Onbrandnamesandthebrandtranslation文化差異中的商標(biāo)翻譯

1、on brand names and the brand translation【abstract】 a brand is shown by a name , a word , a sign , a symbol , a design or a  combination of them. it is intended to identify the products or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors. brand-namin

2、g itself represents a strategically important issue and may determine the success or failure of a product. a good brand name can also save millions of dollars over the product's life because it carries its own meaning, describes the product's advantages, and differentiates the product signif

3、icantly from its competitors. by reading the brand names , it is easy to tell the products from one to the other and to know the characters of products . for the good brand has the functions of distinguishing, providing information of products and being symbol of credit , the good brand has a good a

4、dvertisement for the product and help to take in a larger market .  with the globalization of world economy, especially with chinas entry into the world trade organization, more and more people in china have realized the importance of good brand names and international brand names in promoting

5、sales and cultivating markets. it is therefore not only necessary but also urgent to study on brand names and the brand translation upgrade to a new level . the main obstacle of brand translation is the different cultures . the cultural differences are represented by the forms of language . due to t

6、he fact that brands are mainly described by language , there are some difficulties in the brand translation . then , in this paper , apart from some general knowledge about brands, the cultural differences between english and chinese brands are shown and some mistranslations are given . what is more

7、, in order to avoid the cultural conflicts in translation, some common skills (including transliteration,  semantic translation and trans-semantic translation) and some creative skills (effectiveness translation, character translation, approximation translation and elegance translation ) are pr

8、ovided . and at the end of the paper , some general principles of brand translation are given for a good brand translation . 【key words】 brands;  culture differences ;  translation ;  skills  【摘 要】 商標(biāo)是商品和商業(yè)服務(wù)的標(biāo)記它是指商品生產(chǎn)者、經(jīng)營者、服務(wù)提供者為了使自己生產(chǎn)、銷售的商品或提供的服務(wù),在市場上與其他商品或服務(wù)相區(qū)別而使用的一種標(biāo)記。這種標(biāo)記一般用

9、文字、圖形或用文字和圖形的組合表示,并置于商品或商品包裝上、服務(wù)場所或服務(wù)說明書上 . 商標(biāo)名稱的好壞具有戰(zhàn)略性的重要作用，甚至?xí)Q定產(chǎn)品的存亡。一個好的品牌名稱在產(chǎn)品的營銷過程中可以節(jié)省大量資金，同時為企業(yè)贏得更多的利潤, 因為它能表達(dá)特定的含意或者展現(xiàn)產(chǎn)品的特色，使產(chǎn)品區(qū)別于競爭對手. 商標(biāo)不同于其他標(biāo)志, 它與商品和商業(yè)服務(wù)緊密相聯(lián),是用在商品生產(chǎn)經(jīng)營和商業(yè)服務(wù)領(lǐng)域內(nèi)的特定標(biāo)記。通過商標(biāo)可以區(qū)別不同商品生產(chǎn)者、經(jīng)營者或商業(yè)服務(wù)提供者的商品或服務(wù). 可以了解產(chǎn)品或服務(wù)的性質(zhì)和特點. 好的商標(biāo)是具有信譽(yù)度的, 具有為商品做廣告宣傳的作用, 正因為如此,好的商標(biāo)又可以刺激消費, 提高商品的市場

10、占有率.  伴隨著經(jīng)濟(jì)的全球化和中國加入世貿(mào)組織，人們越來越多的意識到：在產(chǎn)品銷售過程中，好的商標(biāo)名稱以及國際化的商標(biāo)名稱發(fā)揮著重要作用。研究商標(biāo)名稱是一項必要而且緊迫的任務(wù). 商標(biāo)的翻譯也提升到一個新的高度. 商標(biāo)翻譯中最主要的障礙就是語言的不同, 以及由于不同的地區(qū), 不同的語言, 不同的背景所帶來的文化的差異. 這種差異通過語言表現(xiàn)在商標(biāo)的翻譯與表述之上,使得商標(biāo)翻譯具有一定的難度. 就此, 本文在對商標(biāo)基本認(rèn)識的基礎(chǔ)之上, 重點說明了商標(biāo)翻譯中常出現(xiàn)的文化差異現(xiàn)象, 及忽視文化差異的商標(biāo)失譯例子. 并就此, 擬出一些避免文化沖突的商標(biāo)翻譯方法, 包括最常用的音譯法, 意譯法

