双关语在英语广告中的运用及其翻译

Application and Translation of Pun in English Advertisements

摘要

随着经济的快速发展，广告随处可见。为了吸引消费的注意，商家常常会用一些修辞手法博得消费者的眼球，双关就是广告中最常见的修辞之一。双关是有两层不同意思的词或短语或者是读音相似的词的一种有趣用法。由于双关语有两种含义，所以能让语言变得生动，幽默，简单易懂，从而可以让广告变得更有吸引力，这正是广告语所需要的。广告就是用最简单的语言，有目的地向消费者传递信息，从而刺激消费。运用于英语广告中有不同的双关语，例如语音双关，语义双关，仿拟双关，习语双关以及语法双关。由于双关语的特性，双关语的翻译本身就是一个难点，而广告中双关语的翻译则更加复杂。因此，本篇文章主要探讨了双关语在英语广告中的运用及其翻译。本篇文章将从语音双关，语义双关，仿拟双关，习语双关以及语法双关等几个方面来分析双关语在英语广告中的运用技巧，并在考虑双关语的双重含义及广告语体风格的基础上, 从分别表义法、套译法、侧重译法和补偿法等方面对英语广告双关语的翻译作进一步的探讨。

关键词：双关；英语广告；运用；翻译

Abstract

With the rapid development of economy, advertisements are everywhere. In order to attract customer’s attention, people often use some rhetorical devices. And pun is one of the most common rhetorical devices used in English advertisements. Pun refers to “an amusing use of a word or phrase that has two meanings, or words with the same sound but different meanings”. With double meanings, pun can make language vivid, humorous and easily understood, thus make advertisements more attractive, which is what advertisements need. The intention of advertisements is to pass information to the consumers quickly and stimulate consumers’ purchasing desire. Four types of pun are commonly used in advertisement; pun on homophone, homograph, parody, idiom and grammar. The characteristics of pun make its translation a problem, especially in English advertisements. This thesis mainly discusses the application and translation of pun in English advertisements. The application skills in English advertisements are analyzed in four aspects: homophonic pun, homographic pun, parody pun, idiomatic pun and Grammatical pun. Combining the double meanings of pun and the style of advertisements, the thesis makes a further research on the translating strategies: translating the duel meanings respectively; applying set-phrase patterns; paraphrasing; suggesting the context. 

Key Words：Pun; English advertisements; application; translation