The Title IX Decision against the Quinnipiac University

The question of gender is actively discussed in relation to sport with references to providing the equal opportunities for female athletes. According to Title IX, any discrimination regarding the sex or gender issues is prohibited (Thornton, 2010). The Title IX Decision against the Quinnipiac University of 2010 became one of the most controversial cases associated with the question.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Title IX Decision against the Quinnipiac University specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It was stated that the Quinnipiac University intended to eliminate the women’s varsity volleyball team because of the lack of funding and to develop a competitive cheerleading team instead. The volleyball team’s players and their coach insisted on trying the case in court because of violating Title IX in relation to providing the equal opportunities for university athletes. According to the injunction provided by the Judge Stefan Underhill, the volleyball team was allowed to continue the activities during the next season when the development of the competitive cheerleading team could not be discussed as the alternative to the female sport team to meet the Title IX requirements. To evaluate the effectiveness of Underhill’s decision, it is necessary to pay attention to the details of the case. The volleyball team of the Quinnipiac University and the team’s coach accentuated that the plan to eliminate the team violates Title IX because the proportion of the male and female athletes would be defied. From this point, it is possible to speak about the direct violation of Title IX in relation to providing the equal opportunities for male and female athletes. Underhill stated that the fact of discriminating female athletes’ rights was presented, and the Quinnipiac University was obliged to provide the opportunities for the team to perform during the next season (The Quinnipiac University Case, 2010). Thus, the legal strength of the argument was accentuated, and the team could be discussed as winning the case. However, there are two visions of the decision. On the one hand, the rights and interests of the women’s varsity volleyball team were met, and the fact of discrimination was stated. On the other hand, the team was allowed to perform only during the 2010-2011 season, and the question was discussed again in 2012. Thus, the decision provided by the judge lacked some details.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, Underhill concentrated on the fact that it was impossible to refer to the cheerleading team as the competitive team and to discuss that team as the alternative to the volleyball team to meet the Title IX requirements. The decision provided by Underhill was rather effective while discussing the cheerleading team as i nappropriate alternative to the female volleyball team. Nevertheless, the controversy was associated with the fact that Underhill focused on the standards of the competitive sport teams and judged about the relevance of the standards and cheerleading team’s features to discuss it as the sport team. Underhill supported the decision in relation to the definition of the varsity sport with references to the Title IX standards (The Quinnipiac University Case, 2010). It is important to pay attention to the fact that the position of the judge as the advisor or an expert to determine the standards for the varsity sport is rather controversial, and it could be more effective to focus on violating the Title IX requirements regarding the women’s volleyball team rather than on discussing the features and standards of the varsity sport. In spite of the general win of the women’s volleyball team of the Quinnipiac University in relation to Title IX, the judge’s argument cannot be discussed as strong and effective because it was important to concentrate on the issue of discrimination to determine the position of the team not only for one season but for the long period of time. References The Quinnipiac University Case. (2010). Retrieved from http://courtweb.pamd.uscourts.gov/courtwebsearch/ctxc/KX330R32.pdf Thornton, P. K. (2010). Sports law. USA: Jones Bartlett Publishers. This essay on The Title IX Decision against the Quinnipiac University was written and submitted by user Rivka Moreno to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Compare and contrast two approaches to the study of prejudice Essay Example

Compare and contrast two approaches to the study of prejudice Essay Example Compare and contrast two approaches to the study of prejudice Paper Compare and contrast two approaches to the study of prejudice Paper Prejudice in society today seems to be unavoidable. It appears on the news, is portrayed in film and evident in the history books. Prejudice can be defined as a negative attitude toward a particular social group and all its members. A prejudice attitude involves making prejudgements about a person of a group and applying generic attributes (Hogg Vaughan, 2004). Allport (1945b) suggests that prejudice consists of three components. Firstly a cognitive belief about the group, secondly a strong feeling must be evident about the group and qualities they possess and lastly the intention to act in a certain way towards the group (cited in Hogg Vaughan, 2004). Prejudice is a problem is society as it can lead to discrimination toward members of a certain group. In the most extreme cases genocide is the ultimate expression of prejudice toward a group. The most prominent example of this is the anti-Semitic actions of Germany in the Second World War. The atrocities that took place at the hands of the German army were high in peoples minds and psychologists there after began taking an interest in the origins of prejudice and ways of reducing prejudice. Two approaches that have now become widely acknowledged are those of individual differences resulting in prejudice and inter-group theories of prejudice. Individual differences as a cause of prejudice is concerned with why some people are more prejudice than others, and whether it is because of a personality trait that causes these attitudes (Crisp Turner, 2007). An authoritarian personality was on concept that was suggested by Adorno, Frenkel-Brunswik, Levinson and Sanford (1950) in the wake of the holocaust (cited in Hogg Vaughan, 2004). They believed that only those with a personality defect could be prejudice, these people were not only prejudice