An Analysis on the Linguistic Features and Translation of English Advertising Slogans

1、 an analysis on the linguistic features and translation of english advertising slogans 浅析英文广告语的语言特点及其翻译 abstract with chinas accession to the wto, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of chinese enterprises and products flowing into the international market while an increasing number of

2、foreign enterprises and their products have entered our domestic market continually. in this heated war of competition, the most powerful weapon available in shaping their self-image and promoting their goods is the advertisement. people live in a world of advertisement. as potential consumers, they

3、 are endlessly bombarded with all kinds of products or service advertisements from various media which includes newspapers, magazines, broadcast, television and the internet, etc. the basic elements of an advertisement are headline, illustration, slogan and trademark. one of the most visible stimula

4、tion to which consumers are exposed is the advertising slogan. however, due to the unique style and characteristics of advertising slogan, as well as its intimate relationship with society and culture, it would be a great challenge for the translator to make a translation of an advertising slogan bo

5、th accurate and attractive.the thesis is composed of the following chapters: chapter one provides the significance and the background of the thesis and introduces the implementation of further research. chapter two introduces the definition and linguistic features of the english advertising slogans,

6、 and it provides readers the rhetorical devices which are usually used in translating the english advertising slogans. plenty of slogans are presented. chapter three introduces the requirements and several strategies in translating english advertising slogans. chapter four summarizes the whole thesi

7、s, stating the contributions of the thesis on the field of the translation of english advertising slogans and pointing out the limitations of the thesis with suggestions on future research efforts. the study, far from comprehensive as it were, is intended for translators for further research in this

8、 field.key words： advertising; characteristics of english advertising texts; translation principles; literal translation; free translation浅析英文广告语的语言特点及其翻译摘要随着中国加入世界贸易组织， 我国经济飞速发展。在经济全球化不断推进的同时，越来越多的中国企业以及商品成功进入国际市场。与此同时，大量的外国企业带着他们的产品不断进入国内市场。在这场激烈的产品市场争夺战中，商家们使出了浑身解数，而广告则是他们不可缺少的最有力的武器之一。一则优秀的广告，不但

9、可以为企业塑造良好的自身形象，而且可以提高企业产品的市场占有率。因此，各个国家、各个企业每年都会支付一笔庞大的费用来制作符合企业产品形象需求的广告。在经济全球化的21世纪，广告宣传的国际化趋势将会越来越明显，其竞争也必将越来越激烈。在人们的日常生活中，广告随处可见。无论是打开电视机、收音机，翻开一本杂志、一份报纸又或者是走在街上、坐在车上，我们都会发现各式各样的广告。而对于一则广告而言，广告口号则是不可缺少的。它是广告者从长远销售利益出发，在一定时期内反复使用的特定宣传语句。一句简短而有力的神来之笔往往会吸引人们稍纵即逝的注意力，使某一企业或品牌牢驻消费者心中。然而，由于广告标语的独特风格，

10、以及其与社会文化紧密联合的特点，能否准确的翻译出一则优秀的广告语对于翻译者来说是一项巨大的挑战。本文由四部分组成：第一章，概论。简要介绍了本文的背景知识及其重要性。第二章，文献综述。主要归纳了英语广告口号的定义，并通过大量的举例从词汇、句法、修辞的角度对英语广告口号的语言特点加以分析研究。第三章，英语广告口号的翻译策略。主要介绍了直译法、意译法、借译法等集中常见有效地翻译方法。第四章，总结。本章对全文内容加以总结。本文旨在研究英语广告语的语言特色，从而准确翻译英语广告语。关键词：英语广告语；英文广告语的语言特色；翻译原则；直译；意译table of contentschapter page1

11、introduction1 1.1 significance of the research1 1.2 overview of the thesis22 literature review3 2.1 the definition of english advertising slogans3 2.2 the linguistic features of the english advertising slogans32.2.1 lexical features frequent use of monosyllabic verbs frequent use of

