Translation Features of English-Russian Advertising Slogans

【Abstract】Advertising is a powerful weapon for the market. A successful advertising slogan can explore a new market. People in different cultural backgrounds often have different values towards consumption. An advertising slogan may affect differently in different countries. The effect of slogan translation can directly affect the audiences awareness of the product. The translator must have a good knowledge of the cultures and master the two languages.

【Key words】translation; advertising slogan; cultural difference

【作者簡介】張祎祺（1987-），女，漢族，河北廊坊人，河北北方學院外國語學院教師，講師，碩士研究生，研究方向：商務英語。

The translation techniques of advertising slogans are different from those in literary works. As long as the translation can play the best commercial function， it does not matter whether it is equivalent to the original meaning， semantics， style or to what extent. When translating slogans， one should break away from the communicative framework of the source text and make it conform to the cultural background of the target language as far as possible.

From the perspective of linguistic morphology， English belongs to analytic language while Russian is comprehensive language. Semantics in English is expressed by morphological changes while semantics is expressed through the combination of multi-word meanings in Russian. Therefore， when translating English slogans into Russian， in some cases， it is not recommended to translate the original advertising slogans， but to find their “semantic equivalence”.

When translating advertising slogans， the original creative ideas are often retained， and the text needs to be reconstructed according to the target language.

Maybe shes born with it. Maybe its Maybelline - Ты от Мейбилин！ （You are from Maybelline） （Maybelline）

The most prominent feature of advertising slogans is the frequent use of imperative forms of verbs， which greatly enhances the appeal of advertising ideas. Research shows that verbs that appear most frequently in English slogans are buy， try， ask， get， see， call， feel， taste， watch， smell， find， listen， drive， let， look， drink， do， discover， start， enjoy. A study of Russian slogans shows that verbs with higher frequency are приходи（come）， покупай（buy）， смотри（look）， управляй （drive/control）， открой（open/start）， попробуй（try/taste/drink）.

Ask For More - Бери от жизни все（Take everything from life）. （Pepsi）

However， imperative expressions in English cannot be well expressed in Russian. The use of some verbs in English， such as to have， to love， to like， etc.， cannot convey the original meaning accurately in similar situations. Therefore， in order to make sentences smooth and avoid ambiguity， it is better to find replaceable words according to the origin of the slogans.

Have a break， have a Kit-Kat！ — Есть перерыв， есть Кит-кат！ （Kit-Kat）.（The Russian word “есть” has many meanings， such as “have” and “eat”.）

One of the most common phenomena in the preparation of slogans is the use of repetition. When translating such English slogans into Russian， the language structure of the source text should be preserved and the same artistic techniques should be used as far as possible.

I am what I am — Я тот， кто я есть （Reebok）.

Second person pronouns and subject pronouns are often used in both English and Russian slogans to enhance the advertising effect.

Youre the boss. — Ты здесь главный. （Burger King）

When translating slogans， one can try to use certain rhetorical devices， which helps to establish certain advertising tones and better convey the quality and advantages of advertising products.

Maybe shes born with it. Maybe its Maybelline. --Ты от Мейбилин. （alliteration）; Sharp minds， sharp products — Идеи Sharp в изделиях Sharp （repetition）; Have a break， have a Kit-Kat — Есть перерыв. Есть Кит-Кат （anaphora）; There is a phenomenon of “untranslating” in the translation of advertising slogans. Some English slogans are widely concerned and welcomed， and have a high degree of recognition. Consumers have resonance on the basis of the original slogans， rather than requiring the translation of the original one.

A Diamond is Forever （De Beers）

Just Do It！ （Nike）

Successful English advertising slogans are marked by the harmonious integration of the main advertising meanings and abundant means of expression， and to maximize the advertising meanings. The more distinctive the translated slogans are， the more likely they will be remembered by consumers， which is the purpose of the translation of advertising slogans.

References：

[1]Edwards Ch. Mundy. Retail Advertising and Sales Promotion[M]. Prentice Hall， Inc.， N.Y.，1981：321.