toward one particular social group but all minority groups. The authoritarian personality is defined by certain characteristics. Such as need for order, high respect for authority, displacement of anger onto weaker individuals and an obsession with status. Thought these tendencies first developed in childhood with confusion over excessive harsh discipline from the parent (cited in Hogg Vaughan, 2004). The child loves and hates their parent and this conflict cause stress which is then redirected toward weaker individuals around them while idealising those who represent the power and authority of their parent (Hogg Vaughan, 2004). However, there are certain restrictions when considering personality explanations of prejudice. The main concern being that not every child brought up with excessive, harsh discipline then becomes prejudice. This may be due to the persons ability to control and regulate their prejudice. Specifically, in society today egalitarian values are emphasised and expected, so if a person feels they have acted in a way that displays prejudice then they may feel guilty. The individual has noticed a difference in the way they acted to their values causing the guilt; this guilt can be the motivation a person needs to change their behaviour and ultimately their prejudice attitude. This theory how there can be a variation in the amount of prejudice that people display but not the reasoning behind why individuals want to eliminate prejudice. In general one of the problems of individual differences as a cause of prejudice is that is does not apply easily to large groups of people who are prejudice. For instance it is conceivable but unlikely that every person who is prejudice had a harsh disciplinary upbringing that results in an authoritarian personality (Hogg Vaughan, 2004). There is a need of a cultural mentality to result in large scale prejudice such as the apartheid in South Africa between 1948 and 1994. Inter-group theories are able to address this issue. Inter-group theories involve the categorizing of people into distinct groups. Primarily these groups are either in-groups, those which we belong to or out-groups, a group which we are not a member of (Crisp Turner, 2007). Sherif, White and Harvey (1955) found that when people are divided into groups it created an environment in which group comparison and the desire to partake in competition was immediately evident. Shortly after the initial division a social identity develops and the introduction of competition caused heightened hostile behaviour (cited in Crisp Turner, 2007). Sherifs (1955) findings support the theory of realistic group conflict theory. This theory suggests that prejudice is the result of competition for valuable resources (Crisp Turner, 2007). For instance sexism in the work place could be an example of realistic group conflict theory because of the competition for the jobs and internal promotion. Employers are more likely to show favouritism for their own groups and derogation of the out groups in order to secure their own futures. However Tajfel, Billig, Bundy, Flament (1971) found that simply dividing people into groups caused prejudice and competition was not necessary. When participants were divided into groups based on the type of abstract painter they preferred they allocated those not in their group lower points, therefore displaying inter-group bias. This demonstrates the minimal condition for prejudice to occur; because as soon as we know that someone is in a different group to us we are likely to discriminate on that basis. This may be due to the fact that when others are in the same group as us we think of them as similar to ourselves and those in the out-groups are different to us (Crisp Turner, 2007). Tajfel and Turner (1979) devised the theory of social identification. They assumed that people wanted positive self-esteem and one contributor to self esteem is the groups which we belong to. Therefore, if the groups we belong to have a high status and are positively perceived then this boost our self esteem because as we are members of that group we should be perceived in the same way. In this way it benefits our self esteem to improve the positive image of the group compared to the out-groups and so this is another way that prejudice could develop. Self categorization theory (Turner, Hogg, Oakes,Reicher Wetherell, 1987) is based on social identification but emphasises the cognitive approaches(cited in Crisp Turner, 2007). The identification with a group causes one to depersonalise oneself in order to fit in with group norms and so become self-categorized (Crisp Turner). Therefore, if the group norm is one which allows prejudice then individuals will also display this attribute. One criticism of Tajfel (1971) was that the conditions were not minimal and there was some belief similarity which could explain the preferable treatment of the in group members (cited in Crisp Turner,2007). The categories the participants were separated into were supposedly based on the preference of a painter and so perhaps had other aspects in common. To rectify this Tafjel replicated the study with some alterations. The participants knew that they were allocated to groups on a purely random basis. Even so, there was still inter-group bias. However, the findings were not as large a number as in the previous study. Inter-group theories give a good account of how the groups we belong to influence our prejudice. However, we must remember that we have control over out thoughts and actions. Consequently, we can choose not to conform to group norms and also not to express prejudice. Individual differences in prejudice consider these aspects more. Prejudice is a complex multi faceted concept with many different contributing factors. The individual difference approach considers how personality affects individuals and the extent to which they express prejudice. However, this approach does not explain large scale prejudice across cultures and other groups. The inter-group theories demonstrate the categorization of people into two main groups, the in and out groups. These theories give a more accepted explanation of prejudice. However, there are still short coming in these theories. For example the need for explanation as to why some people are resistant to the social conditions that should exert prejudice. Subsequently, the deduction is that explanations of prejudice need to consider both approaches to obtain the most informative and balanced conclusion.