11、, 音意兼譯法和一些個人的獨到的方法-效果翻譯法, 性質(zhì)翻譯法, 似等翻譯法及聯(lián)想求雅翻譯法. 同時,簡要地歸納一些商標(biāo)翻譯中應(yīng)遵循的規(guī)則. 從而為得到更好地商標(biāo)翻譯而服務(wù).【關(guān)鍵詞】 商標(biāo)；文化差異；翻譯；技巧1. introduction: the significance of brands1.1 definition of brandsa brand is shown by a name, a word, a sign, a symbol,  a design or a combination of them. it is intended to identify the p

12、roducts or services of one seller or one group of sellers and to differentiate them from their competitors. in other words, the brand is treated as the symbol of the actual product. it is a synthesis of all these elements: physical, aesthetic, rational and emotional and cultural, which is a percepti

13、on created in the mind of consumers who ascribe beliefs and values to the product. brands are printed on the surfaces of the products, packages and directions, and hanged in public places. brands have the following three characters:  first of all , brand is a mark which is closely concerned wit

14、h a certain product or service . brand , being different from arts , is used as a special mark in the field of the supplying and operating of products or services ,. second, brand has the character of distinguishing one product or service from another and is different from a sign which shows the qua

15、ntity and quality of the product or service. third, brand has a particular feature: it is easy to be read or understood by reading the word, sign , symbol , design or the combination of them . 1 p116 1.2 functions of brands 2p59as the development of economy, brand may be a kind of economic symb

16、ol more than a mark of the product or service . band plays an important role in the trading, and its significance is realized by many companies. brands have five functions as follows: 1.2.1        distinguishable being commodities, different products or servic

17、es of the same character have different quantities，qualities and services . brands are like the faces of the products . it is not difficult to see that different brands have the same function to distinguish one kind of products or services from another kind, just as the function of persons names. ho

18、wever, brands can do much better than persons names can do. because brands are the signatures of products or services and none of them are repeated . that is to say, when the consumers read a brand in a store or a public place, they can easily and quickly judge what kind of product or service the br

19、and is related to. and brands help the consumers to be aware of the differences between a certain product and other products or a service and other services of the same kind and remember them. generally speaking , consumers would seldom or never make a mistake to choose the product or service what t

20、hey want by reading the brands, just as they never make a mistake to call out somebody by calling the persons name. 1.2.2        informative functionsince brands are the marks of products or services, they must have something to do with them . in other words,

21、brands can reflect the traits of products or services. most brands , no matter pictorial or word brands , provide information concerning products or services, such as the place of production, the material used for the product, the function of the products, the name of the producer etc. for example,

22、“coca-cola” is based on the products original constituents extracted from “cola” leaves and from the “cola” nut.  “康泰克” means restoring the health of the patient. “rolls-royce” indicates the founders of this car company, “charles rolls” and “henry royce” . 1.2.3  symbol of creditbrand

23、 has a credit . as we all know , when consumers first buy a product or enjoy a service,  they usually make a credit archive in their minds for it either consciously or unconsciously . since brands stand for the names of products or services, which can distinguish products or services from one k

24、ind to another, consumers are easier to remember the brands than to remember the products. then consumers always transfer the credit of products or services to their namesbrands. therefore brands actually get the credits which are connected with the quantity and quality of products or services. 

25、0;1.2.4        stimulating consumptionvarious images and names as well as various related factors ,such as the style and the color of calligraphy on the package adopted by brands have as much stimulating influence on consumers purchasing desire as the social status

26、 , cultural back ground , mode of life and living environment of the consumers do to the customers . brands designers try to make these brands as smart as possible and as unique as possible . generally speaking , brands have the active influence on the stimulation of the consumption . according to t

27、he investigation ,  most consumers choose the commodities according to the brands they are familiar with . children choose the commodities according to the colorful designs on the package . packages with gaily-colored cartoon figures are most welcomed by the young consumers . most costume brand

28、s have romantic connotation just because the designers have mastered young ladies romantic-pursuing psychology . for example , “amour amour ” the brand of a kind of perfume . “ oil of olay “ the brand of a certain active hydrating lotion .  the articles named after the names of famous persons c

