자동차 브랜드 번역에 나타난 해음 문화

Abstract

With the increased demand of car market in China and the change in the aesthetic sense of the Chinese people, it is needed to look into the brand naming strategy of overseas motor companies. Thus I have examined the characteristics of brand naming translation of foreign cars entered in China. Then I’ve given careful consideration to the Chinese cultural undertone expressed in the translation by studying factors affecting translation and preference. Chinese culture and Chinese life are not separable. By taking this into account, some motor companies translated their car names based solely on pronunciation, others translated either directly or indirectly. Cultural undertone that can be found in the brand naming translation of foreign cars in Chinese is as follows: Auspicious and congratulatory words were preferred, respectful and graceful images were pursued. Also, symbols of animals like dragons, horses and leopards were frequently used. Consumers’ appetite for cars is growing faster these days. Consumers put greater emphasis on practicality and want to enhance the quality of life via cars. And more and more people find the function and appearance of cars one of the most important factors. Such a trend has had a considerable impact on perception of cars by Chinese people. So it is evident that brand naming translation should reflect this kind of mentality of Chinese. As the car names translation shows the Chinese cultural undertone, it is vital to consider whether the translation coincides with Chinese culture in terms of sound and meaning.