英汉语言文化差异对广告翻译影响
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[Abstract]Astheproductofculture,advertisementdirectlyreflectsthecloserelationshipbetweenlanguageandculture.Andadvertisinglanguageisaspecialartform,whichhasprofoundculturalbackgroundandcanbeinfluencedbythetendencyofthetimes.ThispaperinvestigatestheChineseandEnglishadvertisinglanguages,anduncoverstheculturedifferencesinadvertisements.Thenitdiscussestheproblemsintheadvertisingtranslation,andputsforwardtheartisticandeffectivemethodsofadvertisingtranslation.
Theworldisgettingincreasinglyglobalized.Advertisementiscloselyrelatedtotheculture.Thepurposeofanadvertisementistopersuadetargetconsumeserstobuytheadvertisedproductsorservices.Thus,itisamostimportanttasktobeawareofthedifferencesbetweenChinesecultureandwesternculture.Thispaperanalyzesthedifferencesfromsixaspects:monismversuspluralism,collectivismversusindividualism,theimplicitwayversusthedirectway,theimagerypatternversustheabstractpattern,respectofauthorityversusrespectofself-performance,andthedifferencesofsocialbackgroundandaesthetics.
Somedefectsandevenunsuccessfuladvertisementsaremadebecauseofthepoorqualityoftranslation.Thispaperproceedsfromproblemsinadvertisingtranslationthatthetranslatorsdonothaveagoodcommandofthenation-specificcultureandistooadhesivetotheadvertisement’ssuperficialmeaningwhiletherearealotofculturalfactorshiddeninthepresentadvertisingtranslation.Infact,advertisementtranslationrequiresmorethanjustrenderingsentencesintoanotherlanguage.Translatorshavetoconverttheideasandthoughtsbehindthesentencesintothetargetlanguagebyapplyingtheknowledgeofthetargetculture.Thispapersuggestssomemethodstomakeadvertisingtranslationinviewofthelanguageandculturedifferences.
[Keywords]advertisinglanguage;culturedifference;advertisingtranslation
【摘要】广告作为文化的产物，可以更直接地展示语言和文化的关系，所以广告语言是一门具有浓郁文化色彩与时代特点的艺术形式。本文对中、英广告语言进行了探讨，揭示了中英广告的语言在语音、语义、文字形式及修辞等方面的差异以及文化差异。然后，文章分析了广告语言翻译中存在的问题，从文化的角度提出了有关广告翻译的艺术的有效方法。
因为全球的经济一体化，所以广告语言涉及了大量的文化知识。既然广告语言的目的是劝导目标消费者购买其产品或服务，那么充分理解中西文化差异就成了一项举足轻重的任务。本文从六个方面进行分析，它们依次是一元论和多元论、集体主义和个人主义、含蓄和率直、形象和抽象、权威意识从众心理和自身功效自身价值、社会历史背景、审美方式等差异。
中英广告的互译中，有许多不理想的实例，有的甚至导致了销售挫折.本文分析了问题的原因，主要是在于当今广告翻译同样蕴藏着大量的文化，而译者却没有足够的文化的驾驭能力，太拘泥于原文表层。事实上，广告的翻译不是简单地把句子翻译出来。翻译人员要充分运用目标文化知识，把句子后而所承载的思想、概念尤其是文化传递给译入语的目标消费者。所以本文旨从广告语言文化差异的角度出发介绍几种英汉广告互译的方法。
1.LinguisticDifferencesReflectedinAdvertisements
Shenxiaolong[1]oncesummarizesthatwesternlanguagesarerule-governedwhiletheChineselanguageispeople-governed.Inotherword,Chineseisalanguagegovernedbymeaning.Chineseisregardedasaflexiblelanguagewhichcanbelongorshortinitslexicalunits,andisbasedonthelanguageoflogicphrasechunkswhileWesternlanguagearemadeupofverbcentralelementswhichareinflexible.
Thefollowingpartofthispaperwilldiscusssevenaspectsoflinguisticdifferencesreflectedinadvertisement.
1.1Flowingchunksvs.SVstructure
JinHuikang[2]comparestheChineseandEnglishlanguagesindetails.Inviewofsyntax,Chinesesentencesconnectminor-clausesaccordingtochronologicalorlogicalorder.Thestructureseemsshortandloose.Itseldomfocusesononerigidpointbutmovesaccordingwiththelogicalorderandthechangingrhythm.UnliketheChinesestructure,Englishsentencedisplaysaspatialarrangementwiththeverbasacenter.Theyareclearinmeaningandtightinstructure.Therefore,Chinesesyntacticstructuresusuallyemployparataxis,whileEnglishadoptshypostasis.Intranslation,wemustgetridofourownwayofthinking,andarrangesentencesconformingtothetargetrulesandconventions.ThefollowingexamplesshowtheseintrinsicdifferencesworkinginChineseandEnglish,andhelpusexploresomeplausibletranslationmethods.
(1)境内西湖如明镜，千峰凝翠，洞壑幽深，风光绮丽。
TheWestLakeislikeamirror,embellishedallaroundwithgreenhillsanddeepcavesofenchantingbeauty.[3]
Obviously,theoriginalstructureischangedinthetargettext.ThestructureoftheChineseadvertisementisloosewithsomeshortclauses,whereastheEnglishonebreaksitintoonesentence,whichiscenteredonaverb,withmodifiersofparticiplephrase,propositionphrase,andnounphrasearoundit.Bydoingso,thetranslationemphasizesthecentralmeaningintheSVstructure"TheWestLakeislikeamirror"andspecifiestheimpliedlogicalrelationshipinthesurfaceform.ReflectinglinguisticfeaturesofEnglishlanguage,thetranslationisasuccessfuloneinbothcontentandfunction.
1.2Flowerylanguagevs.concisewording[4]
“Whenconcerningabouttherhetoric,ChinesetendstousegorgeouswordswhileEnglishhasavividcharacterofconciseness.
