Advertisement Translation under Skopos Theory

嚴(yán)妙

【Abstract】This paper is an analysis of advertisement translation under skopos theory.It is explained that the nature of advertisement translation under skopos theory is reconstructing the information of the source text to persuade target audience.Three translation strategies are put forward in translating advertisements.

【Keywords】Advertisement translation， skopos theory， translation strategies

Ⅰ.The nature of advertisement translation under skopos theory

Advertisement translation is a commercial action as well as a transformation between two languages.It is strongly affected by the target language and culture， which makes it consider how to translate an advertisement it could best achieve the goal of persuading consumers.As a purposive behavior， Advertisement translation emphasizes the artistic effect it presumes.These measures determine the distinctiveness of advertisement translation from other types of translation.

Ⅱ.Advertisement translation strategies

1.Accommodating the target language

Accommodating the target language means that the translation of the advertisement should meet the requirements of the rules of the target language.To accommodate the target language includes three levels–diction， sentence pattern and rhetorical device.

（1）Diction

At the diction level， Chinese is different from English， and one of the most distinctive features is that Chinese applies many four-word expressions.In order to make the translation vivid， natural and idiomatic， four-word expression will help to accommodate the target language a lot.

（2）Sentence patterns

At the sentence pattern level， English and Chinese do not differ a lot； if the purpose of an advertisement does not change a lot in the target language， it is possible to translate the source text literally.Some English advertisements are short and concise.Therefore， target text should reflect this characteristic because briefness is easy for consumers to remember an advertisement.

（3）Rhetorical devices

In order to distinguish an advertisement from another， rhetorical devices are usually used in advertisement to make it attractive.Common rhetorical devices include personification， metaphor， pun， antithesis， rhyme and hyperbole.

Advertisement sometimes uses antithesis so as to highlight the core of the advertisement.Many of the target texts are translated literally and correctly to convey the source information.This strategy can be applied when the source language and the target language share the common features in grammar， sentence pattern and rhetorical devices， etc.endprint

2.Respecting the target culture

When translating an advertisement， a translator should bear in mind that besides the linguistic aspect， target language is another necessary aspect to consider.That is to say， a translator should respect the target culture.

（1）Values

Understand the different values between East and West.Westerners are believers of individualism while Chinese believe in collectivism.Greatly influenced by the traditional culture， Chinese consumers have firm faith in reputation and authority in particular.However， Westerners emphasize more individuality， independence and privacy.Therefore， when advertisements are to be translated into English， we should make adaptation to cater to the value of western consumers.

（2）Ways of thinking

Understand the differences of ways of thinking.Ways of thinking have a great influence on the wording and discourse of the text.Therefore， in the process of translation， we should take the ways of thinking of the source language and target language into consideration， and adopt proper strategy to enhance the attraction and persuasion effects of the advertisement.

（3）Customs

Understand the different customs.Because of the geographical difference， a same thing may have different meanings in different cultures.In advertisement translation， if the embedded meaning of an image is ignored， sometimes it may cause misunderstanding for the target audience.

3.Applying exotic elements

Besides focusing on the target language and culture， to keep the exotic elements of the foreign culture is also a good way.

III.Conclusion

In conclusion， Skopos theory provides an effective method to study advertisement translation.It requires translators to be fully aware of the purpose of the initiator， and take the differences between two cultures into consideration.Whats more， In the process of translation， translation method should be determined by the specific function of the text.endprint