功能对等理论在商标翻译中的应用(2)
While taking about translating, Professor Wang Zuoliang(1989: 4) says that “It seems that we can choose different translation methods according to different writing styles.” Form what he says, it can be seen that different styles should be paid attention to different aspects in the translation process. Translation theory can be pided into two classes. One is carry out research based on one certain language to find its rules, like English to Chinese or Russian to Chinese, so as to arrived at a conclusion of the translation rules and theories. The other class is to study specifically on certain writing style or genre, such as movie, drama, prose, poem, news report advertisement, political essay, and law, so as to yield theoretical model for translation.
The essence of functional equivalence theory, which was put forward by Nida, an American translation theorist, is to use the closest natural equivalence in the target language to express corresponding ideas in the source language text. In this way, the target text and the source text function in the same or similar way, and the target language reader will have the same or similar response to the target language such as the source language reader to the source language text.
Brand name translation is influenced by cultural elements which differentiate it from general translation. Brand name translation is of significance in the competitive market. At present, with economic development and increasing international contact, the exchanges between different countries become more and more frequent. Proper translation also becomes more and more important so as to promote the sales of goods and cultivate foreign markets.Thus, this study provides an important perspective for brand name translation.
II. Brand Names and Brand Naming
2.1 Definition and Functions of Brand
According to the famous economist, Richard T. Hise, a brand is” a term, name, design, sign, symbol, or a combination of them which tells who makes it or who sells it, distinguishing that product from those made or sold by others.”(Hise, 1979:257)
From his definition we can conclude that a brand usually consist of a term, name, design, sign, symbol, or a combination of them. Generally, a brand name and a graphic design are consisted of a brand. To be frank, the characteristic of brand is to distinguish the product from others, and the true purpose of a certain brand name is to be good for the sales promotion, i.e. the brand should be competitive. This thesis mainly deal with the BNT, to be specific, Chinese BNT.
Generally speaking, a brand has many functions. He Chuansheng distinguishes six main functions: stimulating the consumers; distinguishing the products; Informing; symbolizing the reputation; law protection; and advertising. (He Chuansheng, 1997:19-21). A brand name, it has certain linguistic functions as well. In other words, it is the brand name that has these linguistic functions. The stimulating function, distinguishing function, the informative function and advertising function of a brand are mainly performed by its brand name. Stimulating the consumer’s purchase desire is the goal that an aesthetic and positive brand name can usually achieve. The essence of a brand name is to help the consumer to distinguish the very product from the like ones. What’s more, usually a brand name can provide some information or characteristic about the product for the consumers.
In a word, these functions interact with each other, making the properties and characteristic of the product prominent.
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