On the Chinese Translation of English Advertisements
Abstract
Advertisements are strictly consumer-oriented, so is their translation. The first part of this thesis will look back upon some translation theories through years. Peter Newmark’s communicative and semantic translation and Eugene Nida’s functional equivalence are important translation theories. In the second part, some translation methods that might be adopted in advertisements translation are introduced. The third part of this thesis is translation analysis, which is more specific. Translation of body copies, headlines, slogans, and trademarks are discussed respectively. Rhetorical expressions are included in translation analysis of slogan. In addition, several new concepts will be put forward in this thesis. Claim and positioning make translators understand advertisements translation with a whole new perspective. Claim is discussed with slogan, positioning with trademark.
Through analysis of advertisements translation, qualifications and responsibilities for advertisements translators are indicated. At last, the relationship between Newmark’s communicative translation and Nida’s functional equivalence embodied in advertisements translation will be found.
Key Words: English advertisements; translation; analysis; claim; positioning
摘 要
廣告嚴格地以消費者爲導向，廣告翻譯也是如此。論文第1部分將首先回顧多年來的翻譯理論，紐馬克的交際和語義翻譯理論以及奈達的功能等值是重要的討論對象；第2部分將介紹在英文廣告漢譯中可能用到的翻譯方法；第3部分是英文廣告漢譯的'翻譯分析，對廣告正文、標題、口號、和商標的翻譯分別進行討論。修辭的翻譯包含在口號翻譯中。另外還有些針對廣告翻譯的新的概念的提出。“聲稱”和“定位”這兩種廣告學技巧將給人1個全新的視角來看待廣告翻譯。“聲稱”放在口號翻譯中討論；“定位”放在商標翻譯中討論。
本文旨在透過英文廣告漢譯的各方面分析，發現作爲廣告翻譯者應該具備的基本素質（不僅僅是1個純粹的翻譯者），以及廣告翻譯者所肩負的使命。最後將發現紐馬克的交際翻譯理論和奈達的功能對等理論在廣告翻譯中體現出的關係。
關鍵詞：英文廣告、翻譯、分析、聲稱、定位