从严复信达雅浅析英语广告中双关语的翻译

this version, the translator masterly adds the four words in Chinese“成功之路”which means “a successful road” to show the connotative meaning. Moreover, even by addition the whole Chinese version “成功之路,从“头”开始” is still condensed and clear enough to transmit the exact meaning of the original pun. With this method, the translation not only successfully provides the same cognitive environment for Chinese readers,

but

also

fulfills

the

economic

benefit

of

the

product

(http://www.docin.com/p-653681135.html).

Example 4: Time is what you make of it. (Swatch) Chinese version:天长地久.(斯沃奇手表)

This is an advertisement slogan for watch. The sentence includes two meanings. One refers to “By using Swatch you can adjust your time flexibly”, and the other is “Swatch is a durable product and it can make your time everlasting.” To make the slogan “short and eye-catching”, the translator concisely applies the well-established four-character phrases“天长地久”in the Chinese version by omitting the first meaning of it, otherwise the version will be longer and hence less forceful. In the aspect of meaning, the phrase “天长地久” makes the high quality of Swatch stand out as well as conveying the message that Swatch brings you infinity. As we know, the first sight of the advertisement is very important for consumers, so here by omission the Chinese version have invisibly reached this strong effect. For Chinese readers, this version can bring them not only deep impression on the product but also beautiful imagination about time.

4.2.2.2 Division of the Original Text

Division is another effective skill to improve the smoothness of the translation. As is known to us, with plenty of subordinate phrases and clause, English has comparatively longer and more complicated sentences than Chinese, which suggests that one English sentence may contains several meanings. Following the original sentence structure in translation sometimes may be difficult for translators to reproduce the original thought. So under this circumstance, translators need to choose the skill of division to recreate the translation precisely. Division refers to the process

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of splitting a sentence into two or more ones by picking up those words, phrases or clauses which are “hard nuts to crack” and expanding them into Chinese word-groups, sentences or clauses. Also in advertisement translation, translators need to separate the double contexts of the original pun, using simple words or sentences to express the meanings of the slogan respectively. By division, the translators can not just create the clear and easily understood version, but the same cognitive environment for Chinese reader (Lian Shuneng252).

Look at the following example:

Example 5: More sun and air for your son and heir.

Chinese version:这里有充足的阳光,清新的空气,一切为了您的子孙后代。 In the above advertisement of beach spa, the designer cleverly applies two pair of homophonic puns “sun-son” and“air-heir”. The language is not only harmonious, but rather catchy, funny, and inspiring. In this way, the words of the advertisement can easily touch the caring heart of parents so as to attract more visitors. For the translator, he/she has to keep it in mind that the advertiser intends to communicate these four interpretations in this advertisement. Here, division comes to play: to explain the four meanings separately. The translator first clarifies “This beach spa has rich sun and fresh air” in a short Chinese sentence“这里有充足的阳光,清新的空气”,and then he adds to describe the function of this beach spa“一切为了您的子孙后代“,which means those things are all good for your heirs. Adopting this flexible skill to deal with the meanings of two pairs of puns can completely convey the intentions of the business for Chinese readers so as to realize the purpose of publicity (Wang Chunyan106).

4.2.3 Skills in “Elegance” Translation

Elegance is a higher level of translation technique coming after “faithfulness” and

“Expressiveness”. In advertisement, especially when there are puns, the art of language serves as an important factor affecting people’s impression about the product. Hence, a good advertisement is capable of satisfying people’s requirement of

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beauty. On that count, “Elegance” Translation caters to the demand of advertisement because it also lays emphasis on the rhetoric beauty of the language. Moreover, skills in “Elegance” translation can make contributions to the consistency of the style, structure and rhetorical characteristics between the original and the translated text. In this part, rhetorical antithesis, rhyme, reduplication and repetition these four main skills will be introduced to promote the elegant translation of the advertisement, making the version easy to understand, accept and appreciate.

4.2.3.1 Rhetorical Antithesis and Rhyme

In advertisement translation, rhetorical antithesis and rhyme are the common skills to intensify the aesthetic feeling of the language. Antithesis indicates the rhetorical opposing or contrasting of ideas by means of grammatical paralleled arrangements of words, clauses or sentences. Resorting to this method in translation can strengthen the manner of speaking, add the sense of humor to the language and describe things vividly and impressively. Rhyme refers to a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words. The most typical type is end-rhyme, characterized by the consonance of terminal or end words or syllables. Conventionally, rhymed words share all sounds following the word's last stressed syllable. The use of this skill can make the advertisement word full of sense of rhythm, and for readers it is catchy, easier to remember, bringing them a sense of beauty to enjoy. Together the exertion of rhetorical antithesis and rhyme adorn the language, sending forth the charm of the advertisement.

Example 6:The driver is safer when the road is dry;

The road is safer when the driver is dry.

Chinese version: 道路不沾水,司机更安全;

司机不沾酒,道路更安全。

This transportation advertisement advocates no drinking when someone is driving. The English slogan here is a pair of antithesis sentence, neat and symmetrical .Besides, “dry” is also a pun implying double meanings. The first “dry” suggests no water on the road, and the other implies that the driver should drink no

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wine and remain clear. In order to preserve the same structure and rhetorical feature of the advertisement, the translator nimbly retains the primitive antithesis sentence form to produce a corresponding Chinese version. The first sentence“道路不沾水,司机更安全”means “with no water on the road, the driver is safer” in English, and the second sentence“司机不沾酒,道路更安全”also fits the English meaning“With no drinking of the driver, the road is safer.” By employing antithesis, the Chinese version is as readable and interesting as the original, leaving Chinese readers a profound impression(Xu Zhang100).

Example 7: Big thrills, small bills.

Chinese version: 莫大的激动,微小的费用。

This is a taxi advertisement. The language in this slogan is terse and forceful on account of the employment of rhyme. The two words“thrill” and “Bill” share the same syllable“ill”, which is a kind of end-rhyme. With catchy pronunciation and intriguing message in this advertisement, it is able to attract people's attention and make them believe the content of it. For the sake of keeping the same effect of the original, the first attempt of the translator is to find the similar Chinese rhyme to present the equivalent meanings. After weighing the Chinese words carefully, the translator finds that it happens that there is a similar pair of rhymed words subtly adapt to the meaning of the original. The Chinese words “动”and “用”rhyme similarly in the last syllable“ong”. In addition, the meaning of the sentence “莫大的激动,微小的费用”equals to the English version. In this case, rhyme facilitates the translator to realize the rhetorical beauty of the version, bringing the visual and auditory enjoyment to readers (Chang Jiao4).

4.2.3.2 Rhetorical Reduplication and Repetition

In translating from English into Chinese, elegance can be heightened by reduplication and repetition of words or expressions to achieve the beauty of harmonious and balanced structure and rhythm. Rhetorical reduplication and repetition .This device refers to reduplicating characters or words in word-formation and repeating the similar or same word or expression, for the sake of clearness,

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