Different research angles of trademark translation
1. Study trademark translation from the perspective of semiotics
Semiotic method is an important method to analyze trademarks and related phenomena. Semiotics is important in the development of the understanding of the concept of a trademark, its functions and its essence. Trademark is the basic concept of trademark law, which seems very simple. However, people have different understandings of legal disputes such as Wu Song's fight against tigers, which reflects that our brand concept cannot withstand scrutiny. A trademark in brief is a sign of a product. The Twelve Agreements believe that "a trademark is a symbol or combination of symbols that can distinguish the goods or services of an enterprise." In essence, a trademark is a sign or symbol, so semiotics can help understand the concept of trademark and understand trademark law and its theoretical basis.
2. Study trademark translation from the perspective of cross-cultural communication
The rise and deepening of global brands have accelerated cross-cultural communication. In the process of communication, they will inevitably face cultural differences. Conflict issues, that is to say, collisions between my country's corporate culture and target market culture will occur. This is a barrier to cross-border exchanges. Trademark is an expression of product quality and corporate reputation. More importantly, it is a carrier of corporate identity and spiritual symbol, which naturally becomes the core of cross-cultural brand communication. Trademark translation is very important. It directly affects the recognition of products among consumers, who are more concerned about corporate image.
For example, "红豆", the trademark of Chinese shirts is a typical culturally loaded word. "Red beans" comes from the family poem "Lovesickness" written by Wang Wei, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty: Red beans are born in the south. When spring comes, a few branches will appear. I advise you to pick more. This is the most lovesick thing. In the poem, "red beans" become a symbol of love. In early 1990, "Red Bean" clothing was exported to Japan and was quickly welcomed by Japanese consumers because many Japanese were also familiar with this poem.
3. Study trademark translation from the perspective of functional equivalence
With the development of international trade, trademark translation has become a bridge between foreign producers and consumers. Trademark translation can be studied based on Eugene Nida's "functional equivalence" theory and used as a translation standard. The "functional equivalence" theory states that translation uses the most appropriate and natural language to reproduce the information of the source language from semantics to style. Nida's "functional equivalence" theory is very suitable for expressing the connotation of translated trademarks. Moving from one language to another, Nida divides the main functions of language into nine categories: linguistic expression, information technology, cognition, interpersonal relations, command, behavioral expression, emotion, aesthetic and functional primitives. Trademark translation should achieve equivalence and reshaping functions of connotation and cultural idealization. Translation methods for trademark translation
1. Literal translation
Literal translation directly transforms the pronunciation of the native language. The target language has similar pronunciation to the source language so that the source language and culture can be conveyed. When it is feasible, translation can convey an exotic feel and give the product a unique appeal. For example, Konka, Maxam, Haier, etc. These are all literal translations. Literal translation can be divided into pure literal translation and partial literal translation.
Pure literal translation is also called direct translation. It chooses words with the same pronunciation as the original trademark. Translating these phrases directly from the target language is often meaningless. It just pursues harmonious sounds, so pure literal translation can Maintain the beauty of original brands such as Casio, Sony and Philips. Partial literal translation is usually based on modifying one or two words and then using the original pronunciation of the trademark. Trademark translation changes one or two words, but has the characteristics of the product.
For example, "Arche" is translated as "Yaqian" and "Pantene" is translated as "Pantene". Both of them not only maintain the characteristics of their native language, but also emphasize their unique characteristics in the Chinese characters they choose.
2. Free translation method
Free translation method is another important means of trademark translation. It needs to transform the original trademark name into a translation that has the same meaning as the target language. Free translation can better reflect the intention of the original trademark. Unlike literal translation, free translation depends on the cultural producer and pays attention to culture. For example, Microsoft, Playboy, Greatwall, DoubleStar, Hero, etc. Free translation can better express the intention of the trademark symbol and represent the interests of the trademark graphics. Therefore, it is an important trademark translation method.
3. Combination of literal translation and free translation
When using a combination of literal translation and free translation, the translated version should have the same pronunciation as the original name. What is more important is the change in the meaning of the trademark, which reflects some characteristics of the product. For example, the sports brand Nike, Nike is the goddess of victory in Greek mythology, translated as "NaJi", which has no meaning. For example, BMW, the original three-letter meaning is the abbreviation of the company Bavaria Motor Company. In China, "BMW" implies a high-quality car, but if it is translated into the name of the company, it is obviously not as good as translated into "BMW".
