers who have different cultural backgrounds in the company profile translation. According to skopostheorie, a translation action is determined by its Skopos and the end justifies the means. That means the purpose of translation determines the translation methods and strategies that are to be employed in order to produce a functionally adequate result. Therefore, in the C-E translation of company profiles, translators should adhere to Skopos rule, coherence rule and fidelity rule and it is applicable for them to adopt a TT-oriented or reader-centered translation strategy.
However, many translators in this field tend to neglect the translation purpose of company profiles. As a result, linguistic and cultural problems still exist and obstruct the achievement of the Skopos of company profiles. Enlightened by the functionalist approach, the thesis also conducts a comprehensive survey as to the readability and acceptability of the target text[6]. It is found that foreign people do not respond positively to the English translation of Chinese company profiles. These problems or errors adversely affect the quality of translation. Primarily under the guidance of the functionalist skopostheorie, the thesis puts forward a set of guiding principles for the C-E translation of company profiles, that is, idiomatic, comprehensible, and acceptable. By analyzing authentic examples, the study also justifies someappropriate strategies such as addition, abridgement and restructuring. A conclusion can be drawn that it is feasible to guide the C-E translation of company profiles in the light of the functionalist approach, particularly skopostheorie. In the translation process, the translator is expected to bear in mind the intended function of the target text and produce a version that is comprehensible and acceptable to the target reader. Due to great linguistic and cultural differences, the translation process usually involves considerable adjustments or adaptations of the source text in order to achieve the intended function of the target text.
Hopefully, the principles and strategies proposed in this study would be of some value to the C-E translation of company profiles as well as other public materials.
2.2 Samples of famous foreign website
There are a lot of famous company on the list of top 500 in the world, after searching for their company, not difficult in finding a lot of features in common about their web page design. The followings are classic samples.
Example[1]: In 1886, Coca-Cola® brought refreshment to patrons of a small Atlanta pharmacy. Now well into its second century, the Company's goal is to provide magic every time someone drinks one of its more than 400 brands. Coca-Cola has fans from Boston to Budapest to Bahrain, drinking brands such as Ambasa, Vegitabeta and Frescolita. In the remotest comers of the globe, you can still find Coca-Cola.
Coca-Cola is committed to local markets, paying attention to what people from different cultures and backgrounds like to drink, and where and how they want to drink it. With its bottling partners, the Company reaches out to the local communities it serves, believing that Coca-Cola exists to benefit and refresh everyone it touches.
()
Example[2]: Software is a leading online portal for software products, with free downloads and expert software reviews to help you make an informed choice. We list thousands of discounted software products with prices that are almost always the lowest available in the country. We also list a huge selection of free downloads so you can try software free before you decide to buy.
The store features the the software industry’s leading publishers, including Microsoft, Intuit, Symantec, Adobe, Nuance and hundreds of others. Our software store provides users with rich resources including thousands of user reviews, articles, and product comparison charts.
    employs a team of industry experts with over 40 years of combined experience in online software distribution. Our goal is to bring you the best range of world-leading software, at the best prices, with rich reviews and product information so you can choose the software that is right for you. (about/)
 As we can see from these samples, the foreign company websites are more functional and focus more on introdu cing products, and the purpose are much stronger and prominent. This is exactly what our company website is lack of, for we always put more words in describing company history and prior tradition, but lack of products introduction and special users attraction.
2.3 Features of company website translation   
First of all, company website translation profile depends more on the skopos rules.  Different from other text types, a company website profile is a special kind of text with particular purposes and functions. The translation purpose of company website profiles is to enable more foreigners to know more about Chinese companies, thus achieving international recognition and establishing the credibility of the company and its products. In order to achieve these purposes and functions, more attention should be paid to target readers who have different cultural backgrounds in the company profile translation. According to skopostheorie, a translation action is determined by its Skopos and the end justifies the means. That means the purpose of translation determines the translation methods and strategies that are to be employed in order to produce a functionally adequate result. Therefore, in the C-E translation of company profiles, translators should adhere to Skopos rule, coherence rule and fidelity rule and it is applicable for them to adopt a TT-oriented or reader-centered translation strategy.
Secondly, primarily under the guidance of the functionalist Skopostheorie, the thesis puts forward a set of guiding principles for the C-E translation of company profiles, that is, idiomatic, comprehensible, and acceptable. By analysis authentic examples, the study also justifies some appropriate strategies such as addition, abridgement and restructuring. A conclusion can be drawn that it is feasible to guide the C-E translation of company profiles in the light of the functionalist approach, particularly skopostheorie. In the translation process, the translator is expected to bear in mind the intended function of the target text and produce a version that is comprehensible and acceptable to the target reader. Due to great linguistic and cultural differences, the translation process usually involves considerable adjustments or adaptations of the source text in order to achieve the intended function of the target text.
Hopefully, the principles and strategies proposed in this study would be of some value to the C-E translation of company profiles as well as other publicity materials.
At last, defined as the measure of all things in translation by Reiss, the ST is regarded by Vermeer as merely an “offer of information” which can be partly or wholly transmitted for the target audience, leaving its status much lower in skopostherie than in equivalence-based theories. And it is the purpose of the translation that determines what to translate, how much to translate and what strategies to employ in specific situations. For this reason, in C-E translation of company website, any translation strategy can be adopted provided it is effective in publicizing the company in the target culture and expanding its business there. The translator needs to serve as “cultural filtering”, which means making adjustments to the structure and style of the source text by addition, deletion and rewriting. In this section, different successful translation techniques applicable to company profile translation in light of skopostheorie will be explored.