12、adjectives52.2.2 syntactical features frequent use of simple sentence frequent use of interrogative sentences frequent use of imperative sentences7 2.3 the rhetorical devices in translating english advertising slogans72.3.1 simile and metaphor82.3.2 rhyme92.3.3 personificatio

13、n102.3.4 pun102.3.5 repetition122.3.6 parody123 the strategies in translating english advertising slogans14 3.1 the requirements for translators143.1.1 language competence143.1.2 knowledge of the products143.1.3 cultural knowledge15 3.2 the strategies of translating english advertising slogans163.2.

14、1 literal translation method163.2.2 free translation method184 conclusion21 bibliography2322chapter 1introduction1.1 significance of the researchpeople live in the age of advertising. the expansion of international trade between china and many other countries makes it increasingly significant for us

15、 to understand and translate english and chinese advertisement slogans. how wonderful the world of advertising is! exquisite pictures, flowery words, haunting music, all these contribute to a world of beauty, a world of miracles. loving beauty is an essential part of human nature. with globalization

16、 of the world economy as well as chinas entry into wto, not only can we chinese benefit greatly from the high quality products imported from foreign countries, but also our national products are entering the international market on a large scale. as is known to all, the fierce competition on the int

17、ernational market lies not only in the quality of the product, but also in a good service, a good brand reputation and a good company image. advertising is an important way of good promotion. however, many translated advertisements are still not satisfactory. some of them cant provide correct and fu

18、ll information of advertised products, and some are puzzling us due to the diversity of cultures. although there are some translation techniques and theories in advertising translation, yet up to now, no clear and practical principles are provided for translation of advertising. accordingly, it is i

19、mperative to probe into the topic of english advertising translation. 1.2 overview of the thesisthis thesis is intended to explore the major characteristics of english advertisements, to produce a theoretical framework for advertising translation study, and to guide translation of english texts into

20、 chinese. in the following parts: a discussion of the major linguistic features of english advertising text is first conducted from three perspectives: lexical, syntactic and rhetorical aspects. then, according to the unique features and purposes of advertising, two most usual methods literal transl

21、ation and free translation are used to translate english advertisements. moreover, analyses and translation of several english examples employed in this thesis demonstrate that the principles and methods are practical and applicable. chapter 2literature review2.1 the definition of english advertisin

22、g slogansadvertising slogan refers to the non-personal communication of information usually persuasive in nature about products or commodities, service or ideas through various media. the term “advertise” originates from the latin word “advertere”, with the meaning of attraction peoples attention. a

23、ccording to longman dictionary of american english, advertisement means “a notice of something for sale, job position to be fined, room to rent, etc. as in a newspaper, on television, or posted on a wall” (gray, 2005,123). nowadays, many other text types, such as tourist brochures, are also referred

24、 to as advertising media in many publications. 2.2 the linguistic features of the english advertising slogansa picture of our modern commercialized society would be incomplete without advertising. since advertising possesses functions of immediate impact and rapid persuasion with a high commercial v

25、alue and aesthetic value. therefore, an advertisement must be attractive, creative, persuasive and impressive. among the many advertising factors, language is the core of all successful advertisements. advertising bears a strong persuasive power. as a special applied language, advertising language d

26、isplays its distinctive features in morphology, syntax and rhetorical devices. in this thesis, these features of english advertising will be briefly approached from the lexical, syntactic and rhetorical perspectives.2.2.1 lexical featuresthe glamour of advertising comes from the novelty and distinct

27、iveness of its language. as a means of conveying messages, advertising language is usually concise, vivid and emotional. successful advertisements always leave a deep impression on their readers. frequent use of monosyllabic verbsmonosyllabic verbs are short and rhythmical. they are easy to p