3. Application of trademark translation
Application in international trade
1. Trademark translation in import trade
With the International trade in goods is growing day by day, and trademarks are becoming increasingly internationalized. From one language to another, trademark translation must retain the essence of the origin and satisfy the consumer's psychology. Unlike other translations, the above goals should realize that the translation of a word requires the use of comprehensive knowledge of language, marketing, and aesthetics. In the process of translation, a combination of literal translation and free translation can be used. It is necessary to pay attention to the selection of sounds and meanings of words, and to closely connect with the original language to achieve satisfactory results. People are familiar with the American Nike sports series products. The pronunciation is "Naki", and its original meaning is the name of the goddess of victory in Greek mythology. However, if it is literally translated as "Naki" or "Naki", many Chinese consumers will find it very difficult to understand and do not know it. meaning. When the translators translated, they imitated its syllables and considered that sportswear should be durable and wear-resistant, so they translated it as "Nike", which has the meaning of durability and victory, making it just in line with the goddess of victory. .
2. Trademark translation in export trade
When translating Chinese trademarks into foreign languages, cultural customs and the aesthetic psychology of foreign consumers should also be taken into consideration. People cannot simply do it. Literal translation or free translation. A few years ago, when Chinese translators were translating export product trademarks, they did not consider these, so they translated "White Elephant" as whiteelephant battery. As a result, no one in the US market was interested in it. In English, a white elephant is a useless, cumbersome thing. In addition, "Dukang" makes people feel that they are in good spirits, and the name of the Greek god of wine, Bacchus, also tends to make Westerners feel that they are in good spirits. Therefore, translating "Dukang" into Bacchus helps to eliminate the cultural barriers between the East and the West.
Application in daily life
There is a fan brand named "bat". Because "bat" and "福" are homonyms, "bat" is considered It is "blessing". In Japan and Korea, bats are a symbol of happiness. However, if it were translated as bat it would cause disgust to Westerners as they hate this animal. Another example is dragon and phoenix, which have different metaphorical meanings in China and the West. The dragon is a totem image in the history of our country. Usually in Western culture, dragons represent sin and evil and are scary, and have been used as war flags for a long time. In English, if dragon is used to describe a person, it means that the person is arrogant and annoying. The phoenix is ??a magical animal in Chinese legends. In ancient times, people believed that the phoenix represented peace and harmony. Later, people always used the dragon as a metaphor for the emperor and the phoenix as a metaphor for the queen. However, in Western culture, the phoenix is ??a bird that represents "renewability" and "resurrection".
The magpie is a lucky bird in our country, but in English, it is used to describe chattering and annoying people. The Swedes associate it with witchcraft, while the Scots believe that if a magpie comes, it represents death.
Muslim countries usually hate pandas because they look like pigs. Elephants are popular in Southeast Asian countries, but represent dullness in Europe and the United States. The peacock is our favorite animal trademark and we think it symbolizes good luck and happiness, but in France it is considered a bad bird, connoting pride and smugness. The crane is also a symbol of luck and happiness in China, but it is considered a "prostitute" in France. So if Chinese products are sold to France, they will not use the above trademarks or animal prints.
Conclusion: The current research is based on past research in the same research field and draws on many ideas, such as trademark knowledge, trademark translation methods, existing problems in trademark translation, etc. However, this study also attempts to explore its problems.
First of all, some new efforts have been made. For example, by listing and comparing other trademark definitions, this article proposes a new definition with a more complete meaning and a more concise form. There are other examples about the functions of trademarks, how to translate trademarks, etc. Secondly, this article introduces and compares previous research, introduces trademark translation methods or principles by analyzing the characteristics, functions, forms, etc. of trademarks and draws on other research. Third, most previous studies provide similar trademark translation principles, such as readability, conciseness, novelty, etc. However, this study proposes a new list principle. This list of principles is more complete, more realistic, and more comprehensive. By comparing and analyzing different theories and methods, problems can be found to solve existing problems in trademark translation from English to Chinese.