双语消费者对商标翻译的偏爱性研究_英语论文

A Study of Bilingual Customers’ Preference in Trademark Translation

摘要

本研究从汉语语标体系和英语字母体系的角度探索了双语消费者对商标翻译方法的偏爱性。本文主要测试了4种可能的商标翻译，它们分别是语音翻译法，语义翻译法，音义翻译法和汉语拼音翻译法。顾客在语言熟练程度上的长期差异以及相关联的语音、语义处理影响着他们对商标翻译方法的偏爱。另外，先前的研究证实了本研究的前提：语义或语音处理在语标体系（汉语）语言或字母体系（英语）语言中起很大作用。针对双语消费者对以上提到的四种方法的偏爱性，本文做了一个定量的研究。31位学生参与了这项研究。他们被分为3组：1）中文和英文都很强，2）英文比中文强，3）中文比英文强。本文揭示了中文和英文都很强的顾客在这四种方法中更喜爱音义翻译法和拼音翻译法，英文比中文强的顾客在这四种方法中更喜爱语音翻译法，中文比英文强的顾客在这四种方法中更喜爱语义翻译法。

关键词：翻译偏爱；双语消费者；翻译方法；商标翻译

Abstract 

This study explores bilingual customers’ preference of trademark translations between logographic Chinese and alphabetical English language structures. It tests four probable means of trademark translations: phonologic, semantical, phono-semantical and Hanyu Pinyin. Customers’ long-term disparity in language dexterity fields connected with semantical or phonologic working collectively has an impact on preference of the trademark translation means. Moreover, former findings agree with the precondition which semantic/phonetic working has impact on alphabetical (Chinese)/logographic (English) languages. A quantitative study is done to find out the translation preferences of the above four ways of trademark translations. 31 undergraduates of university participated in the study. They are divided into three groups: a) those who are good at both Chinese and English, b) those who are good at Chinese but poor in English, c) those who are poor in Chinese but good at English. The study shows that customers who are good at both Chinese and English prefer to choose phono-semantic translations and Pinyin translations among the above four ways of trademark translations; customers who are good at English but poor in Chinese prefer to choose phonologic translations among the four means of trademark translations and customers who are poor in English but good at Chinese prefer to choose semantical translation among the four means of trademark transformations.

Key words: translation preference; bilingual customers; translation means; trademark translation

Contents

1 Introduction 1

2 Literature Review 3

2.1 The Significance of Trademark Translation 3

2.2 Logographic and Alphabetical Structures 3

2.3 Semantical, Phonologic and Phono-semantical Translation Means 4

2.4 Hanyu Pinyin 4

2.5 The Significance of Trademark Translation Means 5

2.6 Bilinguals 5

3 Research Methodology 7

3.1 Research Questions 7

3.2 Precondition of the Experimentation 7

3.3 Experimental Subjects 7

3.4 Experimental Materials 8

3.5 Procedures 9

3.6 Experimental Data 9

3.6.1 The Data of Test 1 and Test 2 9

3.6.2 Analysis about the Test 1 and Test 2 10

3.6.3 The Data of Questionnaire 10

4 Analysis of the Data of the Questionnaire 12

5 Results and Discussion 13

5.1 Results 13

5.2 Discussion 13

6 Conclusion 15

6.1 Major Findings 15

6.2 Limitations and Further Research 15

References 17