Characteristics of Chinese translation of drug names in advertisements

Fen Ven' ORCID: 0000-0002-5206-9822 Postgraduate student; Department of General and Russian Linguistics; Peoples' Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba 117198, Russia, Moscow, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 15k1, sq. 80a 1042228133@pfur.ru Other publications by this author

Perfilieva Nataliya Vladimirovna PhD in Philology Associate Professor; Department of General and Russian Linguistics; Peoples' Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba 117198, Russia, Moscow, Miklukho-Maklaya, 80, office 638 perfilyeva-nv@rudn.ru

Greek medicine became the basis for the development of medicine in Ancient Rome. The appearance of the collected works of Hippocrates marks the birth of Western medicine, and it was his writings that became the source of the development of medical terminology. It is worth noting that many concepts of traditional Chinese medicine were also borrowed from Greek, which causes the similarity of some terms. According to the researchers, the main reason for the appearance of borrowed words is the language contacts of different nations. The first medical borrowings appeared in the Chinese language during the reign of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25 – 220 AD)^{[10, p. 132]}. At the end of the Qing Dynasty, temple hospitals and medical educational institutions were established, as a result of which the need for translation of medical works into Chinese increased. By 1890, the approximate number of European medical books translated into Chinese had reached 50 ^{[1, p. 88]}.

Most foreign medical terms have no equivalents in Chinese, which necessitates the use of various translation methods.

1. Theory and methods of translating medical terms into Chinese in advertising.

The theory of functional equivalence Yu. Nayda had a great influence on the history of Chinese translation. In 1964, Yu. Nayda, in the book "Towards the Science of Translation," for the first time proposed the theory of functional equivalence and distinguished between formal and dynamic equivalence. The linguist believed that formal reciprocity is focused on the original language and reproduces the form and content of the original text as much as possible ^{[2, p. 23]}. When translating based on dynamic equivalence, the person reading the translation should experience the same emotions and feelings as the person reading the original text. That is why it is very important for a translator to convey the style of the source text ^{[9, p. 26]}. Yu. Nayda notes that translation is not only lexical, but also semantic, stylistic equivalence. It conveys not only superficial lexical, but also deep cultural information ^{[6, p. 38]}. At the same time, semantic equivalence is of paramount importance for the correct transmission of content, the style of the text should take a back seat. Without semantic equivalence, translation in the true sense of the word is impossible.

To achieve translation equivalence, it is necessary to take into account not only the linguistic features of the original text, but also the cultural traditions of the target language.

N.V. Perfilieva and Hu Peipei in the article "Methods of assimilation of English loanwords into Chinese" write that when translating loanwords, 4 translation methods are used: phonetic, semantic, mixed and graphic ^{[4, p. 289]}. During the study, it was noted that many Chinese names of drugs contain elements of traditional medicine. Therefore, the author of this article suggests considering another method of translation in the context of adapting the names of medicines into Chinese – a semantic method taking into account the specifics of Chinese medicine.

2. The importance of the theory of functional equivalence for the translation of advertising.

Han Ting described the four main functions of advertising in the article "Application of the theory of functional equivalence in the translation of advertising": attracting consumer attention, arousing consumer interest, stimulating consumer desire and encouraging purchase ^{[9, p. 23]}.

Each language carries certain features of the history and culture of the country, as well as the people who speak it. In this regard, the mentality, customs, and cultural traditions of the country influence the meanings, penetrate into the semantics of each concept ^{[7, p. 26]}. A specialist who translates medical terms for advertising should take these factors into account. According to Yu. Unfortunately, for successful translation, familiarity with the culture of two languages is more important than mastering them. Translation is not only an interlanguage and cultural communication, but also an exchange of information between two different cultures. When translating medical advertising, you need to choose the appropriate translation strategies according to the context.

3. Ways to translate drug names into Chinese

3.1 Phonetic method.

This is the most common way of translating medical terms, in which the translated text conveys only the pronunciation of the original language.

Table 1. Translation of medical terms using the phonetic method

Most drugs translated into Chinese phonetically retain their original Latin names.

3.2 The mixed method.

For many foreign medicines, a mixed translation method is used: the pronunciation of the name of the medicine is preserved, and the semantics of the hieroglyphs contains information about what and in what form this drug is used ^{[3, p. 75]}.

Table 2. Translation of medical terms in a mixed way

In order to facilitate understanding of the features of the drug, when translating drug names using a mixed method, the original English medical terms are usually retained in the name in Chinese.

3.3 The semantic method.

The semantic method allows you to fully use the ideographic advantages of Chinese characters and achieve brevity and capacity of the name when translating.