28、ronounce and remember. they always make advertising texts concise, vivid and simple.g.n. leech (1966,153) lists the most commonly used verbs: make, come, love, like, get, go, use, give, know, feel, have, take, see, start, busy, need, taste, etc. of course, nowadays people can find many more frequent

29、ly used monosyllabic verbs like be, do, call, try, use, show, help, prove, mean, meet, suit, save, choose, build, grow, etc.these verbs are absolutely necessary in our daily life. they help persuade customers to buy the advertised products. although these verbs are different in meaning as well as in

30、 grammatical functions, each of them shows a certain relationship between the advertiser (or the advertised products) and the customers. the verbs “have”, “buy”, “get”, “give”, “keep” show the customers gaining and possessing a product; the verbs “take”, “use”, “have” indicate the customers action a

31、nd process of using a product; and the verbs “like”, “love”, “need”, “enjoy” denote the customers positive attitude towards a product. g.n. leech (1966,154) points out that in advertising language the most frequent word for “acquisition of product” is get instead of buy. this is due to its unpleasan

32、t connotations (spending money) which get does not contain. therefore, this verb is usually avoided by employing such synonyms as, ask for, get, take, send for, use, choose, look for. frequent use of adjectivesin order to sell a commodity, a company usually feels obliged to elaborate and beau

33、tify it. that is why complimentary adjectives are often found in english advertisements. adjectives are often used to describe the nature and quality of the products. according to g.n. leechs statistics in his language in advertising (1966,152), the following are the most frequently used adjectives,

34、 new, good/better/best, fine, free, big, fresh great, delicious, real, full/sure, easy/bright, clean, extra/safe, speech, rich. new, which implies the latest fashion or style or quality or type, or unique feature of a product or service, is a word applied everywhere, for it can almost describe all a

35、spects of products, such as size, shape, color, appearance, brilliance. delicious, crisp, fresh, rich can be collocated with food while fresh, clean are used frequently to describe toothbrush, soap, shampoo and so on. fine, great always show ones praise or recommendation of a commodity. a noticeable

36、 phenomenon is that people pay more and more attention to their health, so natural is used wider and wider. for example,e.g. (1) fun, friendly, free this is an advertisement slogan from american online. all the joys and nice things that american online provides are clearly expressed in the above exa

37、mple through three adjectives, fun, friendly, free. 2.2.2 syntactical featuresin order to draw customers attention, arouse their interest and stimulate them to take action, advertising slogans should be attractive, simple and easy to understand. therefore, advertising usually pay much attention to t

38、he selection of sentence variety, sentence structure, and other grammatical forms. frequent use of simple sentencesimple sentences are frequently used in adverts for two purposes. one is to convey as much information as possible in limited space to save space and money; the other is to make a

39、dverts understood easily by ordinary people.e.g. (2) start today. (spring classes)its exciting and romantic, too. enjoy the feeling of dancing, holding someone special and moving together as one to the music. arthur murrays trained dance teachers make it easy to learn to dance. come on and get toget

40、her with new friends. its easy the arthur murray way.all the sentences in the advertisements are simple, short and colloquial. they are easy to understand and appreciate. in addition, they evoke readers feeling of intimacy. moreover, they are highly persuasive and capable of arousing the readers int

41、erest.e.g. (3) ooh (pizza hut)only one word “ooh” in this advertisement, but it leaves large space for consumers imagination on the product. pizza huts smell, fine cooking and good ingredients these are all enjoyments that people like. it shows completely peoples satisfaction after enjoying eating.2

42、.2.2.2 frequent use of interrogative sentencesinterrogative sentence is a sentence of inquiry that asks for a reply. according to g.n. leechs (1966) statistics, there is one interrogative sentence in 30 sentences in tv commercials. he pointed out that the interrogative sentence has two levels of fun

43、ction. psychologically, it puts forward a question with an interrogative sentence and then offers an answer to it. in this way the process of receiving a message is divided into two stages which make it easier for the target audience to understand and accept the message. on the other hand, linguisti

