Skopostheorie And Brand Name Translation

The trend of globalization and China's entry into the WTO have dramatically increased the competition for Chinese businesses. The present study largely derives from a feeling of increasing unease about the status quo of brand name translation in China. Brand name translation, a once neglected topic in the translation studies in China, has been drawing more and more attention from the translators since the 1990's and great improvement has been achieved. The writer of this thesis has selected more than thirty essays on brand name translation published in three leading translation journals and a few other academic journals in the past ten years to which some analysis has been done. Generally speaking, the present studies on brand name translation in China are still far off at best because most of the studies rest only on a mere descriptive analysis of examples without theoretical guidance, and because repeated discussions have been made from language and culture angels with few taking extra-linguistic factors into consideration and analyzing it from various aspects.The originality of the present research is to study brand name translation in the light of Vermeer's Skopstheorie. Based on this theory, this thesis argues that a translator always chooses brand name translation methods purposefully and the process of brand name translation is complex and involves variousselections.This paper consists of four chapters.Chapter One serves as a general introduction to brand and brand name translation. Definition, classification and functions of brand and brand name are introduced. The importance and commonly used methods of brand name translation are discussed.Chapter Two explains the theoretical framework adopted in the thesis, i.e. the skopostheorie proposed by German functionalist, Hans J. Vermeer. The application of skopostheorie to brand name translation is significant in that it holds that translation methods or strategies should be determined by the intended function/purpose of the target text and a translator is endowed with the freedom to choose translation methods purposefully since many factors affect the purpose of the translation.Chapter Three points out that the basic strategy of brand nametranslation should be target-text-oriented and it should be y^oug aspectsSuch factors as language, culture, marketing and law influencing the process of brand name translation are analyzed and the procedures of the translation are tentatively designed.Chapter Four discusses cultural adaptation in brand name translation with reference to a considerable number of real-life examples. Among all the factors influencing and constraining brand name translation, cultural plays themost important role. In order to achieve the purpose of the translation, purposeful adaptations or adjustments of translation methods to various considerations of cultural elements have to be made.The above analysis leads to the conclusion that brand name translation, as a form of practical translation, has its own features. It is complex andmulti-disciplinary and therefore should be various aspects lt is not only a linguistic and cultural transfer, but also a marketing and legal transfer. The skopostheorie theoretically explains all the complex phenomena appearing in brand name translation. As a purposeful selection-making process, brand name translation should be in the guidance of skopostheorie and we should adopt the target-text-oriented strategy.