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密级：JININGUNIVERSITY学士学位论文THESISOFBACHELOR题目（英文）BrandNameTranslation题目（中文）浅析商标翻译系别：外国语系专业年级：学生姓名：学号：指导教师：起讫日期：2012年2月12日——2012年5月12日 ABSTRACTBrandnametranslationisakindofculturalcommunication.Sincetheconnectionbetweencountriesarecloserandcloser,thecommunicationsaregrowingquickly.Amongallthecommunications,internationalbusinesstradehappensmostfrequently.Inordertopromotethecommoditieswearetryingtosell,anattractivebrandnameisofgreatimportance.Asuccessfultranslationofbrandnameshouldnotonlytransfertheinformationconcerningthecommodity,butalsotransferitsculturalsignificancetothetargetlanguagereader.Giventheuniquenessofbrandnametranslation,thetranslatormustbeawareoftheculturalawareness,aestheticstandards,andconsumptionmodesofbothsourcelanguageandtargetlanguagereaders,andshouldkeepinthemindtheintentionoftheoriginalsoastotransferitsmessage(bothlinguisticandcultural)maximally.Andwiththefastgrowthofinternationalbusiness,translationofbrandnameshasneverbeenmoreimperativeandvitalthantoday.Thisthesisaimstoexploretheprinciplesandmethodsintranslatingbrandnamesandtotrytofindthereasonsoftheunsuccessfultranslationssothatwecandealwithitmoreproperly.KEYWORDSbrandnames;translation;principles;methods 内容摘要商标翻译是一种文化交流。由于国家间的联系越来越密切，交流也越来越多。在这些交流中，国际贸易是最多的。为了推销我们所要卖出的货物，一个引人注目的商标是极其重要的。一个成功的商标翻译应当不仅能传达货物信息，更是能向目的语读者传达其文化意义。由于商标翻译的特殊性，翻译者必须充分意识到源语言和目的语的文化差异，审美标准和想法模式，并将原商标的意图谨记心中。只有这样才能最大程度地传达在商标中的语言与文化信息。而随着国际贸易的迅速发展，如今商标翻译已成为一个紧急且重要的话题。本论文旨在研究商标翻译的原则与方法，并试图找出不恰当翻译案例的原因，从而更好的处理商标翻译。关键词商标；翻译；原则；方法 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSIamgreatlyindebtedtoallmyteachersfromthebottomofmyheart.Duringthetwoyearsofstudyintheuniversity,theyhavegivenmegreatassistance.Ihavelearntnotonlytheacademicknowledgebutthetruemeaningsoflifeaswell.MythanksgotomysupervisorQiuLili，whogavemealotofsuggestions,andverywillinglyrevisedmypaperagainandagain.Mythanksgotoallmyfriendsforcollectinginformationandpapermaterialsforme.Mythanksgotomydeeplylovedparents,withoutwhoseloveandencouragement,Icouldnothavefinishedmystudyintheuniversity.Twoyears’educationinJiningUniversityismypreciouswealth.I CONTENTSIntroduction1Chapter1PrinciplesofBrandNameTranslation31.1TraditionalPrinciples31.2EquivalencePrinciple31.3InductivePrinciple41.4AestheticPrinciple41.5AdvertisingFunctionalPrinciple5Chapter2MethodsofBrandNameTranslation62.1LiteralTranslation62.2Transliteration72.2.1DirectTransliteration82.2.2AbbreviatedTransliteration92.3TheCombinationofLiteralTranslationandTransliteration102.4FreeTranslation112.5DomesticationandForeignization12Chapter3ProblemsinBrandNameTranslation143.1ProblemsandUnsuccessfulExamples143.2CulturalDifferencesinAreaofNumbers,ColorsandAnimals153.3CulturalDifferencesinAreaofHistoryandLocation153.4CulturalDifferencesinAreaofPsychology16Conclusion18References20IIII 济宁学院毕业论文BrandNameTranslationIntroductionSince1980s,thecommunicationsbetweenChinaandforeigncountrieshasbeengraduallyincreasedthanthetimeswhichisbeforetheOpenandReform.Sodoesthebusiness.Withincreasingglobalizationoftheworldeconomy,advertisementscometoplayamoreandmoreimportantroleformanufacturerstopromotetheirproductsintheworldmarket.Asweallknow,goodbrandnamesarethebestadvertisementsforcommodities.Duringinternationalbusiness,brandnameisaveryimportantfactortoattractpotentialbuyers.Aneffectivebrandnamecanpromotethebranddevelopmentprocessandenhancetheperceivedvalueofaproduct.Onegoodkindofcommodityaddingonagoodnameisnotdifferentwithimprovingonperfection,anditscharmisinfinite.Therefore,translationsofbrandnamesshouldbepaidattentionto.However,nametranslationisnotaneasyworkasitseems.“Translationisamorecomplexcommunicationthanthatwithinasinglelanguagebecauseitinvolvestwolanguages.”