中西方文化差异对商标名称翻译的影响

摘　要

商标是一种特殊的语言符号，是商品显着特征的浓缩，是商品文化的核心部分，是企业参与国际竞争的有力武器。它既是标识，又是诱饵。其最终目的是为招揽顾客，出售商品。商标翻译符合符号学的翻译观，是由解码到编码的过程，是两种文化的移植。好的商标翻译可以给企业带来巨大的财富；反之，糟糕的商标翻译可以让企业损失惨重，所以企业的生死存亡与商标翻译息息相关。同时商标翻译能够拓宽语言学研究空间，丰富语言学的内涵，促进语言理论研究与实际应用的有机结合。在分析的基础上，本文总结出一些有关文化差异影响下的商标翻译以及相关的翻译策略。

关键词：商标；翻译；文化；策略

Abstract

Trademark is a special symbol of language. It is the concentration of commodities with distinct characteristics and reflects the society’s culture. It is also a powerful weapon for enterprises to participate in international competitions. It is not only a logo, but also a lure. The ultimate goal of the trademark is to attract customers and sell goods. Trademark translation conforms to the conception of semiology. Trademark translation is the process from decoding to coding and the process of re-creating and further processing. Therefore, trademark translation is a transplantation of two kinds of cultures. A good trademark translation may bring great wealth to the enterprise. Conversely, companies will suffer heavy losses with bad trademark translation. Thus, the success of enterprises is closely related to the trademark translation. Meanwhile, trademark translation can broaden the linguistic research space, enrich the connotation of linguistics and promote the organic integration of the linguistic theory and practical application. Based on the analysis, this paper naturally comes to a conclusion about the trademark translation under the impact of cultural differences. And this paper also comes up with different strategies to translate trademarks.

Key words: trademark; translation; culture; strategies

Table of Contents

摘 要 ………………………………………………………………………...I

Abstract …………………………………………………………………….II

1 Introduction ………………………………………………………………1

1.1 The necessity for the translation of trademark ………………..………….1

1.2 Principles for translating Chinese trademarks……………………………………..….1

2 The preconditions and methods for foreign brand name translation... ……………………………………………………………………………….2

2.1 Preconiditions and methods of foreign brand name translation ………………………2

2.1.1 Catering to the mentality Chinese consumers………………………………………2

2.1.2 The translation of the brand name should try to reflect what the product is and its features …………………………………………………………………………………….2

2.2 Methods for Foreign Brand Name Translation..............................................................2

2.2.1 Literal translaiton ……………………………………………………………….......2

2.2.2 transliteration ……………………………………………………………………….2

2.3 Paraphrase…………………………………………………….....................................2

3 The need and principles of translation……………………………….....…3

3.1 Translation of a brand name is as important as its original name………………..........3

3.2 Translation is regarded as a medium of communication, making the translation of brand names significant in the commodity trade.................................................................3

3.3 Functional equivalence………………………………………………………………..3

3.4 Requirements of functional equivalence……………………………………… ……..3

4 Cultural associations of trademarks and translating problems...........….…4

4.1 Cultural associations……………………………………………………………….....4

4.2 Problems in translating Chinese brand names…………………………………….….4

5 Conclusion ……………………………………………………………….5

Bibliography ……………………………………………………………….6