浅论广告语汉译的美学效果.doc

中文摘要广告，不再是扎根于传统观念里的旧配角信息传递的方式，在现代生活中，它扮演着一个举足轻重的主角。除了信息传递的功能以外，更多的则是一种生活态度的展现，甚至是一门艺术。广告在不知不觉中改变了当代人的生活方式，同时基于艺术的角度，它不多不少地改变了人们的审美心理。随着其重要性日趋明显，广告被用作宣传产品的重要手段。在开拓海外市场的同时，许许多多的海外广告不断进入中国市场。然而，怎样更好地翻译广告中的英语，才能让广大群众有效地理解、学会欣赏这门艺术？本文作者尝试谈谈广告语汉译中的美学的运用及体现和相关翻译技巧。从修辞收发，语言风格等方面来研究广告语汉译的美学效果。修辞手法主要阐述比喻，拟人，押韵，夸张这四种修辞的特色，效果；语言风格则从词汇，句型，内涵等方面论述。通过举例及分析来对美学效果作进一步的了解。同时，就翻译策略以及例子分析，围绕主题，即怎样通过提高广告语汉译中美学情趣，展开详细的讨论。关键词：广告英语；汉译；美学效果；策略1. IntroductionAdvertisement is becoming far more significant in daily life. It is not merely a way of passing message to a certain kind of people, but also showing the life styles mostly. Of course, it is not over at all to regard it as Art(王燕希.2004). Since it has such spreading influence on life, so many companies are willing to promote the product by advertising. Especially, commercial advertising English, it is an important way to develop the market overseas(黎海斌.2003). With more and more foreign advertisement flooded the daily life, the advertising English should be translated properly into easier understood Chinese for local people to catch up with and appreciate the ideas of the advertising.In this thesis, the author talks about the understanding to the topic, that is, how the aesthetic effect functions and embodies in Chinese translation in advertising including rhetoric, linguistic styles, whats more, how to improve the aesthetic effect in Chinese translation as well as the related translation strategies.First and foremost, the details of the rhetoric will be basically presented with characteristics and function which are frequently used in advertising with large numbers of examples and statements. Second, the related strategies of rhetoric in translation will be stated. Then an analysis of linguistic styles will be made, that means how they express the aesthetic effect through structure, sentences, words and inner meaning in advertisement. It is a discussion of how to be more aesthetic through these aspects.The thesis consists of three parts; the detailed analysis will be divided into three chapters respectively. 2. Definition of Advertising2.1 Elementary Knowledge of AdvertisementThe word “advertisement” originating from Latin, it means the method to arose the attention to something and lead them to a certain direction(王军元.2005). The American Marketing Association gave such definition: Advertising is the nonpersonal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about products, services or ideas by identified sponsors through the various media.Even now, its definition does not change too much, the components of the advertisement can be easily figured out. They are, identified sponsors, advertising information, media, fee, persuasive method and identified customers. Personally, the media takes precedence among all of them, for it acts like a bridge, not only connecting the sponsors and the customers but also passing the information to the identified customers. With the increasing development of technology, media covers a larger area nowadays, besides the common forms in the old days, there are some new media forms burgeoning in lives, such as internet, mobile phones and the bus itself. Just because of the rapid spreading of these varied media forms, advertisement infiltrates largely in daily life. Information the media tries to pass is the content we are going to study. It consists of product, concept and the service. Last, the persuasive method is how they persuade the consumers to buy their product not misleadingly. This is both the aesthetic effect lies in and what this paper is aiming at.2.2 The Characteristics of Advertisement What make advertisement different from other literary forms are the structure and the technique of expression. Compared with others, it is terse, to certain extent. Also, it is the unique charm lies in advertising. The characteristics of advertising are stated in length. Creativity makes people feel fresh after watching lots of dull works. It makes your advertising outstanding among the others. It is also the way to make it better impressed and to stress the specialty of the product. Popularity means to make the public understand. Only when they understand, would they learn to appreciate, to remember and then to be interested in the product. As a result, in order to make them through, some slogans contain idioms, slangs, sayings and so on.Simplicity is obviously convenient and easy to be remembered pronounced. Maybe two or three lines even words, but that is what essence lies in.Advertisement is of strongly commercial motivation, so the word and must be polished as to be much milder. That is the aesthetics. However, in modern society, humor adds more fun to the advertising while the black humor usually reflects the ironical events of life. Whats more, advertising is of sociality gradually for the ideas of advertisement sometimes can make the public to come into notice