(Jin&Nida,1984:31).Knowledgeaboutpragmatics,sociolinguistics,folklore,aesthetics,psychologyandinterculturalcommunicationaswellasculturalbackgroundshouldbeappliedtothetranslation.Theprinciplesoftranslationwhichareequivalence,inductive,aesthetic,advertisingnatureaswellassometraditionalprinciplesshouldbeabidedbyandunderstandingsaboutdifferentculturesareneeded.Andalsoappropriatemethodsshouldbechoosedtosuitdifferentconditionsinordertoembodytheinformationandfunctionswhichtheoriginallanguagebrandnamebears.Usuallyfourapproachescanbeadoptedinbrandnametranslations,namelyliteraltranslation,transliteration,thecombinationmethodandfreetranslation.Allthesecanhelpthenationalproductsenterthetargetcountrymarketsuccessfully.Sothebrandnametranslationisan第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文importantbutdifficultjob.“Afailuretoreflectthespiritanddynamicsofthesourcedocumentisamortalsin.”(Nida,1993:118).Asaresult,howtotranslatebrandnamebetweenEnglishandChineseproperlybecomesanurgentissue.Manybrandnamesaretranslatedperfectly,butsomestillremaintobeimproved.Therearealotofpapersandbooksaswellastheresearchesdealingwiththistopicparticularly.Thisthesisresearchesmoredeeplyfromthepointthatisthecommonprinciplesandmethodsappliedintranslations,andtotakeafewexamplestodiscuss.Bothsuccessfulandunsuccessfulcaseswillbeincludedinthisthesis.Hopefully,thisthesiscouldbeusefulandtobereferredforbrandnamestranslationorsimilartopics.第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文Chapter1PrinciplesofBrandNameTranslationThereareseveralprinciplesdealingwiththetranslationofbrandnames,whichareequivalenceprinciple,inductiveprinciple,aestheticprinciple,advertisingfunctionalprincipleandsometraditionalprinciples.Thispaperwillanalyzethemonebyone.1.1TraditionalPrinciplesThemostfamousprincipleoftranslationinChinaisthetrinityprinciple信达雅(faithfulness,expressivenessandelegance）whichisputforwardbyYanFuinhisIntroductoryRemarkstohistranslation《天演论》ofEvolutionandEthnicsbyT.H.Huxley（1898）.Thebasicrequirementoftranslationisfaithfulnesswhichdemandsthetranslatortobefaithfultothecontentandstyleoftheoriginalone.Sothetranslationcannotonlyconveythemessageoftheoriginalonepasses,butalsothespirit.Expressivenessmeansreproductionoftheoriginallanguage,usingcoherentandsmoothlanguagetoexpresstheideasoftheoriginaltext,whichmightmakethetranslationmoreauthenticinthetargetlanguage.Comparedwithfaithfulnessandexpressiveness,eleganceisthefurtherrequirementtoagoodversionwhichmeansabetterandmorebeautifultranslation.1.2EquivalencePrincipleThecoreprincipleintheWesterntranslationtheoryistheequivalenceprinciplewhosedefinitionis“thereadersofatranslatedtextshouldbeabletounderstandandappreciateitinessentiallythesamemannerastheoriginalreadersdid.”(Nida,1993:119).Inotherwords,theinfluencewhichthetranslatedworksgivesusshouldbeidenticalwiththeinfluencewhichtheoriginaltextgivesitsfirstaudience.“Thereadersofatranslatedtextshouldbeabletocomprehendittothepointthattheycanconceiveofhowtheoriginalreadersofthetextmusthaveunderstoodandappreciatedit.”(Nida,1993:118).Accordingtothisprinciple,therearetwofactorsthetranslated第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文brandnamemusthave:a.thetranslatednameshouldhavetheformasabrandname;b.thetranslatedonemusthavetheabilitytoproducethesameorapproximatefunctionsoftheoriginalbrandone.Sothetranslatednameshouldbereadeasily,pleasanttohearaswellashavingagood-looking.Itmustbetheperfectunityoftone,formandmeaning.Intheaboveexamples,boththeoriginalandtranslatedwordsgivethesameinfluencetodifferentaccepters.Theliteraltranslationisthemostcomplyingmethod.Itsenttheinformationoftheoriginalbrandnameaswellasthemeaning.Wewilldiscussaboutliteraltranslationparticularlylater.1.3InductivePrincipleBringingconsumers’attention,meetingtheirdemand,stimulatingthepurchasingdesire,andfinallyaccomplishingthepurchasingbehavioristhemostimportantaimofthebrandname.Soinductiveprincipleshouldbedefinitelyregardedasanimportantprincipleinbrandnametranslation.ThereisabeddingbrandnamingFairLadywhosetranslationnameis“贵妇人”.Itexpressesthemeaningoftheoriginalname,impliesthehighqualityandmeetpeople’smind.Prokids(小淘气婴儿用品)areusingtheloveofmothertothechild,indicatingalltheseareforyourlovelybaby.Soaren’tyouarewillingtopaythemforyoursweeties?Therefore,whentranslatingbrandnames,wemuststudyconsumer’spsychologycarefullyinordertoarousethecustomers’desiretobuy.1.4AestheticPrincipleThetranslatedbrandnamemustn’tlettheconsumerhavethebadassociation