A Study On Advertisement Translation From The Perspective Of Memetics

Advertising industry, undoubtedly, is regarded as the product of economy and culture. With the globalization spreading around the world, China has entered the WTO and volumes of domestic goods are pouring into the foreign markets, and so are the international goods. This kind of collage-like communication of goods brings the advertising industry both opportunities and challenges. Advertising language (AL), however, as the important tool of expression, plays an incredible role and its translation is the magic medium between intercultural communication linking consumers at home and abroad.Meme, described by Richard Dawkins as the "unit of imitation", or’"a unit of transmission", sets forth a new perspective to explain the features of advertising language. First, it can explain why AL is simple, novel and eye-catching. Second, the process through which the AL is created and accepted coincides with the one that memes get replicated and spread. The features of successful memes, which are longevity, fecundity, and copying-fidelity, provide a good explanation for the fast speed and wide coverage of memes’spreading. Translation memetics, proposed by Chesterman marks a breakthrough in the field of memetic study, and it presents a new method for English-Chinese translation as well. First, the five supermemes can be well illustrated in the advertisement translation. Besides, in the dynamic process of translation, every meme may well be undergoing mutation when they get transferred, which provides a theoretical ground and joint point for creative advertisement translation. Third, cross-culture memes can be applied to adjust to different perceptions of consumers, and suitable meme is good for adapting consumers’understanding, and further promoting sales.This master-degree thesis combines the theory of memetics with the practice of advertisement translation, using the method of illustrations and text analysis to respectively explain the general process and concrete strategies of advertisement translation. It turns out that this new perspective is of great significance in guiding translation practice. It not only inspires the advertisement practitioners, improves their ability to manage language, but also helps them adapt to international consumers to minimize the cultural misunderstanding. At last, the author hopes that this thesis can give a little enlightenment and inspiration to language researchers, and stimulate public discussion on this topic for further study.