目的论视角下英文商标汉译研究Analysis of Chinese Translation of Trademark Based on Skopostheorie 5.1 The Fulfilled of SkoposIn order to know how to complete the translation of English trademarks, we must first understand the purpose of English trademarks. English trademarks are often known for their good quality and satisfactory after-sales service. A good brand helps to increase product visibility, prompting consumers to choose the brand's products. In short, the biggest purpose of English trademarks is to establish a good image and stimulate consumers' desire to promote the development of the company. In order to familiarize local consumers with their trademarks, English trademarks mostly choose to translate the trademark into the local language. Usually, the brand owner searches for the translator for translating trademark. The business owner may give the translator a translation summary, which introduces the target consumer, product positioning, product name and other information. The translator translates the trademark based on these information. This newly-produced brand is expected to be functional, so it can only achieve its purpose when accepted by consumers in the Chinese market. The purpose of translation requires translators to do everything possible to make the translation of trademarks popular with target consumers and to cause their desire to buy. If the translated trademark name does not leave a positive impression, or even a negative impression, it is considered an unsuccessful translation. At this point, the initiator either asks the translator to do it again, or find another translator to re-translate. The main purpose of trademark translation is to achieve the expected function of the trademark in China. The uniqueness of trademarks is the main consideration when registering trademarks. Similarly, the distinctiveness and innovation of trademark translation is an important factor for consumers to distinguish similar products.5.1.1 The Informative of Translated TrademarkTrademark is mainly to provide information to potential consumers through advertising and then makes profits. The choice of these consumers will directly affect the performance of the company. This paper raised this question in order to cause the translator to notice that regardless of the amount of information on the originaltrademark, and the translated trademark must have a rich meaning, allowing consumers to understand the product in the shortest possible time, such as the characteristics of the company's services and products. At the same time, the translator should abide by the coherent rules in the discourse, the principle of coherence between texts and the principle of faithfulness. This paper uses some famous British trademark translation cases to illustrate the importance of these rules. For example, Coca-Cola used to be translated into “蝌蚪啃蜡”. This translation violates the Skopostheorie, because the target consumers can infer the true information of the product through this trademark. It is even misleading and completely deviates from the function of the trademark. This translation also violates the coherent rules in the text because the drink cannot be linked to the wax. Customers who see such a trademark will not have any desire to buy. The current translation, “可口可乐”, meets Skopostheorie，and tells consumers that the product is delicious, enjoyable, and consistent with the coherent rules of the discourse, because consumers can understand what the brand is about. Another example is the famous German car brand Benz. Initially it was translated into “彭斯”which made it not outstanding in the market. After that, this strange name was replaced by “奔驰”, and it was a hit. The translation of “彭斯”violates the teleology because it cannot effectively transmit information to the target recipient. Secondly, the word pronunciation is similar to the death in Chinese. It is the most taboo thing in the translation of the vehicle trademark, so it violates the coherence in the text .5.1.2 The Aesthetic Value of Translated Brand NameAs a special language for advertising and marketing, trademarks are most expected to achieve a sense of beauty in the hearts of consumers, leaving a positive impression. This is even more important for those cosmetic labels. Sometimes the original trademark does not have any aesthetic sense, and the translator must use his talents to polish and make it beautiful. An example is the US shampoo brand “ head & shoulders”. The translation of “海飞丝” is recognized as a very successful translation. The reason for its success is that it first meets the rules of teleology, that is thetranslation of “海飞丝” reflects people's need for shampoo. Secondly, it conforms to the coherent rules in discourse, because Chinese consumers can not only understand it, but also understand the beauty of Chinese translation. The Chinese character means “silk flying over the ocean”just like clean shiny hair. Third, this translation is consistent with the coherent rules of discourse because its pronunciation is similar to the original English brand. In short, “海飞丝”, in accordance with the rules of purpose and its two subordinate rules, everyone believes that it has completed the purpose of the brand and created a sense of beauty among the target consumers. Another example is the cosmetics brand Estee Lauder“雅诗兰黛”, which is based in the United States and entered the Chinese market in 1993. The company's goal is to be a world-class product that helps women look young, confident and glamorous. Estee Lauder is the name of its founder, its translation “雅诗兰黛”means elegance, poet, orchid and make-up, and the image of romantic elegance appears in the minds of Chinese consumers. The aesthetic function inspires consumers to purchase its products. Obviously, the brand's goal has been achieved through translation. The translation is also consistent with the coherent rules in the text, and Chinese consumers can feel the elegance and superiority of