On Translation of Foreign Brand Names(3)
2016-08-18 01:05
导读：What’s more, sometimes Chinese customers like the character “龙” (dragon) very much because the image of dragon has already been embedded in their mind. Dragon, for the Chinese nation, is the s
What’s more, sometimes Chinese customers like the character “龙” (dragon) very much because the image of dragon has already been embedded in their mind. Dragon, for the Chinese nation, is the symbol of power and heavenliness so they will have a special preference for this animal which does not exist. As Chen Dezhang from Beijing Foreign Studies University points out that the dragon in English and 龙 in Chinese are both imaginary animals but have very different connotations. To Chinese 龙 is something sacred and has been referred to as the ancestor of the Chinese nation. Therefore, “Denon”, a brand for Hi-Fi products, is translated as “天龙” and “Citroen”, a French-made car brand, is translated as “雪铁龙”. 论文网在线
b. The translation of the brand name should try to reflect what the product is and its features.
Before customers see the product with their own eyes, they will guess what the product is from its brand name. As soon as the product enters a market, the designed brand name should immediately indicate its target customers, therefore, the translation of the brand should also has the same effect of the original one, thus it can play an inevitable role in promoting the product in the new market. (Bao Huinan 282) To gain popularity in the Chinese market, it is essential for an import commodity to have a translated brand name that can reflect its feature so Chinese consumers can easily recognize it.
“Enfagrow”, translated as “安儿宝”, is a milk powder brand. “儿”, meaning “baby”, “children” and “宝”, meaning “treasure” imply that this product is good for babies and children. “Safeguard”, a brand for soap and bathing lotion, is translated as “舒肤佳”. Here “舒” means “comfort” and “肤” means “skin”. So this translation will leave the impression to people that this soap or lotion can bring comfort to the skin. “Colgate”, a brand for toothpaste, is translated as “高露洁” with the character “洁” meaning “clean”, indicating that it can make people’s teeth clean and tidy. “Saridon”, a painkiller, translated into Chinese as “散利痛”, utilizes the character “散” (ease, dispel), “利” (be good for) and “痛” (pain) to indicate that it can ease people’s pain. “Benz” and “Porche”, two famous automobile brands, are translated as “奔驰” and “保时捷” with “奔”, “驰” and “捷” all meaning going very fast. “Reebok”, a brand for running shoes, is translated as “锐步”. “锐” (sharp, vigor) and “步” (foot) all serve to convey the features of the product.
中国大学排名 However, there are also translated brand names that cannot arouse customers’ association with the products. For example, “Mentos”, translated as “曼妥思”, “Dove”, translated as “德芙”, cannot directly reflect what they are. Actually, “Mentos” is a kind of candy and “Dove” is a famous brand for chocolate.
