Translation of Commercial Advertisement Based on Skopos Theory广告专业英语毕业论文.doc

Translation of Commercial Advertisement Based on Skopos TheoryAbstract: Commercial advertisements promotional function and purpose leads to particularity of commercial advertising translation. In order to realize prospective function and purpose of commercial advertisement translation, translation thoughts and translation principles of skopos theory which is core theory of functional translation school are discussed in the paper. On the basis of this, the author also explores guiding principles, translation strategies and methods of commercial advertisement translation, proposes that commercial advertisement translation must be based on skopos theory, and expected purpose of translated text should be regarded as a top priority. The source text needs to be reviewed from cross-cultural and cross language perspectives so as to get translated text which meet the expected objective; Criteria for assessing results of commercial advertisement translation are also given in this paper. Key words: commercial advertisement; function; objective; translation; skopos theory in translation1 IntroductionCommercial advertisement refers to behavior of introducing product or service through certain media and non-personnel form at the expense of commodity operator or service provider. 1 The purpose of commercial advertisement translation is introducing a product to readers in another culture, so that they accept the product. With Chinas opening up and economic development, commercial advertisement translation is becoming more and more important. Its significant commercial purpose decides its particularity. Commercial advertisement translation is not only about transmitting content, transmitting emotion is more important, the purpose is to get readers good impression on the commercial advertisement and the product, thus realizing the purpose of sales promotion. 2 Summary of Skopos Theory As the core theory of functional translation school, skopos theory was originated in the late 70's of the 20th century in Germany, it is the most influential and important core translation theory from German functionalist translation theory. The theory is based on behavior theory and cross-cultural communication theory, advocating that any behavior have certain purpose, translation is not an exception, its purpose is to realize cross-culture and cross-language communication2,3. According to skopos theory, all translation must follow the first rule-"the law of purpose", the translation purpose determines the whole translation process. Skopos theory breaks the limitation of equivalence theory, requiring translation activity to be based on translation objective; This reflects great shift of translation theory, linguistics and forms are emphasized before, now function and social cultural factors are emphasized. According to skopos theory, “translation is irreversible information transmission of target culture or language, cross-cultural communication behavior, translation purpose is the criterion.” 4 Therefore, in the entire translation process, priority should be given to translation texts function and readers. Text translation is also restricted by many kinds of factors, it should be conducted based on its function and readers. A specific communicative purpose can only be achieved in a particular context, the analysis and understanding of language cannot be separated from its corresponding social background.Skopos theorys core content can be summarized as: objective principle, coherence principle and faithfulness principle. 4 Objective principle indicates that translation action has certain purpose and intention, all translation behaviors are determined by purpose of translation process. Coherence principle means that source text and translated test are consistent, in other words, under target languages cultural context, translated text is readable and acceptable for readers. Faithfulness principle means that translated text and source text are coherent, the translator needs to balance meaning of original writer and needs of readers. Among the three principles, objective principle is regarded as the first criterion, the other two principles are not that important. 3 Commercial advertisement translation must serve the purpose of translated textDifferent styles of translation require different translation strategies, this is determined by expected purpose and function of translated text. Different intended purposes and functions mean various translation processing methods. Translation is not a pure language conversion activity, it reflects the communication between different cultures. Therefore, how to deal with cultural differences is problem that cant be ignored. The translator must combine translation purpose with readers special cultural background, psychological factor and others, so that translated text has certain function in the target language. 5,6Commercial advertisements purpose is usually only promotion and increasing business profits. Commercial advertisement texts main purpose and function is inducing and persuading readers to accept the goods or services, which means at in the translation of commercial advertisement, target language and readers should be regarded a priority. Therefore, whether commercial advertisement translation is successful largely depends on realization of the purpose. Since commercial advertisement has special functions of propaganda and exerting influence, and discourse language and structure form are restricted by certain culture, the translator should use suitable language structure and way of expression according to intended purposes and functions, so that the translated text can have great impact on readers. In order to realize the expected function of commercial advertisement, emotional transit barriers caused by different cultural background and psychological factor need to be fully considered on the basis of analyzing source text. From the perspective, deletion translation, decrease translation and change translation methods may be feasible and necessary. The translator should make appropriate adaptation or modification based on source text, source text and translated contexts content and form should not be restrictive factors, while functions and effects of source text and translated text should be emphasized so that translated text can be consistent with readers values and is accepted by them. Considering that the purpose of commercial advertisement translation is letting readers accept the product or service. In order to realize this purpose, commercial advertising translation allows translator to use his or her bilingual advantage and avoid restriction of source text, review functions and effects of source text from the perspective of cross-language