Pragmatic Function and Translation of Pun in English

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Abstract: Advertising English is characterized by its originality, flexibility of language usage and the diversity of the forms.Apart from the distinguishing features at lexical and syntactic levels, rhetorical vehicles, as decorative devices of language, are frequently employed in advertising English. Punning, a concise way to express humor and wit, is particularly favored by advertisers to enhance the appeal of language. Drawing on existing studies in the field,the author offers five strategies in the translation of puns in advertisement, i.e. preservation, creation, compensation, explication and omission.The author argues that each of the five strategies is not always applied on its own, and sometimes two or more stratrgies are jointly employed in advertisement translation in accordance with the principle of optimal relevance depending on the situation.

Key words: Advertisement ; Pun; Pragmatic Function; Translation