On the Skills of Rhetoric and Translation Approaches in Advertising English30.doc

on the skills of rhetoric and translation approaches in advertising englishcontentsabstract in english.iabstract in chinese ii1 introduction1 2 theoretical foundations .12.1 the function and skill of rhetoric . 12.1.1 simile22.1.2 personification. 42.1.3rhyme4 2.1.4 pun62.1.5 parallelism82.2 the approach of brand name translation82.2.1 the importance of brand name translation82.2.2 the advertising nature of brand name translation112.2.3 inductive effect of brand name translation. 112.2.4 giving the consumer a good association.122.2.5 observing our countrys relevant laws 123 conclusion.13bibliography.15abstractwith the devolopment of society, advertising has penetrated into every corner of our life. as a way of propagating and transmitting information, its role connot be underestimated because it is not only an artful technique in persuading people to buy, but also gradually has become a must for social communication which in turn influences the development of society and economy.after china entering wto, more and more advertisements appear in the markets and use various skills of rhetoric in advertising which make itslanguage precise, humorous, vivid, novel and rhythmic, fully displaying the particular charming characteristic in advertising english language. naturally,the translation of brand names also become more and more important.therefore, through thorough and theoretical studies on theskills of rhetoric and translation approaches of english advertising will help improve both the understanding and designing of successful advertisements. this paper is intended to help reader better understand，appreciate and translate english advertisements .key words: skills of rhetoric，advertising english，translating approaches浅析广告英语的修辞技巧和翻译方法摘要随着社会的发展，广告已经渗透到我们生活的每一个角落。作为一种宣传和传递信息的方式，它的作用是不能低估的，因为它不仅仅是在用巧妙的方法说服人们购买商品，而且也逐渐成为社会的沟通工具并影响着社会经济的发展。中国加入wto后，越来越多的广告出现在市场上并且它们还运用各种修辞手法，使广告的语言变得更加生动、新颖和有节奏，充分展示了广告语言的魅力。自然而然，广告英语的翻译也就变得更加重要了，因此，通过对修辞技巧和翻译方法的彻底学习，能够帮助我们提高对广告的理解和设计能力。本文意在帮助读者更好地理解、欣赏和翻译广告英语。关键词：修辞技巧，英语广告，翻译方法1 introductionalong with the rapid development of social economy, china and foreign countries trade is expanding gradually, numerous colorful and fantastic english advertisements appear in chinese market. the role of advertisement becomes more and more important in everyday life. advertising english has become an important means of communicating ideas and an indispensable part, lots of advertisements use various rhetoric to add to its originality and charm, therefore it appears to be more important for us to understand, appreciate and translate advertisement language properly. advertisement translation is a lively and distinctive field. the whole paper is divided into two chapters about how to appreciate advertising rhetorical skills and translate them well into chinese. all this is given a careful discussion and a detailed study in this paper.2 theoretical foundations2.1 the function and skill of rhetoricrhetorical devices are variations of literal or ordinary forms of expressions. their function is to make the thought more striking and effective. a fresh and suitable rhetorical device appeals to the imagination, creates mental pictures and makes the speech or writing vivid, impressive and interesting. rhetorical devices can make language more vivid by using the simple words to express complex meanings. by the use of rhetoric, even abstract ideas can become concrete. rhetoric can make the modified subjects more prominent, distinctive, and specific, and the language can give people more space to imagine. whereas, without the use of rhetoric, the language is boring and there is no vigor in the language. next we will study several kinds of rhetorical devices which are frequently used in advertisement, and it is necessary to study them one by one by giving definitions and making illustrations. all of the examples studied below are constrained within english advertisements.2.1.1 simile simile is a way of comparing one thing with another of explaining what one thing is like by showing how it is similar to another thing and it signals itself in a text, with the words “as or like.”in metaphor, one thing is directly compared to another thing, without the marker“like ” or “as”. the use of metaphor makes the language more vivid and attractive. metaphor is a kind of rhetoric devices which is favored by most advertisement composers. the following is a good example:“youd better off under umbrella”. this is an advertisement for a travel insurance agency. in this advertisement, “umbrella” refers to the travel insurance agency. in the advertisement, “the vehicle” is not stated. in fact, “the vehicle” is the staff of the “umbrella” agency. no matter it is raining or shining, if the customers carry an umbrella with them, the umbrella will be very useful to them, for it protects them from being influenced by the bad weather. in most peoples minds, the word “umbrella” is always linked with safety and protection. while the customers are traveling, there are some unpredictable factors existing during their journey. just imagine that no matter what happens, there are always someone waiting for customers, listening to customers and comforting customers. they are not anyone else and they are the staff of “umbrella”. by using metaphor, the companys image is more vivid. the advertisement would leave a deep impression on the customers. there is another an example:“breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine” this is an advertisement for “orange juice”. it can be found that in this advertisement, “orange juice” is “the tenor” and “sunshine” is “the vehicle”. the word “like” signals that the advertisement makes use