“Chineseisgoodwritertoexpresstheirfeelingsbywritingandtrytheirbesttoapplygrandvocabularytodescribebeautifulandmovingimagestobesoundedelegantly.Manyhigh-soundingwordscanbefoundinChinese.Forinstance,inChineseadvertisementswefrequentlyseewordslike“一流”(firstclass)，“完美”(perfect)，“独特”(specific)regardlessofthequalityofgoodsbeingadvertised.Withregardtolanguageforms,theChineselanguagestrivesforsymmetryinstructureandrhymeinsound,hencereadingneat,implicitandmusical.Forexample,four-characterphrases,parallelism,antithesisappearsfrequentlyinChinese.Inordertoachieverhyming,emphasisorneatstructureChineselanguageoftenresortstotautology.
“Onthecontrary,westernliteratureandarthavebeendevelopingunderthetheoryofimitatingthereality.TheEnglishlanguagereflectsthistheoryandprovestobeobjective,factualandrational.Ithastightsentencestructure,meticulousstreamofthought,andlogicalrelationshipbetweenlinguisticunits,concisewordingandstraightforwarddescription.Allinall,brevityisthesoulofwit,orinotherwords,aproperwordinaproperplaceisgoodEnglish.AbusingoffloridlanguageisforbiddeningoodEnglish,foritisconsideredillogicalandmayharmtheoriginalmeaningorcommunication.
“ThusChineseandEnglishadvertisementsarequitedifferent,especiallywhendescribingsceneryintouristadvertisements.Itisalanguageforpoetstogiveexpressiontospecialfeelingsinsteadofdefiningorjudging.Evenwhendescribingsceneries,Englishdisplaysabeautyofform,straightforward,explicit,objective,unlikethecasual,subjectiveChinese.Forexample,thefollowingadvertisementwrittenbyanativespeakerofEnglishisconciseandplain,andthroughsimileandcombinationofconcretescenes,itprovidesenoughspaceforimagination.However,fromthepointofviewofChinese,itmaybetooplain.Forexample:
(2)Tinyislandsarestrungaroundtheedgeofthepeninsulalikeapearlnecklace.Hunksofcoralreef,coconutpalmsandfinewhitesand.
“Ifwetranslateitwordbyword,itwillnotmeetChinesereaders’expectation.Soabundantmodifierssuchas“礁红”，“成片”，and“如银”，andfour-characterphraseslike“玲珑小巧”，and“如诗如画”areemployedtomakethetranslatedversionreadbeautiful.
“座座岛屿玲珑小巧，紧密相连，像一串珍珠缀成的项链，环绕着半岛边缘。
岛上珊瑚礁红，椰树成片，沙滩如银，景色如诗如画。
“TheboldcharactersaddcharmtothescenicspotandcontributetothewholerhymingstructurebutmeannothingtoEnglishreadersbecausetheyarerepetitiveandwordy.ThesameistruethatinC-Etranslation,thosesuperfluousmodifiersshouldbeomitted,adaptedorimplicitbetweenlinessoastomakethetargetversionconformtothewesterners’aestheticstandards.”
1.3Speechcontrast[5]
Thepronunciationofthelanguagecancausethementallydifferentsenseofhearingresult,andstirupthedifferentreactionmentally,howeveritissoftorclearandcrisporstrong,ordignified.Inadvertisinglanguage,weusuallymakeuseofonomatopoeicmotivation,soundsymbolismandechoismwhichcouldeasilycausethetargetaudience’saestheticfeeling.ButthereexistagreatdifferencebetweenChineseandwesternspeech,onomatopoeiaandrhythm.Asaresult,itmakestranslatorpuzzled.InEnglishadvertisingwords,inordertomaketheadfullofaestheticfeeling,theyoftenmakeuseofalliteration,assonance,rhyme,andconsonance.Forexample,theadvertisementphrase”NeverlateonFather’sDay."Therearetwoassonance[ei]whichsoundmusicallyharmonious.However,itisquitedifficulttoattainthisaestheticfeelinginitsChinesetranslation.Moreoverwhiletranslatingweshouldstillnoticesomeadvertisementsphrasesoundmaycausetoleadtobadmeaninginanotherlanguage.ForexampletheJapanesecompanyofToshibaonceusesanadvertisement:
(3)"东芝(Toshiba),东芝(Toshiba),大家的东芝”.Thisisaadvertisinglyric.Thefirst“东芝”istranslatedintothesound"Toshiba".Henceyoungpeoplejokinglyreaditas“偷去吧，偷去吧，大家的东西”Inthisway,there’snosolemnityatall.
1.4Semanticcontrast[5]
Languageisanessentialpartaswellasthecarrierofaculture,whichnotonlyreflectsitsracialhistoryandculturalbackground,butalsoincludestheviews,lifestyle,andthinkingmethod.Meanwhile,advertisinglanguage,onebranchofthelanguage,isalsoreflectedbytheculture.Itisnotenoughforadvertisingtranslatorsonlytoknowtheliteralmeaningofanad,foritmaybeendowedwithextendedmeaningandculturalimplication.Fullycompetentadvertisingtranslatorsaresupposedtohaveagoodcommandofreligions,traditions,ethnicattitudes,thespiritofcommunity,andpurchasinghabitsofthetargetcountries.Otherwise,thetranslatedadsmightgoagainsttheoriginalintentionoftheproducersinthefollowingfouraspects.
1)Translationconveysaderogatorysenseinthetargetculture.Forexample,theShanghai-producedpenbrandedas“白翎”couldreceivewelcomeinEnglish-speakingcountries,forthebrandistranslatedasWhiteFeather".Unfortunately,"whitefeather"isasymbolormarkofcowardiceinEnglish.Itderivestheconnotationfromthebeliefthatwhitefeatherinagamecock’stailisasignofapoorfighter.TheEnglishidiom,"showthewhitefeather",means"sneakawayatacriticaljuncture".Therefore,"whitefeather"isusedtorepresentcaitiffs.Thetranslationnullifiesthestrengthsofthecompanyontheinternationalmarketandbecomesadisadvantagethatfailstoservetheinterestsoftheproducersorthoseofthedistributors.