and cross-cultural communication, actively use their own creativity, adjust words and rhetorical sentences in source text. For example, “Long Zou” was firstly translated into “dragon boat”, and it was not well accepted among people in Europe the United States. This was because in English-speaking culture, “dragon” is the symbol of sinister, which in Chinese culture, “dragon” represents auspiciousness and nobleness. From cultural perspective, “dragon” and “Long” have different cultural backgrounds. Therefore, based on purpose and function of advertising, translating “Long into “dragon” is not suitable, it should be still called “Long”. Therefore, translation of commercial advertisement is not about semantic equivalence, but recreation of function of emotional transmission of commercial advertisement with intention of stimulating readers purchasing behaviors. Therefore, translation of commercial advertisement should highlight its function of emotional transmission, and the principle of semantic equivalence cant be applied in commercial advertisement. 4 Criteria of Commercial Advertisement Translation- Skopos TheoryAccording to skopos theory, translation is no longer conversion from one language to another one, it is a kind of behavior of creating target text with certain function for readers in another culture. The theory creatively puts forward a series of principles and methods of translation, raising intended purpose of translation to a higher level. At the same time, translator and text functions roles are emphasized, and studies translating activity in the context of intercultural communication, thus a diverse theory system is developed, and objective principle is the core. It offers commercial advertisement translation with a new insight, and is positive guiding significance for the practice of commercial advertisement translation.In general, translated text should be consistent with source text as much as possible. But commercial ultimate aim is to sell goods or services, attract readers, and eventually led to readers purchasing behavior, thus achieving commercial goal. Therefore, the result of commercial advertisement translation depends on whether readers cognitive, affective and conative emotions, it is reader-centered. Commercial advertisement translation emphasizes translated texts expected function in target language, in order to realize the expected function, the translator needs to make necessary adjustment on source text, and overcome restriction of words and sentences in source text, so as to adapt to new readers and language environment. Well-translated commercial advertisement make readers form interest of purchasing the product or service, it also let readers aware of the goods or services characteristics, thus having a good understanding of their attractive points. Therefore, commercial advertisement translation should be based on its own characteristics, during translation progress, the translator should know about the characteristics of goods or services, pay attention of translated texts function of information transmission, commercial advertisement is made to inform readers of corresponding information, and persuade them to make purchase, so advertisement information should be easy to understand for readers. Secondly, different cultural background deserve special attention, since different cultures are usually affected by language, lifestyle, education and technology level and other factors7. Cultural difference is a barrier in intercultural communication, overcoming communication barrier caused by cultural difference has become a common problem in the world, commercial advertisement translation is no an exception. What is more, ambiguity or negative emotional effect should be avoided in commercial advertisement translation. Because of these characteristics, commercial advertisement translation is different from other types of translation in word selection, language use, translation methods and other aspects. From the perspective of skopos theory, commercial advertisement translation has cross-cultural communicative function, it has a significant purpose. Therefore, commercial advertisement translation most adapt to readers needs and interests, so as to persuade them to make purchase, this is commercial advertisements purpose. In the process of translation, the translator needs to realize the commercial advertisements purpose. In the translation of commercial advertisements, text and the translator's purpose determine translation strategies and methods. The texts purpose is the basis of translation, but commercial advertisement translations effect is directly affected by cultural background, ethnic character, values, religious belief, aesthetic temperament, interest and hate in various nations. Therefore, in commercial advertisement translation process, the translator must adhere to objective principle, emphasize text and the translators purpose, innovate boldly, fully use language and emotional factors with same function in target language. The translator may also apply flexible translation strategies and methods, translate product information properly, with intention of realizing expected purpose of commercial advertisement translation 9.A well-translated commercials have invisible, huge and far-reaching influence on readers, it can bring about unexpected results, arouse reader's desire to purchase. In contrast, badly-translated advertisement text not only causes the companys heavy economic loss, but also has negative impact on the country's image. To this end, whether commercial advertisement is well translated is directly related to the companys profits. Therefore, translated text of commercial should have value and readability, persuasive force or marketing force are more critical so that readers purchasing desire is stimulated, thus achieving commercial expected goal. In summary, based on skopos theory, translation is a kind of cross-cultural communication behavior with certain purpose, translated texts intended object is considered as a top priority. The theory offers not only theoretical basis for flexible translation of commercials, but also criteria for assessing whether commercial advertise translation is successful. 5 Conclusions Commercial advertisement translation is different from that of common materials, target language and readers should be considered as a top priority, the translator needs to fully use his or her language advantage so as to achieve expected objective of commercial advertisement translation. In this regard, in the progress of commercial advertisement translation, the translator should review source text from cross-culture and cross-language perspectives based on skopos theory, in order to get translated text with same function, thus realizing the intended purpose. 5