of the rhetoric devicesimile. thus by using simile, the advertisement makes the products characteristic more vivid and lively. if the “orange juice” really has such an effect, the customers are eager to drink this kind of juice at breakfast. precisely, this advertisement is a good example in simile craftsmanship. it can not be imagined what the world will be look like without sunshine. the importance of “orange juice” is no less than “sunshine”. since the significance of this kind of “orange juice” is so great, nobody would refuse to drink it. thus this advertisement touches the customers heart and greatly promotes the sale of this kind of “orange juice”. there is another example:“today, it is like a thriving sakura”. this is an advertising for a bank. it makes the dull ad very vivid and interesting by employing simile. we can render it into like this “today，this bank is growing like a fourishing cherry”. thus it remains original meaning and exoticism.2.1.2 personification by definition，personification is a figure of speech that gives human form or feelings to animal or life. personification is one of the most frequently used rhetoric devices in english advertisement, for it can greatly shorten the distance between the advertisement composer and customers，creating a kind of harmonious atmosphere between them. for example: “flower by interflora speaks from the heart”. this is an advertisement for “interfloa” flower. in this advertisement, “interfola” flower was personified by the advertisement composer. the advertisement composer endows this kind of flower with life. in most peoples minds only close friends speak to each other from the heart. by using personification, this advertisement makes the customers feel cordial. this advertisement touches the customers hearts. the advertisement sets a good example in using personification.2.1.3 rhyme“rhyme is identity of sounds between words or verse lines extending back from the end to the last fully accented vowel not further”. people often associate rhyme with poetry. actually, rhyme also occurs in advertisements.for example:“my goodness! my guinness!”. this is an excellent example of rhyme. the two words “goodness and guinness” rhyme the same sound / nis/.it is an ad for beer which is very vivid by using rhyme. the consumer would say “my godness, this beer is fantastic!” when he is drinking.another example: “pepsi-cola hits the spot. twelve full ounces, thats a lot. twice as much for a nickel, too. pepsi-cola is the drink for you”. this is an advertisement for pepsi-cola. the advertisement employed the rhetoric devicerhyme, that is, the words with same sound. rhyme can affect the customers ears pleasantly. rhyme also can enhance meaning, for it rhymes key words, and the advertisement composer can draw attention from the customers. in the advertisement, the word “pepsi-cola” is repeated, which makes the advertisement memorable. the two words“spot” and “lot” end with the same letters“ot”, which gives customers a deep impression and further promote the sale of this kind of drink. there is no doubt that the advertisement sets a good example of using rhyme in english advertisement. in terms of rhyme, it mainly includes alliteration and consonance. “the repetition of the same sounds in the first accented syllables of word is called alliteration. since the sound repeated is usually the initial consonant sound, it is sometimes also called front rhyme”. alliteration is also a typical characteristic of many advertisements. for example: “sea, sun, sand, seclusionand spain”. this is an advertisement for “spain” hotel. the advertisement composer describes beautiful and romantic scenery in only a few words. by using alliteration, the advertisement composer uses the simple words to express complex meanings. all those four words“sea”, “sun”, “sand”, and “seclusion” begin with the same letter “s”. all those four words rhyme the same sound /s/.and the following is an excellent english advertisement that can well demonstrate the charm of rhyme. “hi-fi, hi-fun, hi-fashion, only from sony”. this is an advertisement for sonys products. in this advertisement, the repeated sounds of “hi” not only give the customers a deep impression and make it memorable, but also emphasize the quality of the product at the same time. in this advertisement, alliteration is used effectively. by using rhyme, sonys products win customers hearts in a short time.2.1.4 pun pun is an amusing use of a word or phrase that has two meanings which is called polysemy or of words with the same sound but different meanings which is called homonymy. pun, the game of words, will leave a deep impression on readers by its readability, wit and humor. however, to make a successful and impressive pun is not easy. except for its own meaning, the word used as a pun is usually closely related to the characteristics of a certain product or the brand name of the product. such coincidence doesnt occur often.there are many words in the english language which look or sound alike. for example: “im more satisfied”. this is an advertisement for the cigarettes of “more”. some people hold that pun is only a kind of literature game. however, in fact, it is a traditional rhetoric device in advertisement. by using pun, advertisements will easily be remembered by the readers. in addition, filled with wit and humor, puns help advertising products win favor from readers. in this advertisement, “more” not only refers to this kind of cigarette, but also implies that this kind of cigarette can bring customers pleasure and a feeling of happiness and satisfaction. the advertisement composer grasped the characteristics of this kind of product and made use of the rhetoric devicepun. this advertisement has a strong humorous