【正文】 GRE。 ATTENTION YOUR HEAD。 TASTE VERY WONDERFULLY。 whereas % hold the opposite view. Here it needs to be noted that among the %, the majority thought they only sometimes had difficulty in understanding the information in the signs.Generally speaking, the current situation of signs in Nanjing seems optimistic to a certain extent, but there still exist many problems which can not be neglected.The following table gives a vivid description of the percentage that each type of mistakes takes. Table 1. The percentage of mistakes in each category of signsItemsPercentage (%)A signs in scenic spots%B street names and road signs%C names of panies%D directions, instructions and warnings%E slogans%F menus%G others%Obviously, Item A “signs in scenic spots” ranks first. Items F and D, which represent “menus” and “directions, instructions, and warnings”, e second and third. As signs involve every aspect of people’s daily life, none of those areas that mentioned above can be neglected. It must be pointed out that more attention should be focused on the sign translation in various scenic spots and tourist sites. Fortunately, this issue has aroused the concern of many scholars and experts. Professor Wang Yinquan (2007) has done many researches on this area. As for the errors in the aspect of menus, almost every foreigner will nod his or her head after being asked that “Is there any mistake on the menu that misleads you?” Meanwhile, the classic example which is always mentioned by foreigners is the sign “TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEAD” placed in the subway station. Funny and puzzling are the most mon feeling that the foreigners hold towards this sign for the reason that the correct one “MIND YOUR HEAD” has been replaced with “l(fā)ook after your head”. Unfortunately, some mistakes existing in different kinds of signs haven’t been thoroughly corrected and are still repeated. This should call for great attention and further supervision of the government.Figure 1. Types of mistakes in sign translationFrom the above pie chart, it can be seen that the segment on the pie chart which provides most cause for concern is the “dark grey” sector, this relates to the error of Chinglish translation. People often refer to Chinglish when the expressions are produced by the Chinese people in translation or interpretation, without conforming or without fully conforming to the norms of the English language. The English and the Chinese have different thinking patterns and accordingly, different ways to express ideas. As a result, they have different systems of sentence structures. It is very easy to produce Chinglish when ignoring different mindsets and language differences between English and Chinese. Translators will inevitably be influenced by their mother tongue in a large or small degree, as long as the translator is brought up in China. The Chinese way of thinking would therefore inevitably influence the translator’s mindset in translating activities. If the translator has not been well equipped with bicultural knowledge, the translation would easily bear the tongue of Chinglish. Most of these versions are grammatically correct, but unacceptable. That is due to different cultures and different mindsets. After the conversations with foreigners, it should be noted that the wordforword translation is a corn manifestation of Chinglish translation. The wordforword translation is usually incorrect in terms of sentence structure and grammar, and even if they are right, it can not transfer the real information of the original text. They are strange and unacceptable to the foreigners especially when the socalled translations are too “direct” like the following examples: 辦公區(qū)域，游客止步 OFFICE AREA, PLEASE DON’T COME注意安全，請(qǐng)勿攀爬單邊墻 PAY ATTENTION FOR YOUR SAFETY。(網(wǎng)吧), TAKE AWAY(外賣), etc. Most signs serve this function, which is the very basic function of signs.Signs with prompting functions give indications to the audience. They are widely used although they have not any special meaning. FULL BOOKED(客滿) shows that there is no more room or seat, so the audience get to know the potential meaning: Do not book any more. STERILIZED(已消毒), SOLD OUT(售完), WET PAINT(油漆未干) and SHARK SIGHTED(此處發(fā)現(xiàn)鯊魚) all belong to this type.Generally, the restricting function raises limitations and restrictions to related public behaviors. In most cases, the tone of expression is quite straightforward but not tough. For instance, KEEP RIGHT(右側(cè)行駛) is monly seen on streets, roads, highways, etc. Car drivers should always keep right, because it is a rule to abide by. If anyone breaks the rule, something miserable may happen. TICKET ONLY(憑票入場(chǎng)) indicates that entrance can only be permitted when you have tickets. Other examples are: 60km/h(限速每小時(shí)60公里), SEAT BY NUMBER(對(duì)號(hào)入座), BUSES ONLY(只準(zhǔn)公交車通過), etc.There are also many signs with pelling functions. Compelling signs require the public not to perform a certain kind of behaviors. The language is supposed to be direct, tough and bears no possibility for consultation or promise.Most signs with the pelling function begin with “NO” or “DON”T”, like NO OVER TAKING ON BRIDGE (橋上嚴(yán)禁超車), NO ENTRY(禁止駛?cè)?. These signs are pulsory for anyone who breaks it. Otherwise, some penalty will follow. While a fine is only slight, he who breaks the rule may even be put into prison if severe incidents result from his behavior. NO BILL(禁止張貼), NO U TURN(禁止掉頭), DO NOT TOUCH(請(qǐng)勿觸摸), DOGS NOT ALLOWED(禁止帶狗入內(nèi)), etc. are also examples of pelling signs.From the above discussion, we can find that the information expressed in signs can be “static” or “dynamic”, depending on the various functions of signs in use (Lv Hefa amp。 Guo Jianzhong,2003。 Bian Zhengdong,2005。 Lv Hefa, 2005). Wang Yinquan (2000) and Zhao Xiaopei(2003) discuss the translation mistakes from pragmatic point of view. Jiang Hong (2007) and Wang Xueqin (2006) study public sign translation from the perspective of Skopostheorie.