英漢語言文化差異對廣告翻譯影響
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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】廣告作為文化的產(chǎn)物，可以更直接地展示語言和文化的關(guān)系，所以廣告語言是一門具有濃郁文化色彩與時(shí)代特點(diǎn)的藝術(shù)形式。本文對中、英廣告語言進(jìn)行了探討，揭示了中英廣告的語言在語音、語義、文字形式及修辭等方面的差異以及文化差異。然后，文章分析了廣告語言翻譯中存在的問題，從文化的角度提出了有關(guān)廣告翻譯的藝術(shù)的有效方法。
因?yàn)槿虻慕?jīng)濟(jì)一體化，所以廣告語言涉及了大量的文化知識。既然廣告語言的目的是勸導(dǎo)目標(biāo)消費(fèi)者購買其產(chǎn)品或服務(wù)，那么充分理解中西文化差異就成了一項(xiàng)舉足輕重的任務(wù)。本文從六個方面進(jìn)行分析，它們依次是一元論和多元論、集體主義和個人主義、含蓄和率直、形象和抽象、權(quán)威意識從眾心理和自身功效自身價(jià)值、社會歷史背景、審美方式等差異。
中英廣告的互譯中，有許多不理想的實(shí)例，有的甚至導(dǎo)致了銷售挫折.本文分析了問題的原因，主要是在于當(dāng)今廣告翻譯同樣蘊(yùn)藏著大量的文化，而譯者卻沒有足夠的文化的駕馭能力，太拘泥于原文表層。事實(shí)上，廣告的翻譯不是簡單地把句子翻譯出來。翻譯人員要充分運(yùn)用目標(biāo)文化知識，把句子后而所承載的思想、概念尤其是文化傳遞給譯入語的目標(biāo)消費(fèi)者。所以本文旨從廣告語言文化差異的角度出發(fā)介紹幾種英漢廣告互譯的方法。
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)境內(nèi)西湖如明鏡，千峰凝翠，洞壑幽深，風(fēng)光綺麗。
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)，“獨(dú)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“礁紅”，“成片”，and“如銀”，andfour-characterphraseslike“玲瓏小巧”，and“如詩如畫”areemployedtomakethetranslatedversionreadbeautiful.
“座座島嶼玲瓏小巧，緊密相連，像一串珍珠綴成的項(xiàng)鏈，環(huán)繞著半島邊緣。
島上珊瑚礁紅，椰樹成片，沙灘如銀，景色如詩如畫。
“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)"東芝(Toshiba),東芝(Toshiba),大家的東芝”.Thisisaadvertisinglyric.Thefirst“東芝”istranslatedintothesound"Toshiba".Henceyoungpeoplejokinglyreaditas“偷去吧，偷去吧，大家的東西”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“大鵬”isrenderedas"ROC",whichisasortofgiantbirdinArabicfables.However,"ROC"happenstobetheabbreviationof"RepublicofChina".Obviously,thetranslationstirsupinappropriatepoliticalassociations.
3)Translationisnotelegantenough.InEnglish,"cock"usuallyhastheimpliedmeaningofacertainpartofhumanbody.Ifthebrandname“金雞”isliterallytranslatedinto"GoldenCock",thetranslatedtermwillannihilatethegoodimageoftheproductsandleavethetargetaudiencetheimpressionofvulgarity.Infact,thereisabetterversionfor“金雞，’-GoldenRooster.
4)TranslationbyusingChinesephoneticletterscoincideswithEnglishwordswithderogatorysense.Thetypicalexampleis“馬戲撲克”.Theversion"MaxiPuke”remindstheEnglishconsumersofsomethingrevoltingandunpleasant,for"maxi"meansbiginEnglishand"puke"indicatesvomitedfoodordrink.
1.5Differencesbetweencharacterform[5]
Itisself-evidentthatvariouscountries,nationalitiesandregionsuseavarietyofcharacters.Furthermore,likesanddislikesforcertaincharactersarewidelydivergent.ItisreportedthatJapaneseareinfavorofsuchChinesecharactersas“誠”、“夢”、“愛”、“愁”and“美”whilemostChineseareaccustomedto“?！薄ⅰ皦邸?、“喜”and“樂”.InaccordancewiththeAmericanauthorIrvingWallace,themostbeautifulEnglishwordsarechime,golden,lullaby，melodyandmurmuring,etc.SinceChineseisavisualsymbolicsystemwiththemostprecisestructureforrecordinghumanspeech,thepictographicandassociativeChinesecharactersarenotonlypotentialintransmittingmessage,butalsooffergreatadditionalaestheticfunctionsoastoarouseconsumers’positivereaction.UnlikeChinese,Englishisanalphabeticalsystemofwritingandcanhardlyproduceartisticimageonlythroughitswords.Inconsequence,itisbynomeansaneasyjobtogiveaccurateandelegantEnglishversionsfortheChineseads.
Incaseofuntranslatabilityarisingfromcharacterdifferences,advertisingtranslatorshavetoexertallstrengthstoseekothermethods,forinstance,tocreateacompletelynewadforthesameproductintendedforthetargetmarket.WhenintroducingitsproductstoChina,JapaneseToyotaAutomobileCompanyingeniouslyemploys“車到山前必有路，有路必有豐田車”tostimulateChineseconsumersintopurchases.
