淺析廣告英語的語言特點和翻譯方法

1、北京理工大學珠海學院2020屆本科生畢業(yè)論文An Analysis of Language Characteristicsand Translation Methods in Advertising EnglishAn Analysis of Language Characteristicsand Translation Methods in Advertising EnglishAbstract Advertising English, as a language with special purpose, has its unique language characteristics an

2、d translation methods. With the development of the global village, international exchanges are becoming increasingly frequent. The commercial activities are inseparable from advertising. Many foreign companies often use advertisements to help marketing when holding promotional activities in China. A

3、s more and more international brands enter China, how to correctly translate the advertising English has caused increasing discussion. As we all know, the difference between Chinese and foreign languages is inevitable. To translate the original advertising text accurately, we need to understand the

4、relevant characteristics of advertising English. We hope the translation of the advertisements can bring the same publicity effect to our consumers. This thesis aims to analyze the linguistic characteristics of advertising English from various perspectives, including lexical and grammatical characte

5、ristics. Then the other part of the thesis will combine with the rhetorical techniques often used in advertising English to propose translation methods for advertising English, including literal translation, free translation, creative translation, etc. This essay will also propose some translation s

6、trategies to further improve the translation level and accuracy of advertising English. This thesis mainly uses literature search method, the example method and descriptive research method to analyze some examples of English advertisements, so that readers have a clearer understanding of advertising

7、 English. And this thesis hopes to promote the long-term development of the advertising industry and advertising translation.Keywords: advertising English, translations strategies, figure of speech, language characteristics 淺析廣告英語的語言特點和翻譯方法摘 要廣告英語作為一種有專門用途的語言，有其獨特的語言特點和翻譯方法。隨著“地球村”的發(fā)展，國際交往日益頻繁。商業(yè)活動離

8、不開廣告，外國企業(yè)在我國做宣傳活動時也常運用到廣告來幫助營銷。隨著越來越多的國際品牌進入中國，如何正確翻譯英語廣告也引起越來越高的討論度。眾所周知，中外語言差異是無法避免的，翻譯者要將原廣告語翻譯得準確并能帶給我國消費者同樣的宣傳效果，就需要先了解英語廣告的相關(guān)特點。本論文旨在從各個角度分析英語廣告的語言特點，包括詞匯特點和語法特點，再結(jié)合廣告英語中經(jīng)常使用的修辭手法，提出英語廣告的翻譯手法直譯、意譯、創(chuàng)譯等，結(jié)合相關(guān)的翻譯策略，旨在進一步提高英語廣告的翻譯水平和準確程度。本文主要采用文獻檢索法，例證法和描述性研究法對廣告英語進行分析，使讀者對廣告英語有更加清晰的認知，同時也推動廣告業(yè)及廣告翻

9、譯事業(yè)的長遠發(fā)展。 關(guān)鍵詞：廣告英語；語言特點；修辭手法；翻譯策略IIContentsAbstract摘 要Introduction11 The Introduction of Advertising English21.1 The Origin of Advertising English21.2 Definition of Advertising3 1.3 Functions of Advertisements42 The Language Characteristics of Advertising English4 2.1 The Lexical Characteristics of

10、Advertising English4 2.2 The Syntactical Characteristics of Advertising English6 2.3 The Expressions of Advertising English83 Common Rhetorical Features of Advertising English9 3.1 Pun9 3.2 Personification10 3.3 Analogy113.3.1 Simile11 3.3.2 Metaphor11 3.4 Rhyme12 3.5 Parallelism124 The Translation

11、Methods and Strategies of Advertising English13 4.1 The Translation Methods of Advertising English134.1.1 Literal Translation14 4.1.2 Free Translation15 4.1.3 Creative Translation16 4.2 Closely Integrate with Product Characteristics17 4.3 Focus on Cultural Differences185 Differences between Chinese

12、and English Advertisements19Conclusion21References23Acknowledgments24IntroductionCommercial English advertising is a major channel for Chinese companies to export and open up overseas markets. And with the influx of foreign companies, English advertising has become an important source for Chinese co

13、mpanies and consumers to obtain commodity economic information. Advertising English, as an applied language, is different from ordinary English. It has developed into a non-standardized special language because of its special utility. There are also many differences in the use of words and sentences

14、 between ordinary English and advertising English. With the development of globalization, many people only have a general understanding of advertising English, but after understanding its characteristics and translation strategies, people will make better use of advertisements. Through the continuou

15、s study, the translation of advertising English will become more and more excellent.There are lots of English advertisements through our daily life. Advertising, as a common way of publicity in our life, has a great impact on both buyers and sellers. Advertising English is very popular among busines

16、smen and enterprises, because the good use of advertising English has a great impact on the corporate image and corporate reputation. Consumers can understand the product through advertising to achieve consumption. Good advertising is an indispensable part of marketing. In the wave of globalization,