this makeup brand. In addition, the translation conforms to the coherent rules of discourse because its pronunciation is similar to the original.5.2 Principles Adopted in Chinese Translation of Trademark5.2.1 Attribute Relevance PrincipleAccording to the MSG (Management Study Guide) research, the trademark symbolizes the basic nature of the product, which highlights the physical and individual characteristics of the product. Trademarks also help create brand identity. Skopos theory is the most important theory in trademark translation. It determines the brand characteristics of the translated trademark and the meaning it needs to convey. The ultimate goal is to convince potential customers to purchase the product. The principle of attribute association requires that the translated trademarks enable consumers to associate the brand with impressions of high quality, good service and good reputation, so that customers will buy the product sooner or later. Pavlov's experiment can explain this principle very well. In his experiments, when the doghears the ringtone, it will drool, because they know that there will be meat immediately. Therefore, in the principle of attribute relevance, the translated trademarks should be such that the customer wants to buy the product as soon as he hears the trademark. How we can make a translated trademark famous is a question that requires both the translator and the translator to think together. A successful English trademark translation must not only have a literal meaning, but also be symbolic. Because Chinese is an ideogram, the translated trademarks should sound similar to the original one. That is, the best translated trademark is not only similar to the pronunciation of the original English trademark, but also makes Chinese sound good. The British insurance company "prudential" was translated as “保诚”, and Chinese means protection and sincerity. The translation can tell the customer that the company's insurance business also means that the company will serve customers wholeheartedly. From the perspective of Skopostheorie, “Prudential” first benefits the insurance company to establish a trustworthy image and contribute to the expansion of its business in China. Secondly, it achieves the purpose of conveying positive meaning and is easily accepted and understood by customers. Thirdly, it conforms to the coherent rules of discourse because its pronunciation is similar to the original trademark name, making it easy to associate with the corresponding British brand. Another successful example is the translation of “Johnson & Johnson”,translated as “强生”, which means strengthening for life. From the perspective of Skopostheorie, the translation of this trademark is first in line with the internal consistency rules of the text, because the term “Johnson & Johnson” means that the company's products can improve people's health, and health is the most question people concern. Otherwise, its pronunciation is similar to the original name. Another English trademark "tide" is translated into “汰渍”, which expresses the characteristics of the product well and conforms to the principle of attribute relevance. The brand will associate it with washing powder, in line with the principle of coherence between texts, and of course its pronunciation is similar to the original trademark.5.2.2 Culture Awareness PrincipleBruce Davis Keillor (2007: 94) believes that the language of a country canreflect the culture of that country, show the history of the country, and reveal the way of life and thinking of the people of the country. Translating foreign trademarks is a cross-cultural act, so it is necessary to fully consider the differences between English culture and Chinese culture so that the translation of trademarks can be accepted by local people. This principle of cultural consciousness stems from the coherent rules in discourse, in order to ensure that the recipient of the translated language fully understand the meaning of the translated trademark. Therefore, the translator should fully understand the values of Chinese recipients, including China's social habits, politics and history, and also need to understand the basic expectations of consumers. If the translated trademark does not conform to Chinese culture, it may negatively affect the sales of the corresponding products.For example, the translation of “百事可乐”, the Chinese people like things to go smoothly, and “百事可乐”reflects this characteristic, fully reflects the Chinese culture. At the same time, Coke is also reflected in the translation, indicating that it is a drink, “百事可乐”achieves functional description and cultural expression.5.2.3 Memorability PrincipleThe memory of a trademark can reflect the identity of the trademark. When people remember the trademark, they are more likely to be ready to buy a product or service. The human brain is like a machine that analyzes different information every day. The trademarks are more likely to be accepted by making it easier for customers to remember. Gunter, a Canadian brand strategy consultant, said that good brands that people like to have in their brains usually have the following four characteristics: short; a good trademark preferably has only two syllables. Translated trademarks should also follow this rule. According to the observation, the Chinese trademark should be less than four characters, because if it exceeds four characters, the customer will have a hard time to remember. Second is particularity, if a trademark is different from any others, the consumer's brain will redouble its efforts to remember it. Trademark owners want to create a recognized trademark, so a strong memory brand is crucial. The translation of Kodak and Exxon(柯达和埃克森)are two good examples. These two translated trademarks, different, unique and simple, are subjectto this rule. The third is meaningful; Trademarks can be better remembered when trademarks enable consumers to connect their images with