Abstract:
English translation in public service sectors transcends the mere conversion of languages; it is a cognitive endeavor that involves crafting a linguistic landscape. Apart from conforming to national standards to enhance translation quality, one must also consider the cognitive disparities between languages and cultures, and strike a balance between the emotional and cognitive states of the target audience, thereby creating language landscapes that elicit positive emotions and meaningful impacts. This paper, through the lens of Cognitive Translatology, examines controversies and issues in past practices and delves into the systematic or principled cognitive variances and transformation strategies present in the English translation landscape within public service sectors. Drawing from specific examples, this paper delves into exploring the interactive cognitive construction in English translations of public service sectors, as embodied in the cognitive processes of phonological schema licensing, recategorization, subjectification, metaphor transformation, perspectivization, and empathy shift. This paper posits that English translation in public service sectors acts as both a means and a conduit for enhancing the overall spiritual quality of the service industry, thereby enhancing the image and spiritual quality of cities, nations, and countries. It can leverage the interactive cognitive construction between translators and the target audience to reshape international perceptions and reimagine poetic landscapes.