1.6Rhetoriccontrast[5]
Englishisrapidlybecomingtheuniversallanguageforinternationalbusiness.ItisinevitableforChineseproducerstotranslatetheiradsintoEnglishtogainaplaceontheworldmarket.RhetoricdevicesarethemostcommonlyusedtoolsinEnglishadvertisingcopywriting.TheredoexistdifferencesinrhetoricalfiguresbetweenChineseandEnglish,andthesedifferencesmayputtranslatorsinadifficultposition.Forinstance:
(4)黃河冰箱，領(lǐng)“鮮”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)天堂水沏的龍井茶，娃哈哈礦泉水茶飲料。(Beverage)
(6)天地間造化，動靜皆風(fēng)云。(Car)
(7)一份好奶，一片云;
遠(yuǎn)在天邊，
近在你我心間……
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)媽媽,我又夢見了村邊的小溪,夢見了
奶奶,夢見了您。媽媽,我給您捎去一樣好東西。威力洗衣機(jī),獻(xiàn)給媽媽的愛。(威力牌洗衣機(jī))
(9)讓妻子從繁重的家務(wù)中解脫出來,這是每個丈夫的職責(zé).
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，不玩虛的，貴府酒。(貴府酒)
(13)鶴舞白沙，我心飛翔。(白沙集團(tuán))
(14)朋友情誼，貴乎至誠相處，互相支持幫助。啊，滴滴香濃，意猶未盡!
(15)JUSTWHATTHEDENTISTORDERED.
Inall,Chinesenationthinkhighlyoffriendship.Sothesemeansmentionedabovecanachievethesympatheticeffect.Theadvertisementsgetthegoal.Foranotherexample:
Nowthere’ssomethingmoredentistscanrecommendforyourgumsthat’sproventohelpgetthemhealthier.CrestPlusGumCareistheonlycavityofgettingtoothpastethat’ssoeffective;it’sclinicallyproventohelpreservethegumdiseasegingivitis.(Crest佳潔士牙膏)
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)上海名牌產(chǎn)品、IS9001國際體系認(rèn)證、“中國環(huán)保產(chǎn)品質(zhì)量信得過重點(diǎn)品牌”稱號。干洗機(jī)1000元起價(jià)，培訓(xùn)技術(shù)。
(20)中國馳名商標(biāo)，中國名牌，國家免檢產(chǎn)品，優(yōu)質(zhì)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"(北極熊)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)
譯文:滴滴香濃，意猶未盡…(雀巢咖啡)
(22)MyGoodness!MyGuinness!(Wine)
譯文:此酒只應(yīng)天上有!(桂尼斯酒)
(23)輕松一點(diǎn)，精彩無限(網(wǎng)站)
譯文:MiraclesTouch(Web-site)
4.3.2Beingcompendiousandwidelyreadinthetargetculture
Generallyspeaking,theadvertisinglanguageisconciseandcomprehensive.Ithasstrongsenseofrhythmicandrhyming.Thosepeculiaritiescanmaketheadvertisinglanguageattractingandpopularbecauseofbeingwellread.Thenthetranslationfromonelanguagetoanother,thatistosay,fromoneculturetoanother,theadvertisementshouldbecompendiousandwidelyread.Sothetranslationmustbeaccordwiththeprinciplesoftargetculture.Andthetranslatorsshouldbefamiliarwiththeculturaldifferencesandgrasptherequirementsoftargetculture.Forexample:
(24)青而不淡，濃而不艷.
譯文:Xifengwine,mellowandsmooth.
(25)Onlyyourtimeismorepreciousthanthiswatch.(Watch)
譯文:手表誠可貴，時(shí)間價(jià)更高
(26)Wecarebecauseyoudo(Aninsurancecompany)
譯文:關(guān)心著你的心
Thefirstadvertisingexampleisgraspingthemainideaandmakesitslanguageconciseandeasilyremembered.Chineseadvertisingisveryrhythmicandrhymedwithtwowords“淡”and“艷”.IfthetranslatortranslatestheChinesewordsonebyone,theEnglishversionwillbetediousandlosetheoriginalstyle.SothetranslatortranslatesthepithoftheseChinesewords,andalsoachievesagoodeffect.Thesecondadvertisementisaboutakindofwatch.TheChineseversionoftheEnglishadvertisementmakesfulluseofChinesepoetrywhichiswell-known,rhythmicandwellread.Thisrenditionisanimitationof“生命誠可貴，愛情價(jià)更高”，alinewrittenbyHungarianpoet.SothisChineseversionhastheglamourofpoetry.Thethirdadvertisement’sChineseversionisoriginallyalineinapopularChinesesongentitled"HandinHand",whichhasbeenvirtuallyspreadfromlipstolips.SotheChineseversionhasastrongartisticappeal.
4.3.3Employmentofdifferentlanguagedeviationdevicesofthetargetlanguage
Intranslatingcreativeadvertisementstranslatorscanadoptlanguagedeviationdevicesdifferentfromthoseusedinthesourcetext.MostlanguagedeviationdevicesinEnglishadvertisementshavecorrespondentsintheChineselanguage.Thereplacementofonedevicewithanotheroneinthetargetlanguageisoftenveryrewarding.Forexample:
(27)Growingfast(thestock)
譯文:牛氣沖天
(28)Thepenismightierthanthesword.ThepenisaParker.
譯文:千軍萬馬難抵大筆一揮——此筆乃派克。
(29)Outofblows,friendshipgrows.(Typewriter)
譯文:不打不相識
Thefirsttranslatingexampleisverycreativebecause,foronething,itimitatestheChineseidiom“怒氣沖天”，suggestiveofforceandpower;foranotherthing,“牛氣”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)
譯文:心動不如行動
(參照的是:心動不如行動-travelagency)
(31)帶給您無限精彩((awebsite)
譯文:Wherewonderneverceases
(參照的是: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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