[Abstract] Trademark is a special language symbol, a concentration of the distinctive features of goods, a core part of commodity culture, and a powerful weapon for enterprises to participate in international competition. It is both a sign and a bait, and ultimately it is meant to attract customers and sell goods. Trademark translation conforms to the semiotic concept of translation, which is a process from decoding to encoding and a transplantation of two cultures. Good trademark translation can bring huge wealth to the company; conversely, poor trademark translation can cause heavy losses to the company, so the survival of the company is closely related to trademark translation. At the same time, trademark translation can broaden the research space of linguistics, enrich the connotation of linguistics, and promote the organic combination of theoretical research on language and practical application. This article collects some typical trademarks. After systematic analysis, it draws on and absorbs some translation methods, re-summarizes some trademark translation strategies, and also puts forward matters that need to be paid attention to in trademark translation with different strategies.

[Keywords] English Trademark Translation Strategy

1. Introduction

Trademark is a symbol of goods, a product of the development of commodity economy, and a symbol of commodity producers or A distinctive mark used by operators to distinguish the goods they produce and sell from other goods. It is the concentration of the distinctive characteristics of commodities and the core part of commodity culture. In the international market, trademarks are often regarded as simplified business names by entrepreneurs and consumers. As soon as a trademark appears, it becomes a symbol of an enterprise, a bridge for direct dialogue between producers and consumers, and a powerful weapon for enterprises to participate in international competition. China's opening up to the outside world is further deepening, and with it, the economic activities of foreign companies in China are also increasing. This has greatly enriched the economic life of the Chinese people, and has derived many new economic and commercial activities for the Chinese people. A large number of domestically produced goods are being exported to all parts of the world, and foreign goods have also flocked to the domestic market. Legal goods have their own trademark. Therefore, with the exchange of Chinese and foreign products, the problem of product trademark translation inevitably arises.

2. Strategies for English trademark translation

2.1. Transliteration

In the process of trademark translation, transliteration is a method that cannot be ignored and is extremely universal. sex. Transliteration refers to finding Chinese words that are phonetically similar to the original trademark name according to the pronunciation of the original trademark name without deviating from the "Chinese language norms and without causing wrong associations or misunderstandings." Its advantage is that it is simple and easy to implement, and the translation has exotic characteristics. Sentiment can make the product have a certain appeal. Transliteration is divided into: pure transliteration, homophonic translation and provincial transliteration

2.1.1. Pure transliteration

Pure transliteration is based on English. The pronunciation is matched word by word with Chinese characters with similar pronunciation. This translation method is mainly suitable for proper nouns, such as personal name trademarks and place name trademarks, because the corresponding Chinese expression cannot be found when the trademark is translated into Chinese. Translation method not used.

2.1.1.1 Personal name trademarks

Some trademarks are composed of surnames, such as: Hoover vacuum cleaner, which originated from the manufacturer William Henry Hoover. The surname; Rael-Brook (Rael-Brook) men's clothing, is derived from the surname of the company's founder H. Rael-Brook. Some trademarks are the person's full name, such as: Walt Disney (Walt Disney) production company, is. It is based on the name of the company's founder, Walt Disney; Pierre Cardin (Pierre Cardin) fashion is based on the name of the manufacturer Pierre Cardin; the earliest meaning of the "benz" brand is Karl Benz's surname, which is based on the transliteration , translated as "Benz" in China

2.1.1.2 Place name trademark

Santana (Santana) car, San Tana was originally the name of a valley in California, USA; Nokia (Nokia) The mobile phone is named after a small town in northern Finland called Nokia.

2.1.2 Homophone translation

This kind of translation uses sound as an introduction, and is often a pure transliteration. Basically, some words are changed, and the pronunciation of these words is homophonic with the original trademark. The modified transliteration trademark is combined with the product characteristics.

For example, the trademark Boeing, which was identified by its surname in order to commemorate the founder of the airline company, was translated as "Boeing". However, as a trademark, the translator used the homophonic "Boeing" instead. This can make people more familiar with this type of supersonic aircraft. Produce endless reveries.

2.1.3 Provincial transliteration

Provincial transliteration is based on the aesthetic habits of the Chinese people. Two-syllable and three-syllable trademarks are more memorable. Some English trademarks have longer words. There are many syllables. If translated word for word, it will be difficult to pronounce and difficult to remember. It can be simplified by using omitted transliteration.

2.2 Free translation

Free translation is to translate the original trademark into Chinese with the same or similar meaning. Free translation can better reflect the original intention and hope of the original trademark owner. Free translation can be used for some trademarks with distinctive images, elegant meanings and gorgeous words. Free translation can be divided into pure free translation, selective free translation and increased or decreased free translation.

