Abstract: Trademark translation is becoming more and more important. This paper discusses the applicable methods of trademark translation from a practical point of view, and summarizes the principles that should be followed in trademark translation in order to help promote such translation activities to be more standardized.

Keywords: trademark; Transliteration; Free translation; Translation; principle

introduce

Economic and trade exchanges between China and other countries in the world are increasingly active. More and more foreign products are pouring into the domestic market, and more domestic products are entering the world market. Trademark is a sharp weapon for enterprises to publicize and sell products, and it is also a guide for consumers to know or buy goods. Its role has been valued by more and more enterprises. Therefore, it is extremely important to study the translation methods of trademarks and improve the translation quality of trademarks. Based on the characteristics of trademarks and my research on trademark translation, the author further discusses the applicable methods of trademark translation from a practical point of view.

First of all, translation methods

(A) transliteration method

Transliteration is a translation method that spells the desired word according to the pronunciation rules of the translated word. A considerable number of trademarks, especially those with proper nouns and invented words, often have no semantics and are only used as a logo. In this case, translation is mainly not to convey the semantic information of the name itself, but to create a pleasing aesthetic feeling, reproduce the beauty of the original phonology, or reflect the exotic atmosphere contained in the trademark. To achieve this translation purpose, transliteration is a more appropriate choice. For example:? Audi? (car),? Hilton? (cigarettes)? Coca cola? (Beverage) Translate separately? Audi? 、? Hilton? And then what? Coca cola? ; Domestic products? Maotai? (wine),? Konka? (electrical appliances)? Shang Ling? (elevator) respectively? Maotai? 、? Konk？ 、? Shang Ling? . These trademarks have no meaning in themselves. Free translation not only conforms to the pronunciation habit of the target language, but also conforms to the characteristics of concise and lively trademarks, and is a masterpiece of trademark name translation.

(2) Free translation method

Free translation is to express the general idea of the original text from the perspective of meaning. Free translation can sometimes better reflect the function and quality of goods. Like at home? Dynasty? Where's the wine Permanent? Bicycle? Sun God? Oral liquid; Imported? Blue ribbon? Beer? Crow? Cars? International? Radio and so on. If transliteration is still used in the translation of such brands, it will not only greatly destroy the artistic beauty of the original text, but also be difficult to attract consumers, and it may be difficult to remember because of too many words. Free translation is a feasible translation method, which can effectively reproduce the artistic conception of the original text and avoid lengthy translation. For example, a cigarette trademark in the United States? Good companion? , if the free translation is? Good friends? , concise, let a person feel kind. The same is true of Chinese trademarks.

(C) the method of combining transliteration with free translation

For trademarks with no practical significance, transliteration should be carried out according to the pronunciation law of the target language, and at the same time, the culture of the target language and the psychological acceptance characteristics of consumers should be taken into account in wording, so as to enrich the practical meaning of the translation and give consideration to both sound and meaning in content and form. This transliteration and free translation method is an ideal choice for trademark translation. Because this not only reproduces the pronunciation beauty of the original name in form, but also embodies the characteristics of the product in content.

(4) Translation methods

Translation is to move the original text into the translation intact. Compared with the translation mentioned above, this should be the simplest one. In English, some trademarks are composed of words such as enterprise name, product name or product component. Because the names are too long, they are not in line with the characteristics of trademarks, so their abbreviations are adopted. In Chinese, if the original text is transliterated or translated freely, the problem of long names will also occur. In this case, transliteration is a good way to solve the problem.

Second, the principles to be followed in trademark translation

(A) the principle of beneficial association

Trademarks have a certain influence on consumers' psychology. Appropriate trademarks to meet the psychological needs of consumers will cause people to rise and stimulate their desire to buy; On the contrary, if the trademark is easy to cause people's negative association, it will definitely make the promotion of the product greatly reduced. For example:? Fangfang? A series of cosmetics were once popular in China. Fangfang? . At the same time of transliteration, the translator forgot that the word Fang can be referred to in English? Spike. Or? Viper's teeth? . Wan Fang is not enough. We need another one. Is it creepy and daunting? A British food company uses it? Anchor? As its trademark, the metaphor of the original text is easy to satisfy consumers; After the ship broke down, it did not drift, indicating that the product quality was stable and reliable. But what if it is directly translated into Chinese? Collapse? Or? Anchor position? I'm afraid it's hard for China people to relate it to the reliability of food quality. Anke? , people will naturally contact? Safe, secure and lovely? And so on, the purpose of intentional contact of its trademark is achieved.

(b) Avoid complexity and keep it simple and easy to understand.

Some English trademarks are relatively long. If transliterated completely, there will be awkward or unforgettable translations, so be flexible and skillful. Such as: famous American movies? Kodak? If it is translated strictly according to its pronunciation, it should be translated into? Kodak? , in fact? Kodak? Consumers are really familiar with it, not only because it is simple and catchy, but also because it can make consumers more likely to associate with the performance of the product in phonology. (? Kodak? Use the shutter? Click? Sounds about the same. )