As a result, the study of C-E translation of public signs in Nanjing 2014 is of great practical value and has a prodigious importance for providing a more effective theoretical guidance in improving the quality of public signs translation in the whole field.

2An Overview of Public Signs and Their Translations
To study the translation of public signs, the definition of public signs should be firstly considered. Having a comprehensive understanding of public signs, translators could select the best way to translate them. A sound translation will not only bring conveniences for friends abroad, but also is beneficial for a country to build her good image and facilitate cultural exchanges. Therefore, in this chapter, public signs will be firstly discussed. Following this, previous domestic studies of C-E translation of public signs will be reviewed.

2.1 Introduction to Public Signs
Public signs, one of the most common applied languages, have been long existed. In Chinese, words like “公示语、标语、告示语、标牌、标识语” have similar meaning to public signs. To some extent, there is no direct equivalence between “public signs” and its correspondent Chinese versions. They have similar meanings: ones used in public places aiming to instruct, persuade, guide and warn people, while “公示语” have much wider meanings and applications. People have gradually formed a unified awareness to the definition owing to the intensive study and research efforts. In 2005, after the opening of "The 1st Symposium on C & E Public Signs in a Global Context" held in Beijing International Studies University, “public sign” became a general term accepted by academic community. 从生态翻译理论视角看公示语的翻译(2):http://www.751com.cn/yingyu/lunwen_15857.html