2)Translationhappenstobepoliticallyinappropriate.Whenintroducedtoforeigncountries,theChinesebrandofcanvasshoes“大鹏”isrenderedas"ROC",whichisasortofgiantbirdinArabicfables.However,"ROC"happenstobetheabbreviationof"RepublicofChina".Obviously,thetranslationstirsupinappropriatepoliticalassociations.
3)Translationisnotelegantenough.InEnglish,"cock"usuallyhastheimpliedmeaningofacertainpartofhumanbody.Ifthebrandname“金鸡”isliterallytranslatedinto"GoldenCock",thetranslatedtermwillannihilatethegoodimageoftheproductsandleavethetargetaudiencetheimpressionofvulgarity.Infact,thereisabetterversionfor“金鸡，’-GoldenRooster.
4)TranslationbyusingChinesephoneticletterscoincideswithEnglishwordswithderogatorysense.Thetypicalexampleis“马戏扑克”.Theversion"MaxiPuke”remindstheEnglishconsumersofsomethingrevoltingandunpleasant,for"maxi"meansbiginEnglishand"puke"indicatesvomitedfoodordrink.
1.5Differencesbetweencharacterform[5]
Itisself-evidentthatvariouscountries,nationalitiesandregionsuseavarietyofcharacters.Furthermore,likesanddislikesforcertaincharactersarewidelydivergent.ItisreportedthatJapaneseareinfavorofsuchChinesecharactersas“诚”、“梦”、“爱”、“愁”and“美”whilemostChineseareaccustomedto“福”、“寿”、“喜”and“乐”.InaccordancewiththeAmericanauthorIrvingWallace,themostbeautifulEnglishwordsarechime,golden,lullaby，melodyandmurmuring,etc.SinceChineseisavisualsymbolicsystemwiththemostprecisestructureforrecordinghumanspeech,thepictographicandassociativeChinesecharactersarenotonlypotentialintransmittingmessage,butalsooffergreatadditionalaestheticfunctionsoastoarouseconsumers’positivereaction.UnlikeChinese,Englishisanalphabeticalsystemofwritingandcanhardlyproduceartisticimageonlythroughitswords.Inconsequence,itisbynomeansaneasyjobtogiveaccurateandelegantEnglishversionsfortheChineseads.
Incaseofuntranslatabilityarisingfromcharacterdifferences,advertisingtranslatorshavetoexertallstrengthstoseekothermethods,forinstance,tocreateacompletelynewadforthesameproductintendedforthetargetmarket.WhenintroducingitsproductstoChina,JapaneseToyotaAutomobileCompanyingeniouslyemploys“车到山前必有路，有路必有丰田车”tostimulateChineseconsumersintopurchases.
1.6Rhetoriccontrast[5]
Englishisrapidlybecomingtheuniversallanguageforinternationalbusiness.ItisinevitableforChineseproducerstotranslatetheiradsintoEnglishtogainaplaceontheworldmarket.RhetoricdevicesarethemostcommonlyusedtoolsinEnglishadvertisingcopywriting.TheredoexistdifferencesinrhetoricalfiguresbetweenChineseandEnglish,andthesedifferencesmayputtranslatorsinadifficultposition.Forinstance:
(4)黄河冰箱，领“鲜”一步。
Thisadadoptstherhetoricaldeviceofpun,whichisdifficulttotranslate.Thetranslatorcanhardlyrenderthemeaningwithoutsacrificingtheform,ormaintaintheoriginalflavorwithoutdistortingthemeaning.ThetranslationofrhetoricaldevicesinChineseadsisaknottyproblem,whichhasblockedthewayofmanytranslatorsofChineseads.Asstatedinthepreviouspartofthethesis,whatshouldbeborneinmindisthatcommunicationbecomeseffectiveabroadonlyafterthemessagehasbeenappropriatelytranslated.Withoutthisadequateandexpressivetranslation,itisveryunlikelytoproduceanimpactontheforeignconsumer.Therefore,theauthortriestomakeastudyoftherhetoricaldevicesusedinadvertisingEnglishtopavethewayfortheapplicationofEnglishrhetorictothetranslationofChineseads.
1.7Theinfluenceontheadvertisingtranslation
Translationisabilingualandbiculturalactivity.Thetranslatoralwaysseekstostrikeabalancebetweenthetwolanguagesandtwoculturesinvolvedintheactivity.Anyshiftofemphasisfromthesourcelanguageandculturetothetargetcounterpartsorviceversamayresultinthedifferencebetweenliteraltranslationandfreetranslation,faithfultranslationandidiomatictranslation,semantictranslationandcommunicativetranslation,word-for-wordtranslationandadaptation.Asthemajorfunctionofadvertisingistoencouragesales,i.e.,topersuadethetargetaudiencetomakeapurchase,advertisingtranslation,whichaimsatpromotingsalesontheoverseasmarket,shouldnecessarilylayitsemphasisontheoverseasaudience,i.e.,thetargetlanguagereadership.Whatshouldbefavoredinadvertisingtranslationisthemessageratherthantheform,thesenseinsteadofthewords,thespiritandnotthestructure.Inordertoconveytheoriginalmessage,rendertheprimarysenseanddisplaytherightspirit,theform,wordsandstructureofthesourceadvertisingtextcanberetainedifpossible,adaptedandevenconvertedifnecessary.Thetranslatormusttry,byhookorbycrook,toproducethecorrespondingeffect,orinotherwords,tocreatesimilarresponsefromthetargetlanguagereadership.
2.TheoreticalBackground
Twoaspectsofadvertisinglanguagewillbediscussedinthispart,theoneisaboutculturaldifferencesandtheotherisconcerningabouttheadvertisingtranslation.
