The peculiarities of translation of the advertising text

CHAPTER I THE PECULIARITIES OF TRANSLATION OF THE ADVERTISING TEXT
1.1 The meaning and function of advertising
Nowadays translation of advertising texts is becoming as a completely separate line of work for translators, which requires from a translator an ideal knowledge of the stylistic subtleties, cultural nuances of English and Russian, a clear understanding of the purpose of advertising. In most cases word for word translation of advertising texts and slogans does not fully convey the meaning and the mood of the product, so they are extremely rarely translated verbatim. During the translation into another language, the same phrase might have different semantic shades that change its conception. So that in the process of translating advertising message, translator should take into account such features like the purpose of the advertising texts, the linguistic qualities of the original text, the nature of the consumer, the audience’s needs, the cultural aspects of the language. Advertising text is a text containing advertising information designed to arouse interest among a certain audience in certain goods in order to further sell these goods. As Belova states in her article: "The advertising text must perform a number of essential functions, and any other text is not aimed at fulfilling them." Consequently, the translation of advertising texts is quite an important process. In addition, creating a new equivalent advertising text in the target language requires the translator to solve the problem of sociolinguistic adaptation of the text.Particularly, according to the researcher (I. Zlobina, 2010), an advertising text includes a number of extralinguistic components and is adequately perceived only if they are harmoniously combined. This factor is significant during the translation, because neglecting these components will not translate the advertising message with the greatest effectiveness. In the process of translation, it is essential to take into account the purpose of the advertising message, the cultural and individual possibilities of the language in the cultural aspect of the consumer, the nature of the consumer, the linguistic qualities of the original text, so on, because the translation of advertising texts requires from the translator to have knowledge of the subject and clear understanding of what the author of the advertising message wanted to say.During the translation of English advertising texts, in many cases, Russian specialists escape to translate the text, they try to give its "semantic equivalent". For example: “What legs! Much more than legs! OMSA knows how to be admired!” (От Парижа до Находки "Omsa" – лучшие колготки!); “Betcha can’t eat just one” (Захрустишь – не устоишь!)The choice of a method of translation depends on many factors. For many advertising translators, the text of a foreign language means understanding the idea of ​​the advertised product, while by taking into account national specifics of the advertising texts, the message itself is often rewritten in the language which is in the consumer's country. In some cases where an exact translation is disagreeable for some reason, the translator uses phrases that are estimated in meaning, which must necessarily take into consideration traditional aspects, national and social characteristics, behavior of a particular audience to which the product is directed in the advertising text.Sometimes due to the translation of facts and events which are related to the culture of a particular audience, various traditional customs, names of dishes, clothing, translators face significant difficulties in translating the original. So in these cases, the translator’s task is solving linguistic problems due to differences in the semantic structure and peculiarities of using two foreign languages ​​in the communication process.In the article, Zlobina emphasizes that the use of quotations, allusions, idioms, as well as foreign language insertions in advertising assumes that the creator of the text and its recipient have common background knowledge. According to the researcher B. Rarenko: "The translation of advertising is in principle possible, but losses, as with any translation, are inevitable, so the ability to prioritize becomes important when translating an advertising message." If it is necessary to make a choice, the translator should try to convey, first of all, those that serve as additional means of highlighting the components of advertising texts. According to Rarenko's analysis, these include: 1) emotional-evaluative vocabulary with the semantics of a positive assessment; 2) means of expressing the hyperbole of a positive assessment; 3) "fashion words"; 4) foreign words, turns of speech and quotations; 5) dialectal words and phrases; 6) syntactic design of the statement; 7) repetitions of all levels; 8) puns, metaphors, comparisons, author's paired phrases and other lexical figures of style; 9) the background of the literary norm of the language; 10) stylistically colored vocabulary.One of the most important components of the advertising text is the description of the advertised product or service, attributive combinations, which include adverbs and adjectives, carry a large functional load indicated in the researcher's article (I. Zlobina).³ Some researchers even call adverbs and adjectives keywords of the advertising text and pay special attention to them. It is adjectives and adverbs that help create that unique tone of the advertising appeal, which allows you to convey the qualities and dignity of the advertised item. When translating into Russian language, this circumstance must be taken into account: “Radiant, sensual, sophisticated, J'adore is a fragrance that celebrates the renaissance of extreme femininity and the power of spontaneous emotion with a brilliant bouquet of orchids, the velvet touch of Damascus plum and the mellowness of Amarante wood” (Сияющий, чувственный, сложный, J'adore – аромат, который празднует Ренессанс чрезвычайной женственности и власть непосредственной эмоции с блестящим букетом орхидей, бархатным контактом Дамасской сливы, и спелостью леса амаранта).In the process of translating advertising texts, adjectives and adverbs are used to describe the most diverse properties of the advertised product - shape, size, cost quality, sensations that this product evokes. The most commonly used adjectives in English advertising are: natural, sensual, innocent, passionate, romantic, mysterious, good, better, best, free, fresh, delicious, full sure, clean, wonderful, special, fine, big, great, real, easy, bright, extra, rich, gold. Often there are adjectives indicating the authenticity of the brand: genuine, authentic и original. But, according to I. Zlobina, the adjective “new” is used as the champion in terms of frequency in English advertising - it can be found in almost every second advertising text.The most significant features of the advertising text include such as the frequent use of verb forms, which significantly enhance the dynamism of the advertising message. (see, buy, fly). “They fell in love with her when she started wearing that Sexplosion perfume. That perfume really attracts boys! Buy some!”