商标翻译.docx

1、商标翻译AcknowledgementsFirst and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, ZHANG Shunsheng, a respectable, responsible and resourceful scholar, without whose unceasing support and patient guidance, the present thesis would not have come into being. Im often inspired by hi

2、s great knowledge and personality, from which I have learnt more than what has been expected from this study, and Im sure they will benefit me all my life. Furthermore，I shall extend my thanks to the other teachers of School of Foreign Languages, especially CHEN Guang-ping and LIU Zhao-xiang, who ha

3、ve given me invaluable help from the start of writing this thesis. Without their unselfish help and encouragement, the challenge of finishing this thesis alone is beyond imagination.Last but not least, Id also like to take this opportunity to convey my sincere thanks to my friends, especially my roo

4、mmates, DING Yajun and CHEN Bo for the great experience they have shared with me as well as their precious suggestions and support. 摘 要随着经济全球化进程的加快，诸多企业经营逐步走向国际化，商标翻译对于企业成功将其产品推向新市场的重要性不言而喻。目前已有不少翻译专家、学者针对商标翻译做了研究和探索，由于角度的不同，形成了诸多流派，然而它们普遍存在着一些局限性。而20世纪90年代晚期由维索尔伦提出的顺应论，能很好地适应语言及商标本身的特性，且符合商标翻译的要求，能

5、够对成功的商标翻译起到良好的指导性作用。关键词: 顺应论；商标翻译；文化 AbstractUnder the rapid speed of the globalization process and the internationalization process of worldly companies, the importance of trademarks translation to the success of the companies products in foreign markets is self-evident. So far, there have been a g

6、reat number of experts and scholars studying and exploring the ways and methods of trademarks translation; due to their different starting points and perspectives, lots of academics groups have emerged. However, some limitations are prevalent in these studies. Adaptation Theory, which was introduced

7、 by Jef Verschueren in the late 1990s, can adapt to the particularity of language, culture and trademarks better than the other theories, and therefore can play a vital guiding role in trademarks translation. Key words: Adaptation Theory; trademarks translation; cultureContentsIntroduction 11. An Ov

8、erview of Trademarks Translation and Adaptation Theory 21.1 The Definition and Functions of Trademarks 31.2 The Significance of Trademarks and Their Translation 31.3 The Characteristics of Trademarks Translation 41.4 The Content of Adaptation Theory 42. The Criteria of Trademarks Translation 52.1 Ea

9、sy to Memorize 52.2 Distinctive from Similar Products 52.3 Indicative of the Products Characteristics 62.4 Sustainable in the Long Term 62.5 Relevant to the Original Trademarks 62.5.1 Phonetic Relevance 72.5.2 Semantic Relevance . 72.5.3 Symbolic Relevance . 83. Translating Strategies of Trademarks

10、from Adaptation Theorys Perspective 93.1 Product-oriented Adaptation 93.2 Political System-oriented Adaptation 103.3 Aesthetic Sense-oriented Adaptation 113.4 Culture-oriented Adaptation 113.5 Consumers Psychology-oriented Adaptation 13Conclusion 14References 16Translating Strategies of English Trad

11、emarks from the Perspective of Adaptation TheoryIntroductionThe trademark, as an efficient tool for companies to advertise and promote their products, has specific symbolic meaning as well as profound indicative meanings and embraces unique commercial and cultural information. It is not only regarde

12、d as a window dressing of the products being sold, but also a guide for consumers to know and purchase products, providing great business opportunities to its owners, i.e. the companies. Therefore, in modern society, the trademark plays a significantly vital role in business competition, especially

13、in the global sense. The international companies have then attached great importance to translating their trademarks so as to stimulate the consumption of their goods in new foreign markets. With the trend of globalization of world economy and Chinas successful entry into WTO, various foreign produc

14、ts flood increasingly into Chinas market, leaving a much fiercer competition. Thus, how to translate the trademarks into Chinese perfectly becomes every companys first concern. The number of trademarks registered in China by foreign companies has been growing really fast these years. Statistics in t

15、he Annual Development Report on Chinas Trademark Strategy 2010 published by China Trademark Office (CTMO 2011:133) show that in the year 2010, the number of trademarks registered in China by foreign companies is 108,510, which has increased by 58.5% more than that in 2009, and 240.5% more than that

