The Rendition Of Chinese Brand Names Into English: A Cross-cultural Analysis And Approach

As China became a formal member of WTO, more and more Chinese enterprises have the opportunities to grow and prosper in the world market. In the process of exploring onto the world stage, Chinese enterprises have come to the realization that one of their most valuable assets is the brand names associated with their products or services. Having an eye-catching but appropriate brand name has been proved to be a powerful weapon in the increasingly fierce competition. Therefore, many Chinese enterprises have translated their brand names into English to capture the attention of customers in other countries. Thus, a brand name is a valued asset that needs to be handled carefully. It is no exaggeration to say that whether the English renderings of brand names are good or not is of great significance for successful Chinese businesses in the overseas markets.'Translating Chinese brand names into English is a kind of comprehensive art, not simply a translation from the source language to the target language. A successful translation of Chinese brand name is based on decoding things like the receptors' psychology, religious beliefs, thought patterns and blending various elements together in a unique way by which various aspects of knowledge might be involved, such as translation theory, history, culture, aesthetics, psychology, sociology. The translation must be appealing and in tune with foreign customers' perceptions of the product. The brand name should be not only closely related to the product but also easy for foreign customers to recognize and memorize; therefore, it is a tough job in the domain of both culture and linguistics.A number of scholars and practitioners have touched on the topic of brand name translation, but their work is not systematic enough to help provide appropriate English translations. For example, in Wang Yanxi's English Advertising, methods like shortening, compounding and affixation are suggested by the writer as the main methods to achieve successful brand name translation, but little attention has been paid to the cultural traits of the topic and it is only talked as a small part of advertising, not as a specific subject. In another example, in A Study on trademark, the writer, Zhu Yajun, summarizes the features of brand names and ways to create an...