The Translation Of English Brand Names From The Perspective Of Skopostheorie

With the rapid globalization of economy, more and more foreign products flood intoChinese market. In the fierce competition, foreign enterprises try their best to set up thebrand image and expand the market capacity in China. The translation of brand namesplays a vital role in setting up good image for a new brand. Therefore, the translation ofbrand names is considered by more enterprises.The translation of brand names needs the guidance of scientific translation theory.Skopostheorie emphasizes the Skopos rule that the end justifies the means. The ultimatepurpose can determine the whole translation process. The brand name translation aims toattract consumers and stimulate consumption. Hence, Skopostheorie is suitable to guidethe brand name translation. In the light of Skopostheorie, the brand name translationmethods are flexible as long as the translated version can fulfill the intended function. Ofcourse, the related factors and translation principles must be taken into account in the process of brand name translation. Thus, the thesis can be divided into six parts.Chapter one is about the introduction which contains the research significance,questions, objectives, methods and structure of the thesis.Chapter two reviews the previous studies on brand name translation abroad and inChina. Besides, the previous researches on Skopostheorie are also introduced here.According to the previous researches, the significance and necessity of the research arepointed out in the chapter.Chapter three involves the development, basic rules and significance ofSkopostheorie. The formation and function of brand names are presented. The factors tobe considered during the process of brand name translation in the light of Skopostheorieare also explained here. The factors mainly consist of the intended function of the targettext, cultural diversity and consumer’s psychology.Chapter four is the principles of brand name translation. According to the specificcharacteristics of brand name translation and the particular guidance of Skopostheorie,five translation principles are presented including Skopos rule, consumer-orientedprinciple, relevance principle, aesthetic principle and the KISS principle.Chapter five is about translation methods. Based on the above mentioned, ninetranslation methods are put forward through the detailed analysis of the examples. Theyare as follows: transliteration, literal translation, free translation, mixed translation,adaptation, zero translation, image translation, semantic compensation, and coinedtranslation.Chapter six proposes the findings and limitations of the thesis. Besides, thesuggestions for further researches are also made in this part.