Abstract and Key Words

Abstract: A name is a word or words by which an entity is designated and distinguished from others. The names are symbols indicating each particular member in a society. As an important part of human language, people’s names are playing an important role in communication. In this thesis, the author will compare English and Chinese names from the following aspects: the structures of names, the origins of names, and the cultural connotations of names. Then the author will discuss useful translation methods of general names and special names, especially the latter. For special names, transliteration, free translation, transliteration plus explanation, and domestication will be illustrated with examples. Finally, it has to be pointed out that the translation of names needs to be considered in a context and further research is still very necessary.

Key words: English names, Chinese names, comparison, translation methods

摘要：名字是用以识别或区别他人的一个词或一组词：姓名是每个独特社会成员的标志。作为人类语言中的重要部分，人类的姓名在交流方面起着非常重要的作用。文章将会从以下几个方面比较英汉人名：姓名的结构，姓名的起源和姓名的文化内涵。本文也会研究一般人名与特殊人名的翻译方法，尤其是特殊人名的翻译。本文将会结合例子说明音译、意译、音译兼解释、归化在特殊人名翻译中的运用。最后，需要指出的是人名的翻译应该结合特定语境考虑。本课题仍有待进一步研究。

关键词：英文人名，中文人名，比较，翻译方法

1. Introduction
A name is the sign that distinguishes a person from the others. Names from different cultures have different characteristics. To know a name is the beginning of social communication with the person called by it and we can learn different social values from names. Names are symbols that imply information about history, language, religion, beliefs and so on. Both family names and given names exist in Chinese and English societies, but there are many discrepancies between names in the two societies.
So far, many scholars have conducted intensive studies on the relations among name structures, the ways of nomination and names’ cultural connation, and so on and have achieved many accomplishments. However, the investigation of name translation is not enough. This thesis will focus on not only the comparison of English and Chinese names but also the translation methods of the above-mentioned names.
Names, with abundant cultural connotations, are reflection of culture. Therefore, difference in English and Chinese names manifests difference in the two kinds of culture. A better understanding of names will ensure a more successful cultural communication.