Analysis of Thin Client Article Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis of Thin Client Article - Assignment Example 7 References †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 8 Summary The article, Quantifying Interactive User Experience on Thin Clients, espouses the importance of thin client computer environment in a less costly management information system. Using an unbiased approach, the article vividly studies the nuances of implementing the thin client computer environment. The article is reliable because the theories are grounded on academic resources espousing the usefulness of incorporating the thin client computer network in the company’s computerized information system. The article enumerates some satisfied thin client customers like Time-Warner, Wal-Mart, and the Pentagon to ensure its reliability. In addition, the same article insists on an unbiased stand in explaining the rudiments as well as the complexities of the thin client issues. By using survey data and other references, the company offers an unbiased stand. The bandwidth issue indicates unbiased journalistic and academic discussions. The discussion on network latency adds an unbiased discussion on the computer’s information transfer speed. Lastly, the article is out of date. Published in 2006, the article should be revised to include the current trends, and theories on the thin client topic. The thin client computer set up includes JAVA in its electronic information transfer system. Clearly, the thin client is defined as a network computer that is maximized as a remote screen visual of the software application’s output that is grounded on a working central computer network server. INTRODUCTION The thin client is characterized as a network computer that is harnessed as a remote screen visual of the software applicati on’s output with data processing done within the central computer network server. The thin client software environment cost less than the usual computer terminals. In the normal thick client computer environment, the terminals are installed with licensed computer programs. The company installs one licensed computer programs for each computer terminal. On the other hand, the thin client situation is described as the company installing software in the central server alone. There are no computer programs installed in the thin client network computers strategically located in several points within the company. The company saves on software license expenses (Pras 87). The company will only pay for one software license even though the company has two, four, 50, or 100 computers installed using remote computers. However, the thin client computer network has some disadvantages. For example, the increase in the number of thin client computer networks reduces the information transfer s peed of each computer due to unresolved bottlenecks. Likewise, if the network server bogs down, all the remote thin client network computers monitors will malfunction simultaneously. The focus the research is to examine the thin client article using three tests. The article vividly shows an unbiased approach in explaining the financial advantage of implementing the thin client computer environment. TESTS Reliability Test The article is reliable. The article uses valid references to support its statements. The article offers convincing examples of companies favoring a thin client environment. The article indicates that Time-Warner, Wal-Mart, and the

Engineering, and Construction of PBS &J Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 35

Engineering, and Construction of PBS &J - Essay Example PBS &J is a company owned by employees, and it provides engineering services, infrastructure planning, construction management architecture and environmental science. Moreover, the company does provide management services to both private and public clients. The company is rated to be among the best businesses in the world that provide consulting services. PBSJ employs Oracle E-business suite projects, mechanisms to carry out its activities in an organized manner. In the construction companies, project managers use interface applications for it provide quick and easy customer access. In addition, one can easily get the needed files for the project, budget, resources as well as forecast management. Updating of the progress and project reporting are also some of the activities conducted by the user interface applications. In engineering and construction companies, project managers to employ the UL-Apps to create and maintain the contracts and all other indirect projects. Managing transaction controls as well as defining and controlling budgets are some of the primary uses of interface applications in the engineering and construction company. In addition, project creation, and maintenance is quick and simple by use of UL-Apps.  

Law Suit Recommendation Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Law Suit Recommendation Paper - Assignment Example In fact, this organization will easily argue that it steered clear of wrongful dismissal by providing the physician with the 4-month notice. Likewise, termination without cause allows the employer to terminate employment contracts when the organization has ascertained that employee’s services have become redundant. This provision clearly acknowledges the applicability of economic re-organization; and it is indeed true that the concerned department is undergoing some restructuring. The problem with this court approach is that up to now, there are no deliberations on the remittances that are to be made as the physician’s emoluments. So far this termination may be rightly defended as a constructive dismissal, but this failure to pay the physician in advance amounts to wrongful dismissal. This organization may wrongly surmise that it is legally in charge; only to be undercut by the state-specific at-will employment laws. It is therefore expedient for the organization to determine whether or not it is in a state where at-will employment laws are in force, before agreeing for a court settlement. Conversely, this organization can consider arbitration. The pros that come with using arbitration are extraneous to the details of this case. For instance, by settling for arbitration, this organization will have relegated the rigors of arbitration to its arbiter, and thereby warding off distraction (Macklin, 2005). As is always the case, when suing for wrongful termination or discharge, the physician will not be in contact with the institution. Although this makes the case very unpredictable for the healthcare institution, yet arbitration wards off this danger. This is because arbiters (the company’s and the plaintiff’s lawyers) will have to work together to reach a solution. This is especially the case when evidence will be being adduced. Nevertheless, this organization must prepare itself for the pitfalls of

Skopos Theory of Translation

