feasibility of the application of relevance theory to brand name translation

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FeasibilityoftheApplicationofRelevanceTheorytoBrandNameTranslation　　Abstract：Relevancetheoryisatheoryoncommunicationfromthecognitivepoint，andregardsthecommunicationasanostensive？鄄inferentialprocess.Thebrandnametranslationisnotonlybilingualcommunication，butalsobiculturalcommunication.Theauthorregardsthebrandnametranslationasacommunicativeprocessofostensive？鄄inferencethatincludesthreeparties，testifyingthefeasibilitythatrelevancetheorycanbebestappliedtothebrandnametranslation.　　KeyWords：Feasibility；RelevanceTheory；BrandNameTranslation　　【中图分类号】H31【文献标识码】A【文章编号】2095-3089（2013）05-0113-01　　Ⅰ.RelevanceTheory：ATheoryonCommunicationfromtheCognitivePoint　　Theinadequacyoftraditionalcommunicationperspectivehasgivenbirthtotherelevancetheory.TherelevancetheoryisputforwardbySperberandWilson.Thetwolinguistsclaim：“wemaintain，then，thatthereareatleasttwodifferentmodesof6 communication：thecoding？鄄decodingmodeandtheinferentialmode….Complexformsofcommunicationcancombinebothmodes.Inferentialcommunication，forexample，mightinvolvetheuseofcodedsignalswhichfallshortofencodingthecommunicator？蒺sintentionsandmerelyprovideincompleteevidenceaboutthem.”Thatistosay，twomodesareintertwinedincommoncommunication，especiallyincomplicatedones.Onthebasisofthiscompromise，relevancetheorysuggeststheostensive？鄄inferentialmodeofcommunication.Itisconsistofthemeaningandintentionexpressedbythespeaker（theinformativeintentionandcommunicativeintention）.Tomakeclearerthemode，twobasicconceptsarefurtherintroducedintherelevancetheory：cognitiveenvironmentandthemutual？鄄manifestness.Therelevancetheorypaysattentiontothecommunicationandcognition，andregardsrelevanceastheprincipleofcommunication.Therefore，disagreeingwiththetraditionalcommunication，relevancetheoryfocusesonthecognitiveapproach，forthatreason，itcanbetermedasthesuccessortoandabreakthroughofthetraditionaloutlooksoncommunication.Thatiswhyrelevancetheoryissometimesregardedasonetheoryoncommunicationfromcognitivepoint.　　Asoneofthemostinfluentialtheorieswithregardtothecommunicationstudy，relevancetheoryhasencounteredboth6 complimentsandcriticismssinceitsbirth.Translationisnoexception.Relevancetheoryhasbeenputintowideuseintranslationstudies.Relevanceandtranslationhavesomethingoverlapping，especiallywhentranslationislookedascommunication.Relevancetheory？蒺scognitiveenvironmenthasbroughtforthanewangletostudytranslation.Forthatreason，theauthorjustplanstoclarifyafewpointsofthetheorythatshebelievestobecloselyrelatedandtrulybeneficialtothestudyofbrandnametranslationandapplythemtothebrandnametranslation.　　Ⅱ.BrandNameTranslation：OneKindofBiculturalCommunication　　BrandNameTranslationinTermsofCommunication　　Tocommunicateistoclaimsomeone？蒺sattentionandhencetodemandsomeexpenditureofeffort.Peoplewon？蒺tpayattentionunlesstheyexpecttoobtaininformationthatisrichenoughincontextualeffectstoberelevanttothem.Hence，tocommunicateistoimplythatthestimulusused（forexample，theutterance）isworththeaudience？蒺sattention.　　Theultimatepurposeofthebrandnametranslationdecidesthatthebrandnametranslationbelongstoonekindofcommunication.Fromthedefinitionandthefeatureofthebrandname，weknowthatthebrandnametranslationgivesservetothereceiverofthe6 translatedtext―consumers.So，thebrandnametranslationshouldhavethecharacteristicsofthebrandname.Theaimofthebrandnameistoattracttheattentionoftheconsumer，lettheconsumeracceptthecommodity，rousethepurchasedesireoftheconsumer，andthentocreateeconomicandsocialbenefit.Therefore，thetranslationofthebrandnamehasthesamepurpose，buttheconsumerisnotthedomesticconsumer，istheconsumerinforeignmarket.Fromthis，wecansaythebrandnametranslationisonekindofcommunication.Andthiscommunicationtouchesuponthreeparties：thecreatorofthebrandname，thetranslatorandtheconsumerinforeignmarket.　　Ⅲ.TheRelationshipBetweentheBrandNameTranslationandCulture　　Thesociologiststhinkthatallculturephenomenaarespecialanddifferent.Duetothedifferencesofdevelopmentway，history，geographicalpositionandenvironment，allcultureshavetheirownfeatures.Thenthedifferenceoftheculturecausesthedifferentunderstandingaboutthelanguage.Itcanbereflectedonthebrandname.Indifferentenvironment，onebrandnameincludesdifferentculturalconnotations.Inthedomesticandforeigntrade，peoplecaneasilyfindthattheproductswiththesamebrandnamearepopularinonearea，butinanotherarea，theyaretreated6 coldly.Why？Itiscausedbytheinvisiblebarrier―theculturaldifferenceamongnations.　　Thebrandnameisonepartoftheculture，oneexpressionformandpropagationtool.PeterNewmarkmaintainsthatthecultureincludesecologicalculture，materialculture，socialcommunicationculture，signlanguageandcustomculture.Thebrandnameisonekindofsignusedtotransferinformation，andisonekindofspeciallanguage.So，thebrandnameincludescultureandwilltransferculture.Thedevelopmentandchangeofbrandnamehavecloserelationwiththecultureofthisarea，countryornation.Nida―thefamoustranslationscholardividedthecultureintofivetypes：ecologicalculture，materialculture，socialculture，religiouscultureandlanguageculture.Fromthis，weknowthecultureexistsineverythingandeverywhere.Thetranslationofbrandnameistochangethebrandnameofsourcelanguageintothebrandnameoftargetlanguage.Thiskindoftranslationisonekindofcommunicationactivityamongcommunitieswithdifferentculturalbackground.Forexample：theQingdaobeerofChinawantstoentertheAmericanmarket，theproducerofChinamustadvertisetheirproductintheforeignmarkettomaketheconsumerintheAmericanmarketrecognize，andacceptit（thebrandnameisonepartoftheadvertisement）.Howdoesthe6 advertisementbringaboutthesuccessfulcommunicationwiththeAmerican？Thisisaproblemconcerningthebiculturaldissemination（betweenthecultureofAmericanandthecultureofChina）.AccordingtotheclassificationofNida，wecanseetheadvertisementandbrandnamecontainmanyaspectsoftheculture.Thesuccessfulmarketingoftheproductisdeterminedbythebrandnametranslationingreatextent.　　Fromtheabovetwoparts，wecangetaconclusionthatthebrandnametranslationisonekindofbiculturalcommunication.Relevancetheoryisanadvancedtheoryforstudyingcommunication；therefore，wecouldsayitcanbeappliedinthebrandnametranslation.　　References：　　[1]Nida，E.Language，CultureandTranslating.Shanghai：ShanghaiForeignLanguageEducationPress，1993.　　[2]Ernst？鄄AugustGutt，TranslationandRelevanc.Shanghai：ShanghaiForeignLanguageEducationPress，2004.6