their products. What is different from English is that Chinese is a phonological ideogram. If the translation of the trademark is only to pass the sound to the target recipient, it does not make much sense. A good translation of a good English trademark requires both the pronunciation to be similar to the original one and the positive meaning. The translations of many well-known trademarks such as Pampers, Tide and Goldlion (帮宝适,汰渍,金利来) have done this. The last is feeling emotionally. Scientists have shown that good emotions can help enhance memory. Therefore, any name that can cause emotions is easier to remember. The above examples are all trademarks with emotions. The trademark Unilevel translated into “联合利华”, means to gather together and benefit China, which caters to the patriotic sentiments of Chinese consumers, so they may be more willing to buy it.5.3 Strategies for Chinese Translation of Trademark5.3.1 Major Translation StrategiesSkopostheorie believes that the purpose of translation determines the translation behavior and the translation strategy adopted. The main purpose of the Chinese translation of English trademark is to provide customers with product information, to arouse their interest in the product and to convince them to buy. The translation of English trademarks should strictly abide by this purpose and adopt strategic translations such as transliteration and literal translation.5.3.2TransliterationWiktionary believes that transliteration means finding similar words in the target language based on the letters or word pronunciations in the words, which means better words. It is divided into complete transliteration and homonym.Complete transliteration refers to the translation of words in the target language that are similar to the original words. The use of full transliteration usually has the following conditions. First, the English brand name is not the English proper name and does not have any specific meaning. For example, "Casio" is transliterated into“卡西欧” and "Audi" is transliterated into “奥迪”. Second, the English trademark is made up of coined words. For example, the Japanese film trademark "Codak" was transliterated into “柯达”, and Kodak was meaningless in Chinese. But the pronunciation of "Codak" is somewhat similar to the click sound of a camera, which can help customers to talk about the trademark and the product, and may even purchase the product. The third condition for transliteration is that the English trademark consists of common words. These common words can be translated verbatim, but the translated names do not conform to Chinese customs. For example, if the washing machine trademark "Sharp" is literally translated into "夏普" in Chinese, which sounds unrelated to the washing machine and can mislead consumers. Although the transliteration "夏普" is not a perfect translation, it is still better than “锋利”. The biggest advantage of using full transliteration is that it helps to preserve the phonological beauty of the original brand name, reflecting the true characteristics of the product or exotic. Some people love some high-end trademarks such as Cadillac (凯迪拉克), Hilton (希尔顿), and Rools Royce (劳斯莱斯). Although these Chinese translations are meaningless in Chinese, they cater to the psychology of some people who like Western brands. For them, buying and using foreign top brands symbolizes social status. In summary, it can still find that the fully transliterated trademarks also conform to the Skopostheorie rules, because these trademarks can stimulate consumers' desire to purchase. Of course, these trademark translations do not conform to the coherent rules in the text, because these translated Chinese have no meaning. Of course, the translator needs to pay attention when selecting the corresponding homophones. Words or phrases with negative meanings must be avoided. Some top luxury brands usually use full transliteration because their main customers are those who are wealthy. But for trademarks of common products, full transliteration is not an ideal choice, because these products need to cater to ordinary customers and face a lot of similar products. If foreign products cannot locate themselves in a unique and impressive way and the names are not easy to remember, then the company is likely to face market recession and huge economic losses.5.3.3 TransferenceTransference is another way to represent source text in the target language. These are composed of the initials of the full name, very short, easy to read and understand. The English trademarks that are remembered can be quickly recognized by Chinese consumers and there is no need to translate them into Chinese. The best choice at this time is transference. If the original trademark is simple, eye-catching, and can make a huge profit to the company without translation, you can use transference. Such trademarks were introduced to China without any change in form and pronunciation. For example, AT&T, CD (Christ Dior) and CK (Calvin Klein).5.3.4 Strategy SelectionWhen the translator receives the translation task from the initiator, the translator must use his own translation skills to complete the translation of the trademark in light of the actual situation.First, the decision to use literal translation depends on whether the corresponding Chinese words can be found in Chinese. If so, it is necessary to consider whether such translation can achieve the desired goal. If it is not possible to translate literally, the translator must try to choose a meaning-oriented homophone transliteration method. This translation is impressive and easily accepted by the target consumers. The translation translated by these methods is both practical and in line with the basic principles proposed in this paper. Regardless of the translation strategy used, it is necessary to achieve the purpose of the trademark, the translation strategy establish a good brand image and successfully persuade consumers to make purchases.。