Skopos Theory of Translation 1. Introduction With the development of world economy and accelerating globalization, more and more companies have realized the significance of translating English trademarks. Trademark is a very special type of practical writing with high commercial value. The translation of English trademark names belongs to a kind of cultural communication with special purposes. A successful translation should be able to convey the current information of the commodity, attract the foreign consumers attention, stimulate their purchasing desire and promote their buying action. However, the traditional equivalence theory turns out to be increasingly inadequate and the rigid faithful translation will often produce negative effect. The Skopos theory has presented a new perspective to the study of trademark translation. With the guidance of this theory, the translator could use translation strategies flexibly to achieve the purpose of embodying the trademarks function. This thesis uses a lot of examples to put forward some techniques such as literal and free translation. And it also emphasizes that a translator should not only try his or her best to express the native connotation, but also keep in mind the adaptation to foreign culture. Only by doing so, can translation fulfill the purpose of the trademark? With increasing globalization of the world economy, more and more commodities spring up like mushrooms. As to win a superior place in an extremely competitive market, or a commodity, besides the high quality and a moderate price, its trademark name is also a vital factor. Billions of dollars are spent each year in efforts to make the public familiar with the name of the products which manufacturers are selling. Companies advertise by emphasizing the trademarks on television, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc. Customers can get a general idea or even the nature of the commodity. Those easy to read, understand and memorize can always stimulate customers purchasing desire and bring companies a great success and fortune from what they are striving as much as possible to sell. So a fine trademark name translation comes to play an important role in promoting the products and will earn more money than a common translation in the course of sales. Admittedly, translation is a very complex sub ject. By far, there have been many linguists who have carried on the research of equivalence theory-faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance. But these standards, however, are not completely fit to the translation of a trademark name. The main reason is that each language has its unique linguistic features and versatile cultural backgrounds, customs and thinking patterns, there hardly exists absolute equivalence, especially in the case of Chinese and English, which are from two completely different language families. For example, the faithfulness may not be reached by using only several simple English words. There are also many outstanding linguists abroad doing research in this field. The Skopos theory, put forward in Ground-work for a General Theory of Translation (an article) by Reiss, Vermeer in 1984, emphasizes the functionality to achieve purpose of the target text in the target culture. Skopos theory was developed in Germany in the late 1970s, and which reflects a general shift from predominantly linguistic and rather formal translation theories to a more functionally and socioculturally oriented concept of translation. Skopos theory takes seriously factors which have always been stressed in action theory, and which were brought into sharp relief with the growing need in the latter half of the twentieth century for the translation of non-literary text types. In the translation of scientific and academic papers, instructions for use, tourist guides, contracts, etc, the contextual factors surrounding the translation cannot be ignored. These factors include the culture of the intended readers of the target text and of the client who has commissioned it, and, in particular, the function which the text is to perform in that culture for those readers. Skopos theory is directly oriented towards this function. Translation is viewed not as a process of transcending, but as a specific form of human action. Like any other human action, translation has a purpose, and the word skopos, derived from Greek, is used as the technical term for the purpose of a translation. Skopos must be defined before translation can begin; in highlighting skopos, the theory adopts a prospective attitude to translation, as opposed to the retrospective attitude adopted in theories which focus on prescriptions derived from the source text.(Baker, 2004: 235) In the article Reflections on Certain Methods of Translation based on functional concept of translation, Chen Xiaowei pointed out the concept has provided theoretical basis for some translation practices used to be considered against the existing criteria of translation methods, such as abridgment and adaptation(Chen X iaowei, 2000).Yang Xiaorong(2001) also called for more attention to contemporary translation theories such as functionalist approach to translation. She stated in her article Traditional and Modern Perspectives on Translation Criticism that by emphasizing the role played by the receptor, the translator and the cultural factors in the process of translation, functionalist approach is able to present a dynamic and multi-dimensional perspective on translation criticism. In this thesis, the background and development of this approach as well as its basic concepts are discussed in light of their applicability in advertisement translation. In terms of Skopos theory, translators are encouraged to make full use of all the sources of the source text and are entitled to choose whatever translation strategies he thinks appropriate to achieve the functions of the translation. That is what we call the end justifies the means. Li Yuxiang (2006), a researcher of Tongji University, stated in her pa per that brand name translators should not only be well aware of the linguistic and cultural differences between source language and target language, but also be quite knowledgeable about marketing, psychology and aesthetics as well as full of imagination and creativity. In the course of translation, the translator should pay attention to the adaptation to many aspects and should be highly imaginative. As such, the functionalist approach can offer a satisfactory explanation to the unconventional strategies applied in trademark translation, which the traditional equivalence-based theory fails to account for. The body of this thesis is divided into six parts. At the very beginning of the introduction, the thesis presents the background, rationale, objectives, methodology and the organization of the thesis. Chapter 1 introduces the description including definition, characteristics and functions of trademark. Chapter 2 studies the Skopos theory and more attention will be paid to three rules which are skopos rule, coherence rule and fidelity rule. Chapter 3 analyzes the guidance of Skopos theory in English trademark translation with the proof of some instances. Chapter 4 exerts many examples to work out some applicable English trademark translation strategies or approaches based on the Skopos theory. Chapter 5 comes to conclusions, which gives the main findings about this thesis, identifies limitations of the present study and makes suggestions for future research. 