2.1Relationbetweenlanguage,cultureandthought
AccordingtoBernstein,languageissomethingwhichbothinfluencescultureandisinturninfluencedbyculture,withthesecondinfluenceapparentlystrongerthanthefirst.AccordingtoBrown,cultureisreallyanintegralpartoftheinteractionbetweenlanguageandthought.Culturepatterns,customsandwaysoflifeareexpressedinlanguage;culture-specificworldviewsarereflectedinlanguage.
2.2Cultureandadvertisinglanguage
Advertisinglanguageisreflectiveofliterature,psychologyandaestheticsoftheculturalcommunity.Itcarriesmarksofinfluenceofthatculturalcommunity’straditioninitsworldviews,socialvalues,religionandthelike.Forinstance,AmericanadvertisementsmirrorAmericans’culturalpsychology-questforadventureandindividuality.Thisissuggestedbythelinguisticpreferenceforwordslikeadventure,different,fearless,exhilarating,bold,newandinnovative,whereas,thepsychologyreflectedinChineseadvertisementstendstobepursuitfor,say,kinship,perfectionandfamilyunification.
Theculturedifferencesreflectonthelanguage,especiallyontheadvertisinglanguage.Therefore,therearecertainconceptswhichcanbeactivatesbyanEnglishwordbutnotbyitsChineseequivalent.ItisquitepossiblethataChineseversionofanAmericanadvertisementmaynottriggertheintendedresponseintheChineseconsumers,andwhat’sworse,itmaynotbeunderstoodbythem.
Hence,themoreatranslatorknowsabouthowaculturalgroupviewsuchthingsashumor,interpersonalrelationship,lifeandworkstyle,themoresuccessfullyheorshewillbeabletoproduceaneffectiveadvertisementtranslation.
3.CulturalDifferencesinAdvertisingLanguage
Thefastertheeconomygrows;themoreexchangetherewillbe.Becauseoftheglobaleconomicmarket,culturedifferencescanbereflectedeverywhere.Theadvertisementistheactiveconstituentinthewholemarket,andtheadvertisinglanguageisfullofabundantculture.Soaqualifiedadvertisershouldknowclearaboutthebasicculturaldifferencesandheorshecanmakeacompetitiveadvertisement,whichcanbewellunderstoodandarousethesympatheticpurchasingaction.Thusthischapterwillexplainthebasicculturaldifferencefromthesixaspects.
3.1Monismversuspluralism[6]
Fromtheaspectofculturebasicform,Chineseculturehasthemonismviewpointandthewesternculturehasthepluralismviewpoint."Natureandhumanareinoneness"isoneofChinesephilosophyconceptsinChinesetraditionalculture.Itinsiststhatnatureandhumanshouldbeinharmony.ContrarytotheChineseculture,thewesterncultureinsistsontheviewofpluralism.Itemphasizesonthechangesanddifferencesofthematter,self-development,andenterprisingspirits.
SomeChineseadvertisementsmeettheculturepsychologyofChinesepublic,andcreatesomepreferableadvertisingwords.Forexample:
(5)天堂水沏的龙井茶，娃哈哈矿泉水茶饮料。(Beverage)
(6)天地间造化，动静皆风云。(Car)
(7)一份好奶，一片云;
远在天边，
近在你我心间……
天生的好奶，天山雪。
(FreshMilk)
Thethreeadvertisingexamplestakeadvantageoftheidea"Natureandhumanareinoneness",andcreateimagininglanguageinthewayofempathy.Themeansofartisticexpressionattractthereaders’attentionandtheadvertisementgetsitsidealeffect.TheadvertisertakestheWahahabeverageastheholywaterfromParadisebyusingametaphor."WaterfromtheParadise”comesfromthefive-thousand-year-oldChineseculture.Themythmakesthecommonwaternobleandmysterious.Theconsumersfeelitshouldbeoutofordinaryiftheybuythemerchandise.Thepure,theholyandtherichfragrantmaketheteabeveragebetheessenceofheavenandearth.Sotheproductsfascinatetheconsumerssomuchthatarousethepeople’senthusiasmandthestrongpurchasedesire.Thisadvertisementgetsitgoal.
TheEnglishadvertisementsareaffectedbythepluralismviewpointofwesternculturewhichpreferstheindividualfreedom,self-developmentandthecreativeability.Italsoencouragespeopletotransformworldandconquerthenature.Theseadvertisementshighlighttheimportanceofpersonself-development,andpublicizetheirproductsfrompointofviewofpersonality.Theyshowtheideasinwesternvaluesystemthatpeoplecanchangeeverythingandpeoplecancreateeverything.Theadvertisementsmanifestthebeliefsthatpeopleshouldpursuitthefreedomandtheself-development,andcreatethefuture.Thesesexpressionssatisfytheconsumers’personalitydevelopmentandarousethesympatheticresponses.
3.2Collectivismversusindividualism[6]
Atthevalueaspect,theChinesecultureworshipstheselflessdedication.Personalvalueliesinthededication.InChina’straditionalculture,philanthropism,kindandjusticealwaysisthesocietyvalueinworship.ToChinese,personalhappinessisinaccordancewiththecollectivebenefits.Consideration,careandlovehavebeenthestateofmindthatthepeopleemphasize.Therefore,Chinesepeoplepaymoreattentiontonationalaffairs,familyaffairs,everythingconcerned,andgivingotherswithveryconsiderateandconcerningcareisregardedasvirtue.Butinthewesternsocietyculture,peopleemphasizethecharacterpersonalfreedom,egodevelopmentandpersonalspiritofenterprise,personalbenefitsarebeyondonthecollectivebenefits.Thedifferentvaluewillreflectbyallmeansateachadlanguage.Theexampleslistedbelowcouldprove:
(8)妈妈,我又梦见了村边的小溪,梦见了
奶奶,梦见了您。妈妈,我给您捎去一样好东西。威力洗衣机,献给妈妈的爱。(威力牌洗衣机)
(9)让妻子从繁重的家务中解脱出来,这是每个丈夫的职责.
