广告英语翻译策略.doc

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1、北京理工大学珠海学院2011届本科生毕业论文The Language Characteristics and Translation Strategy of English Advertisements学 院： 外国语学院专 业：姓 名：指导老师：商务英语李洽学 号：职 称：161005103829刘思佳讲师中国珠海二二 年 五 月北京理工大学珠海学院2020届本科生毕业论文三号 宋体 居中 加粗此处英文标题格式：小三号 斜体 Times New Roman注意不要加书名号毕业论文诚信承诺书本人郑重承诺：我所呈交的毕业论文The Language Characteristics and Tra

2、nslation Strategy of English Advertisements是在指导教师的指导下，独立开展研究或调查所取得的成果，文中引用他人的观点和材料，均在文后按顺序列出其参考文献，文中所使用的数据真实可靠。中文字体： 宋体字号：小三号 行距：多倍行距；设置值1.25”本人郑重承诺”几个字加粗本人亲笔签名，打印无效。承诺人签名： 日期： 年 月 日The Language Characteristics and Translation Strategy of English AdvertisementsAbstractThe development of globalizatio

3、n has created a new era of advertising. Due to cultural differences and idioms distinction, still we are required to choose appropriate translation tactics to achieve the purpose of English advertisements. This paper is an attempt to study the wording and translation tactics for English advertisemen

4、ts by summarizing the fundamental components of English advertising, introducing the language characteristics of English advertising in terms of vocabulary, syntax, rhetoric devices, etc., and selects several successful cases to supplement. Through extensive reading and researching, various translat

5、ion tactics like transliteration, condensation etc. for different texture are also written in this thesis. Nowadays, advertising has emerged as a powerful weapon in the quest for profit, the correct translation of advertisements forms the centrepiece of any successful marketing strategy.Keywords: la

6、nguage characteristics, advertisement, translation tactics广告英语语言特点及其翻译策略摘 要全球化的发展开创了广告的新时代。由于文化差异和语言习惯的不同,我们仍然需要选择适当的翻译策略来实现英语广告的目的。本文总结了英语广告的基本组成部分,并从词汇,句法,修辞手段等方面介绍英语广告的语言特征,研究英语广告的措辞和翻译策略,选择一些成功的广告案例来进行补充说明。通过广泛的阅读和研究,针对不同的质地,提出了音译,缩音译法等翻译策略。如今,广告已成为销售的最佳手段,正确翻译广告是任何成功营销策略的核心。关键词：语言特点；广告；翻译策略IICo

7、ntentsAbstract摘 要Introduction11 A Definition of Advertising2 1.1 The Characteristics of Advertisements2 1.1.1 Advance with Times2 1.1.2 Based on Real Life2 1.1.3 Meeting the Market Demands3 1.1.4 Clever and Entertaining3 1.2 Significance of the Study32 Linguistic Features in Advertisements5 2.1 Lexi

8、cal Features5 2.1.1 Use of Coinages for Novelty5 2.1.2 Flexible Meanings of Words5 2.2 Syntactic Features6 2.2.1 Parallelism6 2.2.2 Written in the First or Second Person6 2.2.3 Proverbs in Advertisements7 2.3 Punctuation Marks7 2.4 Rhetorical Devices73 Translation Tactics of English Advertisements8

9、3.1 Transliteration8 3.2 Conversion9 3.3 Condensation9 3.4 Addition10 3.5 Re-creation11 3.6 Repetition12 3.7 Displacement12Conclusion13References14Acknowledgments15IntroductionNowadays, advertisements have become an essential part of our daily life. Globalization has a great impact in the developmen

10、ts of advertisements which brought great benefits into our life. Whats more, English advertisements is way more different that what they used to be and for that, people are starting to take them more seriously because of its language value. Good ads are usually short and catchy, easy to remember. Ad

11、vertisement producers have a unique way of making a commercial ad so vivid and charming that convince customers all over the world to purchase their product and connect the whole world in its own way. The translation of English advertisements is essentially another modification of language art. If a

12、n ad is translated properly, the effect for marketing will be the best. The role of the translation work of advertising English in social life has emerged greatly. Translation is a unique language usage, not only to express the original meaning, but also to surpass the original expression effect and

13、 give people a stronger sense of beauty by choosing the correct and exact words. Translation is the conversion of two languages, so there will inevitably be differences in translation, such as cultural differences and idiomatic expressions. Therefore, in translation, we should follow the principles