2. The introduction about trademark 2.1 The definition of trademark There are a lot of definitions about trademark. In Wikipedia, trademark means conventionally a distinctive sign of some kinds, whether that sign comprises a name, word, phrase, logo, symbol, design, picture, styling or a combination of one or more of these elements. A trademark is used by a business to identify itself and its products or services to consumers, and to set itself and its products or services apart from other businesses. A trademark is a type of intellectual property, and in particular, a type of industrial property. Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English (4th Ed) provides a definition like this: a special mark on a product to show that it is made by a particular producer; a thing that is typical of a person or company. A trademark is defined by law as any sign that distinguishes the goods or services of one undertaking from those of another. Most trademarks are words, names or logos but more fancy trademarks include shapes, sounds and even smells. So long as your trademarks are capable of graphic representation, they can be capable of protection. Taking into account of all these explanations, trademarks can be defined as this: they are any word, term, name, symbol, or device, or any combination thereof that are used in commerce as brand names, domain names, tag lines, slogans, non-functional and distinctive packaging and labeling designs, etc. to indicate the source of goods or services and differentiate the products or services from those of the other. That is to say, a trademark has the characteristics of describing the features of a commodity; making the commodity more distinctive; assisting the consumers to memorize the products; conforming to the images of commodity as well as company and arousing customers associations about beautiful things. 2.2 The functions of trademark 2.2.1 Origin Function A trademark helps to identify the source and those responsible for the products and services sold in the market as it includes the materialistic and abstract components of the product and reflect its marketing capabilities. Specifically, a trademark, the distinctive sign or indicator of some kind, used by an individual, business organization or another legal entity assists consumers to uniquely identify the source of its products or services, and to distinguish its products or services from those of other entities. So a trademark could guarantee the identity of the origin of marked goods or services offered to each consumer or end user by enabling the latter to distinguish, without any possibility of confusion, the origin of the goods or services in question. 2.2.2 Quality Function Consumers choose a particular trademark for its known quality. Trademarks have the functions of guaranteeing and improving the quality of products. Therefore, quality means the foundation of a trademarks reputation which convinces the consumers to buy that kind of commodity. The goods which are cheap in price and high in quality will meet the consumers objective needs and mental consumption, and establishing the good prestige for the trademark could win the consumers trust. Naturally, the market of products would be expanded and good economic returns for the enterprises would also be yielded. Once establishing the image in buyers mind, the manufacturers and sellers would do their utmost to ensure the quality, maintain the good faith of the well-known products so as to achieve obvious economic benefits. 2.2.3 Advertising Function Trademarks play an important role in advertising. A trademark enables consumers to choose goods and services with ease under the influence of continuous advertising. As shown in the above, a trademark is the symbol of a product, distinguishing the commodity from another and making them easier for consumers to memorize, which is a very important part of the advertisement of the product. A good trademark should be simple and memorable, so it can, to some degree, influence and arouse their desire to buy the product. It is not uncommon for a customer to refuse to buy a certain product merely because of his or her dislikes of the trademark. Besides, via the media, including radio, television, newspapers, magazines and the Internet, enterprisers give wide coverage to trademarks in order to deeply impress the consumers, stimulate their interests to buy their products, at last, fulfill the purpose to advertise the product and create an image in the mind of the ultimate purchaser. 2.2.4 Marketing and Economic Function A successful trademark can promote the international trade to attain the goals of boosting its market share. Served as the crucial tool to gain and dominate the market, trademark especially the famous one plays the significant role in opening up an outlet and occupying the global market. Now, with the development of international business, the higher reputation of a trademark means the better quality of the product. Even the same products have different prices because of different trademarks; of course, the profits brought by goods are also different. Thus, its clear that a well- recognized trademark has a better competitive power in markets. Established trademark is a valuable asset. A trademark indicates competition, for its function is to distinguish one product from another, meanwhile, it is created by use, and remains valid only as long as it is used. For many manufacturers, the trademark is what turns people into customers. Perhaps money has been invested in advertising, or people have learned of the business through word of mouth. But no company would want to see another company opened up with a similar name and people got confused. If that really happened, the former one might very well lose potential or existing customers to the new company. It is the common sense that a famous trademark, even in tough economic times, strongly influences purchasing behavior as consumers would make more careful decisions, and often revert to tried and trusted brands. Today the trademarks may be licensed or franchised. It can be concluded that the ultimate purpose of advertising is to persuade consumers to buy a certain product or service. The main functions in advertising at least include conveying information and persuasion. To describe it specifically, the basic functions of trademark are to present some information about goods, services or ideas to the public and influence and persuade people to make choices, at last to take some actions, especially to purchase the products. 3. Skopos theory 3.1 A brief introduction to Skopos theory Skopos is the Greek word for aim or purpose and was introduced into translation theory by Hans J. Vemeer as a technical term for the purpose of a translation and of the action of translating by Jeremy Munday. (Munday, 2001: 65) In Vermeers approach, every translation is directed at an intended audience, since to translate means to produce a text in a target setting for a target purpose and target addressees in target circumstances.