TheauthoroftheseChineseadvertisementplacesoneselfamongtheconsumers.Wecaneasilyfoundsomethingtenderandaffable.Adoptingtheempathyoffeeling,arousetheconsumer’sfamilyaffectionandfriendship.Therefore,theadreadveryhuman.Showconsiderationtotheothers,thekindandjusticeuniversallove,respecttheoldandlovetheyoung,thepeacefulfamilyhavebeenthevirtuethattheourcountrypublicizesinthetraditionalculture,Buttheseadvertisementgivethesetraditionalvirtuesforproduct,withathickaffectioncolortookintoexaggeration,makingaclaimthattheproductcanbetrustedandfeelwarmwithit.Onthecontrary,Englishadvertisementemphasizethepersonalstruggle,personfreedomandegorealization,encouragingcharacterdevelopmentisusuallyanEnglishadvertisementclaimmethod.Suchas:
(10)Lufthansa
Ourpersonalservicewillappealtoyourindividualtaste.
(LufthansaAirline)
(11)Forthemanwhomakeshisownrules.
Premier
FromJohnnieWalker
RareOldScotchwhisky,agedtoperfection.Theresultofover170yearsofexpertise.(Premierwhisky)
.3Theimplicitwayversusthedirectway
InChinesetraditionalculture,thereisapublicfeelingthatthewordsshouldbeconservativeand,implicit.Becausetheunsayingwordsareverymeaningfulandcanachieveanidealstate.IntheChinesearticles,therearesomewordsthatseemunrelated,whichhighlightthetheme.Tosomeextent,thereareafewwordsaboutthepeculiaritiesandthefunctionsoftheproducts.Forexamples:
(12)自己人，不玩虚的，贵府酒。(贵府酒)
(13)鹤舞白沙，我心飞翔。(白沙集团)
(14)朋友情谊，贵乎至诚相处，互相支持帮助。啊，滴滴香浓，意犹未尽!
(15)JUSTWHATTHEDENTISTORDERED.
Inall,Chinesenationthinkhighlyoffriendship.Sothesemeansmentionedabovecanachievethesympatheticeffect.Theadvertisementsgetthegoal.Foranotherexample:
Nowthere’ssomethingmoredentistscanrecommendforyourgumsthat’sproventohelpgetthemhealthier.CrestPlusGumCareistheonlycavityofgettingtoothpastethat’ssoeffective;it’sclinicallyproventohelpreservethegumdiseasegingivitis.(Crest佳洁士牙膏)
Fromtheadvertisementabove,itcanbeseenthatthefrank,candid,andefficientattitudes.Theadvertisersshowthepeculiaritiesandfunctionsoftheproductsstraightforwardly.Thewordsareveryreliableandconvincible.Thisdirectexpressingwayofadvertisingcomplieswiththewesternpeople’sstyleandgivesgoodimpressiontothewesternreaders.
3.4Theimagerypatternversusabstractpattern
InChinesetraditionalculture,themodeofthinkingisbelongingtotheimagerypatternmostoftime.Tosomeextent,theabstractpatternislittle.Chinesepeopleoftenputtheirfeelingsintheconcreteobjectsandthings.Whenapersonseesanobject,he/shewillthinkofanotherfamiliarperson.ThisisthecommonsenseofChinesepeople.Sotheadvertisersoftenshowacomparablyconcretesceneorananalogy,inorderthatthereaderscanthinkoftheproductseasily.
Thethoughtofwesternpeopleareusedtobeleapingandthoughtful.Theyprefertheabstractthinkingpatternthantheimagerypattern.Sotheyoftenutilizethecreativelanguage,andgivethereadersakindofnovelideasinorderthattheconsumerscangetaprofoundandfavorableimpression.Forexample:
(16)THESMOOTHERSIDEOFSUCCESS.
(J&Bwine)
(17)Minolta.Thesimplicityofintelligence.
(Minoltatypewriter)
(18)Comfort,care,dedication.
We’veputitallinourairline.---Welcometocivilizedaviation.
(SwissInternationalAirLines)
3.5Respectofauthorityversusrespectofself-performance[6]
Fromlongtimeago,Chineseculturestressesonthepublicopinion.Itinsiststhatpeopleshouldsolicitcommentsandsuggestionsfromotherpersonoutsidehis/herorganization.Anditalsoregardsthattherecordscanproveeverythingincludingthelast,thepresent,andthefuture.Theauthorityhasagreatpowertoaffectthepurchaseoftheconsumers.SothisisoneimportantfeatureofChineseadvertisements.Theadvertisersoftenenumeratethehonorsandcertificatesandletthemoccupyapivotalposition,whentheadvertisersintroducetheproductstothereaders.Forexample:
(19)上海名牌产品、IS9001国际体系认证、“中国环保产品质量信得过重点品牌”称号。干洗机1000元起价，培训技术。
(20)中国驰名商标，中国名牌，国家免检产品，优质更超值。
ButdifferentfromChineseadvertisements,Englishadvertisementshavethiskindofexpressingwayrarely.Becausetheyhavethesuccessfulrealizationofself-value.SothepracticalconsciousnessappearedhereandthereinEnglishadvertisements.
