Exploring English Translation of Chinese Dish Names from a Cross-Cultural Communication Perspective

Abstract

As Chinese food culture gains popularity, the English translation of its dishes has garnered increasing interest. The menu not only highlights the cuisine but also reflects Chinese aesthetics and culture. This paper analyzes dish name translations, highlighting the major issues in current translations, such as machine translation, grammatical errors, and improper wording. It then refines these translations and identifies three key principles for dish name translation: semantic proximity, cultural communication and aesthetics. Studying dish name translations enhances Chinese food culture, fosters Sino-Western exchanges, and propagates Chinese cuisine globally.