经贸翻译与实践-10商标翻译.ppt

经贸翻译与实践,第十讲 ：商标的翻译 俞利军,I. Trademarks,Definition 1. It is the sign or mark on a commodity or the package. 2. It is used to distinguish a good from similar commodities. 3. The components are characters, patterns or the combination of the two.,I. Trademarks,商标的定义 能够将一个企业的商品或者服务同其他企业的商品或者服务区别开来的标志。 是一种用于商品上或者服务中的特定标记，消费者通过这种标记，识别或者确认该商品、服务的生产经营者和服务提供者。,I. Trademarks,Functions 1. Distinguishing the product 2. Stimulating consumption 3. Providing information of the product: producer, birthplace, material or function 4. Symbolizing the credit and reputation of the enterprise,I. Trademarks,Origins of Trademarks 1. Common nouns 1) Descriptive of the function, raw materials, quality of the commodity 2) Suggestive of commodity information by way of some symbol 3) Irrelevant to the distinctive aspects of the commodity, but offering a feeling or creating an atmosphere for customers to build up connection between the trademark and the commodity,I. Trademarks,Origins of Trademarks 2. Proper nouns: including names of persons, places or organizations English trademarks more often resort to names of persons: Eg. Goodyear (after the inventor of rubber tire, Charles Goodyear. ) Chinese trademarks more often resort to names of places: Eg. Yang Zi(扬子) refrigerators,I. Trademarks,Origins of Trademarks 3. Invented words: helping brand names to be distinctive and appealing. Being ideographic, Chinese is allowed much less possibility of coined words for trademarks, but creation works as well when brand names are translated into English. Eg. Youngor (invented on the basis of younger ),I. Trademarks,Motivations of invented trademarks 1) Sound symbolism Eg. “Marlboro”, with the first vowel a: strong and suggestive of large appeals to men customers; “Skitties ”, with two i in the name greatly enhancing the sweets being small and crisp, attracts children. “斯，诗，丽，莉，琪，碧” are frequently employed in translating foreign trademarks for womens product.,I. Trademarks,Motivations of invented trademarks 2) Rhetorical figures: recruited to intensify trademarks beauty in sound Eg. Pif Paf (mosquito liquid): onomatopoeia Maxam: palindrome (回文), enjoying brevity and strong visual impact, and resulting super memorability and favorable meaning similar to maxim.,I. Trademarks,Motivations of invented trademarks 3) Sexual difference：Some suffixes are derived from feminine suffixes in Latin, French, etc. to show female charm, such as -a from Latin，-ele from French and -enne，-que，-ss, etc. Eg. Clinque i ： sound symbol -que: feminine suffix,I. Trademarks,Motivations of invented trademarks 4) Human psychology and graphic features A trademark is preferable when it includes an impressive image. Eg. Rolex or Timex: with the allomorph -ex，stir up responses in human brain that the product is accurate and superior.,I. Trademarks,Features of trademarks 1) differential feature Expected to create dissimilarities among commodities, trademarks being brief and original is highly emphasized.,I. Trademarks,Features of trademarks 3) Legitimate feature When doing translation of trademarks, bearing in mind that no one is entitled, whether consciously or unconsciously, to use the same trademark or imitate the one that has already been given legal protection.,II. Trademark Translation,Significance of Trademark Translation Product publicity is an important means of international economic competition. Successful translation of trademarks could yield significant economic benefits, while poor translation might not only cause serious economic losses to a marketer or a country but also directly affect their images.,II. Trademark Translation,The Goal of Trademark Translation Brand name translation is to create desirable names for publicizing their products, and at the same time they should be accepted and appreciated by target consumers.,I. Trademarks,Features of trademarks 2) Cultural feature Well-meant and elegant words are favored for Chinese trademarks Western trademarks are allowed words in a much wider range. When translating foreign trademarks into Chinese, acceptance of the Chinese consumers need to be seriously considered.,II. Trademark Translation,The Principles of Trademark Translation In trademark translation, its crucial for receptors (customers) to understand and appreciate the translated text. Trademark translation should always conform to the habitual use of target language, as well as cultural and aesthetic psychology of customers in the target market.,II. Trademark Translation,Strategies of Trademark Translation 1.Trademark translation need to be culture-oriented Trademarks are culture-loaded words used in the process of commercial operation, over-emphasis on faithfulness in trademark translation often results in awkwardness or even communication failure. Trademark translation is a cross-cultural communication, which involves the study of languages, regional cultures, consumers mentality and aesthetic appreciation.,II. Trademark Translation,Strategies of Trademark Translation 1. Trademark translation need to be culture-oriented Eg. “narcissus” used as trademark name as the symbol of happiness in Asia. often related with narcissism, narcissistic and self-love in England,II. Trademark Translation,Strategies of Trademark Translation 2. Trademark translation need to address different thinking model and social psychology between the Chinese and the English, using commendatory terms based on consumer psychological needs. Eg. Giant (bicycle): 捷安特 (The Chinese name well satisfies Chinese peoples preference for words of good luck.),II. Trademark Translation,Strategies of Trademark Translation 3. Trademark translation need to resort to brief phrasing and plain wording. Eg. 