Having learnt how to translate advertisements, I think it would be a perfect opportunity to analyze how delicious advertisements are translated to attract non-Chinese users in Hong Kong. To start with, let us look at one of the most familiar restaurants:
Chinese Version / English Version
The Chinese slogan is "愛の限定" while the English is "Enjoy love while it lasts". Something is off...Chinese can often be analyzed word-by-word as a first step in understanding. 愛 is "love" while
限定 is "limited". "の" is not exactly Chinese and is best described as the genitive ('s in English).
Considering the fact that this burger is limited by its promotion period, the limit is obviously an limit of time. What is love? We can ask Shakespeare and look at his sonnets, but his answer won't be useful here. The answer is simple actually. What is limited by time as we are told in the advertisement? The burger.
So we now know that the Chinese slogan focuses on how the love is limited by time and you better hurry before it is gone, what about the English slogan? Seems to have the same message.
I got more to talk, but it would be great if you guys can make use of what you have learnt in class and apply them on this advertisement. Here are some questions we would like to ask, feel free to leave your responses via comment:
1) What type of bilingualism is demonstrated in the Chinese slogan? (For students taking Bilingual Cyber Culture, you must have read that)
2) Can you use the idea of signifier and signified from semiotics to explain the love in advertisement? (For students taking Translation of Texts in Popular Culture, can you still remember signifier and signified?)
3) Do you think the slogan was translated well to replicate the discourse of source text/attract potential customers?
4) Can you think of an English translation that is more localized (closer to the Western culture)?
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