The Characteristics and Translation of Euphemism in Advertisement

【Abstract】Euphemism is used to increase the charm and quality of the products in advertisements by using their pragmatic functions rather than convey some meanings. This thesis focuses on the characteristics of euphemism， and explores the translation strategies of euphemism based on the functional equivalence theory. This exploration is of certain theoretical significance as well as practical value in the commercial activity and language research.

【Key words】advertisement euphemism; characteristics; translation strategy

【作者簡介】黄彩兰（1985.06-），女，广西田东人，南宁学院，助教，大学本科，研究方向：英语教学。

1. Introduction

George Blunt defined euphemism as “a good or favorable interpretation of a bad word”. （Neaman & Silver， 1983： 4） Literally， euphemism means to speak with nice words or to speak in a polite way. Euphemism can say unpleasant and unwelcome thing in a polite way， it can protect peoples self-esteem， and help to save peoples face in a difficult situation. Therefore， euphemism is widely used in the advertisements to make the consumers have a deeper impression of the goods.

This thesis analyzes the expression technique and characteristics of euphemism in advertisements， and also discusses some translation strategies of euphemism in advertisements. The study of euphemism in advertisements will have a far-reaching effect on both the euphemism culture and the development of the advertisements.

2. The Expression Technique of Euphemism in Advertisements

The usage of euphemism in advertising has become the main characteristic of advertisement and salesmanship in the United States. （Qian & Fu， 2007： 57） Advertisements apply with euphemism to attract more customers， market the goods， promote sales so as establish the commercial image and make profits. Ads usually adopt euphemisms in them through rhetoric devices， different word-formation allusion and quotation.

2.1 Rhetoric Devices

Rhetoric contains metaphor， personification， rhyme， and pun in the advertisements， so as to show the politeness to the customers. Rhetoric， according to Longman Modern English Dictionary， is the art of communication in words. （Wang Yulong & Zhang Deyu， 2006： 1） In other words， rhetoric is the study of using language effectively.

2.2 Word-formation

Some advertisements adopt abbreviation when mentioning private things or some diseases so as to comfort the consumers feelings， for example， Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome can be abbreviated as AIDS， Severe Acute Respiratory Syndromes is known as SARS.

2.3 Allusion and Quotation

Sometimes， some sellers employ allusion and quotation in advertisements to increase products charm and promote their goods， because people are familiar with the saying and proverb， e.g. Command the power of Adam. （Adam computer）. It is known to all that Adam created human， so he stands for power. If customers own an Adam computer， he or she will be more power for it can help the owner to access to the world via a network cable.

3. The Characteristics of Euphemism in English Advertising

3.1 Connotation

Commercial advertisements flood the whole market， so if the advertisers want to share the competitive market， they have to cater to consumers requirement. Therefore， euphemism is used in the commercial advertisements to avoid the unpleasant， ugly， and embarrassing words. In some advertisements， advertisers usually use some relatively soft words in advertisements， e.g. If you really love her， wear a cover. （Condom） People are afraid to mention sex， so marketers use “cover” instead of “condom”， connotation in advertisements effectively avoids the unpleasant word， and maintains the customers proper pride.

3.2 Exaggeration

As a kind of rhetoric device， exaggeration is widely used in advertisement. It makes the product seem better， larger， or more important than it really is so as to attract peoples attention， and make them remember it. The exaggeration of euphemism is mainly showed in the trade names and slogans， for example， “Safeguard” （舒膚佳） is a soap brand. Exaggeration in advertising highlights the products special features. It extends the products popularity， also accelerates the sales.

3.3 Humor

A good sense of humor is the key to a successful communication， because it can break the ice between people， solve the embarrassing situation and adds some joys to our life. If it is properly used in advertising， it can increase the persuasion of advertising， and leave an unforgettable impression on consumers minds. This is a traffic advertisement in Malaysia.

Driving a car is not more than 30 miles per hour， you can enjoy the beautiful local scenery， more than 60 miles， please have a visit to the court， more than 80 miles， welcome to the latest equipment local hospital， more than 100 miles， please have a long rest.

3.4 Rhythm

Rhythm is a strong regular repeated pattern of sound or movement. It can help people to remember things easily and clearly， also can help the consumers have a deeper impression on their minds， e.g. Safer， thriftier， cleaner.（Chery Car）

3.5 Embellishment

Sellers use embellishment in their advertisements to embellish their products. It is common that some airline companies have changed the “first class” into “deluxe class”， the “second class” into the “first class”）， the “third class” into “business class” or “tourist class”. It makes the product sound nice.