3. The Skopos theory and company website translation

 
 A company website is a particular communicative message that an organization wants to deliver to a particular audience. It is essentially “a résumé” presenting an image of a particular company, aiming to “establish the credibility with the market the company serves” . Klein also argues that a company website provides insight about a company to its customers and prospects; potential employees and partners view it to evaluate whether or not it is the kind of company they’d like to work with. Generally speaking, a well-written company website contains the company’s founders, product range or service that a company offers, major stockholders, members of the board, address, telephone and fax numbers, website, and other vital information. Some website include their history and significant achievements they have made through the years. This thesis defines a company profile in a narrow sense and refers to a company introduction since introductory remarks head all the other subdirectory items and are of the most representative characteristics. The samples employed in this thesis include brochures and materials from the Internet and cover a great variety of b usiness fields such as banks, hotels, automobiles, medicine, wine, household electrical appliances, tobacco, and sports goods.
3.1 Introduction of skopos theory
The Skopos theory is an important functionalist theory of translation that was developed in Germany in the 1970s. It reflects “a general shift from predominantly linguistic and rather formal translation theories to a more functionally and socioculturally oriented concept of translation” [8]235. It greatly widens the research field of translation and puts translation researches in the framework of cross-cultural communication, instead of the narrow framework of source and target texts or the transmission between two languages. The Skopos theory draws inspiration from communication theory, action theory, text linguistics and text theory, and also from movements in literary studies toward reception theories. It is regarded as the core of German functionalism.
Hans Vermeer who proposed the Skopos theory gives his own definition of translation from a unique perspective that translation is a “purposeful action”. In the Skopos theory, translation is basically a type of communication. In other words, translation is a type of human action. Since action is the process of acting, which means “intentionally(at will)bringing about or preventing a change in the world (in nature), and thus can be defined as an intentional change or transition from one state of affairs to another” 18. Based on this belief, Vermeer put forward his translation principles, including the Skopos rule ad the guiding principle, and the coherence and the fidelity rule as subordinate principles.
It requires that a good translation be:
[1] pragmatic, accounting for the situational conditions of communicative interaction and, accordingly, for the needs and expectations of the addressees of the target text and even making the receiver the most important yardstick of translational decisions;
[2] culture-oriented, giving consideration to the culture-specific forms of verbal and nonverbal behaviour involved in translation;
[3] consistent, able to show the translator’s decisions in any type or form of translation task and make the target text a functional one;
[4] practical, accounting all the forms of transcultural communication needed; 
[5] normative, displaying the translator’s particular purpose;
[6] comprehensive, the communicative effects of a target text being equivalent to those of the source text;
.