17、 to translate advertising English and fully embody the essence of the original text requires us to analyze the characteristics of advertising English and seek the best translation strategies. The translation of advertising English will be more effective in the business activities with the in-depth u

18、nderstanding. As international brands enter the country, how to properly translate advertising English has caused increasing discussion.The article can be divided into four parts, the brief introduction of advertising, the language characteristics of advertising English, the common rhetorical device

19、s in advertising English and the translation methods and strategies of advertising English. The beginning of the article introduces the background and functions of advertising. The development of human civilization has promoted the continuous progress of advertising. The cultural exchanges have beco

20、me more frequent in the 20th century. Advertising has become one of the standards for measuring a countrys economic development and civilization. Then is the main part of this article-the language characteristics analysis. Based on the analysis of the language characteristics of English advertisemen

21、ts from various perspectives, including lexical and grammatical characteristics, this essay will mention the rhetorical techniques that are often used in advertising English, and then propose the translation methods of advertising English, that is, literal translation, free translation, creative tra

22、nslation, etc., which aims to further improve the translation level and accuracy of advertising English. Finally, the difference between Chinese and English advertisements will be shown, which can help both sides make better use of advertising and create better ads. This thesis mainly uses literatur

23、e search method, example method and descriptive research method to analyze the language characteristics of advertising English and list some translation methods and strategies for readers reference. 1 The Introduction of Advertising English Mark Twain said: Many a small thing has been made large by

24、the right kind of advertising. Before we analyze the language characteristics of adverting English, its necessary for us to first know something about advertising.1.1 The Origin of Advertising EnglishSince the development of spoken language is earlier than reading and writing, the earliest advertisi

25、ng was spoken language. There are signs that the peddlers hawking for their goods dates back to ancient Rome and Greece. Whetherpastorpresent,nomattertimeshowdevelopment, merchant hawking is still very common. Later, with the continuous progress of human society and the development of commerce, symb

26、ols appeared. As a new type of advertisement, symbol is more effective to commercial competition, and it meets the needs of goods identification. For example, in the ruins of Pompeii, people found a sheep symbol to show it was a dairy farm.In the 15th century, a British printer William Caxton create

27、d the earliest English advertising leaflet known today, thus creating a history of advertising. In the 16th century, more beautiful and informative leaflets appeared. In the 17th century, print newspapers gradually appeared in Europe, and advertisements were first published in newspapers. With the d

28、evelopment of the industrial revolution, advertising industry entered into a new development opportunity. In the 18th century, newspapers appeared in America, which provided special sections for advertisements. The influence of advertisements was more and more powerful. With the increase of advertis

29、ing revenue, advertisements had become an important financial source for newspapers.In the 19th century, the advertising industry was developing rapidly in Britain and America. The Times published an average of 100 advertisements a day in 1800. In the 1830s, some newspaper owners in the United State

30、s even put out three-quarters of the pages for advertising. From the end of the 19th century, the term advertisement began to appear in Chinese newspapers. The advertising industry was developing more rapidly. In the 20th century, more and more advertising media appeared. With the continuous improve

31、ment of social productivity, advertising has broken through the limitations of space. With the emergence of television technology and the continuous improvement of printing technology, advertising has also changed from the original black-and-white newspaper advertising to the color TV advertising. N

32、owadays, information technology is developing rapidly. With the popularity of the Internet, online advertising is also being accepted by more and more people. The advertising industry is maturing. Todays advertising is no longer simply to introduce products. It is more about attracting consumers fro

33、m an emotional perspective. Advertising will eventually become a cultural form that people are willing to accept-advertising culture.1.2 Definition of AdvertisingThe word advertise comes from advertere in Latin. It is to call peoples attention for something or induce people to do something. Here are

34、 two famous organizations definitions of advertising.(1) Advertising is 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. (AMA)(2) Advertising is paid mass communication,

35、 and its ultimate purpose is to convey information, change peoples attitudes to advertising products, and induce actions to benefit advertisers. (American Association of Advertising Agencies)We can know from above definitions that advertising has some characteristics. First, advertising faces the pu

36、blic, not individuals. Second, advertisements should convey some information, which can be related to brands and products, or some ideas related to other fields. Third, advertising is spread through specific medium such as newspapers, internet, television, magazines,etc,. Finally, ads are created fo

37、r some specific purposes. Some ads need to be paid in order to sell products or services, while public service ads dont need to pay.1.3 Functions of AdvertisementsGenerally speaking, there are mainly four functions of advertisements.(1) Information Function. Advertisement should convey information a

38、bout the products or services to the consumers. The information needs to be real and specific.(2) Demand Creation Function. After knowing the information about the products or services, consumers will have curiosity about the commodities. Consumers will feel their demands for the products through su

