A Study of E-C Translation of International Brand Names from the Perspective of Linguistic Relativity

— Nowadays, more and more brands are eager to open overseas markets with the development of economic globalization and the increase of international trade. As the important marketing means and cultural carrier, an appropriate translation of brand name plays an important role in the transmission of brand concept and the expansion of sales. Brand name translation should not only try to convey the accurate information and cultural connotation of the brand itself but also fully consider the cultural context and consumer psychology of the target country, to achieve the effect of unity of form and spirit. From the perspective of “linguistic relativity” by Benjamin Lee Whorf, this paper selects several famous brand names as examples and analyzes the factors of information, language, aesthetics and cultural taboos that influence brand name translation. Some translation methods for brand name are also provided, including transliteration, literal translation, free translation, the combination of sound and meaning, creative translation, and zero translation.


INTRODUCTION
In the 1950s, American anthropologist and linguist Edward Sapir and his student Benjamin Lee Whorf devoted themselves to a study of the close relationship between language and thinking. After their deaths, some linguists summarized their related theories as a proposition-the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. As the most important point in the hypothesis, "linguistic relativity" has been deeply studied by scholars in linguistics, cross-cultural studies, translation studies, and other fields. It was found by Whorf that "the background linguistic system of each language is not merely a reproducing instrument for voicing ideas but rather is itself the shaper of ideas, the program and guide for the individual's mental activity" (Whorf, 1956: 212).
The brand name is used to distinguish an operator's commodities or services from other operators' commodities or services, reflecting corporate culture, development history, product information and other contents. In addition, aesthetic function and marketing function also need to be considered. Nowadays, with the increase of international trade and fierce market competition, brand name shoulders the multiple tasks of expanding the consumer market, establishing the brand image, conveying the brand concept, and stimulating the desire to buy. Brand name translation in import and export trade becomes an important factor affecting whether a brand can seize the market opportunity. The real value of "linguistic relativity" lies in revealing the bidirectional connection between language and thinking, thus breaking the stereotype that language belongs to thinking. This dynamic connection with thinking reveals the essence of human language, and also constitutes the prerequisite for language to influence national spirit and cause cultural differences.

2.2"Linguistic Relativity" and Translation
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis is also instructive to the Therefore, translators should correctly understand the relationship between language, thinking and culture to lay the foundation for brand name translation.

RELATIVITY"
From the perspective of "linguistic relativity", the cultural differences of countries and nations can be reflected through language. In the brand name translation, translators need to be familiar with two languages and cultures and increase their knowledge. Therefore, several elements need to be fully considered and analyzed by translators.

Information
The basic function of the brand name is to show the information of category, specification, use, effect, etc.
Therefore, the translator can combine the words with the products to offer a clear impression to consumers. After entering the Chinese market, "Comfort", a well-known clothing care brand, was translated as "金纺", which not only has a similar pronunciation but also indicates the product category and performance through the word "纺 (textile)". The famous hair care brand "Clear", is known in Chinese as "清扬", which reminds people of the clean, hairflying effect after using the shampoo. "Polaroid" is an international camera brand with fast imaging as its main selling point. It has many translated names such as "宝丽 来 ", " 拍立得". Among them, " 拍立得" has gained popularity because it fully embodies the performance and effect of the product-people can get the photo immediately after pressing the shutter. This translated name has been widely accepted and even extended to the category name of the product.

Language
The translated brand name should be as concise and vivid as possible to attract consumers' attention quickly. The revised translated name "惠普" corresponding to "HP" in Pinyin is not only easy to remember but also conveys the positive meaning that the product can benefit the general public. "Volkswagen", an internationally renowned German automobile brand, was transliterated as "伏克斯瓦根" for the first time. It was later changed to "大众" through free translation because "Volk" means "people" and "Wagen" means "car" in German, which embodies the founder's desire to make affordable and convenient cars for everyone.