16、in 2008. By the year 2010, a total of 523,842 foreign companies have registered their trademarks in China. Although not all of these numbers represent the Chinese trademarks that have been registered by foreign companies (some are still in foreign language), to some degree, they indicate the importa

17、nce and urgency for the translation of foreign trademarks.In the past thirty years, numerous scholars and researchers have been studying the translation of trademarks and made considerable explorations in the field of trademarks translation in different aspects. The author of the present thesis has

18、collected more than twenty essays related to trademarks translation which have been published in the past ten years in the three leading translation journals in China (namely Chinese Translators Journal, Chinese Science & Technology Translators Journal, and Shanghai Journal of Translators) and some

19、other academic journals. In these studies, the author has noticed that most of these essays are based on the theories like Functional Equivalence Theory(Nida 1964), Semantic Translation Theory(Newmark 1981), or “Faithfulness, Expressiveness and Elegance” proposed by YAN Fu(January,1854), etc, which

20、have already been proved to be defective. For example:1) Due to the sharp difference between the source language and the target language, the complete functional equivalence is far from reliable both theoretically and practically; therefore, consumers would not accept the translated trademarks, and

21、hence the goal of trademarks would not be realized.2) Some translation studies rely too much on the notion of being loyal to the source language, and therefore lack the creativeness and restrict the development of trademarks translation.3) Some of the previous studies are only concerned with the spe

22、cific translating skills and methods by merely discussing the examples of translated trademarks rather than analyzing the translation on a theoretical basis，hence lacking theoretical considerations.Given these situations, the new pragmatic theory-Adaptation Theory may well be a better choice for tra

23、demarks translation due to its great flexibility. This theory makes a break-through of the concept of traditional translating theories, and provides a new perspective to trademarks translation. Accordingly, this thesis focuses on discussing a better trademarks translating strategy in the light of Ve

24、rschuerens Adaptation Theory.This thesis consists of four parts. Part One mainly talks about the significance and some characteristics of trademarks translation, and introduces Adaptation Theory, including its origin as well as its central points. Part Two, by employing both successful and unsuccess

25、ful translation examples, discusses the five criteria of trademarks translation. Part Three, proposes the translating strategy of English trademarks by elucidating the five modes of Adaptation Theory. Part Four is the conclusion of this thesis, in which the author has brought about his view towards

26、the orientation of trademarks translation in the near future.1 An Overview of Trademarks Translation and Adaptation Theory With the rapid development of global economy, trademarks as well as their translations impact on the success of business has been recognized by more and more entrepreneurs. Howe

27、ver, to translate trademarks well is not a simple task, for the translators should first of all acquaint a good understanding of the functions and characteristics of trademarks. Thereafter, they must find some guiding theories, for example, Adaptation Theory.1.1 The Definition and Functions of Trade

28、marksA trademark, as defined in the New Oxford Dictionary of English(Pearsall et al 2001:1964), is a symbol, word or words legally registered or established by use as representing a company or product. The best trademarks, which are instantly recognizable, usually conjure up in the minds of existing

29、 or potential customers things like quality, dependability, or at the very least the source of the goods or services being bought. Examples of well-known trademarks are: Coca-Cola(the trademark of the worlds biggest soft drink company), Nike(the trademark of the worlds most popular manufacturer of s

30、portswear), and Google(the trademark of the internet company whos search engine owns the most users in the world). When consumers hear or see these trademarks, the images of the companies as well as their products or services will be formed swiftly and directly in consumers minds, and they have an u

31、nneglectable impact on consumers decision since there are so many choices in the market. 1.2 The Significance of Trademarks and Trademarks TranslationOne of the principal aims of a business is to build up the reputation of its goods or services. If a trademark is properly promoted and protected, it

32、can be a very valuable asset for any business and can be worth much more than the bricks and mortar of a business in some circumstances. Then, people may ask, “How valuable is a trademark?” Today, there has been much talk about “the shop front” and “the High Street.” These terms are used colloquially to refer to business visibility and company profile. To provide some indication of the value of a trademark one needs to look no further than Coca-Cola, which is immediately recognizable, for it is not only an icon for capitalism and private enterprise, but