Abstract

A survey was conducted of public signs in a famous river town in China. A variety of translation problems were observed including (1) the wrong use of fonts, (2) inconsistency of terminology, (3) typesetting, and (4) lack of consumer awareness. The solution to such problems, it is argued in this paper, involves cooperation on the part of translators, translation agencies, and universities training translators. Furthermore, it is argued that an effective vehicle for promoting such cooperation is the use of formalized structured translation specifications (FSTS). Translation project FSTS should be developed in conjunction with a translation project and kept with the project materials for use in future additional work. The paper explains how FSTS is developed and how they can be used to improve the results of translation projects, including the translation of public signs and many other types of projects. 

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