29、an also stimulate the consumption because consumers worship them and have the psychology of imitating them . for example , sports wear , “l(fā)i-ning ” , is welcomed by sports fans . 1.2.5        providing protection by law the brand is the exhaustless treasure of

30、 an enterprise , especially those famous brands . it cannot be denied that some dealers or businesses use the brands of others unlawfully . under this circumstance, the registered brands can obtain protection by law for the products or services and also for the producer or the provider owning this b

31、rand.  2. cultural differencesthe easterners and the western live in indifferent parts of the earth. that makes them unavoidable to have the different material conditions, thinking patterns and actions. therefore, the chinese and the westerners have different cultures, ways of life , tradi

32、tional habits, historical stories and political and economical systems and so on . for language is a tool to describe all of these , chinese and english speakers have differences in ways of expression and linguistic cultures. the same is true with the chinese brands and english ones , then, it is ne

33、cessary to pay attention to the cultural differences . otherwise, many foolishnesses and unnecessary troubles may come as due punishments. the following are some main examples of culture conflicts in brand translations . 2.1  differences in literal meaning quite often, we may find that som

34、e chinese words with best wishes are beyond the comprehension of the english people, or have just the opposite meaning in english,  and vice versa. for example, one kind of exporting lipstick which is made in china , is named “芳芳”（ “fangfang” ）. in china , this is a good name which gives people

35、 a nice impression. the word “芳” , are usually used to describe the flowers which are beautiful and charming , and the girls who are pretty and elegant. chinese have many other phrases containing the word  “芳” , such as “芳容”（good-looking）, “芳芳” ( beauty , fragrant ), “ 芳香” ( good-smell ) and so

36、 on . when it is translated into english just according to the chinese pinyin, it is “fangfang” .  however , instead of pretty and beautiful impression, a feeling of horror raises up in the english readers minds . because it is a coincidence that the pinyin “ fang ” just is an english word “ fa

37、ng ” , whose english meaning are as follow : long sharp tooth , esp of dogs and wolves,長而尖的牙（尤其指狗和狼的） snakes tooth with it injects poison (蛇的毒牙). 3 p524 then , it is easy to image that when the english speakers read this word , a dog or wolf with the long sharp teeth , or a snake may come out instea

38、d of  a  pretty girl who just uses this lipstick .4 p80 and one more example. “ 藍(lán)天 ” （“ langtian ”）is a brand of one kind of toothpaste made in china. it is very popular in china and in the southeast of asia . but it fails in america market . why ? the translation is the key of all re

39、asons . the brand “ 藍(lán)天 ” is translated into “ bluesky ” and “ blueheaven ” . in chinese , the blue sky and the white clouds are the symbols of happiness and elegance . but in english bluesky is a word whose meaning are: useless, with less value , no steady and an invalid negotiable securities . supp

40、osing that you are a consumer , can you buy this “ useless ” commodity ? besides , another word “ blueheaven ” is a name of one kind of narcotics ,  with a blue capsule , and has existed in the western countries for a long time before the coming of  “ 藍(lán)天 ” . then , when the westerners read

41、 the name of blueheaven , they mostly take it as the narcotics . so , do they dare to buy it ?5 p95 2.2 differences in connotationdifferent lands and cultures between east and west makes people have different thinking patterns. for instance , one kind of perfumed soap for bath is named “ 蜜蜂 ” (

42、“ mifeng ” ) in chinese . maybe the producer wants to tell the consumers that soap is perfumed and consists of many spices , which are gotten with the bees help of collecting them from millions of flowers . but this implication is beyond the understanding of the english people. english speakers dont

43、 like this name , because they think that on the body of the bee there are many invisible fine hairs and that may make them feel uncomfortable . so few are willing to buy this soap.  and “ 蝙蝠 ” (“ bianfu ” pinyin ) is a symbol of luck and happiness. it is popular with the chinese people , for “

44、 蝠 ” ( “ fu ” ) and “ 福 ” (happiness) are homonymy in chinese. “ 蝙蝠 ” is a good brand for the product such as glasses. however, things are different in english. then what would english speakers think ? they think that the “ bat ” is a blind ugly and fierce animal which flies only at night , and does

