CUTURAL ISSUES IN TRANSLATING BRAND NAMES

I. Introduction: (Ni)

In the development of human society, the emergence of commodities gives rise to the birth of
brand names. Brand-names are the result of highly developed commodity economy. They form an
important aspect of modern economic life. A brand name is the most prominent mark of a
commodity, a good brand name can leave deep impression upon the mind of shoppers and can
arouse their desires to buy the related commodity.
The import and export of commodities gives rise to the birth of translation of brand names.
Nowadays, because of the globalization national boundaries are being surmounted, international
cooperation and communication, especially business cooperation, import and export of commodities
are strengthened.
Brand name is the core part of the brand. It was first used as the product label to differentiate
one product from another. With the evolution of branding, the brand name has become the direct
manifestation of the brand culture and expressed the values of the producer and the positioning of
the product in the market as well as conveying a specific set of attributes and benefits to buyers.
When the values and culture-specific meanings reflected by the sound and/ meanings of the
brand name resonate with the core values of target consumers, the brand name will not only allow
consumers to clearly identify and remember the benefits and the characteristics of the brand, but
become a driving force for the consumers’ acceptance. That is, the brand culture represented by a
brand name usually includes the values and cultural-specific meanings reflecting the brand
positioning of a brand.
II. Characteristics and functions of brand names: (Na)

- Firstly, Brand name is the symbol of a product, so it usually suggests the attributes of a
product or a commodity
- Secondly, as commodities are to be sold to consumers, their brand names should be common,
popular, concise and easy to understand and remember.
- Thirdly, Brand names are usually attractive in meaning so that when people read them
beautiful images would come into their minds.
- Fourthly, Brand names implies regional flavor.
(Some commodities’ brand names bear the marks of the regions in which they are produced so as to raise the
celebrity of the concerned places.)

III. Problems deserving attention in the translation of brand names: (Thảo)

- Firstly, Some translated brand names do not conform to the aesthetic culture pertaining to
target language and should be shunned.
(In any culture there have some taboos, and if we do not sense this point and violate such taboo rules in
translating brand names, the sales of the concerned commodities would be affected.)
- Secondly, some translations of brand names bear political implications and should be
avoided.
- Thirdly, some translated brand names are inelegant from the English cultural angle and
should be guarded against.
IV. Principles for the translation of brand names: (Ngọc)

(The purpose of brand names is to give publicity to commodities, stimulate consumption and boost the celebrity of the
brand of the goods. In order to promote the sales of commodities, the translation of brand names should abide by the
following principles.)

- Firstly, (since all brand names have the common purpose of advising people to buy the goods through the
introduction of them, the translation of brand names should be) Adequating in diction for the representation

of the commodity’s characteristics and functions.

- Secondly, Implying the use of the product.
(Whether the translated name can imply the use of the goods has an influence on the sales of the goods. The
word “Tide” (a brand name for washing powder) literally means ―trend.)
- Thirdly, Keeping the original aesthetic value.
(A successful translated brand name can put a reader into a splendid artistic realm to arouse his/her interest
(Wang, 2003). When translating brand names, translators should try their best to ensure the reappearance of the
graceful artistic image of the original names. The original and the version are required to be not only similar in
sound, but also similar in spirit.)
- Fourthly, According with the target consumers’ cultural habit, including fashion, community
psychology, public consciousness, moral criterion, religious tradition and so on.
(Different countries and areas have great differences in culture. Translators should pay more attention to
cultural differences, avoiding misapprehension and antipathy. Many brand names have certain cultural connotations.
People with different cultural backgrounds have different ideas about the same things because of the different moral
criteria, religions, beliefs, and modes of thinking. As for the same color, plant, animal, maybe some countries prefer,
while some not. If we leave this factor out of consideration, it would produce unexpected negative reaction. )

V. Methods for the translation of brand names: (Duyên)

https://www.academia.edu/32410977/Translation_Strategies_from_Target_Culture_Perspective_An
_Analysis_of_English_and_Chinese_Brands_Names ( phần 1,2,3 trang 19,20)

1. Literal Translation

- Can convey the original information of the product.

(Literal translation for brand names can convey the original information of the product. Although it is not
feasible for every brand name, literal translation still has its place in some foreign brands. In order to beable to apply
this method to the translation,the original brand name should be notionalwords. )

2. Transliteration

(When the original brand names do notmake sense to the customers literally,transliteration is often used. It
can be notedthat brand names of many imported products do not have actual meanings. The best way to translate
them is transliteration. )

Transliteration means translating a certain brand name according to its pronunciation.

This method:
 - Helps customers easily knowfrom the brand name that this product is anexotic thing.
- Can keep therhyme and rhythm of the original brand.This method is fit for translating the
brandname that comes from some special names like the inventors’ name, or thecorporation’s name.

3. Free Translation

(In order to take advantage of targetlanguage and make translated brand namesmore idiomatic and
acceptable, some brandnames are freely translated. An imaginary brand name can bring out favorableassociations
for consumers, who may believe that the product possesses relativeattributes that could satisfy their needs.The
translated names should be brief, easy to record, arouse the customer’s interest, and best fit the target culture. What
the translator should do isto compromise the two extremes and usedifferent translation methods flexiblyaccording to
different purposes and texts. )

4. Combination of Transliteration and Free Translation

- This method is a bit more difficult for translators to master and challenges their creative
ability.

- It requires that the pronunciation of the translated name should be the same or close to the
original one and its meaning can indicate the characteristic and function of the product

VI. Conclusion: (Như Ý)

As the international competition is becoming more and more intense, whether a brand name
can be accepted by consumers and occupy the international market decides the fate of a company.
We can not deny that advertisements play an important part in the sales promotion of the goods.
Brand name is an important part of advertisement. Novel, particular, creative brand names can
attract consumers quickly, and achieve unbelievable effect (Li, 2000). It will never be a easy mark to
change brand names from one language to another and keep the original style, charm and
connotation. The translation of brand names is not only a process to find a counterpart in the target
language, but also a process of re-creation, because different countries and nations have different
cultural backgrounds.

Translators should not only understand the literal meanings of the original brand
names precisely, sometimes they should also get rid of the hidebound conception of
mechanical equivalence and translate the brand names creatively to attract more consumers.
Therefore, the brand name translators should not only gain good command of the knowledge
of the two languages and translation techniques, but should also improve their cultural
awareness such as enterprises’ cultural awareness and national cultural awareness, and
master the relevant laws to do the work better.