14、of translation and try to modify it without changing the original meaning of the advertisement. There is no denying that English advertisements have been playing more significant role in peoples life and work, so it is full of great importance for us to know more about advertisements with our mind a

15、nd heart. If so, I believe there will be a more harmonious and brilliant tomorrow.1 A definition of Advertising Advertisement, as the most representative sign of contemporary society, has been becoming the major part of our life. According to the American Marketing Association, advertisement is defi

16、ned as “The non-personal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about products, services or ideas by identified sponsors through the various media.” (Zhao Jin, 1992:1) Advertisement itself has developed into various forms which we could encounter almost everyd

17、ay. They are on different kinds of mass media. Even on the side of buses we can see it. Indeed, as Qian Yuan summarizes, the advertisement has become a highly powerful institution. It helps manufactures and corporation to increase profits, manipulates social values and attitudes, and shapes peoples

18、life style. (Qian Yuan，1991：17) 1.1 The Characteristics of Advertisements Advertising is an element of the promotion mix of an organization. It is a one-way communication where brands communicate to the customers through different mediums. Advertising can be non-personal as in the case of TV, radio,

19、 or newspaper advertisements, or highly personal as in the case of social media and other cookie-based advertisements.1.1.1 Advance with Times The world today is developing at a high speed every day. Consumers perceptions and attitudes towards commodities are also changing. A rigid advertising strat

20、egy will not work. For example, in China, older generations tend to save money rather than spend their savings, and now, young people have the concept of early consumption, which makes their values very different. Take the advertisement for Coca-Cola as an example: Since 1996, it has changed more th

21、an 100 times in texts, four of which here are listed:Coke follows thirst everywhere Wave after wave - drink after drink Coca Cola - Its the real thing Olympic Forever; Forever Coca-Cola Coca-Cola realize that advertisements need to advance with times rather than holding on to the outdated strategy t

22、hat worked long time ago. 1.1.2 Base on Real Life Customers are inclined to present themselves, Americans in particular, with the purpose of drawing others attention. Advertisements are always designed to be special and out of the ordinary: We know eggsactly how to sell eggs.The word “eggsactly” is

23、wrongly spelt on purpose for “exactly”, making consumers look at it again. Some advertisements always say something confusing to arouse curiosity.Which way helps you sleep better, under your head or over theirs?This is the headline of an Ad for treating sleep disorder. But after reading it, the read

24、ers may have puzzles on their mind:What is “under your head”? or “over theirs”? Readers have to continue reading the body. That is effect of the original beginning.1.1.3 Meeting the Market DemandsObesity is one of the biggest health problems in many countries. So people nationwide are always dieting

25、. In this respect, the advertisers lay emphasis on “light” to meet nations demand. Here “light” refers to the losing weight or adding little weight while using the product advertised, and this is especially attractive to women, and we can even find the word in some trademark for beer.1.1.4 Clever an

26、d Entertaining When it comes to advertising, a brand can attempt to connect with audiences through a variety of creative strategies, some of which include stirring emotions, offering an aspirational model, or presenting a slice of reality. However, its often the humorous ads the clever, laugh out lo

27、ud, rolling on the floor ads that will not only connect with audiences, but also get them talking, sharing, and thinking positively about a brand. Humor is a prevailing dignified factor for popularity. To people around the world, humor represents wisdom, openness, resourcefulness. Therefore, many ad

28、vertisements are punctuated with such flavor. Clever and funny advertising provokes a feel-good feeling. It makes audiences feel good about a brand because the brains behind the brand have purposefully attempted to and hopefully succeeded in understanding and challenging its audience in order to get

29、 grins and chuckles. And who doesnt like to be understood, challenged or made to laugh?1.2 Significance of the Study We live in a value-oriented circumstance and are surrounded by various kinds of information. Considering the fact that people all over the world are sharing the same information, tech

30、nology and knowledge, we might as well call it “a village” rather than “World”. There is no doubt that in an information and business world, the pragmatic translation plays an extremely important role in improving international communication and understanding, and it has become a kind of bridge that

31、 enables the readers in different countries and cultures to understand and learn from each other. As a linguistic text with special language features and unique purpose for business use, the advertisement language has its own stylistic characteristics, which determine that advertisement translation

