Discussing the appreciation of commercial advertising translation under the cross-cultural background

Paper keywords: cross-cultural advertising translation

Paper abstract In today's society where economic development is becoming increasingly integrated, advertising As a way to spread information, it strengthens the exchange of Eastern and Western cultures. This article analyzes and appreciates typical cases of advertising translation in cross-cultural contexts, thereby deepening English learners' knowledge and understanding of commercial advertising translation.

Introduction

Cross-cultural communication is cross-cultural communication (or inter-cultural communication). It refers to the communication between native speakers and non-native speakers, and also refers to the communication between any people who have differences in language and cultural background. In today's increasingly developed world economy, advertising, as a way of disseminating information, is not only an exchange between two languages, but also an exchange between two cultures. Therefore, the accuracy and elegance of English advertising translation are very important to enhance the effectiveness of advertising. Advertising English translation is essentially a cross-cultural communication activity. Advertising English translation integrates language translation and cultural translation. Therefore, in advertising translation, sufficient attention should be paid to the different ethnic languages, cultures, psychological cultures, cultural concepts and cultural aesthetics of the target language, so that the translation can maintain the promotional effect of the original advertisement. This article intends to deepen English learners’ knowledge and understanding of commercial advertising translation by analyzing and appreciating typical cases of translated advertisements in cross-cultural contexts.

1. The application of English puns in advertising translation

Puns were first circulated among the people as interesting word games. They are found in "Longman Contemporary English Dictionary" and "Webster's The explanations of puns in the New World Dictionary all use the word "play on word", that is, "word game". English puns are a highly expressive rhetorical device, so they are widely used in advertising. application.

For example:

1.The?in?idea in business travel-Hilton Inns.

　Translation: Feel at home-Hilton Inns.

This is an advertisement for Hilton Hotel. ?in? means ?the most fashionable and trendy? and ?inn? is a homophony. It tells consumers that coming to Hilton Hotel is the most fashionable choice. In addition, its hidden meaning ? Feel at home? It expresses that if you are in a hotel, you will definitely feel the hotel's attentive service, making you feel as comfortable as at home. At the same time, the name of Hilton Hotel was mentioned to achieve the purpose of advertising.

2. Start ahead.

Translation: The road to success starts from the beginning.

Procter & Gamble’s classic advertising slogan for Rejoice Shampoo. The use of puns enhances the persuasiveness and appeal of the advertisement, thus leaving a deep impression on consumers. The translation is concise and rich in connotation, perfectly interpreting the original text.

3.Intel inside. (Intel Pentium)

Translation: Give the computer a Pentium core. (Intel, Pentium)

Apple thinks different.

Translation: Apple computers, think differently. (Apple Computer)

The above two advertisements are related to computers, and there are no puns in the original text. The translator cleverly made use of Chinese puns, such as "core" and "xin", and "imagination" and "resonance", which are homophonic puns. The two advertisements are witty and full of textual interest, making the products and the advertising words printed on the readers' minds. in memory.

2. The application of allusions in advertising translation

1. The characteristics of Greek and Roman mythology, in which gods and humans are alike, have profoundly affected the cultural life of Westerners. . After thousands of years of circulation, many Greek mythological stories have long been integrated into people's daily life and vocabulary, and have become commonly used languages ??with special meanings. In English advertisements, you can often see examples of using names or metaphors from Greek and Roman mythological allusions to satisfy the cultural mentality of British and Americans advocating heroes and gods in mythology.

For example: Nike in the United States borrowed the name Nike from the Greek mythology goddess of victory, and the Daphne brand shoes borrowed the image of the graceful and gorgeous laurel goddess in Greek mythology.

2. The Bible contains rich cultural allusions and warnings. Without understanding the Bible, it will be difficult to realize the commercial value of English advertising. The language of the Bible also plays an important role in the formation of English. Many words used in English today come from the Bible. As for the examples of allusions in the Bible becoming idioms and entering the English vocabulary, It abounds.

For example: The advertisement by State Farm Insurance Company, Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there (State Farm Insurance), is borrowed from the Bible, Matthew Chapter 22, Verses 37-40 The teaching of "Love thy neighbor as thyself" can be translated as: State Farm Insurance Company, close as a neighbor. In this way, State Farm Insurance Company's purpose of being able to serve customers at any time is clearly demonstrated, and the cordiality is beyond words.

3. The use of parody in advertising translation

Parody is the temporary creation of new words based on communicative needs by imitating familiar words, sentences, chapters, etc. , sentences and chapters are a common rhetorical device. Many foreign advertisers, when advertising to our country, go to great lengths to investigate and study the psychological characteristics and cultural connotations of Chinese consumers, and create advertising slogans that can not only shape the product image, but also be popular among Chinese consumers to impress people. Many of these advertisements imitate famous Chinese poems from ancient to modern times, creating a buzz in the hearts of Chinese consumers. For example:

1.We know Eggsactly how to sell eggs.

This is an advertisement for selling eggs. ?Eggsactly? is a homophonic spelling variation of ?exactly?, which echoes the following ?egg? and also reflects each other semantically. This ingenious word-building game leaves a deep impression on consumers.

2. He who lasts last laughs best.

This is a British tire advertisement, which means? Who runs last, who laughs best?. There is a proverb in English and its Chinese translation is "Who laughs last, who laughs best". This ad is a parody of this proverb, changing "laughs" to "lasts". The verb last means to remain of use, of good condition. It is used together with adverbs with the same pronunciation and the same shape, highlighting the strong and wear-resistant quality of the tire.

IV. Application of cultural background knowledge in advertising translation

1. In Chinese, ?elegant?,?rou?,?jiao?,?bi?,?si?, Words such as "na", "lian", "lu" and "meng" all contain pragmatic meanings such as "gentle", "comfortable", "beautiful", etc., and are often associated with women. Therefore, some female cosmetics brands use the Chinese translation of their names. The pragmatic meanings contained in these words have achieved advertising effects. For example, "Avon" is translated as "Avon", "Arche" is translated as "Ya Qian", "Hazelive" is translated as "Xia Shilian", etc. Although the translated names of these cosmetics deviate from the semantic meaning of the original text, they are widely welcomed by ladies in China and have achieved good advertising effects.

2. The dragon is not only beautiful in Han nationality culture, but also a totem. It has become a symbol of the Chinese nation and has always been regarded as a symbol of power, strength and luck. However, in English culture, dragons are terrifying monsters without any sense of beauty. "Four Asian Tigers" was therefore translated as "Four Asian Tigers" in British and American newspapers, and Dongfeng "Citroen" was translated as Citron.

5. Conclusion

Differences in culture will lead to differences in values ??and symbolic meanings. When reflected in the practice of translation of advertising slogans, the translation is required to meet the destination. Based on discourse culture, imaginative and creative expression techniques make products more competitive in new markets, and text translation and cultural translation are useful strategies to achieve this goal.

The cultural differences between China and the West exist objectively. We should focus on finding a point of convergence between Chinese and Western cultures. The two cultures can blend with each other, thereby promoting the translation of trademarks and advertising slogans into the hearts of consumers and stimulating their beautiful imagination and purchase. Desire to better enter the bright path of business exchanges and cultural exchanges between China and the West.

References

[1] Liu Haiying. Different cultural factors should be paid attention to in advertising translation [J]. Journal of Chengdu Institute of Information Engineering, 2004, 19.

[2] Chen Hongwei. New Practical Chinese-to-English Translation Tutorial[M]. Wuhan: Hubei Education Press, 1996.

[3] Cui Gang. Advertising English[M] ].Beijing: Beijing Institute of Technology Press, 1993.

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