sense and attracts customers attention, strengthening the effect of advertisements. “more satisfied” means that this kind of cigarette can give customers more pleasure and happiness than the other kinds of cigarette. thus this advertisement makes a sharp comparison between its products and the other products. by this kind of comparison, the customer will choose this kind of cigarette undoubtedly. it goes without saying that this advertisement sets a good example of using pun in english advertisement. the next coming advertisement is also an excellent advertisement in the fields of using pun in english advertisement. for example: “from sharp minds, come sharp products”. this is an advertisement for “sharp” typewriter. it means that owing to “sharp minds”, “sharp products” come into being. in the sentence, the word “sharp” has two levels of meaning. the superficial meaning refers to “sharp” typewriter; the deep meaning refers to those persons who design this kind of typewriter and those who use this kind of typewriter. by using pun, this advertisement effectively shortens the distance between the advertisement composer and the customers. under such kind of occasion, the customers can not help buying this kind of productthe “sharp” typewriter. they can not resist the charm of “sharp” typewriter since it exaggerates its product appropriately. the advertisement makes the customers attention shift from other objects to sharp typewriter in a short time. this advertisement motivates the customers to buy “sharp” typewriter. what a magic power pun has!2.1.5 parallelism “in parallel construction it is necessary to balance word for word (noun with noun, verb with verb, adjective with adjective, etc) phrase with phrase, clause with clause, sentence with sentence.” traditionally, to work out a good advertisement, this kind of rhetoric device parallelism will not be neglected by advertisement composers. it is reported that parallelism is one of the most frequently used of all english rhetorical device. for example:“for dreamers its paradise. for romantics its true bliss. for $199 a night its absolutely irresistible”. this is an advertisement for a travel agencymonaco; the three sentences talk about three different kinds of fields. in the advertisement, the advertisement composer revealed his advertisement by three parallel sentences, each of which contains a simple sentence with the similar structure. monacos charm is greatly enhanced by the unity and balance of these parallel structures. by using parallelism, the advertisement composer can add clarity and coherence to the advertisement. parallelism helps the advertisement composer better communicate with the customers2.2 the approach of brand name translation2.2.1 the importance of brand name translation with the rapid development of chinas economy, more and more foreign commodities will enter chinese market. if one wants to stand out in this big market, he faces one of the big challenge problems the translation of trademark, because brand name reprensents enterprises image. owing to different cultural backgrounds and consumption concepts between us and western countries. on one hand, trademark reflects product attribut. on the other hand, it also a kind of social culture. it is like a bridge which links eastern and western culture. we will analyze some common translation approaches and principles in this chapter based on chinese traditional culture. therefore, translation on advertisement, we have to choose an appropriate approach to make the translation suitable for the target language readership and promote the selling of product.when it comes to translation, we cannt help thinking of two far-fatching western translation theorists called eugene nida and peter newmark. firstly, peter newmark introduces two kinds of translation methods. the methods are semantic translation and communicative translation. in fact, peter newmark thinks that all translations must be in some degree both communicative and semantic. he states clearly there is no purely semantic translation or purely communicative translation in translation practice, and only through a combination of the two methods can a translation be both accurate in meaning and acceptable to the target language reader. secondly, nidas main contribution in translation theory is the dynamic equivalence，and it is also known as functional equivalence. the opposite approach is formal equivalence. nida advocates the translation approach of dynamic equivalence. according to peter newmark, communicative translation attempts to produce on its readers an effect as close as possible to that obtained on the readers of the original. semantic translation attempts to render, as closely as the semantic and syntactic structures of the second language allow, the exact contextual meaning of the original. in theory, there are wide differences between the two methods. communicative translation must emphasize the effect rather than the content of the message, and semantic translation would be more informative but less effective. semantic translation attempts to recreate the precise flavor and tone of the original and it relates to the “expressive” function of language, whereas communicative translation responds to the representational and vocative functions. thus we must take literal translation and free translation into account when we translate brand names.next we prensent some examples. it is popular that brand names of company and commodity are translated into english according to their sense in daily life.“开元集团”is translated into “create”, “雪莲羊绒衫”into “lotus”, “巨人集团”into “giant group”, when we paraphrase brand names, except that some registered english words have other senses in their culture background, we must pay