39、ccessful advertising.(3) Persuasive Function. Advertisements are created to encourage customers consumption. Advertising will try to persuade consumers to buy, but this is not to force consumers to buy.(4) Get Action Function. After persuading consumers to accept the products being promoted, adverti

40、sing helps consumers take action-to purchase. 2 The Language Characteristics of Advertising EnglishUntil the 1920s, the term advertisement was widely used. With the advertising English coming into peoples sight, advertising English has gradually become a unique culture. Advertisements have a powerfu

41、l promotional function, which meets the needs of effective business activities. It can also better help consumers know the brands or products. Some lexical features, syntactic features and approaches of advertising English will be introduced below.2.1 The Lexical Characteristics of Advertising Engli

42、shAdvertising English needs to be concise, vivid and precise in reflecting the content. The choice of correct and appropriate advertising English words has a very positive impact on the effectiveness of advertising English.First, the word used in advertising English is often simple, and its similar

43、to oralexpressions. There may not be many words in a slogan, but every word in the slogan is very precise. In advertising English, using simple and common words will make the brands or products closer to consumers.For example, Intel Inside. (Intel Pentium) / Just do it. (Nike) Intel Inside. (Intel P

44、entium): Though there are only two simple words in the slogan, it fully explains the characteristic of the service of the company, and it is a promotion of the “Intel” brand. This slogan consists of two simple words that can be seen in everyday life. So the slogan will not cause misunderstanding. Be

45、cause of the simple words used in advertising English, consumers can easily remember the brands or products.Just do it. (Nike): There are only three simple words in the slogan, but it has rich meaning. It means as long as the customers have the Nike products, they can do what they want. Although the

46、se three words are very simple, they all aim at the idea that the Nike wants to express. This simple slogan coveys Nikes idea of their brand. The slogan has the persuasive functions because it inspires the consumers and arouses their need.From the above examples, we can know that although these adve

47、rtisement slogans have only a few simple words, the meaning of the expressions is very complete and can be cleverly related to the characteristics of the brand or product. Its expression is similar to the spoken expression in our daily life. To let consumers know as much as possible about the brand

48、or the product, advertising often emphasizes the main features of the product in a vivid and brief language. This can better help consumers build familiarity about the brand or products.Second, innovative forms are often used in advertising English to attract customers attention. The advertising Eng

49、lish will often use innovative forms to make the advertisement vivid, interesting and noticeable and effectively disseminate the commodity information. Therefore, by using innovative forms, advertising English can save time and space costs. It also can help spread as much information as possible.For

50、 example, World Wide Wow. (America Online) / Zoom Zoom Zoom. (Mazda) World Wide Wow. (America Online): This advertisement deliberately writes World Wide Web as World Wide Wow, using Wow to indicate that the site will surprise readers. It can better help attract consumers attention by using innovativ

51、e way to form the slogan.Zoom Zoom Zoom. (Mazda): The word “Zoom” has repeated three times, it sounds a bit like a motor. Unlike other general advertisements, this slogan only consists of three repeated words. There is no other words and expressions to decorate the slogan. This creative slogan makes

52、 Mazdas promotion very effective.Third, adjectives and its comparative and superlatives adjectives are more often used in advertising English. Adjectives can better help advertisements describe and promote the characteristics of products, and the use of comparative and superlative adjectives can bet

53、ter highlight the superiority of products.For example, Give a Timex to all, and to all a good time. (Timex) / Good to the last drop. (Maxwell) / The good things in life never change. (Burberry) Advertising is to promote products and describe the advantages and quality of the products. Therefore, the

54、 use of adjectives plays an important role in advertising English. In advertising English, these positive adjectives such as good, beautiful, new, forever, forever etc., can express the sellers confidence of products and enhance the appeal of advertisements.The vocabulary of advertising English is g

55、enerally simple and innovative. And adjectives and its comparative and superlatives adjectives are more often used in advertising English. Consumers will find it more acceptable of the advertisements with these characteristics. The slogans of advertising English that use these characteristics will b

56、e more effective. And at the same time these slogans can attract consumers and help the company build customer loyalty.2.2 The Syntactical Characteristics of Advertising EnglishAdvertising English has its own characteristics in sentence structure.First, simple sentences are often used in advertising

57、 English. In order to attract consumers, advertising English need to be clear to the eye. To arouse consumers desire to buy, the slogan should express as much information as possible with as few words as possible.For example, Asia Garden HotelA Home Away From Home!(Asia Garden Hotel) / We lead. Othe

58、rs copy. (Ricoh) / Good teeth, good health. (Colgate)Asia Garden HotelA Home Away From Home!(Asia Garden Hotel): The hotel was introduced straightforwardly with a simple sentence structure, that is, this hotel is just like another home of the customers. By using simple sentences, the advantages of the hotel are expressed directly. And the consumers will have a desire to try.We lead. Others copy. (Ricoh): This slogan uses two simple declarative sentences to form the adve