A Brief Study on Translation of Brand Names-简论商标翻译.docx

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1、A Brief Study on Translation of Brand NamesContentsAbstract1摘要.2Introduction3Chapter. Common Methods of The Translation of Brand Names41.1 Literal translation.41.2 Free translation.51.3 Transliteration.6Chapter. Factors that Influence the Translation62.1 Cultural factors .62.2 Customs and habits fac

2、tors.7 2.3Other factors .7Chapter . How to Build an Internationalized Brand Name.83.1Translate Directly83.2 Renaming the products93.3 Coining brand names.10 Conclusion11 Bibliography.12Abstract Brand name is one of the effective ways to help companies to spread their identities and better sell their

3、 commodities. With the globalization of economy, the international trade has become into a very critical power for promoting the economy development of the whole world. The translation of brand names becoming more and more important. But, the problem is, in the process of translation, to get a good

4、translated brand name is very hard. On one hand, the method of translation is a pretty complex subject in itself. On the other hand, there are some factors that have a direct influence on the results of the translation. Furthermore, along with the acceleration of the economic globalization, especial

5、ly with Chinas entry into the World Trade Organization, more and more Chinese have realized the importance of good brand name translations. How to make the brand name better comprehended by people from other country, how to build a internationalized brand name, is still a hard problem from which a l

6、ot of people suffering. This paper is intended to describe the three normal methods in translation of foreign brand names literal translation, free translation and transliteration. At the same time, it explores some common approaches and techniques used in the translation, which have a direct influe

7、nce on the results of the target brand names. Moreover, some factors that influence are pointed out in this paper. At last, on the question how to build an internationalized brand name, this paper gives a further study. Key words: Brand names; Translation; Factors1摘要 品牌名称是公司传播自身特点和促进销售量的有效途径。随着经济的全球

8、化发展，国际贸易开始成为促进全球经济发展的中坚力量，因此，品牌的翻译也变得越来越重要。但问题是，在翻译过程中，要想得到一个优秀的翻译结果并非易事。一方面，翻译的方法本身就是一个相当复杂的问题，另一方面，很多因素会对翻译结果造成直接影响。另外，随着经济全球化步伐的提高，特别是随着中国加入了世界贸易组织，越来越多的中国人开始意识到了品牌名称翻译的重要性。怎样让品牌名称更容易被外国人所理解，怎样建立一个国际化的品牌，仍然是很多国人所面临的难题。 本文意在描述在外国品牌名称的翻译中常用到的三种翻译方法直译、意译以及音译。同时，也探究了会对目标品牌名称的翻译结果造成直接影响的一些常用的方法和翻译技巧。指

9、出了一些翻译中的各种影响因素。关键词：品牌名称；翻译；因素 2Introduction With the increasing globalization of the world economy, brand advertisements come to play a more and more important role for manufacturers to promote their products in the world market. As we all know, good brand names are the best advertisements for commo

10、dities. An effective brand name can promote the brand development process and enhance the perceived value of a product. “Coca Cola” is a very famous brand all over the world, it appeared at the top of International brands list of the100 Best Global Brands in the year 2006, with an estimated value of

11、 $70 billion. Closely behind in the number two spot was Microsoft, with an estimated brand value of $65 billion. With the development of the global economy, the competition of international market is becoming extremely fierce. In order to have a stable position in the global economic market, Chinese

12、 producers have to build up the awareness of its own brand names. Therefore, all translators, in order to finish tasks well, have to establish a set of proper concept of translation, to master correct skills of translation, to be familiar with the cultures of foreign countries, and to be directly ac

13、quainted with various customs and faiths. This paper will point out some approaches used in translating brand names, in combination with the successful cases, to figure out some basic translating methods used and common mistakes occurring in advertising translation. 3Chapter Common Methods of The Tr

14、anslation of Brand Names A brand is a product name or logo, which leave the first impression on people, and have directly impact on consumers visions, hearings and psychology. Therefore, excellent translation of brand names is very important. Superior brands have a clear vision, proper methods of tr

15、anslating in overseas markets lead to a great success. Although the form of the brand names and slogans are expressed in another language, one thing is certain that the translation of brand vision should be clear and consistent. Therefore, how to translate faithfully is a great task presented before

