4。1 Multiple translations for one dish name

     Before 2010, when the book English Culinary Delights: A Chinese Menu in English was published, there were no norms for the English translation of Chinese dish names。 As a result, one dish name had several versions。 (Huang 39) That is, The shortage of standardized translation could cause confusions and obscurities。 Such as: 

For “饺子” , the possible translations are “Dumpling”, “Jiaozi” and “Chinese-style Ravioli” 。 

For “鱼香肉丝”, there are “Fried Shredded Pork with Sweet and Sour Sauce”, “Stir-fried Minced Pork with Chili Sauce”, “Sauteed Shredded Pork in Spicy and Chili Sauce”, “Yuxiang shredded Pork” and etc。 (Xiong 49)

For “宫保鸡丁”, the former translations have “Gong Bao Chicken”, “Stir-fried Diced Chicken with Chili and Peanuts”, “Fried Diced Chicken in Sichuan Style”, “Chicken with Hot Peppers and Peanuts” etc。 (Xiong 50)

    Some dishes have multiple translations so that if foreign friends order in the restaurant, they may mistake the same dish for several dishes, which counts against carrying forward Chinese cuisine culture and brings some barriers to the exchanges between China and the whole world。 

4。2 Queasy or odd renderings文献综述

     Queasy or odd renderings here means the disguising or strange English translation。 Because each problem has its cause, so is Chinese dish names’ translation。 First, many translators and interpreters lack the awareness of cultural differences, then the translations may lead to foreigners misunderstanding or even antipathy。 Second, scholars don’t focus enough on the English translation of Chinese dish names。 Third, most translators are lacking in necessary linguistic competence and skills in undertaking Chinese dish names’ translation。 So the translation of Chinese dish names are not fully qualified, even with grammatical and syntactic errors。 Examples are listed as the following:

     “麻婆豆腐”, if translating literally, translation is “it’s a tofu made by a woman with freckles”。 It’s no doubt that makes diners feel nauseated and unclean。 But considering the appearance, taste and cooking method of the dish, the major material is Tofu, seasoning is hot sauce, so the suggested version can be “Stir-Fried Tofu in Hot Sauce”。 Because Tofu is well-known and accepted by foreigners, so transliteration method is employed to render this dish name, the translation would be “Mapo Tofu”。