【正文】 Words…………………………………………….……3 Coined Words………………………………………………….…4 Characteristics of Brand Names…………………………………..…5 Brevity………………………………………………………...…5 Elegance………………………………………………….…..…6 Originality…………………………………………….……..…7 Functions of Brand Names ……………………………………..…7 Informative Function………………………………….……..…8 Aesthetic Function…………………………………………..…8 Evocative Function……………………………………...……10Chapter 2 Functional Equivalence Theory and Brand Name Translation……………………………………...…………12 Functional Equivalence……………………………………………12 Consideration of Factors in Brand Name Translation……………13 Consumer Psychology…………………………………………13 Cultural Factors…………………………………………………14 Aesthetic Factors………………………………………………16 Application of Functional Equivalence in Brand Name Translation…16 Equivalence of Informative Function…………………………16 Equivalence of Aesthetic Function……………………………17 Equivalence of Evocative Function……………………………18Chapter 3 Methods Employed in Brand Name Translation……….20 Literal Translation…………………………………………………20 Transliteration……………………………………………………21 Combination of Literal Translation and Transliteration…………23 Creative Translation………………………………………………24 Addition or Deletion……………………………………………24 Blending………………………………………………………25 Acronym……………………………………………………26 Purposive Misspelling………………………………………26Conclusion……………………………………………………………27Bibliography…………………………………………………………28Acknowledgements28 Thesis IntroductionIntroductionA brand name is a sign representing cultural characteristics of different nations, societies and times. It serves not only its expected functions of munication。 it is also employed in a symbolic manner to identify a brand and its cultural origin. Today, wellknown brand names have bee cultural icons, and enjoy powerful advantages in the fierce petition. Brand names, as part of language, reflect the features of a certain nation, including the historical and cultural background, their attitudes towards life, and their life style and thinking pattern.Brand name translation is influenced by cultural elements which differentiate it from general translation. Brand name translation is of significance in the petitive market. Brand names mirror the culture of different countries, so cultural elements must not be ignored in the translating process. At present, with economic development and increasing international contact, the exchanges between different countries bee more and more frequent. And trade surplus bees an important part of our national economy. Proper translation of brand names also bees more and more important so as to promote the sales of goods and cultivate foreign markets. Thesis Chapter 1 Overview of Brand Names Chapter 1Overview of Brand Names Definition of Brand NamesA brand name refers to a specific name employed by a corporation to identify uniquely a product or its manufacturer, or a service and its provider. （Li Guisheng，1996） It is quite often used interchangeably within “brand name”, although it is more correctly used to specifically denote written or spoken linguistic elements of any product. A legally protected brand name is called a proprietary name. A powerful brand name embodies a unique set of values and hence personality. A successfully designed brand name can bring about enormous value in a real sense, which is invisible wealth of a pany. Therefore, brand name is of more and more importance in “global village” and the right and suitable meaning of a brand can be an enduring advantage. Formation of Brand Names From the perspective of the linguistic structures, brand names can be mainly divided into proper name brand names, the mon word brand names and the coined word brand names.(He Chuansheng,1997) However, there are some similarities and differences in the formation of Chinese and English cosmetic brand names. Proper Names Using a proper name especially a person’s name can create a sense of amicability between the product and the consumers. A good name will inspire the consumers to think about the image under that name. Take some brand names for example, “Charlie” in English has the longstanding image of being a confident but warm little girl。 Shoulders” stresses its function of moistening the hair and making it soft and easy to b. Different from English, Chinese is the ideograph language. So word groups can be formed by putting characters together. Usually, certain words have good connotations are frequently used. Names of plants and animals are often used as brand names. Chinese cosmetic brand names have a preference of the pretty images of some of them which can arouse the interest and bring good association, such as“蜂花”(cosmetic),“紫羅蘭” (cosmetic)and “佰草集” (cosmetic).The abovementioned have attached great importance to the point that they are pure, natural and environmentally safe products by using the raw material from the outside world and the consumers can get the essence of the flowers and herbal extract by using them. Characteristics of Brand Names A brand name is the name of a product, which is a mark or a symbol that can be used to define a certain product. The goal of a brand name should aim at setting up a good image in the market, arousing consumers’ favorable association and purchasing desire. Thus the language used in brand names must have some features of its own. Brevity Brevity is a basic requirement of a good brand name, which means brand names should concise in spellings and pronunciations to make them eyecatching and easy to remember. According to an investigation, Chinese brand names consist of mainly two or three characters, and 70% of them (including Chinese versions of foreign ones) are twocharacter construction, 29% are threecharacter construction, only about 1% are more than five characters. Name a few as