English Paper: Trademark Translation Methods and Principles

[Abstract] Trademark translation is becoming increasingly important. This article discusses the methods applicable to trademark translation from a practical perspective and summarizes the methods that should be used in trademark translation. principles to be followed in order to help promote more standardization of such translation activities.

Keywords: trademark; transliteration; free translation; translation; principle

Introduction

Our country’s economic and trade exchanges with countries around the world are increasingly Active, more and more foreign products are pouring into the domestic market, and at the same time more domestic products are entering the world market. Trademarks are a powerful tool for companies to promote and promote their products, and they are also a guide for consumers to understand or purchase goods. Their role has been valued by more and more companies. Therefore, it is extremely important to study trademark translation methods and improve the quality of trademark translation. Combining the characteristics of trademarks and his own research on trademark translation, the author further discussed the applicable methods of trademark translation from a practical perspective.

1. Translation method

(1) Transliteration method

The transliteration method is a translation method that spells out the desired words according to the pronunciation rules of the translated words. A considerable number of trademarks, especially trademarks with proper nouns and made-up words, often do not have any semantic meaning and are only used as identification symbols. In this case, the main purpose of translation is not to convey the semantic information of the name itself, but to create a pleasing aesthetic, reproduce the phonological beauty of the original text, or reflect the exotic sentiment contained in the trademark. To achieve this kind of translation purpose, transliteration is a more appropriate choice. For example: ?Audi? (car), ?Hilton? (cigarette), ?Coca-Cola? (beverage) are respectively translated as ?Audi?, ?Hilton? and ?Coca-Cola?; domestic products? Maotai? (liquor), ?Konka ? (Electrical appliances) and ? Shang Ling (elevator) are translated into ?Mao Tai?, ?Konk?, and ?Shang Ling? respectively. None of these trademarks themselves have any meaning. The free translation not only conforms to the pronunciation habits of the target language, but also conforms to the characteristics of trademarks that should be concise and lively. It can be regarded as a masterpiece of trademark name translation.

(2) Free translation method

Free translation method starts from the meaning and expresses the main idea of ??the original text. Free translation sometimes better reflects the function and quality of the product. Such as domestic "Dynasty" wine, "Forever" bicycle, "Helios" oral liquid; imported "Blue Ribbon" beer, "Crow" car, "International" radio and so on. If transliteration is still used for the translation of such brands, not only will it greatly destroy the artistic conception of the original text, making it difficult to achieve the effect of the original text attracting consumers, but it may also cause inconvenience in memory due to too many words. The use of free translation can effectively reproduce the artistic conception of the original text while avoiding the problem of lengthy translation. It is a more feasible translation method. For example, the American cigarette brand "Good Companion", if translated as "good friend", is simple and makes people feel friendly. The same is true for Chinese trademarks.

(3) Combining phonetic and free translation methods

For trademarks that have no actual meaning, transliterate them according to the pronunciation rules of the translated language, and at the same time, the wording can take into account the translated language. It combines the cultural characteristics of the language and the psychological acceptance characteristics of consumers to enrich the translation with a certain practical meaning, thus achieving both pronunciation and meaning in content and form. This method of combining transliteration and free translation is an ideal choice in trademark translation. Because this not only reproduces the pronunciation beauty of the original name in form, but also reflects the characteristics of the product in content.

(4) Translation method

Translation method is to move the original text intact into the translation. Compared with the several translation methods mentioned above, this should be the simplest one. In English, some trademarks are composed of words such as company names, product names or product components. Because the names are too long and do not conform to the characteristics of the trademark, they are abbreviated. In Chinese, if we take the transliteration or free translation of the original text, the same problem of too long names will occur. In this case, using translation is a good way to solve the problem.

2. Principles that should be followed when translating trademarks

(1) Principle of beneficial association

Trademarks have a certain impact on consumers’ psychology. If the trademark is appropriate and adapts to the psychological needs of consumers, it will arouse people's interest and stimulate the desire to buy; on the contrary, if the trademark easily arouses people's negative associations, it will definitely reduce the promotion of the product. For example: "Fangfang" series of cosmetics were once popular in Chinese cities, and their English trademark is translated as "Fang Fang". While transliterating, the translator forgot that the word "fang" can refer to "wolf fang" or "venomous snake tooth" in English. If one Fang is not enough, it would be creepy and daunting to add another one! And a British food company uses "Anchor" as its trademark. The original metaphor is that it is easy to satisfy consumers; after the ship anchors, it will no longer be moored. Drift is a metaphor for stable and reliable product quality. But if it is directly translated into Chinese as "anchor" or "anchor position", Chinese people may not be able to reliably associate it with the quality of food. If it is transliterated into "anchor", people will naturally associate it with "safety, peace of mind, cuteness", etc. The purpose of intentionally connecting the words and trademarks has been achieved.

(2) The principle of avoiding complexity and focusing on simplicity and catchiness

Some English trademarks are relatively long. If they are completely transliterated, the translation will be difficult to pronounce or difficult to remember. Therefore, you should be flexible in your grasp. Pay attention to skills. For example: the famous American film "Kodak", if translated strictly according to its pronunciation, it should be translated as "Kodak". In fact, "Kodak" is truly familiar to the majority of consumers. This is not only because it is simple and catchy, but also because It can make it easier for consumers to associate the performance of the product phonologically. (The Kodak sound is similar to the click of the shutter button.)