On Translation of Advertising Slogans from the Perspective of Skopos Theory

过晓芬

【Abstract】As a kind of practical writing，advertising slogans aim to build brand preference and loyalty and arouse customersdesire for the products.Different from the traditional ways of translation，slogan translation centers on its business goals instead of the equivalence in the form and content.This paper，taking the perspective of Skopos theory，probes into the translation strategies of commercial advertising through the analyses on some typical examples from home and abroad.

【Key words】Skopos theory； advertising slogans； slogan translation

1. Skopos theory

Skopos theory，as the center of German functionalism，was first put forward by Hans J.Vermeer.He believes that translators should choose appropriate translation strategies to serve the various purpose of translation，and that“the prime principle determining any translation process is the purpose of the overall translational action.”（Nord.27）The theory can be further divided into three rules：Skopos rule，coherence rule and fidelity rule，of which the Skopos rule is taken as the leading rule that all the translation activities should follow.

2. Translation strategies of advertising slogans

2.1 Literal Translation

Literal translation refers to an adequate representation of the source text in a word-for-word manner without changing the original structure and content，which can achieve complete equivalence to the source text.Allowing for the conciseness of English advertising，literal translation is most frequently used in E-C slogan translation.

Take time to indulge！（Nestle）尽情享受吧！

Challenge the limits.（SUMSUNG）挑战极限

Few changes are made in the form and structure of the above translations.The word-for-word translations convey both the meaning and the purpose of the source text faithfully and coherently，maximizing the reproduction of the information and completely conforming to the Skopos theory.

In addition，literal translation can also be applied to C-E translation，especially when the Chinese phrases can find their English equivalence，for instance，the expressions like“典雅大方”，“款式繁多”and“香气浓郁”can find their equivalence in English like“elegant and graceful”，“various pattern”and“fragrant flavor”.

2.2 Free Translation

“People tend to think that text in one language can be accurately translated into another as long as the translator uses a good bilingual dictionary.Unfortunately，languages are not this simple and direct，translation in many cases is difficult if not impossible.”（Samovar et al.132）In most cases，literal translation is not applicable due to the difference between the source and target languages.At this point，the translator may change the form and structure of the target text to serve the purpose of the slogan while improving its readability.

The choice is yours.The honor is mine.带走您的选择，留下我的荣耀。

HSBC——The Worlds Local Bank.汇丰银行——环球金融，地方智慧。

In the above translations，the underlined parts are respectively added to keep the integrity of the sentences and to follow the language habits.By using the strategy of addition，the readability and impact of the slogan are improved remarkably.

当今社会人才济济，不是一马当先独领风骚，就是人仰马翻莫名一文。

In todays rat race，either you stay ahead or bail out.

The strategy of abridgement is especially applicable to C-E slogan translation on account of most Chinese sloganscomplexity and overload of information.The above example successfully uses the strategy of abridgement，simplifying the translated slogans while retaining the central content.

随身携带，有备无患；随身携带，有惊无险。

A heart reliever in need is a heart reliever indeed.

Tasting is believing.百闻不如一尝。

The strategy of imitation is used in the above translations.The second translation tactfully and faithfully conveys the meaning of the source text，generating a vivid and catchy image of the product.

百味大成，百品不厌。Its blended，its splendid.

好吃，好吃，好好吃，好好吃。A Delicacy Dedicated for Delightful Dejeuner.

In the above examples，great changes are made to the source texts both in structure and content.The second translation employs the rhetoric device of alliteration，endowing it with rhythmic beauty.Although the target text differs from the source text both in the content and form，it shows the advantages of the product and achieves the same effect.

3. Conclusion

In general，in order to achieve the ultimate purpose of promoting sales and creating brand loyalty，the translator should jump out of the linguistic and cultural barriers and adroitly choose the most appropriate translation strategy.Moreover，the translator should take full account of the rhetorical devices and set phrases used in the source text and manage to reproduce the beauty of the text in the target language.

References：

[1]Nord，Christiane.Translating as a Purposeful Activity：Functionalist Approaches Explained[M].Manchester：St Jerome，1997.

[2]Samovar，Larry A.Richard E.Porter and Lisa A.Stefani.Communication Between Culture 3rd ed.Beijing：Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press，2007.