3.2 The wrong types of translation from the perspective of Skopos theory
During the information exchanging, Chinese companies have to provide effective company website profile linguistically and culturally acceptable to their target readers. Consequently, the English translation of Chinese company website plays a significant role in ensuring a successful communication with the outside world. Yet the overall situation of the C-E translation of Chinese company profiles is far from satisfactory. From the perspective of Skopostheorie, “if the purpose of a translation is to achieve a particular function for the target addressee, anything that obstructs the achievement of this purpose is a translation error” [9]74. Thus, to decide whether a piece of translation is a translation error or not is neither to see whether the translation is grammatically correct or not, nor to see whether the translation is loyal to the meaning of the source text. Instead, it should depend on whether the translation has achieved the intended purpose of the original work. As far as the C-E translation of company profiles is concerned, major problems and errors result from the ignorance of linguistic and cultural differences. The common errors in the C-E translation can be roughly classified into two categories: functional translation errors, linguistic tr anslation errors and cultural translation errors.
3.2.1 Functional translation errors
Functional inadequacies occur in four ways. They may be pragmatic translation errors, which are the result of “inadequate solutions to pragmatic translation problems such as lack of receiver orientation”. Secondly, they may be cultural translation errors, which are “due to an inadequate decision with regard to reproduction or adaptation of culture-specific conventions”. Thirdly, they may be linguistic translation errors, which are “caused by an inadequate translation when the focus is on language structures”. Fourthly, and finally, they may be text-specific translation errors, which are “related to a text-specific translation problem and, like the corresponding translation problems, can usually be evaluated from a functional or pragmatic point of view” 76 .
Function refers to the factors which make the text work in the intended way in the target situation. Loyalty refers to the interpersonal relationship between the translator, the source-text sender, the target-text addresses and the initiator. Loyalty limits the range of justifiable target-text functions for one particular source text and raises the need for a negotiation of the translation assignment between translators and their clients[11]126.
The claim that a variety of strategies, often moving away from the linguistic surface of the source text, are necessary to produce a functional target text gives a more grounded precision to the claims of Goldblatt and Raffel. Nord’s argument helps us to understand that these strategies are not to be considered shortcomings or inadequacies, reluctantly accepted as abstract “poetry” but never as “scholarship” – they are deliberate and intelligent forms of both creativity and fidelity. Indeed they are the inevitable, different paths that translators must follow if they wish to create new texts based on their appropriately functional readings of the source-text. (Scholars, to paraphrase Raffel, are then entitled to translations as much as poets – but because their needs are different, they each require a different sort of translation.) If these strategies of non-equivalence are to be considered “mistakes” at all then they are, in a paradoxical way, “deliberate mistakes”, intentionally undertaken in order to recreate the text in a way that deviates from the literal surface meaning of the source text so as to represent its other, deeper, features. Other errors, or “mistakes”, which are the result of our intentions being neither adequate nor appropriate, might be considered, in contrast, to be “foolish mistakes”, the product of ignorance but not of maliciousness. And ignorance can be overcome by “an adequate level of language and culture proficiency”.
3.2.2 Lingustic translation errors
Linguistic translation errors are at the basic level among the four types of errors mentioned above. They usually stem from an incompetent translator’s poor command of the target language. Unfamiliar with the target language norms and conventions, an unqualified translator would make all kinds of errors, which range from levis (spelling and choice of words), semantics (meaning the source text intends to convey) to syntax (grammatical sentences and structure). Hence the translated text cannot be fully understood by the foreign audience. For example,“拳头产品”has been translated literally as “fist product”. In Chinese,“拳头产品” indicates that the product sells well in the market and it is regarded as a brand name. The counterpart “fist” in English, however, just means the hand when closed tightly with the fingers bent into the palm, which cannot convey the original meaning. It would be better to be translated as “knockout product”, “hard-punch product”or“product with a competitive edge” [12].
Example[3]: 三十年纺织品和服装出口经验，质量第一，信誉第一，友情第一，重合同，守信用，始终如一。()
Original version：Thirty years’experience of textiles and garments y the tion and friendship the foremost. Always abide by contacts and credibility.
Revised version：The rendering in this example is a typical word-for-word one, let alone the grammatical mistake in the last sentence “Always abide by contacts and credibility”. The deliberate faithfulness of its sentence structure actually results in sen tence fragments in English, which are far from emotionally appealing to the English readers. Such redundant syntactic structure will surely confuse the target readers.
Example[4]: 集“中国驰名商标”、“中国名牌”、“国家免检产品”和“国家出口商品免验”等荣誉于一身的特步(中国)有限公司，位于福建省泉州市经济技术开发区。()