2.2.1 Pure free translation

The trademarks of certain goods have distinct meanings, and have elegant and beautiful connotations in both Chinese and Western cultures. In this case, pure free translation can be used. For example: the Bluebird car is taken from the fairy tale "Bluebird" by the Belgian writer Maurice Materlinek in 1911, which won the Nobel Prize for Literature. The "Bluebird" symbolizes "future happiness", and the Chinese translation is "Blue Bird", because "blue" means "green", "Blue Bird" means "blue bird". There is a poem by Li Shangyin of the Tang Dynasty: "There is no way to get to Pengshan, and the blue bird is diligent to explore." The blue bird is the messenger of Penglai fairyland, transforming Chinese and Western cultures, which shows that the translator has good intentions.

2.2.2 Select free translation

If some trademarks are translated literally according to their literal meaning, the connotation of the trademark may not be fully expressed, or some trademarks have several literal meanings, which cannot be Use concise words to fully express these layers of meaning in Chinese language. At this time, you must choose the meaning of the trademark and select the best and most representative meaning. For example: Good Company (Liangyou) cigarettes. Good Company can be translated as "good friend", "good partner", "good friend", "good company", etc. Choose the best one from these translations - "good friend" as this trademark .

2.2.3 Increases and decreases in free translation

It is to appropriately increase or decrease the meaning contained in the original trademark according to the meaning of the original trademark, so that the translated trademark is more suitable for consumption. For example: Transfer, the original trademark means "deformation", "transformation", but the translator cleverly added the word "King Kong" based on the psychology of potential Chinese consumers. "King Kong" is unique to the Han culture and is the name of the Buddha's bodyguard. It is named after the Vajra (an Indian weapon) it holds in its hand. In the minds of the Chinese people, "Vajra" is extremely powerful, has superb martial arts, bravely fights monsters, and is victorious in every battle. It is the incarnation of an invincible warrior. "King Kong" has become an idol in the hearts of children and one of the teaching tools for parents to educate their children to be brave and strong. Therefore, toys with the brand name "Transformers" are very popular among Chinese children.

2.3 Combination of sound and meaning

Some trademarks are made up of made-up words and have high cultural connotations, so they need to use a translation method that combines sound and meaning. The combination of pronunciation and meaning means combining "transliteration" and "free translation" for translation. That is to say, the appropriate method of "transliteration" or "free translation" can be flexibly selected from part or all of the English trademark, and combined to make it a suitable trademark. This is a more complex translation method. In addition to making up words, it is also suitable for certain proper and common nouns.

2.3.1 Quotation from classics

Some trademarks are mostly proper nouns or made-up word symbols. Based on the pronunciation of the original trademark, the five thousand years of accumulation of the Chinese nation are dissolved in the translation. A new trademark created by China, which has profound meaning and Chinese characteristics. For example: BMW (BMW) car, the trademark BMW is derived from the three abbreviations of the German Bayerishe Motoren Werke German Bayerische Motor Company. The translator translated it as "BMW" based on Xin Qiji's "BMW Carved Cars Fill the Road with Fragrance" (Qingyu Case·Yuan Xi), which reminds Chinese consumers of the BMW that travels thousands of miles a day, and associates car performance with BMW's characteristics.

2.3.2 Near-syllable association idea

The near-syllable association idea requires that the translated name of the trademark is similar in pronunciation to the original trademark, or it can also be similar to part of its pronunciation, and associates some beautiful Chinese meanings with it. The features of the product are incorporated. For example: Johnson & Johnson, an American company founded in 1887, deals in medical health care products and care products. It was founded by three brothers, Robert Wood Johnson, James Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson. If the literal translation is "Johnson", there is nothing special about it, but if the close pronunciation is used, it is translated as "Johnson" - it is associated with strong vitality and is connected with the company's health care and health care products.

2.3.3 Near-sound translation method

This translation method takes into account both pronunciation and semantics. Generally, the original trademarks are meaningful words or phrases, but in order to conform to Chinese cultural habits , to paraphrase it, but the semantic meaning is not the original word meaning, it needs to be created, but it cannot deviate from a certain category. For example: Sprite drink, this word means "elf" or "goblin" in English. In some of Shakespeare's plays, the "elves" are very cute. Western countries celebrate Halloween. On the eve of Halloween, children dress up as various "elves" and "goblins" and go door-to-door to "beg" for candy. But in the hearts of Chinese people, it is evil. A literal translation would be inappropriate, so it is translated as "Sprite". "Snow" is fresh and cool, and "Bi" is exquisite and clear. This translation gives people the feeling of jade and ice.