(Nord, 2001: 12) According to Skopos theory, any form of translational action, including translation itself, may be assumed as an action which is intentional and purposeful, and the prime principle determining any translation process is the purpose (Skopos) of the overall translational action.(Nord, 2001: 27) Skopos theory queries the primitive theory that centers on original texts. It explains the action of translation from a brand new angle. Faced at aiming system, it is a descriptive and standard combined theory.(Zhang Nanfeng, 2004: 121). 3.2 The development of Skopos theory The functionalist translation theory was developed in the 1970s in German. The main contributions and the contributors are Katharina Reiss with her functionalist translation criticism; Hans J. Vermeers Skopos theory and its extensions; Justa Holz-Manttaris theory of translational action and Christiane Nord. They are all German scholars, so we call it German school of functionalism. (Nord, 1997:4) Early in 1971, in her book Possibilities and Limits of Translation Criticism, Reiss develops a model of translation criticism based on the functional relationship between source and target texts.(Nord, 1997:5)To her, TL text should be equivalent to SL text in terms of conceptual content, linguistic form and communicative function. So obviously, she still took equivalence as her basis. However, in real life she found that sometimes equivalence was not possible and not even desired in some cases, for example, when the target text is intended to achieve a purpose or function other than that of the original. In such situations, she thinks that the functional perspective takes precedence over the normal standards of equivalence. Then translation critic can no longer rely on features derived from source-text analysis but has to judge whether the target text is functional in terms of the translation context. (Nord, 1997:9) Then, Hans Vermeer made a breakthrough by putting forward his famous Skopos theory which is regarded as the landmark of functionalist approach to translation. Vermeer maintained that linguistics alone could not solve all the translation problems. Thus he put translation in a broader human context, embedding the theory of translation in a theory of human action or activity. He considers translation as a type of human action, which is an intentional, purposeful behavior that takes place in a given situation; it is part of the situation at the same time as it modifies the situation.(Nord, 1997:11)Thus Vermeer calls his theory Skopos theory. Actually, Skopos theory is the theory that applies the notion of Skopos to translation. Manttari goes one step further than Vermeer. She even avoids using the term translation in the strict sense. She prefers to speak of message transmitters, which consist of textual material combined with other media such as pictures, sounds and body movements. In her model, translation is defined as a complex action designed to achieve a particular purpose. The generic term for the phenomenon is translational action. The purpose of translational action is to transfer messages across culture and language barriers by means of message transmitters produced by experts. (Nord, 1997:13) Afterward, Nord summarized all these theories and made them more comprehensive by her book Translaitng As a Purposeful Activity-Functionalist Approaches Explained. 3.3 Three rules of the Skopos theory 3.3.1 The skopos rule In Vermeers skoposthorie, the top-ranking rule for translation is the Skopos rule. The term Skopos usually refers to the purpose of the target text. (Nord, 2001: 28) translational action is determined by its Skopos: that is the end justifies the means (Reiss and Vermeer 1984:101) Vermeer explains the Skopos rule in the following way: Each text is produced for a given purpose and should serve this purpose. The Skopos rule thus reads as follows: translate/interpret/speak/write in a way that enables your text/translation to function in the situation in which it is used and with the people who want to use it and precisely in the way they want it to function. (Nord, 2001: 29) Translation is normally done by assignment. A client needs a text for a particular purpose and calls upon the translator for a translation, thus acting as the initiator of the translation process. In an ideal case, the client would give as many details as possible about the purpose, explaining the addressees, time, place, occasion and medium of the intended communication and function and which the text is intended to have. The information would constitute an explicit translation brief which means translation commission or translation assignment. (Nord, 2001: 30) BMW was an acronym for Bayerishe Motoren Werke (the German famous auto companys name). It has no meaning but shows the place where the car come form. (Chen Dongcheng, 2008)The translation of à ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¬ is known to many Chinese customers. Because B and M are pronounced like à ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¬ in Chinese, which à ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚  means precious and à ©Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¬ (horse) tells that it is an automobile as à ©Ã‚ ©Ã‚ ¬ is one means of transportations in ancient China. So it can reach the purpose of arousing the customers association of the swift horse and implies this kind of cars can go a long way with a high speed. 3.3.2 The coherence rule This rule emphasis that the translation must be adequately coherent to allow the intended users to comprehend it, and provide them assumed background knowledge and situational circumstances. What the translator can do, and what he should do, is to produce a text that is at least likely to be meaningful to target-culture receivers. In Vermeers terms the target text should conform to the standard of intratextual coherence (Reiss and Vermeer, 1984: 109). This means the receiver should be able to understand it; it should make sense in the communicative situation and culture in which it is received. A communicative interaction can only be regarded as successful if the receivers interpret it as being sufficiently coherent with their situation. Accordingly, another important rule of Skopos theory, the coherence rule, specifies that a translation should be acceptable in a sense that it is coherent with receivers situation. (Reiss and Vermeer, 1984: 113) Safeguard, a brand for soap and bathing lotion, means security and guardian. It is transliterated as à ¨Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ãƒ ¨Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ³. Here à ¨Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ means comfort, à ¨Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤ means skin and à ¤Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ³ means good quality. So this translation will leave the impression on people that this soap or lotion with good quality can bring comfort to the skin. Furthermore, Chinese people will have a basic conception about what kind of product it is and understand it very well when they first saw the translation. 