Original version：Xtep(China)co.,ltd.,honored with China's famous and popular brand, China's famous brand, products exempt from inspection and export products exempt from inspection; which locates in Quanzhou Economic and Technological Development zone. After correcting the grammatical errors in this version,an improved version could be:
Revised version：Xtep(China)Co., Ltd.,winning honors like “China’s famous and popular brand”, “China’s famous brand”, “inspection-exempt products” and “inspection-exempt products for export”, which is located in Quanzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone. 
3.2.3 Clutural translation errors
What does the word “culture” mean？As we have seen, culture is ubiquitous, multidimensional, complex and all-pervasive. Though there has been a century of efforts to define culture by scholars from different points of view, an agreement has so far not been reached[13]. The definition of culture seems simple but complex in reality. It covers aspects of everyday life to cognitive and social structure. And it refers to communities that have different attitudes toward political and social issues, different cultural practices and references in their private lives, different social backgrounds, etc.
In 1871, in his classic book Primitive Culture, British anthropologist Edward Tylor first gave the definition of culture which is widely quoted :“culture...is that complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, arts, morals, law, custom and any other capacities and habits acquired by man as a member of society” [13]. This definition is far from complete and vague to some extent because it only stressed the spiritual part of culture, but has neglected its material basis without which culture is an impossibility.
Translation and culture are closely related to each other. Translation is a cross-cultural communication. Various scholars have elaborated on the relationship between culture and translation.
Toury holds that translation is a kind of activity which inevitably involves at least two languages and two cultural conditions48.
In order to achieve the expected purpose of the C-E translation of company profiles, it is particularly important to know the role of culture in the C-E translation of company profiles. First of all, culture affects the selection of company profiles. In order to carter for the target readers, the initiators have to select materials that characterize the Chinese culture and are acceptable in the target cultural system. Secondly, culture affects the acceptability of translations in the target culture[18]. Because of the cultural differences, what is appreciated in one culture may not be acceptable in another culture differences, what is appreciated in on culture may not be acceptable in another culture. Thirdly, culture also affects the approaches to be adopted in the translation process. For different translation purposes, people may resort to different apporaches to solve cultural clashes.
Chinese and western cultures differ greatly in their historical development, geographical locations, customs, conventions, religious beliefs and aesthetics,which have a great impact on cross-cultural ing to Skopostheorie, a cultural translation error occurs when something in the translation doesn't conform to the norms and conventions in the target culture. Cultural transla tion mistakes or errors, though very covert, cause a lot of hideous barriers in the cross-cultural communication.
As has been mentioned above, what is appreciated in the Chinese culture may be unacceptable in the English culture due to the cultural differences. For example, we have always prided ourselves as“龙的传人”, which is literally translated as“descendants of the dragon”. However, the Chinese word“龙” in the Chinese culture is not equivalent to the “dragon” in the western culture. Though both of them are legendary animals, their images and connotations are quite different. In the Chinese culture, the image of “龙” has undergone a series of changes before it takes its present form. It has the combined features of a number of animals—a reptile-like animal with a scaled body and claws, which can not only crawl, but also swim and fly. It is the symbol of the Chinese nation and the Chinese national spirit. It represents power, supremacy and auspice. In feudal China, emperors were compared to dragons. But in the western legends, dragon is a huge lizard with wings, scales and a long snake-like tail. It can spit fire. Dragon in the western culture is the symbol of evil[19]. So if the phrase“以外贸企业为龙头” is translated into English as “with foreign trade firms as the dragon’s head”, the foreigners will feel awful when they read the translation. It will be acceptable when it is translated as“with foreign trade firms as the locomotive(or flagship)”.
Besides, English company profiles emphasize simplicity, individuality and substantiality, while Chinese ones stress elegance, uniformity, and authority. For this reason, the author of this present paper suggests that to realize intended commercial purpose, translators should avoid literally translating four-character phraseology into English because foreign consumers may show their doubts at the first sight of these patterns:“Who knows?” as shown in the following examples.
Example[5]: 该厂能生产大衣、西装、时装、衬衣、毛衣等不同类型服装用的上千个花色品种的纽扣，产品规格齐全，品种繁多，造型新颖。()
Original version：The factory can produce thousands of type of buttons for coats, suits, fashions, shirts and sweaters. They have complete ranges of specification and various types and are novel in shape.
Revised version：The factory can produce various new types of buttons in thousands of different designs for coat, suits, fashions, shirts and sweaters.
It seems that the modifications in the second English version not only successfully achieve commercial effect but also makes the content more succinct. Hence, a translator should always bear in mind that cultural comparison is a “must” in the translation process. Without comparisons of the two cultural systems, successful translation would not be possible.