of the social affairs currently.2.3 The Functions of AdvertisementPublicity function: An excellent advertising always builds a good image of the products or enterprises so as to improve the reputation in the society. Second, the promoting information of the products or services will be presented in the advertising, let the public know clearly.Psychological function: After the people getting the information of the product, they will be interested, and then cause the demand and purchasing cravings of them. Advertising is a service to the market in order to make them known then make them sold.Media function: Advertising is a kind of media, so it has the similar function that is to connect the producers and suppliers, the suppliers and sellers, the sellers and consumers such a complicated relationship.Aesthetic function: With the development of the society, it becomes an art or even a kind of literary style. Advertising also needs to be beautified so as to urge the ideal life of future.Economic function: Advertising pushes the development of the economy. It acts as a powerful weapon to accelerate the market both domestic and overseas. Usually, the real advertising can raise the confidence of the buyers. People will be reliable on the market.3. Definition of Aesthetic Effect in Advertising3.1 The Basics of AestheticsAesthetics originating from the Greek “aesthesis”, it means the feelings of something(徐丹晖.1999). The modern philosopher defines aesthetics as the theory and philosophy of the sense to understand the art, science and design. Its main researching item is art usually, to study the category about beauty and ugliness, to research the standard, taste and experience of beauty. In that researching process, it finally becomes one of the academic subjects. Among all subjects, psychology affects the aesthetics most. Different personalities and life experience also influent the aesthetic taste. Thus, the aesthetics is actually subjective, it depends so much on the persons mood, hobby, interest and experience etc. As for the aesthetics in advertising, it is a study which also is a combination of aesthetic theory and the aesthetic psychology. Some experts said that the process of advertising is just the process of aesthetic creating and purchasing.3.2 Features of Aesthetics in AdvertisingFirstly, most literature expresses aesthetics through rhetoric, so does advertising. A piece of advertisement can sometimes assemble metaphor, personification, hyperbole even rhyming but just in few lines. This is the main characteristic of advertising. Secondly, aesthetics embodies the approaches and the styles of the advertising. The styles are similar with the literature, but more flexible and creative in advertising. Occasionally, the ad makers arouse the interest of consumers by borrowing and rewriting the famous masterpieces. Then, set up type helps to add aesthetic values to the advertising also can catch much attention by different visual methods, for example, the color of the font, abbreviations, over striking font and the underlines. 3.3 Functions of Aesthetics in AdvertisingThe functions are classified as follows:() to stimulate the purchasing desire in a much wiling way.() to please the buyers.() to beautify the advertising so as to avoid the commercial intention.() to enrich the spirit of ordinary citizens and change the style of life.() to improve the standard of the taste of aesthetics in advertising.Of course, the beautiful events can always make people feel enjoyable. The aesthetic effect in advertising can not only cause the desire for shopping but also make people feel delighted even when people are just watching it. To satisfy the spiritual desires of people by advertising is significant.4. Rhetorical Effect and Translation Strategies in Advertising4.1 Rhetorical Effect in AdvertisingRhetoric in advertising is pretty significant. It is a modified method to stress the expressive effect and makes it aesthetic. Advertising rhetoric is nearly alike as literatures, but it is restricted within the characters of the product.Beautiful lyrics are used for beautify advertising. If the advertising just directly poses the product in front of you without skills, the receivers must not be attractive at all. For example: A. Our tissue is most soft and of high quality; B. As soft as Mothers hands. Then is it worth of admiring? The former is straight but boring while the later is modified with metaphor which is much elegant. There is just a narrow line between dull and aesthetic. The rhetoric acts like a finishing touch that brings the art to life. Next is the introduction of some rhetoric in common use, including Metaphor, Personification, Rhyming, and Hyperbole. How they enrich the aesthetic mood of advertising.4.2 Rhetoric Effect and the Related Translation StrategiesMetaphor is another way to make a comparison with A and B. Firstly, A and B must not be the same thing but has the similar characteristics. Generally speaking, “like or as” must be used so as to connect A and B(郑雅丽.2004). For example, when saying the children is the flowers of our country it is a metaphor, and flowers are used to describe children for they are both full of energy and youth. Metaphor can make the noumena much lively and impressive; also can raise the association of the readers. Second, simplify the abstract objects to an easier understanding and more familiar to our daily life by metaphor. Whats more, make the average objects much lovely so as to be aesthetic.Here are some examples of metaphor used in advertising.