16、 the translator. In this part, the two normal translation methods are discussed. 1.1 Literal translation A literal translation is a translation that follows closely the form of the source language. It is believed that literality can faithfully reflect contents in accord with forms. That is to say, b

17、y direct translation, we can retain the originality of the source brand names. By literal translation, we can directly switch between the target slogan and the source slogan to maintain the original style and meaning. Appropriate using of this method can greatly help translators in creating the good

18、 image of a product. The two famous clothing brands “NIKE” and “ADIDAS” have their literal translation names:“耐克”and“阿迪达斯”.“Coca-cola”, is one typical example that cannot be neglected when talking about literal translation. Its Chinese translation “可口可乐” is so prevailing that everybody in China know

19、s it nowadays. “可口” means “tasty” in Chinese and “乐” means happiness, which seemingly tells the customers that drinking it brings happiness. “百事可乐”, the translation of another famous coke drink, “Pepsi-Cola” is another good example similar to “Coca-cola”. As 雀巢 is embedded deeply in Chinese mind, we

20、 may ignore the fact that it is an overseas product. It has a vivid logo that makes us feel the warmth of parental love. In combination with its meaning pleasing birds nest and embrace, the successful spread of this brand is for sure. The English version of a famous Chinese brand 王朝 is Dynasty. This

21、 word can express its character: inherited through years. Another hidden meaning is revealed: consumers can trust its quality 4because it has been tested by time and history. Microsoft, the American software giant company, also adopts literal translation method to register its Chinese brand. Transla

22、ting “Micro” as “微” and “soft” as “软” successfully transmit the implied meaning: a basic, tiny and delicate software. From the above unsuccessful cases, we identify the great impact of literal translation: direct invasion into readers mind and vision, leave us a strong impression even at the first s

23、ight.1.2 Free translation A free translation is a way of translation that cares more about the true meaning of the original text. Languages are not equivalents to each other. Therefore, a successful translation has to pay much attention to the effects. In order to obtain a successful equivalence, we

24、 need to use various methods to achieve a satisfying effect. “Extra”, a chewing gum brand, is translated as “益达”, of which “益” implies that it is beneficial to people, reflecting the designers idea that chewing this gum will be beneficial to peoples teeth.“Avon”, “Maybelline” and “Nivea”, three cosm

25、etic brands, have very beautiful Chinese translation: “雅芳”, “美宝莲” and “妮维雅” respectively, which make use of characters like “雅”, “美” to emphasize their potential ability to beautify people. “Benz” and “Porsche”, two famous automobile brands, are translated as “奔驰” and “保时捷” with “奔”, “驰” and “捷” all

26、 meaning going very fast. “Reebok”, a brand for running shoes, is translated as “锐步”. “锐” (sharp, vigor) and “步” (foot) all serve to convey the features of the product. Carrefour is a foreign invested supermarket in China. The Chinese version of it is 家乐福, which tells us each family can enjoy happin

27、ess and pleasure in this supermarket. Virtually, this supermarket provides all the demands by people, and it is an ideal place for them. “Safeguard”, a brand for soap and bathing lotion, is translated as “舒肤佳”. Here “舒” means “comfort” and “肤” means “skin”. So this translation will leave the impress

28、ion to people that this soap or lotion can bring comfort to the skin. “Colgate”, a brand for toothpaste, is translated as “高露洁” with the character “洁” meaning “clean”, indicating that it can make peoples teeth clean and tidy. As we can see, free translation is widely used in translation of foreign b

29、rand names. It pays more attention on the true meaning and the information which the brand gives us, so that people can tell what the goods is all about without any introduction.51.3 Transliteration Transliteration is another translation method that mainly depend on the similarity of pronunciation.