4. Analyses of website translation of foreign trade company in Zhejiang province

There are many famous foreign trade companies in Zhejiang province, almost every company owns its English version website profile which focus to attract foreign business partners around the world. But owing to the different levels of translators who work as the company website translation, there exists a big difference in the quality of website translation, some even cause serious problem which make foreign trade partner confused about the compani's business and even products' function. So it is very important for translators of company website to follow some principles while dealing with the translation work.
4.1 Functional translation errors
4.1.1 Problem of length
The main reason for the too long translation is the profile of the translation focus too much on faith, but neglect removing or simplifying the useless information for audience. In accordance with the “Skopos rule”, the purpose of translation decides the behaviour of translation work. The translators should add, adjust or predigest the original work depending on the purpose of the of the original target information is out of communicative value which will make the translation empty, trash-talking and even affecting the information transforming.
Example [6]: 进入新世纪后，娃哈哈已拥有了雄厚的产品自主研发能力和技术创新能力，在雄厚的资金保障下，通过引进国际最先进的生产设备技术，进行消化、吸收、再创新，使公司拥有强大的核心竞争能力。同时，通过自主开发营养快线等系列创新产品，广开销路，实现科学发展，行业龙头地位日益稳固。目前，娃哈哈正在不断扩大投资规模，不断自主创新，向着世界500强企业的目标阔步前进！(划线部分为错误点）(aboutus/history/)
    Original version: The third time milestone development: entering the new era, Wahaha cultivated the dependent R&D ability and the technology innovation ability. Secured by abundant capital, we adopted the international advanced equipment technology with absorption and d igestion, making sure that Wahaha keeps the core competitive edge. We also developed the popular products like Nutrition Express to sustain the scientific development, stabilizing our leading position. Currently, Wahaha keeps further investment and constant innovation, aiming for becoming the world Top 500 enterprises.
We can find that some information in the Chinese version is useless and redundant,“消化、吸收、再创新”,“自主研发能力和技术创新能力”they all means we can simplify the version into:
Revised version: Entering the new era, Wahaha cultivated the ability of innovation and R&D with abundant capital, we adopted the international advanced equipment with renew ability, making Wahaha keep the core competitive edge. At the same time, we have developed the popular products like Nutrition Express to sustain the scientific development, stabilize our leading position. Currently, Whaha keeps investment and innovation for becoming the world top 500 enterprises。
Example [7]: 东方机械位于风景秀丽、物产丰富、经济发达、文化繁荣，素有江南“鱼米、皮革之乡”美称的钱塘江畔。(-jia .)
Original version: Our factory is located in Dingqiao Town by the Qiantang River where is famed as"The Home of fish，Rice and Leather"，with beautiful scenery，rich products，flourishing economy and prosperous culture.
Revised version: “...located at Dingqiao Town by the Qingtang river, our company specialized in the production of ... ”（we can just delete the underlined part)
Example [8]: 2003年初，公司为满足国内市场对专用车的需要，及时调整产品结构并成立的专用车公司，在做稳、做强客车的同时，投巨资实施专用车项目，精心打造有洛阳宇通特色的专用车产品，本着“低端切人、高端占领”的原则，经过精心筹备，四大系列产品即混凝土搅拌车系列、散装水泥车系列、加油车系列、洒水车系列一经投放市场，便以其全新的设计、优美的造型、细腻的工艺赢得了市场的青睐。()
Original version: In the early of 2003, in order to meet the demands for special-purpose car in domestic market, we adjusted our product's structure and set up a new department dealing with special purpose car. While steadying and strengthening the production of passenger car, we invest large amounts of money in special-purpose car to carefully make this kind of products with vivid Luoyang Yutong characteristics. With the principle of cutting in from the low end and taking possession at the high end, our four series of products were put into market in April of 2003 after careful preparation. They are dowser series, water cart series, bulk cement vehicle series and concrete-mixing vehicle series. The products win for their new designation, exquisite molding and technique.
Revised version: In addition to its wonderful performance in the sector of passenger cars, Luoyang Yutong Automobile co., Ltd. Moved forward with an aggressive campaign to stay at the forefront of transportation. In the early of 2003, we set up a new sector to manufacture special-purpose vehicles including fuel trucks, spraying cars, bulk cement trucks and concrete-mixing trucks which are tailored to the needs of Chinese market. They gained excellent reputation for their original design and state-of-the-art technics among clients as soon as they were put into market in April of the same years.