3.3.3 The fidelity rule This rule touches upon the relationship between the source-text and target-text. Vermeer calls this relationship intertextual coherence or fidelity which is fidelity rule. (Reiss and Vermeer, 1984: 114) In Skopos theory, the source-text is not so crucial in the position of offering information especially in equivalence-based theories. Intertextual coherence should exist between source and target text, while the form it takes depends both on the translators interpretation of the source text and on the translation Skopos. (Nord, 2001: 32) The fidelity rule stresses that some relationship must remain between the target-text and source-text once the overriding principle of Skopos and the rule of coherence have been satisfied. Crown(the trademark of a car)is translated literally into Chineseà §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‚   whether it is in English or in Chinese. Crown andà §Ã… ¡Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‚  both represent the superior social status,. The Chinese version can well express that the car is in good condition, the style is grand and the quality is first-rate. It is faithful to its original meaning of the brand which is and will undoubtedly be accepted by the consumers in China just the same as in the original country. The three rules are organized based on their status. The fidelity rule is considered as the subordination to the coherence rule. Both of them are subordinate to the Skopos rule. Hence, the purpose of translation is the first concern for the translator. If the Skopos requires a change of function, the standard will no longer by intertextual coherence with the source text but adequacy or appropriateness with regard to the Skopos (Reiss and Vermeer, 1984: 139). 4. The guidance of Skopos theory in English trademark translation As the statement in the first chapter about the functions of trademark, the translation of English trademark should attract the consumers attention, raise their interest, stimulate their desire, improve their memory and promote their action. The Skopos theory believes that the translating purpose decides the translating strategies and methods. As the translation of English trademark names is a project which has particular purposes, the Skopos theory is very suitable to the translation of English trademark names. 4.1 The Purpose of Embodying Characters of Commodity The translation of an English trademark should endeavor to provide as much as information about the commodity for consumers. The translation should transmit the commoditys positive information to attract the consumers attention and raise their interest. Take Rejoice for example, it is translated to beà ©Ã‚ £Ã‹Å"à ¦Ã… ¸Ã¢â‚¬ in Chinese. The translation has pretty well expressed the information of the goods. From the name, consumers can get the information that the commodity may be something about flowing locks or gentle and smooth hair, because à ©Ã‚ £Ã‹Å"and à ¦Ã… ¸Ã¢â‚¬ often have been used to describe the feature of hair. So the consumers attention will be attracted by the goods immediately when they see the name. Surely enough, their interest is aroused and they will be willing to see some more elaborate information about the goods. So the translation of an English trademark should express information to demonstrate the characters of a commodity. 4.2 The Purpose of Identifying Commodity We know that one commodity has its distinctive character. A good trademark should represent the commodity and shows its uniqueness. If a name is distinctive enough to catch the consumers attention, it has been endowed with the discerning function. Then in a consumers memory, this distinctive name will be the most deep-going one. Of course, the purchasing action could be stimulated. For instance, two commodities both have the same English trademark called Liberty. Actually, one product is a sportswear and the other is a carpet. In China, the former one is à ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ ªÃƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ± and the latter one is à ¥Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã…“ °. à ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã‚ ªÃƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚ ± means free and it can arouse the feelings of leisure and casualness which accord with the style of the cloth. à ¥Ã‹â€ Ã‚ ©Ãƒ ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã…“ ° conveys that this kind of carpet is good to protect the consumers precious plot. Besides, à ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã…“ ° is the propitious word popular with Chinese customers. 4.3 The Purpose of Stimulating Consumers Purchasing Desire All the advertising campaign of a commodity is advancing towards to one destination to move the consumers to buy the products. The trademark as a means of publicizing ways, its translation should serve the purpose, too. Carrefour is a foreign invested supermarket in China. Its Chinese version of à ¥Ã‚ ®Ã‚ ¶Ãƒ ¤Ã‚ ¹Ã‚ Ãƒ §Ã‚ ¦Ã‚ , tells us each family can enjoy happiness and pleasure in this supermarket. When seeing this name, they may go it and buy something there. This translation, making use of consumers purchasing psychology, has successfully appealed to consumers and has cleverly stimulated their purchasing desire. Therefore, the translation of a trademark should be able to stimulate consumers buying desire. 4.4 The purpose of adaption to the customers culture The famous British anthropologist E. B. Taylor (1871) defines culture as a complex whole that includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, customs and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.(Danesi Perron, 1999: 3) because trademark, obviously is part of the culture, so its translation, to a great extent, is influenced by culture. Foreign commodities trademarks inevitably contain different cultural characteristics. When they enter the Chinese market, they will mainly face Chinese consumers. Whether they can win the market share and the favor of Chinese customers depends greatly on their translation. Even they enjoy global fame, it will still be difficult for Chinese consumers to accept if they dont have impressive translations into Chinese. A good translation will have enormous impact, though invisible, on consumers mentality. (Bao Huinan, 2001: 281) For truly successful translating, biculturalism is even more important than bilingualism, since words o nly have meanings in terms of cultures in which they function. (Nida, 1993: 110) hence, to contribute to the function of trademark, the translation must fulfill the purpose to go with the culture of customers. Dragon means devil in western culture, while in Chinese culture, dragon(à ©Ã‚ ¾Ã¢â€ž ¢) is the symbol of power and heavenliness is something sacred and has been referred to as the ancestor of the Chinese nation, so Chinese people have a special preference for this animal which does not exist. Citroen, a French-made car brand, is translated into à ©Ã¢â‚¬ ºÃ‚ ªÃƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬Å" Ãƒ ©Ã‚ ¾Ã¢â€ž ¢ to adapt the customers culture in target market. 