Dish name is a short but independent and complete information expression form, from the perspective of textual function, it is used to convey information。 Its main function is to provide convenience for customers to order dishes and produce some incidental functions, such as informing customers of the raw materials and cooking styles and conveying cultural meanings。 As one of the Chinese cultural carriers, Huaiyang dish names plays an important role in cross-cultural communication。 Huaiyang food culture is an important part of Chinese diet culture shining with great splendor（Zhang 1)。 Thus the translation of Huaiyang dish names is really complex and deserves careful research。 Ren Jingsheng (2001: 56-58) pointed that translation of cuisine should suit to local conditions。 For example, a translator can’t hammer out the version to obtain elegance at a dinner。 So the translation of Huaiyang Cuisine must be flexible。 The theory offers a new perspective on it。 The strategies and approaches used in translating Huaiyang dish names successfully adapt to the Huaiyang culture。 Literal translation, free translation, literal translation plus free translation method and so on are all concrete translation methods under the guidance of the principle。 Yan Fu’s “Faithfulness, Expressiveness and Elegance” has played a strong guiding role in the translation of Huaiyang Cuisine。

3。 An introduction to Huaiyang Cuisine 

3。1 Characteristics and features of Huaiyang Cuisine 

     For a long time, the long history of China and various cultures have created abundant Chinese dish names。 And Huaiyang Cuisine is an essential part of Chinese food culture。 Looked back upon the history of Chinese cooking, Huaiyang Cuisine is named after cities and one of the four Great traditions which is derived from the native cooking styles of the areas surrounding the lower reaches of the Huai and Yangtze rivers, centering upon the cities of Huai'an and Yangzhou in Jiangsu province。 It characteristically shows every dish on its main ingredients, and the way that ingredient is cooked and then shows its cooking styles and aroma, taste and color。 Regional geography, climate and custom give rise to many types of food with fantastic and mouthwatering flavor and enrich Huaiyang food culture, making Huaiyang Cuisine own its unique cultural meaning and styles。 来*自-优=尔,论:文+网www.youerw.com

3。1。1 Flavor characteristics of Huaiyang Cuisine

     Yangzhou and Huai’an are located in the junction of North and South, therefore, Huaiyang Cuisine has the following characteristics。

     Huaiyang Cuisine is tasted lite and subtle。 It is particularly concerned with ingredients which must be fresh and are all raw materials from Huaiyang regions including crisp and live aquatic products。 Huaiyang Cuisine also owns excellent cutting techniques, of which the melon carving is famous at home and abroad。 The flavor of Huaiyang Cuisine is delicate, fresh and lite。 It lays stress on the original taste and flavor of raw materials。 If Sichuan Cuisine is characterized by spicy and a full flavor, Huaiyang Cuisine is characterized by lite, fresh and a flat flavor cooked over a low fire。 Famous dishes cooked in this way are chicken braised with chestnuts, pork steamed in lotus leaf, meatballs with crab meat in Yangzhou style, and butterfly sea cucumber (sea cucumber cut into shapes of butterfly and cooked with flavorings)。 Other famous dishes include stewed crab with clear soup, long boiled dry shredded meat, jelly meat, squirrel with mandarin fish, Sauteed Eel Shreds and Liangxi crisp eel。 

3。1。2 Syllabic characteristics of Huaiyang Cuisine

     Most Huaiyang dishes are quadrisyllable and pentasyllable。 Dishes of quadrisyllable account for almost half of the total。 Specifically, there are some reasons for the absolute advantage of Huaiyang Cuisine in four and five syllables（Zhou 124-125）。 First of all, this kind of dishes has moderate syllables, which is convenient to be spread from mouth to mouth。 Because China has always had the tradition of making four words into words, from the frequent use in The Book of Odes to the appearance of Han Fu。 Moreover, the application of many idioms raise the quadrisyllable to the cultural level。 Therefore, dishes in four syllables have dominant advantage whether from the perspective of convenience or cultural connotation。