Exploring the Translation of Tourism Signage from the Perspective of Newmark’s Communicative Translation—A Case Study of Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, China

Tourism signage plays a pivotal role in showcasing the image of a tourist destination or even an entire city or province. In recent years, Jinhua, a key city along the Belt and Road initiative, has been increasingly internationalized due to its strategic location advantageously connecting the Maritime Silk Road to the east and the Land Silk Road to the west. As a co-host city of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, Jinhua’s tourism industry has flourished, attracting numerous overseas visitors for sightseeing and tourism. According to data from the Jinhua Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, during the 2023 Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday period, the city received a total of 5.3309 million visitors, which ranks Jinhua third among all cities in Zhejiang Province in terms of total visitor numbers, and first in terms of year-on-year growth rate [1]. During the 2024 Spring Festival holiday period, the city cumulatively received 3.657 million visitors, representing a 28.83% increase compared to the same period last year based on comparable data [2]. Popular attractions such as Lanxi Youbu Ancient Town, Double Loong Cavern, and Jinhua Ancient City rely heavily on accurate and appropriate signage translation to enhance Jinhua’s international image and promote its distinctive cultural heritage. However, the current state of translation for public signage in China is often unsatisfactory, characterized by numerous spelling or grammatical errors, lack of clarity in expression, inconsistency in translated names, etc., significantly undermining cultural dissemination and international image. This paper, drawing from the perspective of Newmark’s communicative translation theory, explores the current status of tourism signage translation in Jinhua City and proposes suggestions for addressing translation deficiencies.