3.6Differencesocialhistorybackground.[7]
SoifonlytheadvertisersdesigntheEnglishadvertisementsbytakingtheconsumers’theessentialinterestsasthebaseandbytakingtheideaofselfvaluerealizationasthegoal.inculturecentersonthepersonalvalue,westernpeopletreattheofficialpositionastheverycommonthing.Westernculturepaysmoreattentiononthepersonalvalueandselfinterests.Itadmayleadtothedissimilarityinadvertisingtranslation.Suchasthetrademark"白熊",shoulditbetranslatedto"WhiteBear"or"PolarBear"?Thisissomethingtodowiththecurrentpolitics.Alongwiththechangeoftheinternationalpoliticalsituation,"PolarBear"(北极熊)havealreadyhadanotherextrameaning,peoplemayeasyregarditasthenicknamewhichrefertoakindofpoliticalpowerintheworld.Therefore,"WhiteBear"maybemoreacceptable.WhenJapanesecompanyToyotafirstlyenteredintotheChinesemarket,theycreatedanadvertisementslogan"WherethereisawayforcarthereisaToyota."thishasborrowedfromoneofChina’scolloquialism.ButifpublicizedintheUnitedStatesstillremainthis,itwillmakepeoplepuzzled.Hencetheychangedtheadvertisementlanguageinto"Notallcarsarecreatedequal"EveryoneknowsthehistoryoftheUnitedStatesmayunderstandthatthefirstsentenceofDeclarationofIndependenceis"Allmenarecreatedequal",Byusingthisborrowingsentence,Toyotamakeitsdeclarationthatthequalityoftheircarsismuchbetterthanothers’.
3.7Differenceofaesthetics[8]
Thepublicaestheticshasaclosetietotheadvertisementtranslation.Aestheticmindisaintegratedculturalconsciousnessinvolvingpoliticalstandpoint,religiousconcept,lifestyle,customsandhabits...etc..
ThepsychologystructureofChinesecitizenisknownas"humanity","practicality","endurance”.Theformationisspecialtoaestheticmindset,whichismainlysubjectedtotheConfucianthoughtmethodinfluenceof"thedoctrineofthemean”.Aestheticrequirestobe"astringent"andisbeautifully-paredwithwesternestheticsenseofblatantmentalism,Chineseaestheticmaycomemoreobjective.
Thewesternaestheticsemphasizesthecorpusaffectionandimaginationintuitionalbeauty.ThisdifferenceofaestheticshasresultedinthedifferencebetweenChineseandwesternadvertisementculture.Chineseshowsakindofunifiedvaluetotheirculture,theybelieveintheauthority,commonopinion,boonratherthanfact,motif,andthepersonalitycomesontopofotherfactors.Whilethewesterner’sculturalpsychologyiscomplicatedinthestructurewhichisonthebasisof“humanroot”“recognition”and“behavior”.
4.ImpactonAdvertisingTranslation
Becausetheadvertisementisaworld-wideproduct,theadvertisingtranslationisworthyofbeingmentioned.Badadvertisingtranslationcanresultinthesalesfailure.Sothischapterintroducesfourwaystodealwiththeproblemsintheadvertisingtranslation.
4.1Problemsinadvertisinglanguagetranslation
Followingtheeconomicenhancing,theeconomybecomesglobalandeverynation’sproducts,cometotheworldmarket.Therefore,theadvertisementplaysadecisiverole.SothequalityoftheadvertisementtranslationbetweenEnglishandChinesehasthedirecteffectontheproducts’saleandimageintheinternationalmarket.Culturedifferencesininternationalmarketingmakethepotentialforaglobalbrandadvertisedwithglobalmessageverylimited.Therefore,translatingofanadvertisementinoneshouldinvariablytakethetargetcultureintoaccount.Inorderthateffectivecommunicationmaytakeplace,consumers’perceivedmeaning.Themostcost-effectivewaytodothisseemstodevelopaglobalproductandcommunicationconceptandtoallowforlocaladaptationofthemessage...
4.2Requirementsofadvertisinglanguagetranslation
"Advertisingtranslationisacommercialactivitywithpredeterminedpurpose."[9](P95)Somepeopleadvocatethatcriteriaofadvertisementtranslatingarenaturalness,exactness.Thisideaisapplicabletoalmostallkindsoftranslatingpractices.Somepeopleclaimthatadvertisementtranslatingcannotfollowtheconventionaltranslatingpaths;neitherliteralismnorfree-ismwoulddo[9][10]buttheydonotaddresstheproblemfromthesameperspective;Someapproachitfromtheangelofmarketingandothers.Outoftheconsiderationofinterlingualcommunication,allgivethehintthatadvertisementtranslatingispracticallyoriented."Theverynatureandpurposeofadvertisingdeterminesadvertisingtranslatingtobemorethanconventionaltranslating.Moreoftenthannotitismoreofrewritingandrecreating.Mr.靳涵身observes,“Thework(advertisingtranslation)isrestrictedsomuchbytheproduct’smarketingstrategies,marketconditions,relevantlawsandregulations,andculturalbarriersinthetargetmarketcountriesthatinpracticeitismorecreatinganewadvertisingtextthanconventionaltranslating."Translatorcannotbetoolanguage-dependent.Ascopywritershavethelicensetomakecreativesentences,translatorsofadvertisementsalsohave,andmoreaccurately,shouldexercisethefreedomtomakecreativerenditions.ThisisnotamatterofkeepinguptoJoneses.Neithershouldbe,opinionbedismissedaseccentric.
Differentfromliterarytranslation,whichmakesapointmakesapointgivingduerespecttooriginaltextandkeepingthestyleofthesourcetextauthor,advertisementtranslationisfunction-oriented.AsdiscussedinFunctionofAdvertisingLanguage,themostimportantthingofanadvertisementisitsdirectiveorpersuasivefunction.Toputitsimply,anadvertisementissupposedtopromotesales.Likewise,itsrenditionisexpectedtohelpselltheproductorserviceinadifferentmarketingcontext.Hence,theultimatehallmarkofagoodrenditionishowwellithelpspromotesales.Nomatterhowfaithfulinformatranslationistoitsforeigncounterpart,itisafailureifitduesnotfulfillitssalespromotingtask.