45、nt dare to turn up in the daylight . in the west , bat stands for death , and if a bat comes into your house by accident, that may be an ill omen for you . and the english people usually compare an old bat to an old blind and ugly woman .  therefore , how can the western people wear the “ bat ”

46、 glasses with this thought ?6 p96 here is one more example. the chinese people take the magpie as a lucky bird which brings people good news, as a saying goes : if there is a magpie standing in the tip and singing , a good news will come . in china , every 7th july in the lunar calendar , when

47、the herd-boy and the weaving-girl are supposed to meet , the magpies would gather as a bridge to help them . of course , in chinese , “ 喜鵲 ”( magpie ) is a good name for the radio and acoustic installations . however , in the western countries , people dont think so . they think that a magpie is a b

48、ird which is whistling day and night , making noises and bringing the junks into the nestle . and then a magpie is usually compared to a person who treasures those useless things with the least intention to throw them away and a person who chatters without stopping. see now , who will be willing to

49、bring the noise maker into house instead of avoiding them ? 7 p95  2.3 differences in usages some words , which originated in chinese，are frequently spoken and written by the english people, however, they are seldom used in their literal meaning . then , we should also be careful about the

50、m in a brand translation , or else, it would lead to a joke . for instance , one kind of exporting battery is named “ 白象 ” （“ baixiang ” ）. it is translated into english directly as “ white elephant ” .it may be an exactly right translation . but , in english , “ a white elephant ” is a usage , mean

51、ing a burdensome possession ( 沉重的負(fù)擔(dān) ) and useless things . (無用而累贅的東西) . see , who will be so foolish to spend the money on a burdensome possession or a useless rubbish ?  8 p80one more example to illustrate this point. “ 白翎 ” (“ bailig ” ) , one kind of pen made in shanghai  china , is tra

52、nslated into english as “ white feather ” directly . as a result , it fails to take in the market oversea . what is the reason ？ in english , there is an idiom “ to show the white feather ” whose meaning is that deserting on the eve of a battle . that is to say , a white feather has the connotation

53、“a coward . assuming that when someone sees a pen in your suit pocket or in your hand , what would they think of you? what would you feel when you realize that they think you are a coward ?9 p56 3. skills to translate brands in the perspective of cross-cultural communication . now that there ar

54、e some differences between chinese and english , we should pay attention to them and notice the culture conflicts between these two languages. we should be culture-conscious and try to reduce or avoid making mistakes in cross-cultural communication. the following discusses some skills of translating

55、 brands in a cross-cultural communication perspective.  3.1 common skillswhen it comes to brand translation , the common skills are transliteration , semantic translation and trans-semantic translation .     3.1.1 transliterationtransliteration is the way by which the brand is tr

56、anslated according to the pronunciation of the source language. the translators pick up words in the target language with the same pronunciation as those in the source language. the purpose of such an approach is to comply with the linguistic rules and to convey the source language culture . many br

57、ands are translated by this way . the first and the most successful example of transliteration is an american beverage coca-cola . the brand name of this kind of black beverage is formed by two words “ coca “ and “cola “ . “ coca “ was translated into “古柯”  which is a plant growing in south ame

58、rica , and ” cola ” was translated into ” 古拉” which is another kind of plant growing in africa . now , it is translated into ” 可口可樂” , which makes the consumers  feel sweet and happy . similar examples are “pepsi-cola” (百事可樂) and “l(fā)actov” (樂口福) . other examples are: the famous japanese electron

59、ic product brand  “nokia”( 諾基亞 ) ， the largest  fastfood brand  “ mcdonalds(麥當(dāng)勞) ，and  the suit brand “ pierrecardin ” (皮爾卡丹 ) and so on .   3.1.2 semantic translationsemantic translation is the way by which the brand is translated according to the meaning of the source

60、 language. the purpose of such an approach is to transfer the source languages main meaning and make the consumers of the target language understand it more easier. numbers of  brands are translated by this way . for instance , a chinese electronic product brand “ 熊貓 ” is rendered into english

61、“ panda ”;  the popular car brand  “ crown ” into chinese name  “ 皇冠 ” and the chinese bicycle brand  “ 永久 ” into english name  “ forever ” and so on . 3.1.3 trans-semantic translation trans-semantic translation , combining with transliteration and semantic translation , is a high skill which requests a