A Study On Commercial Advertisement Translation

Nowadays, advertising, as an industry, is playing an increasingly important role in social development. Not only is it supposed to be appealing, it is also used as a tool for manufacturers to improve their products' marketability. With globalization accelearting, more and more businesses of all types are operating internationally in various ways. To survive in the fierce global market, they have to make a lot of promotions for their products in foreign markets. In this situation, advertisement translation is increasingly showing its importance. However, in all national markets, particularly in China, unsatisfying translation is appearing in media ever and again, which not only means financial loss, but also impairs the public image of manufacturers as well. Hence, it becomes an urgent task for those devoted to translation practice to seek a suitable theory for guidance. This is none other but functionalist theory explored in this paper. In the light of functionalist approaches, the purpose or the intended function of the target text is the criterion for judging a translation. Since the end justifies the means, the translator is not to be tied down by the conventional "faithfulness" strategy based on the equivalence theory. Instead, he is entitled to choose freely any means available to yield a persuasive target text. In other words, the translator is expected to bear the purpose of an advertisement in mind, and if necessary, can make free adaptations of the original text, the final aim of which is to help sell products in the target market. As long as his translation can persuade the target readers to take action, he is successful in fulfilling his task.