报春花: Spring Flower (instead of Calling Spring Flower) 红梅: Plum Blossom (instead of Red Plum Blossom),II. Trademark Translation,Strategies of Trademark Translation 4. Trademark translation need to correctly inform consumers by proper market positioning . Eg. Coldrex:咳立治(instead of “可立治”, which implies nothing about the function of the medicine ) Milo:麦露 (instead of “美禄 ”, clearly indicating the ingredients and special properties of the product as a beverage ),II. Trademark Translation,Strategies of Trademark Translation 5. Trademark translation need to resort to brief and impressive version for vivid and distinct image. Eg. Greyhound: 灰狗 (a gray swiftly running dog as a loyal friend of mankind, well presenting the reliable image of the bus corporation),II. Trademark Translation,Techniques of Trademark Translation 1. Literal Translation When both denotative and connotative meanings of brand names will not lead to misreading When translating those trademarks with beautiful implication and pleasant images The following trademarks imply the special features of the product and perform a function of sales promotion.,II. Trademark Translation,Techniques of Trademark Translation 1. Literal Translation Eg. Miracle (perfume): 奇迹(香水) Blue Ribbon (beer): 蓝带 (啤酒) Golden Cup(金杯) 钻石(手表):Diamond (watches) 月季：Chinese Rose 梅花：Plum Blossom,II. Trademark Translation,Techniques of Trademark Translation 2. Transliteration When tackling the trademarks originated from proper nouns or invented words When the brand name features similarity in pronunciation, and the phonic aesthetic feeling, exotic taste and the genuineness are expected to be preserved desirably.,II. Trademark Translation,Techniques of Trademark Translation 2. Transliteration E-C Eg. Hennessy (France-made wine): 轩尼诗 Olympus(cameras):奥林巴斯(照相机) Cartier(watches):卡蒂亚(手表),II. Trademark Translation,2. Transliteration The influence of Cantonese on E-C transliteration Hong Kong is the place where commodities are turned over, thus sometimes trademarks are translated by Hong Kong people first and then spread to the mainland via Guangdong. Eg. Mild Seven(cigarettes):万事发 (香烟) Dunhill(mens clothing):登喜路(男装),II. Trademark Translation,2. Transliteration The influence of Chinese on E-C transliteration Many Chinese trademarks consist of just two characters, while English trademarks vary greatly in length, sometimes having as many as five syllables. Eg. McDonalds: 麦当劳(而不是“麦克唐纳德”).,II. Trademark Translation,2. Transliteration C-E Eg.香格里拉(酒店) : Shangri-la (hotel) 敦煌(茶具)：TunHuang (tea sets),II. Trademark Translation,Techniques of Trademark Translation 2. Transliteration C-E Sometimes Chinese brand names are translated according to the alphabetic system invented by Thomas Wade: Eg. Kweichow Moutai(贵州茅台) Chuyeh Chiew(竹叶靑酒) Tsingtao beer(靑岛啤酒),II. Trademark Translation,2. Transliteration E-C The biggest problem with transliteration is its elusiveness to receptors (customers), failing to convey any meaning. Thus preferably the transformation involves the transmission of meaning, information and content. Eg. Goodyear (tires): 固特异 (better received than “古德异尔”),II. Trademark Translation,Techniques of Trademark Translation 3. Literal Translation plus Transliteration When the English term is capable of expressing the same meaning as what the Chinese version means with similar pronunciation. Eg. Barbie: 芭比娃娃 Olay: 玉兰油,II. Trademark Translation,Techniques of Trademark Translation 4. Homophone Translation When the semantic and phonetic features of the brand name are required to take into consideration simultaneously. Eg. 非常可乐: Future Cola Lancome: 兰寇 Avon: 雅芳 (named after the river in Shakespeares hometown and is translated into “elegant flowers” rather than more phonetically loyal “埃文”),II. Trademark Translation,Techniques of Trademark Translation 5. Recreative Translation There is, in principle, the re-creative translation that might be considered appropriate for publicity and propaganda, since the situation is more important than the language. -Peter Newmark,II. Trademark Translation,5. Recreative Translation E-C Eg. Hismanal (an anti-allergy drug): 息斯敏 Dakmane (a sleeping pill): 带尔眠 Tyvek: 特卫强(Te Vei Qiang), replacing original “泰维克” and reflecting fully, with the word “强” (strong) the intensity and toughness of the wallpaper.,II. Trademark Translation,5. Recreative Translation C-E Eg. 1) Affixation 明目(an eye-protect