A Study on English Translation of Chinese Brand Slogans in Global Campaigns from an Intercultural Communication Perspective

Abstract

Amid globalization and the national strategy of Intelligent Manufacturing in China, Chinese brands are accelerating their globalization. As a core carrier of brand communication across cultures, the translation quality of advertising slogans is of vital importance. Guided by the theory of intercultural communication, with particular reference to Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Theory and Hall’s High-/Low-Context Theory, this study constructs a three-dimensional analytical model encompassing values, linguistic signs, and aesthetic-emotional appeal to systematically examine the English translation of Chinese brand slogans. Through comparative analysis of successful and less successful cases, the study identifies three major issues in current practices: cultural misinterpretation, contextual information imbalance, and lack of aesthetic function, which stem from a systematic lack of intercultural awareness. Therefore, the study proposes that effective slogan translation should abandon the language-conversion-centered approach and instead adopt a composite strategy dominated by domestication, supplemented by transcreation and addition, to produce versions that are value-compatible, communicatively effective, and aesthetically appealing, which provides theoretical support and practical guidance for the international dissemination of Chinese brands.