Abstract

Advertisement conveys business information, arouse customers’ interest and persuade them to buy products. Therefore, the translation of advertisements shall play the same roles, the fulfillment of which requires the translation to conform to the styles of target languages, respect the target culture and put a premium on readers’ responses. Only in this way can advertisements carry proper information to customers. However, the principle of faithfulness in translation, if pursued too rigidly, often means the sacrifice of commercial value. To better understand the features of advertisement translation, the paper discusses the characteristics of advertisement language in general and the features of Chinese and English advertisements in particular. 

The skopos theory was raised by Hans J. Veemeer in 1980s. According to the theory, the translation should not be a subordinate action to the original texts but a purposeful and result-oriented action based on the original texts with compliance with  the rules of Skopos, coherence and fidelity. The skopos theory provides a new perspective for advertisement translation and a bigger room for translators. 

The paper, therefore, is a study on the translation strategy and methods of advertisement under the guidance of Skopos Theory. The application of skopos theory leads to a finding that the translator can be bolder in his choice of translation strategies, the comparison of which can lead to a better understanding of the nature of advertisement translation and better reception on consumers’ side.

Key words: advertisement translation; skopos theory; translation strategy

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction-1

1.1 Background of the research-1

1.2 The purpose of the research-1

1.2 The structure of the paper-2

2 The features of Advertisement in General and in Particular-2

2.1 Lexis in advertisement-3

2.2 Syntax in advertisement -4

2.2.1 The preference to simple sentences -4

2.2.2Use of the imperative sentence -4

2.2.3 The preference to simple sentences -3

2.3 Rhetorical in advertisement -5

2.3.1 Rhetorical devices -5

2.3.2 Pun -5

2.3.3 Analogy-6

3 Skopos Theory-6

3.1 The Definition of Skopos Theory-6

3.2 Three Principles of skopos theory-6

3.2.1 Skopos rule-6

3.2.2 Coherence rule-7

3.2.3Fidelity rule -7

3.3 Adequacy and Equivalence-8

4 Advertisemnt Translation from the Perspective of Skopos Theory-9

4.1 Different Strategies for Advertisement Translation -9

4.2 The Effect of Application of Skopos Theory in Advertisement Translation-11

5 Conclusion-12

References-14