Translation Of Brand Names From The Perspective Of The Functional Equivalence

Brand name plays a crucial role in people’s everyday consumption. A good brand name can not only convey the basic information of the product, but also impress the consumers deeply and persuade consumers successfully to buy the product. With the rapid development of international trade, the quality of brand name translation influences the product sales a lot. An appropriate brand name translation can burnish the product, help to establish the brand image and raise popularity among consumers.According to Nida’s Functional Equivalence Theory, the most appropriate, natural and equal target language should be adopted to reproduce the source language when one translates texts. Nida’s Functional Equivalence Theory is content-focused, reader-oriented and communication-centered, which is very practical in guiding the brand name translation. A number of theses have studied brand name translation, but few have taken the similarities and differences between Chinese and English brand names into account. This thesis explores in detail the similarities and differences between Chinese and English brand names. Guided by Nida’s Functional Equivalence Theory and also taking into account the similarities and differences, this thesis studies the principles and methods of brand name translation.The main research methods in the thesis are literature induction and description, case study and comparative study.This thesis concludes that Chinese and English brand names have the same nomenclature and intended function. Both Chinese and English brand names must be concise, unique and attractive; they have the same intended function: distinguish among similar products, establish the image of product, spread product information and promote product sales. Meanwhile, Chinese and English products have their own unique features in formation, culture and phonology. Firstly, there are many brand names made up of acronyms or named after famous people in English,which is rare in Chinese brand names. A lot of proper nouns and coin words are used in English brand names while common nouns are often used in Chinese brand names. Secondly,Chinese brand names like to use auspicious words but English brand names rarely pursue the good symbolic meanings of brand names. Besides, some words with the same referential meaning in Chinese and English have different symbolic meanings. Finally,Chinese language is a tone language,so the coordination of tones in Chinese brand names must be considered. The plosives are often used in English brand names to ensure the resounding pronunciation. Principles of brand name translation are to convey the product information and conform to readers’ culture. Methods adopted in brand name translation are transliteration, literal translation, combination of transliteration and free translation, creative translation and no translation. Transliteration is often used in English-Chinese translation because English brand names often use personal names and proper nouns. Literal translation is often used in Chinese-English translation because Chinese brand names often use common nouns. Combination of transliteration and free translation and creative translation are often used in English-Chinese translation because English brand names often use proper nouns and coin words. No translation method is often used in English-Chinese translation, especially when it comes to acronyms of famous brand names.Six chapters make up this thesis. Chapter One is the introduction, in which the research background, research questions, research methods, research significance and thesis structure are described. Chapter Two is literature review, which is a review of previous studies on brand name translation and Functional Equivalence Theory, concluding that the Functional Equivalence Theory is the most powerful in translating brand names. Chapter Three is the theoretical framework of the thesis, in which the definition and principles of Functional Equivalence Theory is introduced and the feasibility of Functional Equivalence Theory is explained in detail. Chapter Four is comparative analysis of Chinese and English brand names, in which both the similarities as well as differences between Chinese and English brand names are illustrated with examples. Chapter Five discusses the principles and methods of brand name translation under the guidance of Functional Equivalence Theory and the similarities and differences between Chinese and English brand names. Chapter Six is the conclusion,in which the significant findings of the study and the limitations and suggestions are illustrated.