廣告的翻譯技巧

英文廣告中的句型特色

英語廣告的句型多種多樣，但最常用的句型有以下幾類：

1) 祈使句 這是出現最多的句型。

例 1：Ask any one who owns one. (汽車廣告語) 詢問一下有這種車的人吧。

例 2：Lay down your arms.(桌子廣告語) 放下您的胳膊吧。

例 3：Please do not leave it too late. 事不宜遲。

2) 一般疑問句 通常用在廣告的前面。

例 1： Have you ever dreamed of ascending the steps of a great temple built to the gods? (旅行社廣告)您是否夢想過登上為眾神修建的宏偉廟宇的臺階?

例 2：Can a tired, overworked voice command attention in class? 一個疲憊、過勞的聲音能吸引全班的注意力嗎?

又如下面這個廣告全部由一般疑問句構成：

People with PhDs should have inquiring minds. Consider this a simple test.

A) Do you want to work in world-class research laboratories?

B) Do you want to apply your research skills to keep a successful business at the cutting edge of world technology?

C) Do you want to build your career with a major international company headquartered in Australia?

If your answers to these questions are "yes", BHP would like to talk to you.

Your first challenge is to discover more by calling Theoni Parthimos, our Senior Personnel Officer.

3)省略句 在英語廣告中，省略句比比皆是，甚至整篇廣告都由省略句構成。

例：Serviced Greenfield sites aplenty. Ready for development. For sale. For manufacture. For business. For services. For leisure. A million square feet of ready-to-wear premise. Brand new business parks. Four-star conference facilities. Backed by 14 years' success in helping business to relocate, set-up, prosper, expand.

4) 比較級 比較級在廣告中用得非常多，這是由于英語廣告中有大量的形容詞和副詞做修飾語的緣故。

例1： Today in business fast is no longer fast enough, even faster is still too slow to keep pace with the incredible demands placed on people and the computers they work with. That's one reason why IBM developed P60/D. 60MHz 64-bit Pentium Chip computers so fast, so powerful, it makes today's conventional computers like they are moving at a snail's space.

例2：These days succeeding in business means getting more competitive and making tougher decisions.

例3：The new Minolta Riva Zoom 105EX is the most compact camera in a very prestigious class.

例4：In short, the stronger your character, the brighter your future.

5) 直接引語 在英語廣告中直接引語出現得很多，原因：一是直接引語使得廣告顯得形式活潑、新穎;二是采用直接引語從心理學的角度看可以增強說服力。

例1："It's like we're all in the same office. The office just happens to be spread across 7,000 miles of ocean," Tom Hughes MIS Director, Construction.

這是IBM公司的一則廣告的開頭語，通過該公司經理的話，使廣告顯得生動具體。

例2："Through the NVQ initiative we have discovered talents and competencies we would never otherwise have known about." Says Ian McDermot of Philips Components in Blackburn.

這是用人單位對NVQ職業(yè)培訓機構的贊揚。

例3："I was afraid to drive in the snow. Not great when you live in Alaska." Fortunately, Carol Kineaid, who lives in Anchorage, saw a Suzuki 4-door Sidekick on display and decided to give it a try. "From the time I got behind the wheel, it was the one for me. You sit up so high, like you have so much control." With four-wheel drive and 1.6 liter, 16-value engine, it's understandable. And her snow-o-phobia? "My Sidekick just goes right through it, I never knew what I was missing." Apparently, husband John knew exactly what he was missing. "He wanted to drive my Sidekick from the moment I got it, but I just said, 'no way'." There was only one thing left for John to do. "You should have seen the neighbor's faces when he drove up in his Sidekick," Carol reports. Who knew that after raising two kids, John and Carol would have twins?

這是一則汽車廣告，通過直接引語生動地表現了汽車的功能。