32、should have its own principles, criteria and approaches. And it should be studied in terms of not only surface structure but also intrinsic mechanism. Thus, a special branch in the discipline of translation, i.e. the advertisement translation is gaining more attention from both business point of vie

33、w and academic approach. Accordingly, studies on advertisement translation are increasing.2 Linguistic Features in AdvertisementsIt is not an easy task for an advertisement to persuade readers and to be called an “effective” advertisement, as it is impossible to ask the readers to have the same pati

34、ence when reading an advertisement as when reading a sonnet. An successful advertisement must be eye-catching and convincing enough to attract customers attention and persuade them into believing what you are selling in a limited time. The language used in advertising should be very attractive and m

35、emorable apart from its readability. In order to achieve this purpose, Advertising English has formed its own unique style with some special characteristics. Here we will discuss some features of Advertising English in such aspects as vocabulary, syntax, punctuation and rhetoric.2.1 Lexical Features

36、 Advertising English boasts of a rich and colourful vocabulary. The most important lexical features can be summarized as follows. 2.1.1 Use of Coinages for Novelty Using means of imitation to create new words or phrases are not rarely seen. Such newly coined words and phrases may suggest that the pr

37、oduct advertised possesses peculiar qualities as well as the value of novelty, as in the yogurt Advertisement below:Drinka Pinta Milka DayThis is an advertising for “milk”. In conformity with grammatical rules, the standard sentence should be “Drink a pint of Milk a Day”. However, the “of ” is usual

38、ly pronounced unaccented “f”, and the word “milk” has the capital consonant letter “m” in this advertising, causing “of” to be pronounced like the letter “a”. Hence the article “a” here serves as a suffix of “Drink”, “Pint”, and “milk” to attain the sense of beauty in rhythm, thus arousing the consu

39、mers curiosity and drawing their attention.2.1.2 Flexible Meanings of WordsTo some extent, the meaning of a word bears instability, including its expansion, fuzziness and arbitrariness. In fact, the implied meaning depends on its context, deciding the different meanings on the word when collaborated

40、 with different words, as in the example below:Discount: 20% Discount （八折） Up to 50% Discount （最低对折） Huge Discount （大出血） We can get a 30% discount （七折酬宾） To save money, most people look for sales, low prices and discount. （为了省钱，大多数顾客寻找减价、低价和打折的时机） Depending on the content, the word “Discount” has so

41、me flexible meanings of “折扣” “拍卖” “出血” “放血”and the like. A word can be interpreted from various aspects basing on its core meaning. Besides, word make-up ensures a word has more than one meaning, and it contains more information within the limited space, thus spreading an advertisement more effectiv

42、ely.2.2 Syntactic FeaturesAdvertising companies use many techniques to persuade consumers. Some techniques are language based, but many are visual. Well chosen adjectives, puns, alliteration, assonance, exaggeration, repetition, rhetorical questions, commands, slogans and catchy phrases are often us

43、ed by companies to attract customers.2.2.1 Parallelism The use of parallelism is to show the meaning or purpose of a sentence by the use of identical or similar words, phrases or sentences. Advertisers are very conscious of its importance, an importance which makes the advertising easy to read and b

44、eautiful to listen to, thus tempting the consumers to buy their products. Very often it appears in the headline of an advertisement. Besides, parallelism in advertising saves space, which can then be used to list many other properties, normally with repetition of key words to put the product brand a

45、nd its property together for the deep impression on consumers.2.2.2 Written in the First or Second Person As a means of communication, advertisement will cover both the sender (the producer) and receiver (the consumer). The use of the first and the second person “you”, “I” and “we” will help to shor

46、ten the emotional distance between them and establish a kind of rapport and trust. The producers intend to show their concern towards the consumers and encourage their participation lest they produce the psychology of aversion.2.2.3 Proverbs in Advertisements Proverbs, are widely-spread fixed master

47、piece in daily life, simple language revealing a profound story. When they are frequently used in advertising, their effects can easily be perceived. The proverbs that were frequently used are “Seeing is believing”; “An apple a day keeps doctors away”. They can be changed into “Using is believing” (Cosmetic Commercial) and “A marshmallow a day puts a smile on your face” (Kraft Food Company). Using proverbs in advertisements makes them more catchy and easier to keep in mind. 2.3 Punctuation Marks Punctuation marks are used to clarify meanings by indicating the separation of words into sente