4.1.2 Problem rooted from different thought pattern

In the functionalist perspective, the purpose of a translation is to achieve a particular function for the target address, and anything that prevents the achievement of this purpose in considered as a translation error. This means that a particular expression or utterance is not inadequate in itself; it only becomes inadequate with regard to the communicative function it was expected to achieve. Furthermore, Nord classifies the translation errors into four categories: pragmatic, cultural, linguistic and text-specific ones[9]. Study of the small corpus shows those translation errors in the translated corporate website are mainly linguistic and cultural. In the following parts, the author is to demonstrate the problems common to nearly all the sample texts, with suggested solutions thereafter.
Example [9]: 引进大量的科技管理人才,成立“真爱集团人才联谊会” 形成“重知识，重人才” 的良好气氛。()
Original version: To form well atmosphere “esteem acknowledge, esteem intellect”, truelove employed a mess of technology and management persons and set up “truelove group talent sociality”.
Revised version: To form well atmosphere “respect knowledge and talents”, Truelove employed talents and set up “Truelove talents Union”.
Example  [10]:
(1)医德医风
Medical ethics
(2)全体员工精诚团结，上下一心
All the staffs unite absolute sincerity
(3)上有上策，下有下策，有令不行，有禁不止。
Disobey orders and defy prohibition.
In these translations repetitions have been talked Word “ethics” contains the meaning of both“德”and“风”. The Chinese“精诚团结”and“上下一心” which have the same meaning are translated into “unite in absolute sincerity.” As with these, the third English sentence fully renders the Chinese version whose second part means the same as the first one.
Let's quote example (2) as another example of this strategy. Taking a look at the underlined parts, we find the Chinese phrase“进入饭店” has not been translated. The English version “Hong Kong Peninsula Hotel Management Group introduced us ...” is clear and sufficient to express the meaning of “进入饭店，带来…”. If we translate it in the word-for-word way “as entered the hotel and brought...”, the TT readers in English cultures will be confused. Thus, leaving out tautological words is one of the communicative methods in translating to realize the purpose of the TT. More specifically, this translation is a compliance with coherence rule rather than the fidelity rule.
4.2 Linguistic translation errors
A linguistic translation error is at the most basic level among the types of errors mentioned above. They usually stem from an incompetent translator's poor command of the language. Unfamiliar with the language norms and conventions, an unqualified translator would make all kinds of mistakes, which range from lexis (spelling and choice of words), syntax (grammatical sentence and structure) and semantics (meaning that the source text intends to convey).

4.2.1 Spelling errors

Example [11]: 本公司始终坚持以“质量为本，科技创新，优质服务，环保产品”为发展宗旨。()
Original version: Our company has all along been adhering to such a development philosophy: quality basis, technological innovation, high-quality service and environment-friendly products.
Revised version:our company has all along been adhering to such a developing idea: quality basis, technological innovation, high-quality service and environment-friendly products.
Example [12]:“成功电子” 以拥有您的支持而自豪，并有信心通过我们不断的努力使您以使用“成功电子” 产品而骄傲。()
Original version: Success Electronics is proud for having your support and convinced that our constant efforts can make you proud of using our products.
Revised verion: Success Electronic is proud for having your support and it convince that our constant efforts can make you proud of using our products.