4.3Somemethodsofinterculturaladvertisingtranslation
Agoodadvertisementisonethatelicitstheintendedemotioninthecustomer,whowillinturnactinanexpectedmanneraccordingly,agoodadvertisementtranslationisonethatreproducestheeffectascloselyaspossibleinthetargetcultureandinsodoingleadspotentialconsumerstobuyingaction.Everytranslatordesirestobefaithfultotheoriginal.todothis,hemustnotonlycommunicatethesameinformation,butalsoattempttoevokethesameemotionalresponseastheoriginaltextdoes.Inmanyways,theemotionaltoneofapassageisthekeytorealcommunicationeffectiveness.Theauthormaywishtocrateafeelingofurgency,persuasiveness,andtentativeness,exuberanceordespondency.Itisimportantthatthissameemotionbecommunicatedinthetranslation.Foraneffectivetransferofthetoneifthetext,thetranslatormustbewellacquaintedwithboththesourceandreceptorlanguageandculture.
Themainfunctionofadvertisementistomovethereadersandtoarousethereaders’purchasingdesire.Sodoesadvertisementtranslation."Theadvertisementtranslationnotonlysuppliestheclearandwell-understoodinformationofproductbutalsocreatesthesameatmosphereandsensetothereaders.Sotheeffectoftranslationandthefeelingofconsumersaremostimportantfocusesofadvertisingtranslation.Aadvertisingtranslatorshouldbeclearthathe/sheIsnotonlyatranslatorbutawriterwhocreatesaperfectworkwhichcanachieveagoodsale.Thentheadvertisingtranslationwillbediscussedfromtouraspectsinthefollowing,passages.
4.3.1Targetcultureorientationinconception
Advertisinglanguageisrequiredtohenovelandoriginalinconception.Theadvertisershouldchooseanobjectfromanappropriateviewofpointaccordingtothemarketstrategy.Notonlytheconceptionbutalsotheexpressionshouldbeparticularandtheadvertisementitselfshouldsetupanartisticconception,andgiveakindofemotion.Inall,thewordsshouldbeattractingandarousetheconsumers’sympatheticresponse.Andtheadvertisementtranslationshouldbeaccordingtotheseprincipalsofadvertisementlanguageinordertoachieveanidealeffect.Meaninglostinreproducingadvertisementsacrosslanguageisespeciallybigifpoorlyhandled.Furthermore.ifthetranslatordoesnottransferthesourceculturetothetargetculturewell.heorshewillnotexpressanovelandoriginalconception.Thenhowtranslatorsshouldretaintheeffectachievedthroughtheuniquelinguisticfeaturesinthetargettextisesteemedasaparticularlychallenginghardnut.Inanefforttoapproximatetheeffectoftheoriginaltextinthetargetconsumptionmarket,advertisementtranslatorfrequentlymakeupbyuseofdifferentlinguisticdevicesinthetargettext.Andeveryadvertisingtranslationshouldobeythetargetculturalprinciplesinordertomakeaculturalorientedadvertisementwhichwillbewellaccepted.Forexample
(21)Untilthelastdrop…(Nestlecoffee)
译文:滴滴香浓，意犹未尽…(雀巢咖啡)
(22)MyGoodness!MyGuinness!(Wine)
译文:此酒只应天上有!(桂尼斯酒)
(23)轻松一点，精彩无限(网站)
译文:MiraclesTouch(Web-site)
4.3.2Beingcompendiousandwidelyreadinthetargetculture
Generallyspeaking,theadvertisinglanguageisconciseandcomprehensive.Ithasstrongsenseofrhythmicandrhyming.Thosepeculiaritiescanmaketheadvertisinglanguageattractingandpopularbecauseofbeingwellread.Thenthetranslationfromonelanguagetoanother,thatistosay,fromoneculturetoanother,theadvertisementshouldbecompendiousandwidelyread.Sothetranslationmustbeaccordwiththeprinciplesoftargetculture.Andthetranslatorsshouldbefamiliarwiththeculturaldifferencesandgrasptherequirementsoftargetculture.Forexample:
(24)青而不淡，浓而不艳.
译文:Xifengwine,mellowandsmooth.
(25)Onlyyourtimeismorepreciousthanthiswatch.(Watch)
译文:手表诚可贵，时间价更高
(26)Wecarebecauseyoudo(Aninsurancecompany)
译文:关心着你的心
Thefirstadvertisingexampleisgraspingthemainideaandmakesitslanguageconciseandeasilyremembered.Chineseadvertisingisveryrhythmicandrhymedwithtwowords“淡”and“艳”.IfthetranslatortranslatestheChinesewordsonebyone,theEnglishversionwillbetediousandlosetheoriginalstyle.SothetranslatortranslatesthepithoftheseChinesewords,andalsoachievesagoodeffect.Thesecondadvertisementisaboutakindofwatch.TheChineseversionoftheEnglishadvertisementmakesfulluseofChinesepoetrywhichiswell-known,rhythmicandwellread.Thisrenditionisanimitationof“生命诚可贵，爱情价更高”，alinewrittenbyHungarianpoet.SothisChineseversionhastheglamourofpoetry.Thethirdadvertisement’sChineseversionisoriginallyalineinapopularChinesesongentitled"HandinHand",whichhasbeenvirtuallyspreadfromlipstolips.SotheChineseversionhasastrongartisticappeal.
4.3.3Employmentofdifferentlanguagedeviationdevicesofthetargetlanguage
Intranslatingcreativeadvertisementstranslatorscanadoptlanguagedeviationdevicesdifferentfromthoseusedinthesourcetext.MostlanguagedeviationdevicesinEnglishadvertisementshavecorrespondentsintheChineselanguage.Thereplacementofonedevicewithanotheroneinthetargetlanguageisoftenveryrewarding.Forexample:
(27)Growingfast(thestock)
译文:牛气冲天
(28)Thepenismightierthanthesword.ThepenisaParker.
