Translation Steps Are Trending｜From "It's 7" to "Just. Very. Broken": The Translation Accomplishment of Apple Style

Every time Apple launches a new mobile phone, what everyone cares about is not only product features, but also the translation of advertising copy. Discussing (sneering) the translation of each version after the new product launch has become a routine for netizens in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. So after the iPhone 13 came out, everyone was talking about the translation of the slogan "Oh. So. Pro." The Hong Kong translation is "very. Pro.", the Chinese translation is "very strong.", and the Taiwanese translation is "very. Pro.", which makes netizens have fun. "Oh. So. Pro." consists of three pregnant pauses, which has the feeling of an exaggerated exclamation by a drama queen. Some people say that the slogan is a pun of "Also Pro", implying that Apple will continue the professional route of the previous models. Among the translations in the three places, the Hong Kong translation is considered to be the best at balancing the form and meaning of the original text. "Very" is not only an adjective, but also a pun, describing the iPhone 13 as extraordinary and different. The Chinese translation implements a consistent style, which is as straightforward as it can be, without any rhetoric at all, as long as everyone understands it. As for the Taiwanese translation, the Chinese pronunciation of the word "Pro" sounds like "broken", which just describes the sentence structure of the translation. It has become the laughing stock of many netizens, and has attracted many brands to re-create it, accidentally achieving curvy marketing.

Apple advertisements are difficult to translate. Classic "Apple-style" sentences such as "5G Speed OMGGGGG", "Messages. Actually LOL. OL.", and even "This is 7", which makes Hong Kong people laugh when they see it, are all cleverly used Characteristically written in English language, difficult to reproduce through translation. But it is precisely because of this that we can see how the translator put in great effort to turn the original sentence into an advertising slogan that resonates with the readers of the target text and is not embarrassing. The most classic example is "This is 7". When the Chinese and Taiwanese translators translated the original text as "7, here" and "is 7", they should never have thought of any problems with such writing, but the Hong Kong translators obviously sensed the breath of Guan Gong's disaster (no matter what Let’s talk about their own product "7"), instead of letting the word "7" appear on the stage alone, it uses "Kwong font" to express "This is the iPhone 7." With a keen sense of language, Apple avoids companies like the next door. The same fate as "Note 7".

In addition to foul-mouthed culture, the translation of Apple's copywriting can also give people a glimpse into the personalities and needs of consumers in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Hong Kong people have a fast-paced life, and they want to be fast, precise, and "same voice and voice", so tagline uses Cantonese from time to time. For example, "Glass, Kicks glass" and "Bring on the night", are concise and precise, and also take into account the rhythm of Cantonese, which is easier to read than any version of the Chinese translation It is short and loud; the Chinese translation has a wide audience, and the copywriting mainly uses plain and literal translations, so there will be translations like "very strong" and "Hi, Speed." that don't look like advertising slogans. However, there are occasional excellent works among them, such as "Camerus maximus", which uses popular phrases, which is quite thoughtful, but the translator will miss it inexplicably (H2OK (waterproof performance)= Specialize in Mercury Retrograde???). Compared with Hong Kong's fast and China's rough, Taiwanese translations are very in line with the gentle and gentle personality of the Taiwanese, and the translation choices tend to be elegant and even hypocritical ("Just. Very. Pro."). For example, "Kicks glass" is translated as "glass panel, please stand behind" (so polite (￣▽￣)), "Bring on the night" is "dark, not afraid" (bullying others is not good at Chinese ╮( ￣▽￣"")╭)).

The translation of Apple's copywriting proves that the differences between "Hong Kong Chinese", "Taiwanese Chinese" and "Chinese Chinese" are not limited to simplified and traditional fonts. The use of language has something to do with people's sentiments. If you put aside the good or bad of the translation and carefully observe the translation of the copy, you will often find many interesting discoveries.

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