Abstract:

In the process of the integration and exchange of Chinese and Western cultures, a large amount of foreign words have been introduced into Chinese, which have undergone the process of renaming, dissemination, mutation, solidification or disappearance in Chinese when transplanting from Western to Chinese exotic soil. While naming an object in a source language is done directly, renaming it in a second language is nevertheless indirect, which inevitably is affected by multiple factors such as semantics, context, and culture. Essentially, the translation involves the conversion and meaning practice between two symbology sets. This paper adopts the relevant theories of semiotics and, through the research methods of literature perusal and speculation, specifically analyzes the process of transliteration of Western foreign terms in the practice of interlingual symbol, that is, symbol generation, symbolization process, and legal identity in Chinese. We also try to depict the terms’ motion trajectory model to provide a new perspective for the contemporary interpretation of modern Chinese term translation practice and provide new ideas for the unification and standardization of foreign term translation.

Key words: semiotics, signifier/signified, meaning endowment, term translation