Cultural Taboos
"Language relativity" holds that there are differences among language systems, and language has "the shaping influence" on culture to some extent (Whorf, 1956:147). Therefore, special attention should be paid to the translation of export products including "龙". Another example is the number. Chinese people do not like the number "4" because the Chinese character "四" has a similar pronunciation with " 死 (death)". However, under the influence of Christian culture, the number "13" become taboo in the West because they hate Judas, the 13th disciple who betrayed Jesus.
The change of the Chinese translation name of "Coco-Cola" also reflects the influence of language on thinking.
When Coco-Cola first entered the Chinese market, it was translated as "蝌蚪啃蜡(tadpole eating wax)", which was farfetched and complicated. The image of "tadpole" is irrelevant to food, and the word "啃蜡" reminds people of a Chinese idiom "味同嚼蜡(tasteless like chewing a wax candle)", which refers to the food with terrible food. Later, the translation name "可口可乐" was collected. Based on keeping consistent with the English pronunciation, this name is simple and easy to remember with containing the implication of tasty and happiness, which is a classic successful case of the Chinese translation of brand names.

BRAND NAMES
There are three main naming forms for international brands. The first is to directly use the surname or first name of the brand founder. The second is to choose words or phrases related to commodities, and the third is to invent new words or phrases that do not exist in the dictionary. For the first two naming forms, transliteration and the combination of sound and meaning are usually adopted. For the third naming form, the translation method is more flexible, literal translation, free translation, the combination of sound and meaning, zero translation, and creative translation can be used.

Transliteration
Transliteration is one of the most common methods in brand name translation, which refers to the direct transition of brand name into the target language according to its pronunciation in the source language. This method is mainly For example, the well-known automobile brand "Ford" ("福 特") was named after the surname of its founder, Henry

Literal Translation
Literal translation refers to finding the corresponding words in the target language directly according to the meaning of the brand name in the source language, which can maintain the original meaning to the greatest extent.
Translators can use literal translation when translating the brand names with similar meanings in the target language.
For example, the automobile brand "Crown" is translated directly into "皇冠", which reflects the luxury and comfort of the car. The popular social networking site "Facebook" was literally translated as "脸书", showing its main function of sharing photos and texts.

Free Translation
Translators can use free translation when translating some brand names related to the products themselves but

The Combination of Sound and Meaning
The search engine, Bing, translates as "必应", which is both phonetically consistent and shows that the search engine is responsive to demand. The Chinese name of "Safeguard" is "舒肤佳", which is similar to the English pronunciation and shows that the product can make the skin more comfortable.

Creative Translation
The brand name is a kind of creative product. Creative translation is often used in brand name translation to make beautiful images as much as possible. The translated name is usually different in pronunciation and meaning from the original brand name, but it is intended to express the brand concept and characteristics. "Smart" is the car brand of a creative collaboration between Mercedes and Swatch. The letter "S" stands for "Swatch", "M" for "Mercedes". Its Chinese name is "精灵" because of its small size and agility.
Another well-known car company, JEEP, once promoted a car called "Cherokee". "Cherokee" is the name of a tribe of North American Indians known for their bravery and strength. The car was named with this word, which means that the car has good performance. After entering the Chinese market, it was translated as " 自由光" through creative translation, which means the speed change of the car is fast enough to chase freedom.
The cosmetics brand Shiseido is translated as "资生堂" in Chinese, inspired by "至哉坤元，万物资生" in The Book of Changes. The meaning of "资生" is to generate new life and create new value. The brand also adds a Chinese character "堂" at the end of the name, imitating some old Chinese brands as "同仁堂", "九芝堂" to win the trust of consumers.

Zero Translation
According to linguistic relativity, there are no two languages that are so similar that people can use them to identify the same social reality. The heterogeneity and the unique mode of expression are inherent features of language, the translation goal should be "reserving differences" rather than "seeking similarities". Therefore, the zero-translation method has become a trend in brand name translation these years. For example, European fashion brands such as H&M, C&A and ZARA all take fashion and simplicity as their

V. CONCLUSION
As a dynamic process, translation is closely related to social development and people's value orientation.
"Linguistic relativity" holds that language influences and even shapes thought. The translation of brand name affects consumers' association with the product and further affects the sales. Therefore, translators are not only required to understand the linguistic and cultural similarities and differences, but also try to cater to the preferences of consumers and avoid taboos, so as to reduce the negative impact caused by cultural mistranslations. Multiple translation methods can be used in the process of brand name translation to conform to the aesthetic taste of Chinese people and lay a foundation for the expansion of product sales and the transmission of concept.