A survey study on English translation of Chinese brand names

Abstract

品牌英译是中国企业和产品"走出去"的一个重要步骤,本文报告关于中国品牌英译的一项较大规模调查研究结果。调查以国家工商总局认定的"中国驰名商标目录"所列576个驰名商标为样本,对中国品牌英译的现状和方法进行了定量和定性分析。调查发现,目前中国品牌英译的实际方法有八种,包括:无翻译、拼音法、直译法、音译法、音义结合法、意译法、使用字母或数字、使用非英语翻译。在讨论各种方法优劣的基础上,对中国品牌英译的策略提出了建议。本次调研能为翻译工作者和企业营销决策者提供实证数据参考。 This research is a descriptive survey study of the status quo of English translation of Chinese brand names,which covers 576 well-known brand names in a variety of product categories in China.It is found that their translation approaches fall into eight categories:nil translation,pinyin approach,semantic approach,phonetic approach,phonosemantic approach,free translation approach,using alphabetic letters and numbers,and using languages other than English.The advantages and defects of each translation approach are explored and discussed.Practical suggestions are also offered on how to use better translation strategies to achieve better effect of branding.This study has implications for Chinese product marketers as well as translators.