;otherwiseeventhegoodproductalsocannotbesoldout.Thisrequeststhetranslatorconsidertheculturalandthehistoricalperspectiveseriously.Letusseesomeexamples:cosmetic“Clean&Clear”expresstheinformationthatifyouusethisproduct,yourskinwillbecleanandfresh.Itsoundsveryfluent.Ifitistranslatedinto“干净清爽”,thebeautyofitssoundmaydisappear.However,ifweuse“可伶可俐”,theproductisabsolutelyintothegirls’favor.Becauseitnotonlymakesconsumersassociateitwithbeingcleverandbrightyounggirlsbutalsoretainsthesoundoftheoriginal第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文one.WhenthecarLexusbeginstosellinchina,thecompanydecidedtouse“凌志”asitsChinesename.ThisnamemayrecalltheirmemoryaboutChairmanMao’smajesticpoem“久有凌云志，重上井冈山”.1.5AdvertisingFunctionalPrincipleThetranslatedbrandnamemustnotonlyconformtotheproduct’snaturebutalsothecommoditycharacteristic.Itshouldbeeasytospell,read,writeandremember,andattractivetocustomers.Herearesomeexamples.“Dynasty”,theEnglishtrademarkof“皇朝葡萄酒”,makesuscannothelpassociatingitwiththeoldmysticalcountryanditsroyalty,leavingusadeepimpressionforthewine.Thetranslationof“永久自行车”isForever.Itisinlinewithitsadvertisementwhichis“经久耐用，直到永远”completely.“蜂花化妆品”istranslatedinto“Bee&Flower”whichletusfeelcomfortableandfragrantafterweuseit.Alltheabovebrandnamesarousesourpurchasingdesireaswellasadvertiseitsproduct.第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文Chapter2MethodsofBrandNameTranslation2.1LiteralTranslationLiteraltranslationmeansthedirectandloyaltranslationofthesemanticmeaningoftheoriginaltext.It’softenusedinthetranslationofthebrandnamesthatcarrygooddenotativemeaningsandpositiveassociationinboththesourcelanguageandthetargetlanguage.IntranslatingEnglishbrandnamesintoChineseones,literaltranslationmeanstranslatingitintothecorrespondentChinesewordsaccordingtotheoriginalmeaning,suchas“蓝鸟(BlueBird)”and“蓝带(BlueRibbon)”.Chinesebelongtothelogographicsystem.SomeEnglishphonemesdon’texistinChinese;stressandintonationpatternsaredifferent.Literaltranslationplaysemphasisontheoriginalmeaningandcontent,theexpressionofthetranslatedbrandnamewillbemoreexactandvisual.Allofthosecanhelpthetargetreaderstounderstandtheconnotationthattheproductholds.Forexample,theEnglishbrandname“GoodCompanion(cigarette)”whichisliterallytranslatedinto“良友”.Therenderedversionpresentsthesamemessageastheformerwordsthatmeanthissuperiorcigaretteisclosefriendaccompanyingyouwithyourlife.Anothergoodexample,“Crown(automobile)”istranslatedinto“皇冠”.ThisversioncompletelypreservesandpassesontheinformationofbeingroyalandluxuriousoutoftheoriginalonetoitsChineseconsumers.TherearemoreexamplesofliteraltranslationofbrandnamesfromEnglishtoChinese.Suchasthecomputersoftware“Microsoft(微软)”，computerhardware“Apple(苹果)”,men’swear“Playboy(花花公子)”，beverage“RedBull(红牛)”andcigarette“Camel(骆驼)”.WhiletranslatingChinesebrandnamesliterallyintoEnglishonesmainlyreferstousingthemethodofChinesePinyin.ChinesePinyinisanotherkindofLatinwords.ItisprettypopularinChinesebrandnamewords,“Chunlan(春兰空调）”,“Lishen（力神咖啡）”,etc.Thetranslationof“Haier”isaperfectexample.ItusesChinesePinyinasitsEnglishname,第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文but“Haier”sharesthesamepronunciationwithhigher.Soitcanbeassociatedwiththehighqualityoftheproductandtheinnovativespiritofthecompany.Bothhelpthepromotion.WhenweuseChinesePinyintotranslatebrandnames,weshouldpayattentiontothatitnotonlymarksthetoneofbrandnames,butitalsohasthesenseofitselfanditsmeaningisthecontentofcorrespondingChinesewords.SomeChinesePinyinwordshavesensesinEnglishinsometranslationpractices.“芳芳”cosmetics’Pinyinis“FangFang”,however,“Fang”istheteethofsnakeinEnglish.SowhenweusePinyintotranslate,wehavetobecareful.Someproducts’namesarethecorrespondingEnglishwordsofChinesenames.SowecanjustfindtheoriginalEnglishwordswhenwetranslatethem.