. Very often in advertising texts there is a metaphor, the translation of which requires great creativity from the translator: “Plop plop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is!” (реклама Alka-Seltzer: “Веселье без похмелья!”); “The quicker picker-upper” (реклама шоколада Bounty: “Bounty. Райское наслаждение”). Or when translating an ordinary advertising slogan into Russian, the translator uses a metaphor: “Mr. Clean will clean your whole house and everything that's in it” (“Mr. Proper все отмыл и квартиру освежил”; “ С Mr. Proper веселей, дома чисто в два раза быстрей!”); “If it’s gotta be clean, it’s gotta be Tide” (“Чистота – чисто Тайд!”) When translating advertising texts from English into Russian, it is important that the text conveys the meaning and mood. But if the original marketers use various tricks to improve the perception of the text, then it becomes more difficult to translate it. There are a huge number of such tricks: puns, rhyming, consonance of individual words or double meanings of phrases. If they are, then 100% accurate translation becomes impossible. The translator can only get as close as possible to the original presentation. Some experts do this very well: A classic example with the Gillette brand slogan. In the original it sounds «Gillette. The best a man can get». A simple, strong and memorable slogan, the effect of which largely depends on the rhyme.⁴ It was translated into Russian with dignity - «Gillette. Лучше для мужчины нет». The translation preserves a short and capacious form, a clear rhythm, and, most importantly, a rhyme with the name of the trademark. The slogan is actively used by the company to this day. Quite often advertizing brochures of this or that production or service go in original language, and proceeding from it it is possible to speak about relevance of creation of more or less uniform strategy and the concept of translation of the such text. When translating advertizing brochures on other languages it is necessary to consider ethical, psychological and personal characteristics of audience and the consumer, specifics and culture of the country for which this brochure is intended. For many practicians of advertizing activity the text of a foreign language serves only as means for understanding of idea of an advertized product, the text of the brochure is often written anew in language of the country of the consumer taking into account its national specifics. When exact transfer is represented for some reason or other undesirable, the translator uses approximate phrases on sense which surely have to consider traditional ethnic, national and social features, stereotypes of behavior of concrete audience on which production designated in the advertizing brochure is directed. The purpose of the real work – to designate the main strategy and receptions of translation of English-language advertizing texts into Russian. According to a research objective performance of the following tasks is supposed: 1) To give definitions to concepts the text and a discourse 2) To give definitions to concept the advertizing text 3) To consider classification of the advertizing text 4) To define features of translation of advertizing texts 5) To carry out the comparative comparative analysis of advertizing texts in English and Russian languages As object of research texts of English-speaking advertizing served. The choice as a material of texts of English advertizing is caused by that huge role which English-speaking media play texts in world information space. Research method – comparative, that is English and Russian advertizing texts are compared, compared. On the structure work consists of the introduction, two theoretical heads and one research, and also the conclusions, the list of sources and the appendix with characteristic examples of advertizing texts. Advertisements carry a cultural message, the ideas, concepts, beliefs of a country. Language is the expression of culture and individuality of its speakers; therefore, the translator must first understand the meaning of the culture-bound elements of the source text and then transpose those elements in the target text. Cultural untranslatability occurs when the elements in the source culture do not have an equivalent in the target culture. The cultural differences between two languages can be translated by adaptation or paraphrase. Baker (1992:63), for example, states that idioms are “frozen patterns of language which allow little or no variation in form and often carry meanings which cannot be deduced from their individual components.” She argues that the majority of translators working with a foreign language cannot achieve the same sensitivity of native speakers to know when a certain idiom should be used or not. The main problems when translating idiomatic expressions are: the ability to recognize and interpret an idiom correctly and the difficulties involved in rendering the various aspects of meaning that an idiom or a fixed expression convey into the target language. An important issue when translating idiomsis the case when the idiom in the source language has no equivalent in the target language. The slogan for Dell computers Dude, you’re getting a Dell! is made up of a pun. The substitution of the word dude in Romanian is difficult because of the absence of a similar word in the target culture which would render the same meaning. A possible equivalent is the noun tip which nevertheless, does not cover the exact meaning of the appellative dude. We can also omit the word dude and turn it into the Romanian appellative hei. Translating the slogan as Tipule, îţi iei un Dell, the slogan becomes less meaningful, losing the alliteration of the letter d. Another example of linguistic untranslatability is the slogan for Johnnie Walker Whisky, Keep walking. The sentence is