5. Translation strategies based on Skopos theory Skopos theory considers translation as a complicated interactive behavior. The aim of translation is often determined after counsel between client and translator. It is the initiator or its agent who makes differences. They give explanation of time, place, situation, intermediary, aim as well as readers and function of translation. According to the specific translation requirement such as the writers interactive intention and expectation of the translated texts, as well as social knowledge background, interactive need of readers, etc. translator can determine any translating tactics, and does not have to care about the equality of translated text to the original text, for which would weaken the translated texts interactive function in the environment of target language. Therefore, with the guide of translation purpose, the translator can consider the relative factors comprehensively and then decide the most suitable method. Approaches can be adopted by translators if it can realize t he expected purpose well. The translator can change properly according to the connotation meaning of a trademark name. If it is transformed appropriately, it can be full of wit and humor. The consumers will certainly be attracted by such kind of a trademark names. So the realistic standard of trademark translation is whether it is recognized and accepted by consumers who would buy the products finally. Therefore, based on the Skopos theory, translation strategies are not restricted. According to the contents mentioned above, we can emphasize that the purpose changes with the consumer varies. (Wang Jianhui, Hu Dongping, 2007) Translators can take any appropriate tactics in order to achieve different goals. (Yin Xiaohong, 2006:171) As discussed above, the successful translation of brand names refers to lots of factors. Among them the most important is the flexible employment of translation methods in practice. In this part, the author will focus on two main methods, the most common and practical used strategies, in brand name translation. They are literal translation and free translation. 5.1 Literal translation The so-called literal translation in this paper is equivalent to Newmarks semantic translation, which attempts to render, as closely as the semantic and syntactic structure of the second language allow, the exact contextual meaning of the original.(Newmark, 1988: 39). Literal translation involves translating meanings literally, keeping both the original form and the original sense. It is the primary way of trademark translation. It can better convey the original information of the product, indicate the authors original wish, and can keep the conformity with the brand designs. There are many popular trademarks translated in this way around us. Although it is not feasible for every one to be translated literally, literal translation is still put to use by translators. The translation of an electronic appliance brand, Pioneer intoà ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ ¹can convey to the customers the message that it is the pioneer of the electronic appliance industry. Microsoft, the American software giant company, also adopts literal translation to register its Chinese brand. Translating Micro as à ¥Ã‚ ¾Ã‚ ® and soft as à ¨Ã‚ ½Ã‚ ¯ successfully transmit the implied meaning: a basic, tiny and delicate software. Mr. Juicy was translated as à ¦Ã… ¾Ã…“à ¦Ã‚ ±Ã‚ Ãƒ ¥Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã‹â€ Ãƒ §Ã¢â‚¬ Ã… ¸, can give customers a very clear idea that it is a fruit juice brand while at the same time it forms a cartoon image in peoples mind. 5.2 Free translation The free translation is also one of the most important techniques in the course of translating Chinese trademark names. We knew that literal translation would not achieve a perfect trademark translation all the time. Free translation is more complex and flexible. Free translation mostly could avoid the rigid feeling, comparing with mechanical transliteration. In fact, it is the translators imagination that is making an important impa

Free Essays on Homers Odyssey: The Metaphor of the Dawn :: Homer Odyssey Essays

The Metaphor of the Dawn in The Odyssey Throughout Odysseus' journey, the metaphor of the dawn symbolizes his odyssey from immaturity, maturity, and fulfillment. The progression of Odysseus' development of strength is like the development of day, from dawn to dusk. The epithet, "rosy-fingered dawn" marks the beginning of Odysseus' odyssey. After his journey, the epithets "gold-throned dawn" and "bright-throned dawn" replace the "rosy-fingered dawn" however, after Odysseus returns home from his journey, he plans to rid his house of suitors, and the "rosy-fingered dawn" returns. After accomplishing the destruction of the suitors, finally, the "gold-throned dawn" replaces the "rosy-fingered dawn" In the beginning of Odysseus' journey, the "rosy-fingered dawn" (10) is referred to as a fresh and young beginning of whatever is to come. It also resembles the hardships of a journey in the future, symbolizing his state of immaturity and lack of experience. This shows how the development of day is like Odysseus' development of strength, by addressing the symbolism of "rosy-fingered dawn," possibly symbolizing Odysseus' present state of youth and immaturity. The "rosy-fingered dawn" returns once again, as a new obstacle is introduced. When the "rosy-fingered dawn" (162) returns, another obstacle of Odysseus' is sure to come. For example, right before Odysseus attempts to rid his home of suitors, the day is begun with the "rosy-fingered dawn." In a way, this foreshadows obstacles to come. This example introduces the relation between Odysseus' strength and the metaphor of the dawn. Odysseus, during the beginning of his odyssey, is known as a young leader with educational experiences yet to come. Odysseus is referred to as this when "...none remember[ed] princely Odysseus among the people who he ruled..." (14). He is presented here as an inexperienced leader, which supports the theory of the "rosy-fingered dawn" This shows how young Odysseus is related to the "rosy-fingered dawn," and how "old" Odysseus, at the end of his odyssey, is related to the "gold" and "bright-throned dawn". These similes foreshadow another obstacle, now that this idea has come up, supporting the element of strength is like the development of day, as stated in the thesis statement. When Odysseus returns home from his long journey, the "rosy-fingered dawn" is replaced by the "bright-throned dawn" (151). This symbolizes the accomplishments of his numerous obstacles because the term "bright" symbolizes and accomplished tasks, such as Odysseus' return home.