“乔士衬衫”istranslatedinto“Choice”,“雅戈尔衬衫”istranslatedinto“Younger”,and“康巴丝钟表”istranslatedinto“Compass”.Literaltranslationisanimportantmethod,ithasmanyadvantages,forexample,beabletoconveytheoriginalmeaning,reflecttheoriginalstyle,andsoon.Althoughtheliteraltranslationmethodcancarrythemeaningofthebrandnamemorecompletely,italsofailstoexpressitinthesameconciseway.Soweneedtoapplyothermethods.2.2TransliterationTransliterationisanotherformoftranslation,andisthepracticeofconvertingatextfromonescriptintoanother.Transliterationmeans,mainlyaccordingtothepronunciationoftheoriginalbrandnames,totranslateitintosimilarChineseversionwithoutnegativemeaningatleast.Ithasafewadvantages.First,itisaconvenientandrapidwaytotranslate.Second,itispopularamongtargetreceptorsbecauseofitsconcisenessandoriginality.Third,it’sanefficientwaytobridgethelinguisticgapandfacilitatebrandglobalizationandstandardization.Itusesthesimilarpronunciationorthesametargetlanguageinordertostressthebeautyoftheoriginaltone.“强生(Johnson)”,“索尼(Sony)”and“力士(Lux)”,alltheabovebrandnameshavemaintainedtheoriginaltoneaswellasshortandcatchy.Theycanalsobeassociatedwiththeperfect第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文performanceoftheproduct,whichhaveachievedthepurposeofadvertising.AnotherexampleisChina’s“YaYa”clothing.“YaYa”isusedinsteadofDuckorDucky,becauseduckoftengivesthefeelingofsillyandclumsyinEnglishculture.While“YaYa”doesn’thavesuchassociationandiscatchyandeasytorememberwhichmakestheproductsellsprettywell.WecanadoptorcreateEnglishwordswhichhetonesaresimilartotheChinesewordstotranslatebrandname.TheseEnglishwordsareveryparticularbecausetheynotonlyhavetheapproximatetoneofChinese,butalsomeaningofitself.“风华”refrigeratorhasbeentranslatedinto“Forward”（向前）,“四通计算机集团公司”istranslatedinto“Stone”（石头）,“好娃友口服液”into“HowAreYouOralLiquid”（你好口服液）,“海信电器公司”into“Hisense”（高灵敏）.Allthesegivepeopledeepimpression.2.2.1DirectTransliterationDirecttranslationmeanstotranslatethebrandnameonlyaccordingtotheoriginalpronunciations,sothetranslationsusuallydon’tmakeanysenseinthetargetlanguage.Thismethodisoftenadoptedwhenthebrandnamesoftheproductsarefromthenamesofplacesorpersonsorjusttakenaslabelingmarkswhicharenotloadedwithdenotationorconnotations.Thetranslationmaymeannothinginthetargetlanguage,butitretainsthesimilarpronunciation,soundedexotic.Itcankeepthebrandnameasaforeignnameandeasilyattractcustomers’eyeswithnewimpression,becauseit’squitedifferentfromthetraditionalChinesebrandnames.Thefamouscamerabrand“Kodak”,whichisacoinedword,istranslatedinto“柯达”.“柯达”isnotagivenwordinChinesevocabulary,buttheoriginalnameanditsChinesetranslationbothremindcustomernaturallyofclicksofcamera.Takealuxurybrand“Versace”asanotherexample,itistransliteratedinto“范思哲”accordingtoitspronunciation.ItsoundslikeaChinesenamethatcandrawsChineseconsumersclosertothebrandname.What’smore,“思哲”meanslogicandrationalityinChinese.ItcanimprovetheimageofthebrandnameinChinesemarket.“Macro(万家乐)”isawell-knownwaterheaterbrandinGuangdong.Itcreatesajoyfulandpeacefulatmosphere,whichisinlinewith第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文thetraditionalChinesepsychologyofnamingbrandnames.Theformertranslationwas“WanJiaLe”usingdirecttranslation,butithasnosenseinEnglishanddidn’texpresstheoriginalmeaning.Inordertocatertointernationaltrendandboostsales,itwasupdatedtoMacro.ThepronunciationofMacroissimilartoWanjialeinCantoneseandmacromeansbig,broadandlargescalewhichcanreflectitsambitiontoenlargethenationalindustry.Thistranslationisratheroriginalandrefreshing.While“Mazda”isoriginatedfromtheGodofPowerintheancientPersianreligion,.Beingtranslatedinto“马自达”,ithastheimplicationofeasytodrive.“Miltown”isakindofmedicinedealingwithinsomnia.Beingtransliteratedinto“眠尔通”makesitself-evidentthatitworksforinsomnia.TherearesomeotherexamplesofthebrandnamestransliterateddirectlyfromEnglishtoChinesesuchasthecomputerhardware“Intel(英特尔)”,themobilephone“Motorola(摩托罗拉)”,thecomputer“Dell(戴尔)”,homeappliances“Sharp(夏普)”andautomotive“Audi(奥迪)”,garments“Baleno(班尼路)”,electronics“Casio(卡西欧)”,medicine“Finbid(芬必得)”,watch“Rado(雷达)”andjewelry“Tiffany(蒂芙尼)”areallwonderfultranslationsapplyingthemethodofdirecttransliteration.ForChinesebrandnames,therearealsosomeexcellentexamples.