linguistically untranslatable in Romanian because a literal translation would change the meaning of the slogan. If we translate the verb to walk with the Romanian verb a merge, the message of the slogan may become ambiguous, as the imperative Keep walking must automatically be associated with the name of the brand Johnnie Walker. However, a possible literal translation of the slogan into Romanian, would be Mergi înainte or Rămâi fidel. Bea Johnnie Walker. Another suitable version would be Mergi inainte cu Johnnie Walker. s for automakers, many companies have chosen to preserve the English (or native language) version of their slogans even in regional markets. They have created specific advertisements for each country, but decided to keep the brand slogan untranslated. Audi, BMW, Mercedez-Benz, Ford, Toyota and many other important players of the automotive industry have chosen the most suitable strategy to promote their products. In Romania, there are few automobile advertisements that promote their cars by using the translated version of the international English slogan, for example, the brands BMW, Toyota or KIA Motors. Others, like FIAT, Ford or Hyundai have preserved the English version of the slogan in the Romanian market, or, like Audi, Opel or Volkswagen, have used the slogan in German language; Citroen’s choice was French language for advertising the brand in entire Europe, while Seat uses the Spanish version as well as a secondary line of slogans, created in Romanian. The choice for the native language could be a sign of respect for tradition and experience, a bold move for breaking the English pattern or a marketing strategy meant to create impact by making a difference. All these techniques lead to the creation of internationally used slogans meant to communicate the automakers’ purposes, as well as their connection to the customers worldwide (e.g. Alfa Romeo uses the slogan “Beauty is not enough”, the German manufacturer uses the slogan “Vorsprung durch Technik” (“Advancement through technology”) in advertising campaigns all over the world, including Romania. The slogan was translated into English for international use as “Keeping ahead through technology”.⁵ The Audi website mentions that “English cannot fully capture the meaning of Vorsprung which means to leap ahead." The BMW company's slogans in English are "The Ultimate Driving Machine" and "Sheer Driving Pleasure". The original German slogan is "Freude am Fahren" ("Joy in Driving"). BMW has translated the slogan for Romanian customers as “Plăcerea de a conduce”, preserving the original meaning of the German advertisement campaign (“Joy in driving”). One of the most attractive BMW statements was also preserved in the Romanian version of their advertisement campaigns: “We don't just build cars, we create emotions“. FIAT’s advertising slogan, “ Driven by passion“, was preserved in the English version, Hyundai Motor Company has chosen to advertise in Romania with the official English slogan, “Drive your way”, which creates a positive impact through its rhyme with the brand’s name, making it fun and easy to memorize. The South Korean car builder is also developing a broad range of social programs worldwide, under the slogan “Moving the world together”. KIA Motors, South Korea’s second largest automobile manufacturer, has chosen to adapt their slogan, “The power to surprise” to the local Romanian market with the literal translation, “Puterea de a surprinde”. KIA also added a particularity to the slogan: “Puterea de a (te) surprinde” (the reflexive pronoun “te” inserted between brackets makes the slogan more addressed to the customer. Advertisements carry a cultural message, the ideas, concepts, beliefs of a country. Language is the expression of culture and individuality of its speakers; therefore, the translator must first understand the meaning of the culture-bound elements of the source text and then transpose those elements in the target text. Cultural untranslatability occurs when the elements in the source culture do not have an equivalent in the target culture. The cultural differences between two languages can be translated by adaptation or paraphrase. Baker (1992:63), for example, states that idioms are “frozen patterns of language which allow little or no variation in form and often carry meanings which cannot be deduced from their individual components.” She argues that the majority of translators working with a foreign language cannot achieve the same sensitivity of native speakers to know when a certain idiom should be used or not. The main problems when translating idiomatic expressions are: the ability to recognize and interpret an idiom correctly and the difficulties involved in rendering the various aspects of meaning that an idiom or a fixed expression convey into the target language. An important issue when translating idiomsis the case when the idiom in the source language has no equivalent in the target language. The slogan for Dell computers Dude, you’re getting a Dell! is made up of a pun. The substitution of the word dude in Romanian is difficult because of the absence of a similar word in the target culture which would render the same meaning. A possible equivalent is the noun tip which nevertheless, does not cover the exact meaning of the appellative dude. We can also omit the word dude and turn it into the Romanian appellative hei. Translating the slogan as Tipule, îţi iei un Dell, the slogan becomes less meaningful, losing the alliteration of the letter d. Another example of linguistic untranslatability is the slogan for Johnnie Walker Whisky, Keep walking. The sentence is linguistically untranslatable in Romanian because a literal translation would change the meaning of the slogan. If we translate the verb to walk with the Romanian verb a merge, the message of the slogan may become ambiguous, as the imperative Keep walking must automatically be associated with the name of the brand Johnnie Walker. However, a possible literal translation of the slogan into Romanian, would be Mergi înainte or Rămâi fidel. Bea Johnnie Walker. Another suitable version would be Mergi inainte cu Johnnie Walker. Marketers have added a few phrases that were not in the original video.“Felix, well, mischievous. I saw my favorite yummy food and immediately came up with a cunning plan. ”Next comes the adapted translation. Let's compare advertising messages in Russian and in English:Clever Felix. He'll do anything for his “As good as it looks”. You can see the succulent meaty pieces. Clever cats get Felix.