English-Chinese Translation of Names of Racehorses: A Case Study of Four Translation Strategies about the Hong Kong Version
Abstract
This paper examines the translation of horse racing names, focusing on the Hong Kong translation version as a case study. It explores four distinct translation strategies employed in rendering these names into the target language. The prime principle guiding the translation process is the overarching purpose of the translational action. The four strategies discussed are: transliteration, which focuses on reproducing the sounds of the name in the target language; literal translation, which aims to preserve the phonetic and semantic aspects of the original name; free translation, which involves modifying the name to conform to linguistic and cultural conventions; and mixed strategies, which are combination of the previous and can invent new names that capture the essence of the original. By analyzing these strategies and their application in the context of horse racing names, this paper provides insights into the complexities and considerations involved in translating such names. It highlights the importance of understanding the purpose, cultural context, and target audience in order to effectively convey the meaning and impact of horse racing names in the target language.
References
- Merz, O., Flepp, R., & Franck, E. P. (2019). Sonic Thunder vs Brian the Snail-Are people affected by uninformative racehorse names?. Available at SSRN 3469641.
- Slovic, P., Finucane, M. L., Peters, E., & MacGregor, D. G. (2007). The affect heuristic. European journal of operational research, 177(3), 1333-1352.
- Lee, E. (2020). Beyond Bilinguality: Code-Mixing, Semantic Relatedness, and Name Clustering in Hong Kong Racehorse Names. Chinese Culture in the 21st Century and its Global Dimensions: Comparative and Interdisciplinary Perspectives, 161-178.
- Hong Kong Jockey Club. (2018b). Racing information (local)-horses. Retrieved from https://racing.hkjc.com/racing/information/Chinese/Horse/SelectHorse.aspx
- Jiangbo, H., & Ying, T. (2010). Study of the translation errors in the light of the Skopostheorie: Samples from the websites of some tourist attractions in China. Babel, 56(1), 35-46.
- Nord, C. (2003). Proper names in translations for children: Alice in Wonderland as a case in point. Meta, 48(1), 182-196.
- Sabzalipour, M., & Pishkar, K. (2015). Translation strategies of proper nouns in children’s literature. Journal of Applied linguistics and language research, 2(6), 73-79.
- Vermes, A. P. (2003). Proper Names in translation: An explanatory attempt. Across Languages and Cultures, 4(1), 89-108.
- Newmark, P. (1988). Approaches to translation. London: Prentice Hall.
- Fernandes, L. (2007). On the use of a Portuguese-English parallel corpus of children’s fantasy literature in translator education. Cadernos de traduçao, 2(20), 141-163.
- Fernandes, L. (2006). Translation of names in children’s fantasy literature: Bringing the young reader into play. New voices in translation studies, 2(1), 44-57.
- Sang, J., & Zhang, G. (2008). Communication across languages and cultures: A perspective of brand name translation from English to Chinese. Journal of Asian Pacific Communication, 18(2), 225-246.
- Zhang, Q., & Wang, J. (2010). Application of Functional Equivalence Theory in English Translation of Chinese Idioms. Journal of Language Teaching & Research, 1(6).
- Zhang, S., & Schmitt, B. H. (2001). Creating local brands in multilingual international markets. Journal of marketing research, 38(3), 313-325.