(1) Light as breeze, soft as cloud(clothes) 轻飘飘如微风，软绵绵似彩云; 轻如风，柔如云This piece of advertising presents the features of the clothes, light and soft. This is the same as the vehicle breeze and cloud. It leaves the enjoyable impression on the customers about the clothes and urges them to buy immediately. This translation not only follows the metaphor used in English, but also keeps the meaning of the sentence in Chinese. But personally, this Chinese translation is not clean enough. It can be translated according with Chinese poem style:轻如微风软如云. (2)Youre better off under the umbrella (insurance) 购买本保险，自在又安全。Umbrella is used to compare the security of an insurance company. It cant be regarded as a good metaphor, for the umbrella is not secure enough for safety though it can protect you in the rain. But the strength is not sufficiently powerful if the rain turns to be a storm. Besides the shortage of metaphor, the Chinese translation is not perfect enough to catch the glance. That translation is professional but stiff and cool, which can not be infectious. However, a better translation is found in other reference book: 置身保护伞下，何惧不测风云。Personification makes something humanized, including an animal, object or even abstract concept. To make them as human with the human expressions, actions, personalities and emotions can enrich the tones of the passage as well as reveal the writers emotion towards the object that described. But most important is to stress that characteristic which is humanized. Personification is lively and intimate with us, aesthetically expressed without sense of commerce(博仲选.1996). (3)Flowers by Interflora speak from the heart.( Interflora flowers)英特拂劳拉的鲜花倾诉衷肠; 鲜花是发自内心的表达。Flowers here are usually used to express love to girls. In this piece of advertising, flowers are the objects which express what boys are afraid of to girls instead. Girls receive the flowers just like receive the sweet words from boys. Actually, the flowers cant speak, but the wishes they bring can tell. Through personification, the advertising becomes much graceful. As for the Chinese translation, it is neither good nor bad but too directed. When translating the personification, you must not only stress the characteristics of the humanized object but also organize the word gracefully to maintain the personification effect. Here is another translation: 英特拂劳拉，为您尽诉心中情. It is much better in the expressing the service provided by the flowers.Rhyming means there are two or more words in the lines with the same syllables. Fundamentally speaking, it is divided into alliteration and rhythm and commonly used in advertising, in order to make it much harmonious, regular, and sonorous for better memorized. If the translation is suitable, the advertising will be as beautiful as the poems with an enjoyable and artistic mood.(4)East, West, Hangtian is best(Hangtian auto) 城乡路万千，路路有航天。And the other is rhyme, which means that the rhythm lies in the last word. For example, “west” and “best” are the rhythm, to make the lyrics catchy. However, “west” and “best” can hardly literally translated into rhythm, so to take the free translation will be better. This translation follows the rhythm and meaning as English, combines the background and the brand name to make the lines much reasonable and aesthetic in Chinese. Just like a Chinese poem.Hyperbole is to exaggerate the features of something by imagination intentionally, in order to strengthen the effect. It always emphasis the essence of the object, for example, Winstonthe greatest American cigarette; Discover the worlds finest taste in cigarettes. Nevertheless, the strength of exaggeration must be modest, if over-exaggerate will make people feel disgust and even drag the advertisement down.(5)Probably the best beer in the world. (Carlsberg) 嘉士伯，可能是世界上最好的啤酒。This is one of the successful advertisements. Almost everyone knows. It is exaggerated but modest in English or Chinese. It says the Carlsberg is the best beer in the world, which is magnified; but it also says just probably, which leaves a humble margin. Dont you think it a perfect translation? Simple but hit the nail on the head, direct but full of aesthetics. Not only can get an effective promotion but also enjoy a good reputation in advertising.