The Cultural Influence of Animal Connotations on Chinese and English Brand Name Translation.docVIP

The Cultural Influence of Animal Connotations on Chinese and English Brand Name Translation 　　Abstract：The cultural differences between Chinese and western countries have a significant impact on Chinese and English translation of brand names. And due to different customs，animals also have different connotations in China and western countries. This paper introduces the different connotations of animals and the cultural influences on Chinese and English brand name translation. 　　Key words：animals connotations；cultural differences；brand name translation 　　Animals play an important role in both China and western countries. But due to different customs，some animals have different connotative meanings in China and western countries. Thus，Chinese and English brand names show their tendency to different animals. 　　Those animals that have the same connotative meanings can be directly translated into the target language. For example，熊猫牌（cigarette）is translated into Panda. Through literal translation，not only the spirit of the original brand names can be completely and correctly expressed，but also the translated brand names can arouse consumers’ interests in the products. But those animals that have different connotative meanings should be translated in other methods，such as free translation or creative translation. A important animal goat is regarded as timid，meek and learned people. While in English，there are three kinds of 羊. Goat is used to refer to lotharios；sheep means good people；lamb which often appears in the Bible refers to obedient people. One Chinese cashmere quilt brand name 山羊 was translated into Goats when the products were exported into UK. As a result，the products can not enjoy popularity due to the wrong word “goat”. There are more other examples such as 金鱼牌 Goldfish（lady bags），金鸡牌 Gold Rooster（shoe polish），鹿王牌 King Dear（cashmere sweater），红牛 Red Bull（beverage），七匹狼 Septwolve（men’s wear），天鹅牌 Swan（washing machine），Camel 骆驼（cigarette），Dove 德芙（chocolate），a