30、Sometimes, it might be not easy for people from other countries to understand the translation in the way of transliteration, but there are still some good examples that is very common in our daily life. “Nokia” as “诺基亚”，“Motorola” as “摩托罗拉”“Marlboro” as “万宝路”, “Carlsberg” as “嘉士伯”, “Lipton” as “立顿”,

31、 “Mazda” as “马自达”, “Renault” as “雷诺”, “Sony” as “索尼”, “Intel” as “英特尔”, “Dell” as “戴尔”, “Erisson” as “爱立信”, “Siemens” as “西门子”, “Nikon” as “尼康”, “Olympus” as “奥林巴斯”, “Gucci” as “古琦”, “Rolex” as “劳力士” and “Omega” as “奥米茄”， “Canon”as “佳能”，etc. In cases that the original brand names are not notional, t

32、hat is to say, they do not make sense to the customers literally, transliteration is often used. The strongpoint of using transliteration is that it can best preserve the rhyme and rhythm of the original brand, reflecting the products special emotional appeal.Chapter Factors that Influence the Trans

33、lation To make a comment on an specific translation of foreign brand name, is depend on not only those common methods, but also the factors that influence the translation. Thats why the translation of foreign brand names is such a complex subject in itself. The influencing factors will be discussed

34、in the followings.2.1 Cultural factors Brand names translation has much to do with culture. People assimilate social experience characteristic of our own culture, and these experiences are reflected in the language they use. As a result, brand name translation is language converting across the diffe

35、rent culture. In order to be 6accepted by the public, brand name should conform to the public culture. Therefore, local culture should be taken into serious consideration when a brand name is to be translated. Once the brand name is accepted, a global market may be opened for the product. To achieve

36、 it, translators have to take culture factors into account.2.2 Customs and habits factors Different countries have different customs and habits. The same object in different culture contains different values, associations and connotations. Take “玉兔” (a famous cookie in china) as an example. In Chine

37、se mythology, it is a pet living with Change and Wugang on the moon. Chinese people like it and prefer to apply 玉兔 to products which are related to the moon. 玉兔 is known in China. However, if we translate it literally into Jade Rabbit, foreign customers cannot understand it. As a result, it had bett

38、er be translated as Moon Rabbit, which may be more easily accepted by foreigners. “红豆” is also a good example. “红豆” is the brand name of shirt produced in Jiangsu Hongdou Group. The brand name makes Chinese people think of a well-known Chinese Tang Dynasty poem, “红豆生南国，春来发几枝。愿君多采撷，此物最相思。” “红豆”, a na

39、me with a rich poetic flavor, gives people many favorable associations. The lovesickness seed used as a love symbol in China will arouse the young people nice feeling. It can make those who have passed their glorious youth review their “红豆” stories in the mind and it may “take” overseas Chinese back

40、 to theirmotherland. The brand name benefits from its brand culture and nice feelings. Thats why “红豆”shirts are widely welcomed among Chinese people. Thats to say, differences in customs and habits are reflected in the translations of brand names, Translation is not only important but also very diff

41、icult. Different situations may require the translators to adopt a different treatment according to the different cultures between the source language and the target language.2.3 Other factors Yet, some mistakes are caused by carelessness. In addition, lack of knowledge about phrase and 7misundersta

42、nding about certain words may also result in the failure of translation. For example “吉利”, a brand for cars in China. “吉利” means lucky in Chinese . But it has a bad translation “Geely”. In English, Gee means pity, ly is an adverb suffix. For English-spoken people, Its just the opposite meaning. The

43、disastrous results are for sure. Another example 东风 is a famous brand in China, the name “东风”has long been praised by many famous poet. If we translate it literally, well get East Wind, which has an opposite meaning in English. In England, East wind comes from the North and brings coldness and unple

44、asantness, while mild winds has been described in Shelleys Ode to the West Wind. Consequently, in order to translate brand names successfully, translators have to be familiar with foreign cultures, aesthetic psychology of foreigners, different cultural backgrounds and consumers psychology in that th

45、e erecting of successful brand names is not so easy. A brand might also be considered to be the personality of the product or service. An effective brand will tell the customer what to expect from the product and even how it impacts or benefits their lifestyle. A good translation of brand names is a

46、lso beneficial to establish its effective and instructive image in target language market. Chapter How to Build an Internationalized Brand Name As far as I know, most Chinese companies have no internationalized brand name yet. This is a disadvantage for them going to the world. To crack world market, Chinese companies must have their understandable, transferable and accepta