A Probe Into Cosmetic Brand Name Translation From The Perspective Of Functional Translation Theory

With quick globalization of world economy, many foreign companies are flooding into the Chinese market to snatch a lion's share. Brand names are more often regarded as the gold name cards of products and play an important role in business success. Although remarkable studies have been done on brand name translation (BNT) in recent years, they are inadequate in both depth and coverage. It is especially so in the study of the translation of cosmetic brand names.This thesis attempts to study BNT of cosmetic products from the perspective of functional translation theories. Judging from the point of view of functionalist translation theories, a good brand name translation should function as an acceptable brand in the target culture and help a company sell its products or services. Thus, the commercial effect of brand name translation of arousing the need and desire to make a purchase among the target consumers can be used as a yardstick to evaluate BNT quality.Based on analyses of more than 200 examples of cosmetic BNT, all taken from the market, this study tries to probe into the functions and formation of cosmetic brand names, as well as the addressees– the consumers of cosmetic products in China– of BNT of cosmetic brands. In this way, it is hoped that the problems with some of the current translation methods in cosmetic BNT in China will be exposed and new better methods be proposed. In the end, the paper arrives at the conclusion that five rules should be followed during the cosmetic BNT.