Table 3. Translation of medical terms in a sematical way

Let's analyze the given example:

视力佳 [shilijia] from Latin xalacom. Let's analyze the meaning of each character: 视力 'vision'; 佳 'good'. The name of this drug literally means good eyesight in Chinese. In this case, the use of a semantic translation method makes it possible to improve sales of the drug.

Let's analyze the advertising image:

Photo 1. Xalacom advertisement

The advertisement depicts a package of the drug standing in clear, sparkling water. It is worth noting that this image was chosen for a specific purpose, namely, to visually show the effect of the drug, because there is a saying in the Chinese language: eyes are bright as water (像水一一的的的). This technique allows you to attract more customers.

3.4 The semantic method taking into account the specifics of Chinese medicine.

When translating the names of medicines or annotations to them into Chinese, words that are missing from the original title are often used ^{[5, p. 9]}, since traditional Chinese and Western medicine belong to two different systems ^{[11, p. 154]}. There are many concepts in traditional Chinese medicine that are not found in Western medicine. Thus, when translating the names of medicines, a semantic method is often used, taking into account the specifics of Chinese medicine.

Table 4. Translation of medical terms in a semantic way with the specifics of Chinese medicine

Let's analyze the above examples:

The English drug Grimault & Co.’s Syrup of Hypophosphite of Lime has been translated into Chinese as [kelimaerbuyangtangzhi]. Let's consider the meaning of each character: 'Karimaer' (manufacturer's name); 补阳 'strengthening Yang'; 糖汁 'syrup'. For the Chinese consumer, this medicine has been translated as "Karimaer syrup for strengthening Yang", where "strengthening Yang" reflects the features of traditional Chinese medicine. The expression "strengthening, strengthening" first appeared in the "Treatise of the Yellow Emperor on the Inner" (Huangdi Nei Jing). From the point of view of traditional Chinese medicine, the use of the word 补 "strengthening", "strengthening" also corresponds to the Chinese medical concept. As the Chinese scientist Wu Fangzheng writes, "the Chinese always take medicines to treat diseases when they are sick, and take medicines to strengthen their body when they are not sick" ^{[8, p. 151]}. Thus, the hieroglyph 补 'strengthening, strengthening' allows you to show the consumer that this medicine is useful for the body. And the word 'Yang', which means energy and strength, is contrasted in Chinese medicine with the passive principle of "Yin".

This name meets the needs of the Chinese market and improves sales of the drug. The words 秘制 'secret recipe', 阳 'Yang', 补 'strengthening', 'strengthening', etc. They are widely used descriptions of medicines in the culture of traditional Chinese medicine. They can be used to describe various drugs and improve the perception of the therapeutic effect by the Chinese consumer. The names of medicines translated in this way reflect the traditions of Chinese medicine.

Let's analyze the advertising image:

Photo 2. Advertising

There is a fire painted in the center. This is due to the fact that in traditional Chinese medicine, the concept of "Yang" gives people strength, brings warmth to the body. The medical effect of the drug is described to the left and right of the image of the fire.

Let's look at another example:

The English drug Doan's backache kidney pills (Doan's Backache and Kidney Pain Pills) has been translated into Chinese as [douanshimizhibaoshenwan]. Let's analyze the meaning of each hieroglyph: 'Doan' (James Doan, inventor of the drug), 秘制 'prepared according to a secret recipe', 保 'protect', 肾 'kidney'; 丸 'pill'. The Chinese character 保 'protect' was added to the name of the drug. Additional hieroglyphs秘制 'prepared according to a secret recipe' allow you to enhance the effect produced on the buyer. For the Chinese consumer, this expression means reliability and guaranteed efficiency. This translation of the name of the medicine includes the concept of traditional Chinese medicine and is integrated into Chinese culture. Consider an advertising image:

Photo 3. Advertising

In the upper right corner there is a man, on whose body the area of action of the drug is graphically highlighted – the back and kidneys. The text of the poster is written in ancient Chinese, which allows the author of the advertisement to show consumers that this medicine has a long history, it is reliable and tested.

This article analyzes the main ways to translate the names of medicines into Chinese in advertising. It was found that names translated using the phonetic method often retain a connection with Latin words. When using the semantic method, such hieroglyphs are selected that indicate exactly what the medicine helps from. The translation of the names of medicines using a mixed method not only preserves the sound of the original language, but also contains information about the useful properties of the product. Often, when translated into Chinese from English, words bearing the specifics of Chinese medicine are added. When translating the names of European drugs, taking into account the specifics of Chinese medicine, the realities of the Chinese language and culture are often added in order to make the effect of the drug more understandable to the consumer. Translation is often supported by visualization, referring to Chinese phraseological units and images of traditional culture.