【導(dǎo)讀】目的論視角下英語(yǔ)商標(biāo)的翻譯

　　

【正文】 tal factors of the target language, especially the context of national culture. Moreover, the translators should be proficient in understanding and using the target language in a certain context. Language is a symbol system reflecting the specific national culture and an expression reflects subjective and objective world of the culture. Brand name is a special symbol which holds the specific linguistic and cultural information of the source language. When modities are carried into the foreigner land, what causes the barriers and conflicts among different countries or regions is not the language itself but the brand name, which is used to transmit linguistic and cultural information. Therefore, the translation of English brand names must take the language environment and cultural factors into account. It is necessary for translators to know the characteristics of the target language. For most of the foreigners who study Chinese, even the Chinese themselves, it is really difficult for them to really master Chinese language and culture which are profound and various. People usually connect the words they just saw with some certain meanings consciously. So, learning more about the local history, culture, custom and taboo is a crucial requirement for successful English translated brand name. As we know, “Coca Cola” is no doubt one of the most successful brand names in China market, which contributes a lot to its successful Chinese version “可口可樂(lè) ”. When the brand Coca Cola first es into 16 insight in China, the translated name of Coca Cola is “蝌蚪嚼臘 ”， which is very wired and hard to pronounce. Moreover, the word “臘 ” naturally gives consumers a sense of tastelessness. It caused a very bad sales performance. The sales situation bees better because of the new brand version “可口可樂(lè) ” , which is created by Prof. Jiang Yi. In China, “可口 ” means tasty and palatable, “可樂(lè) ” delivers a sense of happiness. This wonderful brand name not only provides national information of the modity to consumers, but also caters to the consumers’ psychological needs of safe, happiness and luck. As a result, the pany Coca Cola has a tremendous success in the Chinese market. The Principle of Association A successful brand name should have the function to give people a beautiful association and a vivid feeling which is based on the connection between brand names and the factors like culture, language, pronunciation, etc. Abundant association is a critical requirement for a brand name to attract customers’ attention and interest successful. On account of the discrepancy of language and culture between English and Chinese, alternative methods are needed in most cases and the word should be chose on the basis of the local practical situation in order to achieve optimal relevance of the translation. Safeguard is one of the bestknown brands which are subordinate to the famous American pany Pamp。G. The Chinese version of Safeguard is “舒膚佳 ”. Safeguard soap is a sort of hygiene product that can sweep away and effectively restrain the bacteria on the surface of the skin. The literal translation of Safeguard is “安全衛(wèi)士 ”. As a sort of daily consumable, the version “安全衛(wèi)士 ” can’t avoid giving consumers a stiff 17 and unfamiliar feeling. However, the version “舒膚佳 ” has an abundant associations. So, the consumers who have a strong sense of national pride and patriotism strongly against the perfume as it appears in the Chinese market. As a result, the perfume “OPIUM” is prohibited sale because of its violation of Chinese trademark law. The Principle of Concision The translated name of brands should be concise and informative. A concise brand name can effectively give consumers a deep impression, because it is easy to recognize, read and memorize. In order to achieve the aim of concision, some acronyms, numbers, even newly created words are adopted to make this purpose e true. As we know, a miscellaneous brand name is boring and hard to accept. So, almost every pany uses the concise brand names. Car brand BMW is one of the bestknown brands in international market and it is made of three acronyms of Bayerishe Motoren Werke. The Chinese version of BMW is “寶馬 ” which means fast, strong and victory. Customers from China are unable to resist thinking of the robust horse which is the most important animal during the five thousand years of Chinese civilizations. In this respect, the brand not only conforms to the customers’ psychological needs, but also shows the spirit, purpose, characteristic and quality of the product. The Methods of English Brand Name Translation When it es to translation method of English brand name, it is simultaneously to refer to literal translation, free translation, and transliteration and zero translation. It is particularly difficult for international panies to adapt to names and product slogans in China 18 because of the different language and culture. English brand name has its own unique language feature and mercial value. The translation of English brand name is required to be accurate, brevity and rhetorical appeal for promoting products and stimulating consumers’ purchasing desire. However, it can be seen that the translation of an English brand name is really a hard nut to crack. For best effect, these four methods are required to be used flexible and appropriate. Literal Translation Literal translation is the rendering of text from one language to another “wordforword” rather than conveying the sense of the original. For brand name translation, the first step is to translate the literal meaning of the English brand. Then the translated brand name has the function of accurately conveying the sense and information of the original brand. For the brand name that consists of mon nouns, the method of literal translati