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Article published In:
Translation Spaces
Vol. 12:1 (2023) ► pp.144–166

The effectiveness of second-person reference in enhancing reader memory in English-Chinese advertisement translation

An empirical study

ORCID logo | Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
ORCID logo | Shandong University

This research aims to account for readers’ perception of second-person pronouns and to test their effectiveness in enhancing reader memory in English-Chinese advertisement translation. We conducted an experiment in which 62 participants read the Chinese translations of 16 previously unseen English print advertisements. Two parallel Chinese versions were prepared for the experiment, one with second-person reference and the other without. The participants were first asked to read the translations and indicate which version they liked better. Two weeks later, they were divided into two groups and asked to rate their memory of the two Chinese versions. Statistical analysis shows that the ratings of the second-person version are significantly higher, which implies that second-person reference is effective in enhancing the participants’ memory.

Keywords: advertisement, emotion, memory, second-person, translation
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • 1.Research background
    • 1.1Functions of second-person reference
    • 1.2Emotional appeal of advertising
  • 2.Research objectives and methodology
  • 3.Perception of second-person reference
    • 3.1Mental spaces of second-person reference
    • 3.2Schemata of second-person reference
    • 3.3Memory enhancement
  • 4.The experiment
    • 4.1Participants
    • 4.2Experiment materials
      • 4.2.1Newness of advertisements
      • 4.2.2Parallel versions
    • 4.3Experiment procedure
  • 5.Research findings and discussion
    • 5.1Step 1
    • 5.2Step 2
  • Conclusion
  • References
Published online: 8 November 2022
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ts.21033.cui
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