“西冷”isanairconditionerwhichisproducedinHangzhou.While“西”indicatesitsproductionplace,“冷”impliesitsperfectfunctionincooling.Thetranslatorusedtransliterationtotranslateitinto“Serene”insteadof“Xileng”whichmightnotbecomprehendedbyforeigners.But“Serene”notonlysharesthesimilarpronunciationwith“西冷”,butalsohasthemeaningofquiet.Asanairconditioner,workingquietlyisagoodsellingpoint.Ithascombineditspronunciationandqualityperfectly.2.2.2AbbreviatedTransliterationAbbreviatedtransliterationmeanstranslatingonlypartofthebrandnametomeetabasicrequirementofbrandnames—brevity.Mostoftime,consumerscouldonlytakeabriefglanceataparticularbrandnamewhenheorsheissurroundingwithsomanyproducts.Sobrevityisofgreatimportant第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文toattractcustomers’attentionandinterestintheshortesttime.AndaChinesewordisusuallymadeupofnomorethanfoursyllables.Whentheoriginalbrandnameconsistsoftwoormorewords,itismoredifficulttofindabriefandeffectivetranslationintargetlanguage.Asaresult,sometimestranslatorswouldhavetotranslateonlypartoftheoriginalbrandname.Taketheshampoo“Head&Shoulders”asanexample.Thetranslationofthebrandnamewas“海伦仙度丝”.Althoughitsoundsromanticandpoetic,itistoolongandcomplicatedtoberemembered.Thenitwaschangedinto“海飞丝”whichismorevividandmemorableandremindsthecustomersofabeautifulimageofseawindblowinggentlythroughhair.Anotherexampleistheworld-famousautomobile“MercedesBenz”.Itwastranslateddirectlyinto“梅赛德斯·本茨”atfirst,butthistranslationislongandhaslittlesensetoChineseconsumers.Sothefirsthalfoftheoriginalbrandnamewasomittedandthetranslationwaschangedintoamoresimplifiedversion“奔驰”whichsoundssimilarto“Benz”,andhasanexcellentassociativemeaning.Onceheardofit,peoplewillinstantlythinkofaluxuriouscarrunningfastandswiftly,thenarousethedesiretobuy.TherearesomeotherexamplesofthebrandnamestransliteratedbyabbreviationapproachformEnglishtoChinesesuchasthecomputer“Hewlett-Packart(惠普)”andthewatch“SolviletTituss(铁达时)”.2.3TheCombinationofLiteralTranslationandTransliterationAsthenamesuggests,thismethodmeansliteraltranslationforpartofabrandnameandtransliterationfortherest.Thereforeithastheadvantagesbothofliteraltranslationandtransliteration.“Unilever”isthegloballeadingprovideroffoodandpersonalcarewhichistranslatedinto“联合利华”.Theprefix“uni”istranslatedinto“联合”literally,and“利华”istheChinesephonologicalequivalentfor“lever”.BecauseitmeansbenefitChinainChinese,thetranslatedbrandnameattractedmanylocalcustomersonceitwasintroducedintoChina.AnditturnsoutthattheproductsellsprettywellinChina.Anotherfamousexampleisthetranslationofthebrandname“Goldlion”.InEnglish,“Goldlion第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文(GoldenLion)”isasymbolofcourage,dignityandauthoritywhichisinlinewithWesternstandardsformen.“Goldlion”wastranslatedinto“金狮”directlybasedonitsoriginalmeaning.However,itwasfoundoutthattheproductswasunpopularinChina,becausethepronunciationof狮sharesthesamepronunciationwith失（whichmeanslose）inChinese.FromChinesecustomers’view,thetranslatedChinesebrandnamewouldarousenegativeassociationsandbesupposedtobringbadluck.Soitwaschangedinto“金利来”.利来isthetransliterationoflion,anditimplicatesthatitcanbringlargeprofitstoitsownerinChinese(利meansprofitand来meanscomerespectivelyinChinese).Thelattertranslationwasprovedtobeabigsuccess,astheproducthasbeensoldverywellsincethen.“MickeyMouse(米老鼠)”,coffee“Starbuck(星巴克)”andcomputercontroldevices“Logitech(罗技)”areallsuccessfulexamplesoftranslationmethodusingthecombinationofliteraltranslationandtransliteration2.4FreeTranslationFreetranslationmeanstranslatingfreely,notbeingdraggedwiththeoriginalbrandname.Theshampoo“Rejoice”hasthemeaningofhappyandjoy,butasabrandname,itmightbealittledifficultforChinesetoacceptit.Instead,beingtranslatedas“飘柔”,peoplecaninstantlyassociatewiththepicturethatafterusingit,thehairbecamesoftandbeautiful.Thepotentialcustomersofthisproductaremainlyfemale.Bythisname,itsoundsliketheirdreamforhairwillbecametrue.Now,“Rejoice”isaprettywell-knownbrandname,havingahighreputation.Sodoes“Crest(佳洁士)”,“Ariel(碧浪)”and“Lenovo(联想)”.“7-up”isabrandofbeverage.AtotallyequivalentChinesenamecouldn’tbefounded.Asuphasthemeaningofforward,sohereupisextendedashappiness.“七喜”ischoosedtobeitsChinesename.