4.2.2 Improper use of punctuation

Example[13]: 公司自创办以来,不断扩大规模,更新产品的种类。欢迎各中外客商前来共创商机! ()
Original version: The company spread dimensions at once. sincerely welcomes its friends to have business negotiation, cooperate with them and jointly make great achievement.
Revised version: Since the establishment of our company we have always been expanding our industrial scale and adding new ranges to our production line. Now we warmly welcome our customers, both at home and abroad, to come together and enjoy better business opportunities!
Example [14]: 本公司经营的产品广泛用于通讯设备、家用电器、仪器仪表、数码产品行业、电子玩具以及工业自动化设备等各种领域, 在电子行业有很高的声誉。()
Original version: The product of company’s operation is used in the various fields such as communication equipment, electric home appliances, instrument appearance, digital product profession, electronictoy as well as industrial automatic equipment extensively, we have very high reputation on electronic profession.
Revised version: The products we deal in are widely used in such areas as communication, household electrical appliances, instruments and meters, digital products, electric toys and industrial automatic equipment. Our company enjoys a high reputation in the line of electronic.

4.2.3 Incorrect word translation

Example [15]: 本公司近年致力弘扬、推广中华优秀传统文化和与之相结合的高新科技。2002年起被中央有关部门指定为外交部国礼系列图书国内外主要发行单位之一。()
Original version: This company recent years devoted to bring honor to , to promote the China outstanding traditional culture and high speed science which unified with it. In 2002 is assigned by the central department concerned one of for country cash as a present book domestic and foreign main release units .
Revised version: We have been carrying forward and popularizing traditional Chinese culture combined with newly developed high-tech. In 2002, our company was appointed to be one of the authorized publishers of series of golden books as official gifts for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Example [16]: 百果园占地面积20 亩,花园式布局,生产车间4800m²,设有原料、粗加工、成品、包装、冷藏、锅炉等生产车间。()
Original version: Baiguoyuan is like a garden it cone ns an area of zomu, with 3400 sguan meters work shop, including material storage workshop , naw processing workshop, finshed produet workshop, packing workshop, cold stonage workshop and boilen workshop.
Revised version: Baiguoyuan, a well laid out garden-like enterprise, covers an area of 20 mu, and owns a production department of 4800 square meters including workshops handling materials, rough processing, finished goods, packing, refrigerating and a boiler room.

4.2.4 Illogical arrangement

Illogical arrangement is primarily coordinated at the incorrectly translation of an individual expression or sentence's elements which cause incoherent and misunderstanding.
Example [17]:(本单位)成立于1988年,是经国家建设部批准,专业从事地基与基础工程施工的壹级企业。(hz/)
Original version:We are the stair enterp rise professioned on construction of groundwork and base engineering approved by national construction department founded in 1988.
Revised version: Our company, with the approval of Ministry of Construction, was established in 1988 and we are now a first grade enterprise specializing in the construction of groundwork and foundational engineering.
Example [18]: 公司非常重视对员工队伍素质的培训工作,专门成立了人力资源部,对员工进行操作技术、专业技能、安全生产、市场意识、产品质量等方面的培训。()
Original version: The company emphasize on training for the staff, specialize to establish HR department, train manipulating technique, specialty skill, safe producing, market apperceiving, product quality and the other side training.
Revised version:We put emphasis on training our working staff and specially set up a human resources department for the purpose of guiding our staff members to master new operating techniques, professional skills, safety in production, marketing strategies and quality control.
4.3 Cultural translation errors 
When preparing an English version of the corporate profile, the Chinese companies tend to translate literally the existing Chinese language, regardless of the fact that different addressees require an adjustment of the relationship between the explicit and implicit information in the target text and that the target cultural conventions should be given priority.
Example[19]: 公司于2000年顺利通过ISO9001: 2000版国际质量体系认证，形成了一套完整的质量保障体系，2002年11月被中国轻工业质量认证中心授予 “环保陶瓷”称号。(http://.cn/)
Original version：the company passed ISO9001:2000 International Quality System Certification in 2000, and has established a complete quality assurance system. It was awarded as “Environmental friendly ceramics”.
  In this short paragraph, the company exhibits four honorary titles: ISO9001:2000版国际质量体系认证，“环保陶瓷” without further explaining what the awards are about, what requirements should be met to win each and how this company is qualified to receive the glories. For people who are familiar with the awarding system, this information is able to serve as a strong support for the qualification of company. However, the westerners are probably not so moved by these titles. Questions may haunt the readers, such as “what is the evaluation standard of the award?” “how often is the award granted?” “how many enterprises can get award in each season?” in other words, only when the information becomes convincing enough can the foreigners acknowledge the qualification of the company.