译文:千军万马难抵大笔一挥——此笔乃派克。
(29)Outofblows,friendshipgrows.(Typewriter)
译文:不打不相识
Thefirsttranslatingexampleisverycreativebecause,foronething,itimitatestheChineseidiom“怒气冲天”，suggestiveofforceandpower;foranotherthing,“牛气”means"bullmarket",asagainst"bearmarket",apopulartermusedinstockexchange,suggestingprosperity.ThesecondEnglishadvertisinglanguagehasbeentranslatedbyusingametaphor,whichshowsthatintelligenceisbetterthanpower.AndParkerisanidealimageofintelligence.Thethirdadvertisingtranslationversionhasmadefulluseofpun.ThispieceofChineseversionisalsoanidiomwhichhaslosttheoriginalmeaning.Atthepresent,iftheconsumersusethiskindoftypewriter,itwillhelpthemtohavebetterinterrelationship.Thiskindoftranslationisveryhumorous.
4.3.4Utilizingtheeffectiveadvertisementofthetargetculture
Therearesomanyfamousandcreativeadvertisementsintheworld.Andadvertisingcampaignitselfinvolvesaprofoundelementofcompetition.Tosomeextent,translatorcanutilizesomeofthemtocreateanewone.Thisisanotherwaytopromotethesales.Thosefamousorsuccessfuladvertisinglanguagehavealreadyhadeffectiveinfluenceandtheconsumershavebeenveryfamiliarwiththoseadvertisementsandtheproducts.Soiftheadvertiserorthetranslatorhasconnectedtheiradvertisinglanguagewiththosepopularadvertisinglanguages,theiradvertisinglanguagewillbewelcometoo.Thentheproducts’promotingworkwillbeontheprosperousway.Forinstance,IBMappealedtobuyersoftheirmachinesbyITHINKTHRERFOREIBM.Thecampaignissuccessful.IBMhasmadeaglobalstatus.OneofitscompetitorsAMSTRADfollowsitcloselyandtriestoestablishitselfinthemarketbyimitatingtheIBM’slogan.ItcomeswithITHINKMORECAREFULLYTHEREFOREIAMSTRAD.ThesloganechoestheIBMsloganandatthesametimehintsthatiftheconsumerschooserationally,he/shechooseAmstrad.The"Don’tshowmeanyother.ButshowmeBlackSister"campaignoftoothpastebrandBlackSisterisanotherillustrativeexampleBlackSistersloganintheAmericanmarketcleverlyimitatestheEnglishsloganofafamousglassgoodsmanufacture,whichgoes,”Don’tshowmethecrystal.ShowmeGalway."TheBlackSisteradvertisingcampaignmightnotbeassuccessfulasexpected,fortheestablishmentofabrandinthemarketiscomplexandgradualprocess,whichadvertisingalonecannotrealize.However,itmakesagoodstart.ItsassociationwiththeGalwayisverylikelytoarousetheinterestoftheAmericanconsumer.Thesamething,ifthetranslatoradoptssomefamousadvertisementswhichhavealreadybeenwelcomeinthetargetculturebecausetheconsumershavetheconfidenceontheproductsadvertisedexpectingthattheproductsareasgoodasthosegoodones,heorshewillreceivethegoodeffect.Belowaremoreexamplesofthetype.
(30)Justdoit.(Nike)
译文:心动不如行动
(参照的是:心动不如行动-travelagency)
(31)带给您无限精彩((awebsite)
译文:Wherewonderneverceases
(参照的是:Wheremiraclesnevercease-Casio)
However,advertisingisakindofmarketingpractice,whichisdisciplinedbymarketinglawsandregulations.Imitatingwithouttheleastvariationsrunstheriskofinfringingtheintellectualright.Thisfrequentlyhappenswiththetranslationofbrandnames.Registeredbrandnamesareprotectedbyrelevantlawsandregulations.Therefore,translatorsmustbeverycarefulnotrenderabrandnameintosomethingexactlythesameaswhatalreadyexistsinthetargetlanguagemarket.Moreover,frequentimitationtendstoresultintriteness.Itisquitepossiblethatpeopleknowtheadvertisementitselfwithoutknowingwhatitexactlysells.
5.Conclusion
Advertisingisanimplicitformofpersuasion.Languageandculturaldifferencescanbereflectedfromtheadvertisinglanguage.Thispaperhasshownthatlanguageandculturedifferencescaninfluencetheadvertisementfromsomanyaspects.OnthebasisofanalyzingtheproblemswhichhasappearedintheadvertisementtranslationbetweenChineseandEnglishlanguage,thispapersuggeststherequirementsandmethodsofadvertisementtranslationnowadays.
Tomakeagoodadvertisementandtoinfluencethebehaviorofpotentialcustomerstowardapredetermineddirection,theadvertiserstrytoproducememorableandattractingworks.Followingtheeconomicgrowing,themarketbecomesaglobaloneandthecompetitionbecomesmoredrastic.Somakingclearofthefeaturesofeachcultureisthemosturgenttasktoadvertisers."DoasRomansdo"theadvertisementshouldbedesignedaccordingtothenation-specificculture.Onlyiftheadvertisersdoso,thisadvertisementcanachieveitsgoalthatitcansatisfytheconsumers,andhelptheproducttobewellsold.Thus,asthetranslator,heorsheshouldknowthenation-specificculturefurther,graspthepityandmakefulluseofit.
Thegoalofadvertisingtranslationistopersuadetargetlanguageconsumerstobuyaproductorservice.Toattractandcommunicatetotheminawaythatproducesthisdesiredresult,translatorsmustacquaintthemselveswithtargetlanguageconsumer’swayofthinking,withthosefactorsthatmotivatethemtobuy,andwiththeenvironmentwheretheylive.Inthissenseadvertisingtranslatingismoreofamarketingpractice.Agoodadvertisementtranslatormustbeafirstartisticwriter.Heorshemustfirstbeabletoknowclearabouttheculturaldifference;andthentoidentifytheculturalconstraintsinagivenadvertisement;thelastistofacilitateacross-culturecommunicationbyovercomingtheobstaclesetbytheconstraints.Inall,agoodadvertisercandothecontributiontotheproducts’sale.
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