中西广告文化浅议_英语论文

The cross-cultural reflection in Chinese and English advertising

摘要

在现代社会,广告扮演了越来越重要的角色,它已是人们生活中不可或缺的一部分；它存在于人类社会的每一个角落,影响着现代社会的每一个人。总的来说,广告既是商品信息的载体,也是一种文化形式。作为文化中最有活力的一个因素,广告蕴含并反映着社会文化,同时也受到了社会文化的影响和制约。本文将着重于探讨影响中西广告语言中的文化因素的几个方面。目的在于通过对比研究,挖掘出中西广告中的文化内涵,并希望以此来加强人们在汉英广告翻译过程中的跨文化意识。社会文化影响制约着广告语言及其表达,广告语言则蕴含或反映社会文化。探讨中西方思维模式,哲学观念,文化心理和道德观念反映在广告语言中的差异,对于更好的理解和赏析广告语言,设计既要符合广告表达基本原则,又适合民族文化特征的广告语言具有十分重要的作用。

从广告角度,分析中西方文化在世界观,价值观,思维方式及审美心理等方面存在的差异,揭示广告和文化之间的亲密关系,说明广告不仅是了解文化的一种手段,更是文化的代言,是跨文化商品交换的一个重要的文化产品。

关键词：中西广告语言；文化翻译策略

Abstract

This thesis is based on the studies of many current motivation theories. In modern society, advertising has become more and more important and indispensable. It exists everywhere and influences everyone.

Generally speaking, advertising is a carrier of both commercial information and culture. And as the most active factor of culture, advertising not only contains and reflects social culture, but also is influenced and restricted by it. In this thesis, focusing on cultural factors which influence Chinese and English advertising languages. The purpose is to reveal the cultural implications in advertising languages by contrastive study and to help strengthen the intercultural awareness in the process of Chinese-English advertising translation. The study of different mode of thinking, philosophical concepts, cultural psychology and moral concepts reflects to advertising language will boost the better understanding and appreciation of the advertisement. Language will play an essential role for the advertising designation which should be in line with the basic principles of advertising as well as the specific national cultural characteristics.

By analyzing the advertisements in Chinese and Western, the thesis means to illustrate the close relation between the advertisement and culture, presenting the differences in the perspective of philosophy, value point, thinking style and esthetics of the two cultures. Thus to appreciate the advertisement is one of the ways to understand the culture, as the advertisements is a cultural product.

Keywords: Sino-Western advertising language; Culture translation strategies

Contents

1.Introduction……………………………………………...............……..…1

2.Literature Review………...…………………………...................…..……1

2.1 The definition of advertisement…………….....………….................…....1

2.2 The purposes of advertisement…………...……………….................…...2

2.3 The function of advertisement....................................................................3

3.Studies on advertising language and cultural factors in advertising......4

3.1 Studies on advertising language………………………....….......…….….4

3.2 Studies on cultural factors in advertising………………………...…........5

3.3 Studies on advertising translation…………......…………………….........5

4.The cultural differences in Chinese and English advertisements............6

4.1 Oneness vs. dividedness between man and nature………................…..…7

4.2 Collectivism orientation vs. individual orientation……....…...........……..7

4.3 Indirect vs. direct expression………………………………….............…..8

4.4Advocating tradition and static lifestyle vs. seeking change and dynamic lifestyle............................................................................................................10

5. Principles and strategies of Chinese-English advertising translation...11

5.1 Principles for advertising translation..........................................................11

5.2 Strategies for Chinese-English advertising translation...............................12

6.Conclusion…………………………………………………………....…....12

Works Cited………………………………………………………....….........14