目的论在广告翻译中的应用(英文)

3  The Application of Skopos Theory to Advertisement Translation
Functions of advertisement translation determine the translator should not put the equivalence as the principle to guide translation, rather should apply Skopos theory as guidance for advertisement translation, so as to achieve the expected function.
3. 1 Enlightenment on Advertisement Translation Given by Skopos Theory
According to Skopos theory, translation is a communicative activity. Either advertisement translation or advertisement itself is a process for advertiser and potential consumer to communicate. During this communicative process, what the advertiser offers and what the consumer accepts or refuses are not shown in the advertisement text, instead they are reflected on the action. In order to drive the consumer to take actions, the advertisement should be made as the medium for successful communication between advertiser and consumer, who accept the products on psychology and on thoughts. There is no exception to advertisement translation, since it should also get the identification and acceptance of the target consumer. A translator should achieve a balance of interpersonal relationship, namely, to deal with the relation between the consumer and advertiser. Therefore, on one hand, the translator is supposed to construct context from the communication with advertiser. On the other hand, the translator should have communication with the target consumer, during this process the translator should reappear what he acquires in the source text to activate the target consumer’s expectation. Thus he has to pay much attention to features of the target text’s language as well as the feedback from target consumer, their culture and situation.
Skopos theory breaks the traditional criteria for translation, and provides the translator with a new perspective. The main function of advertisement is the informative function and the vocative function, and its ultimate goal is to fulfill the two functions, that is to offer the consumers information about the commodities and drive them to purchase. Thus what advertisement translation cares is the feedback of the consumers in the target language; the first principle advertisement translation should follow is “Skopos rule”. In the process of advertisement translation, the translator should locate himself in the reader’s position, consult the language and culture of the target language and try to adapt the version to the advertisement mode of the target language, to the aesthetic judgment as well as values of consumers, so as to achieve the expected communicative purpose.
 Skopos theory turns to the target text and the expected readers. The Equivalence-based Translation Theory regards the source language as the major role in translation. However, the status of the source text decreases in the translation process according to Skopos theory. Vermeer advocates “dethronement”, and thinks the source text is not the first criterion to consider, but one of resources for translators to acquire information. “The main factor determines translation is the expected reader, who has their own culture background, expectation and communicative demand. “What Skopos theory cares is not the equivalence between the target text and the source text, but the achieving of the expected purpose of the version. In this case, a translator must determine the specific strategies for advertisement translation according to the text in a specific text, with a serious combined consideration of the culture, expectation and communicative demand.