44、cally, interrogative sentences lower the level of grammatical difficulty. so interrogative sentences are often used in advertisements. frequent use of imperative sentencesfrequent use of imperative sentences is a distinct phenomenon in english adverts. they are often used to express invitatio

45、n, or order, which coincide with the purposes of advertisements, urging and persuading end-users to take an action. according to statistics, there is at least one imperative sentence in every four in english advertisements. g.n. leech (1966) divided the verbs into three kinds:(1) acquisition of prod

46、ucts: get, buy, let, choose, ask for(2) use or appliance of products: use, try, have, enjoy(3) evoking attention: look for, stop in, take a look, see, findleech (1966, 8) believed that advertising composers naturally believe that the public has the habit of accepting the beneficial advice that is ex

47、pressed by imperative sentences.e.g. (5) “go ahead! you can rely on us.”(an advertisement for axa insurance &investment)2.3 the rhetorical devices in translating english advertising slogansrhetoric is the art of persuasion. it is considered as the ability to persuade people to do what the speakers o

48、r writers want them to. it can be applied fully for the point of an advertisement is to inform people of the merits of a particular product or service so that they will part with some of their money. then it is not surprising that advertising is sprinkled with rhetorical devices.the main advantage o

49、f proper use of rhetoric in advertising lies in its superior ability to communicate abstract features or benefits of the product to communicate information about intangible services. frequently used rhetorical devices in english adverts are alliteration, rhyme, onomatopoeia, simile, metaphor, person

50、ification, pun, antithesis, parallelism, repetition, parody, and so on.2.3.1 simile and metaphorsimile is a direct or explicit comparison between two unrelated things, indicating a likeness or similarity between some abstract qualities found in both things. a simile is usually made up of three parts

51、, namely the tenor (the thing described), the vehicle (the thing compared) and words used to show the relationship of comparison (such as “as”, “like”). the use of simile in advertisements can create a vivid and clear image of the advertised product or service in consumers interest, therefore, more

52、acceptable.e.g. (6) looks like a pump, feels like a sneaker (easy spirit shoes)example (6) is a case of simile introduced by the connective word “like”. the use of simile creates clear and intimate image of the advertised product, achieving costumers mental and emotional resonance.metaphor is an imp

53、lied comparison between usually unrelated things indicating a likeness or similarity between attributes found in both things. metaphor, unlike simile, does not use like or as to indicate the comparison. without the word as or like, it is more concise and always has a strong feeling with some exagger

54、ation. metaphors in english advertising slogans contribute to promoting the sale of products and help make advertised service thrive and flourish.e.g. (7) the architects of time (ebel)example (7) is an advert for ebel watch from switzerland. a famous saying goes like this, “time is money”. and ebel

55、is described as “the architects of time”. the value and quality of the watch are fully implied in just a few words.2.3.2 rhymerhyme has been defined as the similarity or identity of sound that exists between accented syllables which occupy corresponding positions in two or more lines of verse. the m

56、ost common form in advertising slogans is “end rhyme”, in which the ends of lines correspond in sound. it is much easier to remember a rhyming headline or slogan than it is to memorize a correspondingly long stretch of words.e.g. (8) pepsi-cola hits the spot. twelve full ounces, thats a lot. twice a

57、s much for a nickel, too. pepsi-cola is the drink for you.example (8) is an ad for pepsi-cola. it adopts the structure of ballad stanza with the tune of a british folksong, in which “spot” rhymes with “lot” and “too” rhymes with “you”. wit its rhyming feet and musical sound, this advertisement is no

58、 doubt easily accepted and memorizes by the public.2.3.3 personificationto put it simply, personification is a figure of speech in which inanimate objects and events are reprinted as human being or having human qualities. in advertising slogans, personification is employed to personify the advertised products so that it possesses human qualities or feelings. the use of personification can achieve the effect of vitality and vividness. verbs, nouns, adjectives an