4. The Translation Methods of Euphemism in Advertising

4.1 Functional Equivalence Theory and Translation

Translation must convey the most exact meaning to the readers. Otherwise， it will bring some serious conflicts in communication. Usually， it is hard to make English word meaning and sentence structure equal to Chinese in the process of euphemism translation since their cultures， expressions and grammar are different. However， the functional equivalence can change the source form so as to reach the functional identity.

Nida proposed the Functional equivalence theory， he pointed out that “The readers of a translated text should be to understand and appreciate it in essentially the same manner as the original readers did” （Eugene A. Nida， 1993： 118）. In other words， functional equivalence is to make the target language readers have the same response as the original readers do. It conveys the original concept and spirit to the target language readers， and emphasizes functional equivalence is prior than formal correspondence. Therefore， functional equivalence has far-reaching significance in euphemism translation about Ads.

4.2 The Translation Methods of Euphemism based on Functional Equivalence

4.2.1 Literal Translation

Literal translation refers to keep the original message form， including sentence construction， meaning of the original words， metaphors， national distinguishing features of the original texts and so on. It emphasizes the double compounding in content and form. （Lun Shuxin， 2007： 4）

That is to say， the literal translation should be loyal to the core of the original text， and make effort to maintain the original style. It is used to deal with some simple sentences which can be literally translated. Therefore， the translator must convey the message correctly and loyally in both meaning and sentence structure in order to reach the functional equivalence. Here is a wonderful examples which can be translated literally.

e.g. Always have a happy period. （Sanitary） 譯文：总是拥有一个愉快的时期。

“Period” is the time in which women are not quite themselves every month. Therefore， it is better to adopt the literal translation when the language and the sentence structure are similar because the literal translation can effectively be faithful to the original text.

4.2.2 Liberal Translation

Liberal translation reproduces the general meaning of the original text. It may or may not closely follow the form or organization of the original. It is a translation style that pays more attention to meaning instead of form in the translation from the source language to the target language.（Lun Shuxin， 2007： 5） That is to say， liberal translation is adopted to show the meanings， in order to adapt the idiomatic  expressions of the target language.

e.g. Pity the Pickpocket. （Clothes） 译文：可怜那些多手多脚的人吧。

“Pickpocket” is the euphemism of thief. The design of the clothes is so wonderful that the thief can not steal money. Thief means “多手多脚的人” in Chinese.

4.2.3 Over-translation

Over-translation is to explore the original text， and exert the deep meaning of the original text， and then add some words to make the version better than the original text. （Zhang Ling， 2008： 296） That is to say over-translation is to make the original text more visual and vivid so as to make the version more in line with the Chinese expression.

e.g. Focus on life. 譯文： 瞄准人生难忘片段，永留印记。

If it is translated literally， it will be“焦距生活”， which can not reflect the puns meaning. “Focus” dose not only mean the focus of a camera， but also means “to focus on the fragment of the life”. Since there is not the same expression in Chinese， it has to add some words to convey the meaning of the advertisement. Therefore， the sentence structure has changed apparently. However， over-translation dose not mean to follow the translators inclination， he or she should be loyal to the original text.

4.2.4 Under-translation

Since English and Chinese have different grammatical structures， means of expression， and the rhetorical ploy， it is necessary to omit some superfluous words in the process of the English-Chinese translation， in order to make the version more concise， fluent， and more conformed with the Chinese expression. However， the under-translation does not mean deleting some content of the original text. Therefore， do not omit at random.

e.g. The safest love. （Joy Condom） 译文：最安全的爱。

“Love” has many meanings. It means “sexual love” here. However， it is too explicit if it is translated into “性爱”. People like connotation when talking about sex in China， so just “爱” is proper. So under-translation delete the unnecessary information here.

4.2.5 Transliteration

Transliteration is adopted if the euphemism words or phrases just exist in the source， and can not find the proper words or phrases in Chinese during the process of the translation in order to reach the good result.

e.g. Kamastutra， for the pleasure of sexual living. （Kamasutra condom）

譯文：迦摩， 让你的性生活更愉悦。

Kamastutra is a famous sexual book in India， it is better to translate to “迦摩” because people are too shy to talk about sex in China. “Sexual living” is just “性生活” in Chinese euphemism.

5. Conclusion

This thesis explores some euphemisms translation strategies based on the functional equivalence theory. It is intended for English learners and those who are interested in the euphemism advertisement. It is important to make the target language readers have the same response as the original readers do. The further study of the euphemisms in advertisements can help businessmen to achieve the aim of sales promotion. It is hoped that this exploration is of certain theoretical significance as well as practical values in the commercial activity and language research.

References：

[1]Eugene A. Nida， Language， Culture， and Translating[M]. Shanghai： Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press，1993：116-118.

[2]Neaman J. S. & C. G. Silver， Kind Words： A Thesaurus of Euphmisms[M]. New York： Facts on File Publications，1983：1.