5．Conclusion

It should have been a progress for the development of the Chinese enterprises since the bilingual corporate websites open a new channel for them to present themselves to the world; however, in the analysis of the translated company introductions, the author observes quite a number of errors and problems prevailing the target text, which can hardly help achieve the function of the source text, only to ruin the image of the company. After all, a company with a poor English introduction can hardly convince the potential customers of the top-quality claim of the product and service therein. Delving into the translated corporate profiles, the author finds out that as far as the translation of the Chinese corporate profiles is concerned, Chinese companies still have a long way to go.
In this light, the paper analyses the language, cultural-specific terms and discourse of the translated corporate website translation, locates common errors and proposes some methods for better communication with the international audience.
However, as nearly all the cooperate profiles are translated literally in the process, even if the linguistic and cultural errors are corrected the target texts still appear awkward in the whole text and fail to become fluent English. In other words, any corrections made in the English sentences do not solve the problem and cannot ensure a functionally satisfactory reaction from the audience.
Guo Jianzhong says the translation of pragmatic texts is an art of re-expression based on writing techniques. It holds true to the company introduction, which is tattooed to translate according to the source text’s diction and structure. What the translators need to do is to adapt to or rewrite the source text before translating. Though the English may be not literally correspondent with the original source text, the meaning of the content and stylistic features retain. As a result, the communication carries out successfully and the function is fulfilled.

 
Acknowledgements

My initial thanks go to my supervisor Yang Xue, who patiently supervised my dissertation and was at times very willing to offer me illuminating advice or suggestions. Without her help, I could not have finished this dissertation.
I am also indebted to other teachers and my classmates who have not only offered me their warm encouragements but also shared with me their ideas and books. They are Zhang Lan, Zhu Ming, Wu Xiaoyun, and many others.
My greatest personal debt is to my parents, who have cultivated a soul of sensitivity, hospitality, and honesty out of me, and offered a harbor of happiness and sweetness for me.
The remaining weakness and possible errors of the dissertation are entirely my own.
 
References

[1] 熊艾莎. 义乌网站英译常见错误及其对策分析 [D]. 义乌工商学院外语系研究生论文, 2006(1).
[2] 何森梅. 从目的论中看中文企业网站的英译策略 [J].黎明职业大学学报, 2008(1).
[3] 韩孟其. 与目的论相悖的企业网页翻译 [J].中国航空工业管理学院学报(社会科学版), 2008(109).
[4] Nord, C. Translating as a Purposeful activity [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001.
[5] 梁丁强. 目的论与企业简介的翻译原则及策略－以中国企业的英文简介为例 [D]. 扬州大学英语系研究生论文, 2008.
. Leiden: Brill,1964.
. Retrieved Nov 16, 2007.
[8] Vermeer, H. J. Skopos and Commission in Translational Action [M]. New York: Gardner Press 2000: 221-232.
[9] Nord, C. Translating as a Purposeful Activity [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001.
. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001.
. New York: Gardner Press,1976.
[12] 张丽玲. 从目的论讨论中英广告翻译中的差异 [D]. 暨南大学硕士学位论文 2007.
[13] 王娜. 从功能翻译理论看中国企业简介的翻译 [D]. 首都师范大学硕士学位论文 2006.
. London: John Murray,1871.
[15] Toury,G. Descriptive Translation Studies and Beyond [M]. Shnahgai:Shnahgai  Foreign Language  Education Press,2001.
[16] Gentzler, E. Contemporary Translation Theories [M]. Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2004.
[17] Mary, Snell-Hornby. Translation Studies: An Integrated Approach [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Press, 2004.
[18] 谭载喜. 新编奈达论翻译 [M]. 北京：中国对外翻译出版公司,1999.
[19] 崔胜湘. 根据目的进行翻译 [D]. 国防科学技术大学 硕士学位论文, 2004.
 
诚 信 承 诺

我谨在此承诺：本人所写的毕业论文《外贸公司网站英译研究之目的论视角》均系本人独立完成，没有抄袭行为，凡涉及其他作者的观点和材料，均作了注释，若有不实，后果由本人承担。
 
                承诺人（签名）：陆瑞颖      
                        2010 年 5月 25日