“Mitsubishi(三菱)”isaJapaneseautomobilewhoselogoismadeofthreediamond.Soitistranslatedinto“三菱”thatmeansthreediamondinChinese.Thistranslationisbasedonitslogowhichconnectthebrandnamewithitslogoandeasytoremember.Sodoesthechewinggum“Wringley”.There’sanarrowpatternonthepackage,soitistranslatedinto“箭牌”.第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文While“BallMall”cigarettesistranslatedas“顺牌”inChinese.Howdoesthistranslationcomefrom?ThepronunciationofBallissimilarto波,andMallissimilarto殁.So“BallMall”togethermeans波泊浪殁,whichmeanssailingsafeandsmoothlyonthesea.“顺牌”isthesimplifiedversionofthismeaningTheDanishCookies“Kieldsens”istranslatedas“蓝罐”insteadofbeingtranslateddirectlybyitspronunciation.Thisideacamefromitspackageofbluecansandwonalotofpraise.SometimeswecaninventanewwordwhentranslatingChinesebrandnameintoEnglishone.“Skinnice”istheEnglishnameof“肤美灵”whichisacosmeticbrand.Skinindicatesthatit’sacosmeticproduct,whileniceindicatestheniceskinafterusingit.Thesamegoesto“陕西彩虹集团”.Ituses“Irico”asitsinternationalname.Theformerpart,“irx”iscreatedfrom“Irix”thatistheGodofRainbowwhichconformstoitsChinesemeaning.Whilethelatterpart—coisshortforcorporation.ComparedwithsimplytranslatedasRainboworCaihong,thisnameisoriginalandinnovative.“Freshtech(新飞冰箱)”isanotherexample.Assrefrigerator,itsdutyistokeepfoodfreshandbynewtechnology,itcanperformbetter.Thisnamepassesthisinformationexactly.Anotherfreetranslationmethodisnottotranslate.Suchas3M.3Misanacronymwhichisshortedformimmesota,miningandmanufacturing.AproperlyequivalentChineseoneisdifficulttofind.SoitsEnglishacronymisretainedinChinese.Wecouldalsofeelexoticandnovelfromthisspecialname.2.5DomesticationandForeignizationInlightofthedifferencesandconflictsbetweenthesourcelanguage,targetlanguageandtheculturestheycarry,whichstrategyshouldbeadoptedintranslating,foreignization,domesticationoracombinationofboth?Thisproblemoftranslationisalwaysindebation.DomesticationandforeiginizationthatdescribetwodifferenttranslationstrategiesarethetwotermsadvancedbyAmericandeconstructionist第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文translationtheoristLawrenceVenuti.Accordingtohistheory,domesticationisdefinedas“atransparent,fluentstyleisadoptedinordertominimizethestrangenessoftheforeigntextforTLreaders”(Lawrence,1998:150),whileforeignizationisdefinedas“aTTisproducedwhichdeliberatelybreakstargetconventionsbyretainingsomethingoftheforeignnessoftheoriginal”(Lawrence,1998;150).Therelationshipofdomesticationandforeignizationisdialectical.Theyaretheoppositesdependingoneachother,supplementingeachotherandinfiltratingeachother.Sometimesoneofthembecomestheprincipalaspect,eventhoughtheyareequallyimportantinnature.Bymeansofforeignization,theculturecouldabsorbtheessenceoftheforeignnessanddevelopitselfbetter.Butitislimitedbythetargetcultureandthereceptivecapabilityofthetargetreadership.Whentheforeignnessoftheoriginalcannotbeacceptedbecauseofthetwofactors,domesticationmustbeusedtosolvetheproblem.Teauthorbelievesinalldomesticationismoreorlessassociatedwithforeignizationintranslation,otherwisetranslationwouldbemeaninglessoruseless.Accordingtothetheoryofforeignization,themethodologiesoftheChinesetranslationofEnglishbrandnamesincludetransliterationanditeraltranslation.Andaccordingtothetheoryofdomestication,therearecombinationtranslationandfreetranslation.第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文Chapter3ProblemsinBrandNameTranslation3.1ProblemsandUnsuccessfulExamplesBrandnametranslationmeanstranslatingthebrandname,includingthenameoftheproductandmanufactoryfromonelanguageintoanotherlanguage.ThetranslatedbrandnamemustbeStandardEnglishwhichconformstotheinternationalusualpracticeandculturalcustomsoftargetcountries.Sothatitcandevelopoverseasmarketandimprovecelebrityoftheproduct,eventuallycreateagoodenvironmentforfoundinginternationalfamousbrandname.Aseconomicsdevelops,nowtherearemoreandmoreproductsofothercountriescomingintoChinesemarketandChineseproductsbreakingintooverseasmarket.Thuswhensomanytranslatednamesofproductsandmanufactoriesappearonthemarket,someproblemsaremadeout.Amongtheproblems,themostnoticeableoneisculturaldifferences.ThefamoustranslatorEugeneNidahaspointedout:“Fortruesuccessfultranslation,thefamiliaritywithbothculturesisevenmoreimportantthanthemastershipofthetwolanguages,becausethewordonlymakesenseintheculturewhichitfunctions.”Althoughthebrandnameisalittleword,itisahigh-condensationofculture,traditionalvaluesandcustomsofthesourcelanguage.Therefore,whentranslatingbrandnamestheculturalfactorsbecameatoughpointandmattersthesuccessofthetranslation.Becauselessofknowledgeaboutthecustomsandsocialculture,thetranslatednameofproductmighthasanothermeaninginothercountrieswhichresultinaffectingthesaleandcreditoftheproductseriously.Forinstance,“白象电池”aretranslatedinto“WhiteElephant”inEnglish.However,thedenotativemeaningofwhiteelephantinEnglishmeanssomethinguseless.Nowonderthattheproductdidn’tsellwellinoverseasmarket.Hereisasimilarexample.“白翎”isapenbrand.Itwastranslatedas“whitefeather”atfirst.Itturnedoutthatthesaleswasn’tgood.BecausethereisasayinginEnglish,“toshowthewhitefeather”,thatmeansbeingcowardandrunaway第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文fromdangers.Ithasaninsultingmeaning.3.2CulturalDifferencesinAreaofNumbers,ColorsandAnimalsWhentranslatingbrandnames,culturaldifferencesshouldbepaidgreatattention.Mostoftheculturaldifferencesareintheareaofnumbers,colorsandanimals.Tobeginwithnumbers,7hasapositiveconnotativemeaninginEuropeandAmerica,while13isconsideredasasymbolofmisfortune.InChinese,thepronunciationofnumber4coincideswiththatof“死”(whichmeansdeathortodie),whilethepronunciationof8issimilarto“发”(whichmeansrich),6meanssmoothnessand9meanslong.Intermsofconceptionofcolors,manydifferencescouldbefoundbetweenWesterncountriesandChina.MostAmericansdislikeviolet;Frenchpeopledislikegreenblack;whiteiswidelyregardedasasymbolofpurityandblackisasymbolofdeathinWesterncountries,whileredmeanshappinessandgreenislinkedwithhopeinChina.Lastbutnotleast,atranslatorhastobeflexiblewhentranslatingbrandnamesinvolvingnamesofanimals.Forexample,blackcatisconsideredasasymbolofevilandmisfortuneinChristiancountries;turtlesymbolizeslongevityinmanyAsiancountries,butitisanuglycreatureinmanyothercountries;batisbelievedtoembodygoodluckinChina,yetisbelievedtoforebodeevilordisasterinmanyWesterncountries;dragonisworshipedbyChineseasasymbolofsupremepower,goodluckandalmightyauthority,whileitrepresentedasanevilmonsterinthewest.3.3CulturalDifferencesinAreaofHistoryandLocationCulturedifferencescanalsobefoundsomeotheraspectslikegeopolitical,location,socialsystemandhistory.Forinstance,theFrenchperfume“Opium”whosemeaningis“鸦片”.Theproductintendstousethecharmofopiumtoexpressthecharmofitsproduct.However,theOpiumWarisresentedbyChinese.SoitwasboycottedinChinabythisname.Thesameexamplegoesto“Aiwa”,anJapanesehomeappliancebrand,whoseoriginalmeaningislovingJapan.DuetothehistoryofAnti-JapaneseWar,ifwetranslateitdirectlyinto“爱和”,thesalesofitabsolutelywillbepoor.Instead,“爱华”isusedanditwintheheartofChineseforithasthe第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文implicationoflovingChina.“NipponPaint”isanotherexample.NipponistheEnglishpronunciationofJapan,soitmeans日本漆.Beingtransliteratedinto立邦漆,ithasavoidedbeingdiscriminatedinChinesemarket.BecauseEnglandandChinalocatedindifferentplacesinearth,theclimateandothergeographicaldifferenceareprettyclear.ForEnglishpeople,thewestwindisthesymbolofspringandrobustlife.PoetShellyhaswroteOdetoWestWindtoshowhispassionforwestwind.However,eastwindsharesthesameimplicationwithwestwindinChinese.Sowedirectlytranslate“东风”into“EastWind”inEnglish-speakingcountries,peoplewillbeconfusedandfailtolearnthetrueimplicationofthisbrand.3.4CulturalDifferencesinAreaofPsychologyWhentransliteratingEnglishbrandnames,thetranslatorshouldconsidercarefullyandchoosethewordswhichmeanshappinessorsomethingcomplywithChinesepsychology.Thefollowingexampleisagreatproof.In1995when“Whisky”and“Brandy”startedadumpingwarinHongKong,thewinneris“Brandy”.BecausetheChineseversionof“Brandy”is“白兰地”whichcanbeassociatedwith白玉兰thatisthesymbolofpurityandelegant.Andalsothetranslationof“白兰地”ispoeticandromantic,makepeoplefeelcheerfulduringdrinkingthewine.Differentwordscouldhavedifferentmeanings.Forexample,“Dove”isabrandofbothchocolateandpersonalcareproducts.Asachocolatebrand,itsChinesenameis“德芙”.Wecanfeelthesoftandtastyofthechocolatebythisname.Andasapersonalcareproduct,“多芬”isusedasitsname.Itstressesitsfragrance.Bothnameshasexpressesitsproductspirit.Hereisanotherexample.Inordertocommemoratetheairlinefounder—WilliamEdwardBoeing,peopledecidedtonameitas“Boeing”.TheChinesetranslationofthenameBoeingis“博音”，butthetranslationofthebrandnameisconvertedtobe“波音”whichleadpeopletoassociateitwiththehighperformanceoftheaircraft.Take“Polaroid”cameraforexample.Itstranslationhas2twoversion:“宝丽来”and“拍立得”.Asthecameracanproducethephotoimmediatelyaftershooting,sothelattertranslationnotonlysoundssimilartotheEnglishname,第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文butalsoexpressesthespiritoftheproduct.TheCDperfume“Poison”isusingthestoryofRomeoandJuiliet.Attheendofthestory,Romeotookpoisonfortheirlove.Itimpliesthatafterusingthisperfume,amancoulddrinkpoisonforher,whichmeanswinloveofaman.Sothesalesareverygoodinthenationalmarket.However,ifwetranslateitdirectlyinto“毒药”inChinese,itwillremindpeopleof红颜祸水thatnoonewillbuyit.So“百爱神”isusedtoshowthatyouaresurroundedbyalotofGodsofLove,thenit’sveryeasytoattractmenandmakethemfallinlovewithyou.第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文ConclusionTosumup,abrandnamenotonlyreflectsthequalityandcharacteristicsoftheproduct,butalsoaffectthesalesoftheproduct.Thebrandnameisplayinganimportantroleinthepromotionoftheproductbesidesmediumadvertisement.Thebrandnameissameashuman’snameanditisthesecondnameofthecommodityinoverseas.Theimportanceisself-evident.Brandnamestranslationisanartaswellasanimportantjob.Itisacomprehensiveworkthatcoversalotofsubjectssuchastranslationtheory,linguistics,aesthetics,interculturalcommunication,marketingandpropertranslationtechniques.Itisaworkofcompromisingbetweenthemeaningofbrandnamesandtheresponseoftheconsumers.Therefore,whiletranslatingthebrandnames,atranslatorhastopaygreatattentiontotheeffectthatthetranslatednamescouldachieveshouldbesimilaroreventhesameeffectsastheoriginalones.Asoundunderstandingoftheproductshouldalsobemastered.Beforetranslatingthebrandnames,theprinciplesforbrandnamestranslationshouldbebearedinmindbecausebrandnamestranslationisdifferentfromothertranslations.Thebasiconewhicharesameforalltranslationsisthetraditionalone—faithfulness,expressivenessandelegance,putforwardedbyYanFu.Thentheequivalenceprincipleordersusachievethesameoratleastsimilareffectthattheoriginalonemakes.Inordertoarousethepurchasingdesire,weshouldapplytheinductiveprinciple.Asthenamesuggests,weneedthetranslatednametobeinductive.Next,withtheaestheticprinciple,thecustomercouldhavegoodassociationwiththebrandname.Lastbutnotleast,inordertoletthecustomerhaveadeepimpressiononitsgoodqualitythebrandnameindicating,theadvertisingfunctionalprincipleisuseful.Therearemanymethodswecouldapplyinbrandnamestranslation.Transliterationisthemethodusuallyusedwhichcanbedividedintodirect第21页共21页 济宁学院毕业论文transliterationandabbreviatedtransliteration.Directtransliterationistheeasiestwayandthereareseldommistranslations.Whileabbreviatedtransliterationcanmakethetranslatednamemoreconciseandeasytoremember.Literaltranslationismoreoftenusedwhenthebrandnameshavegooddenotativemeaningsandpositiveassociationsinboththesourcelanguageandthetargetlanguage,andespeciallywhentransliterationmayresultinawkward-soundingexpressions.Combinationmethodmeansusingliteraltranslationforpartofabrandnameandtransliterationfortherest.Thereforeithastheadvantagesbothofliteraltranslationandtransliteration.Thelastmethod—freetranslationisaninnovativeonethatthebrandnamestranslatedbythismethodarenotconfinedtomeanings,pronunciationsofthebrandnameorimagesofthelogos.Freetranslationconveysthedistinctivefeaturesoftheproductsmorevividly.Lastly,domesticationandforeignizationshouldbechoosedaccordingtothecondition.Ithasbecomesaconsiderableoperationinwhichmanyfactorshavetobeconsidered.Brandnamestranslationisgettingmoreandmoreimportanttointernationalcompaniesintoday’sworld-wideeconomicenvironment.Thistopicisworthyoffurtherstudy.
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