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ABSTRACT：Nowadays Internet buzzwords have already penetrated into people’s daily life with the help of media. By analyzing some typical Internet buzzwords， the author sums up the main formation approaches. In that way people can get a better understanding of the linguistic features of Internet buzzwords. The paper is going to discuss the typical Internet buzzwords， analyze them and put forward the translation strategies.
Key Words： Internet buzzwords； cross-cultural communication； translation
1. Introduction
If you are just a new user surfing on the Internet， you may find some words， sentences or dialogues which are different from the language you learn from teachers or books， both in Chinese and English. Buzzwords are popular with people from all walks of life during different periods， which is not only a language phenomenon but also a social， cultural and psychological one.
The paper is going to analyze the characteristics of some typical buzzwords， and come up with some translation strategies so as to improve the translation of buzzwords， increase their readability and acceptability， and promote cross-cultural communication.
To understand and grasp the rules on Internet buzzwords helps us learn and use buzzwords efficiently and then help the cross cultural communication. It is a way to consider the mass society mentality and discuss young people’s mental trends.
2. Analysis on Internet Buzzwords
Many scholars have divided Internet buzzwords into different types based on different theories. For instance， some divided Internet buzzwords according to their generation， while some divides Internet buzzwords on the basis of the structures. The author holds that Internet buzzwords are formed through various processes， but five are the major processes： affixation， homophone， analogy， blending and old words with new meanings.
2.1 Affixation
Affixation is the formation of words by adding word forming or derivative affixes to stems. In Chinese， bound morphemes are very rare， and most of the morphemes are free. With the reform and opening to the outside world， some new affixes generated. Take the prefix “閃-”for example， which produces a number of buzzwords， such as“闪婚”“闪恋”“闪离” to reflect an surprising speed in doing something and show people’s unexpected mood. Other frequently used and productive prefixes are“被-”（被就业，被自杀），“裸”（裸婚，裸考，），“微-”（微博，微新闻），etc. As to the suffixation， it’s even lager in quantity. Here list some of the most popular suffixes： “二代”（富二代，官二代）， “-奴”（房奴，卡奴），“-女”（拜金女，剩女）etc. 2.2 Homophone
A homophone refers to a pair of words with the same sound， but different in meaning and spelling. Due to the lack of ability to transfer voice on the Internet， pronunciation is taken into account during the process of buzzword word-formation. People choose various kinds of forms including some words， letters， and numbers to substitute the pronunciation of some other words. In this way， the buzzwords are often added a sense of humor， which makes the communication vividly and efficiently. For example，海归（海龟）means people come back from abroad， and those among them who cannot find a good job at one time are called 海待（海带），or 海待干（海带干）. 钱途光明（钱途光明）means having a bright future of earning a great amount of money. Others can be seen in 鸭梨大（压力大）、驴友（旅友）、韩流（寒流）. Also some numbers replacement like 1314 （一生一世， for all one’s life）， 520 （我爱你， I love you）.
2.3 Analogy
Analogy is a form of comparison. Analogical word formation is the process by which words are created or formed in imitation of other words or of the existing pattern. Buzzwords formed in this way are interesting， vivid， and easy to memorize. What’s more， in order to be eye-catching， people intend to create words by imitating which can leave deep impression on people， and soon becomes a kind of fashion especially among the young. Analogy is an effective way of words creation and now in China， a sea of buzzwords is created in this way.
To be more understandable， the author divided buzzwords created in this way into four groups， which are based on similarity， contrast， color， and number. Here are some examples of each group. First one are based on similarity， like 你离了吗，你吃了吗. 上岗，下岗， 待岗. Analogy based on contrast is to change the old word with a new one with opposite meaning. For example， 家庭主夫，冷门are created from 家庭主妇，热门. Colors and numbers have different cultural connotation and generates the buzzwords like灰色收入come from 黑色收入.
2.4 Blending
Blending in lexicology refer to a word formation process of forming a word by combining parts of words together. In blending you sound out a sound or phoneme and combine it with the next sound or phoneme of the same word. Eventually， all sounds or phonemes of a word form the word. For instance， “smog” is formed by combining “smoke” and “fog” together. Words formed through this way are interesting， concise， and meaningful. For example， 秒殺， 围观 is formed by the Chinese characters 秒 and 杀， 围 and 观， and when combining them together， they generates new words which can explain a certain social phenomenon. 2.5 Old Words with New Meanings
In spite of the large amount of newly created Internet buzzwords， it must not be forgotten that old words with semantic change are always source of contemporary catchwords. When the need for naming new things and notions arises， people tend to associate them with something they are familiar with. For example， an old Chinese character 囧 are used frequently these years， not its old meaning， but a completely new meaning generating from it’s form which is like an upset face. 給力， the most popular word in 2010， is formed in this way， which is the dialect of northern China. 肿么了 and 忽悠 are also the dialect in China.
3. Translation Strategies on Internet Buzzwords
3.1 Literal Translation
Many Chinese new word when just appeared， there is no corresponding fixed translation in English ， translators tend to use the transliteration or the sound and meaning translation ， this translation method is direct and convenient.
Example ： “人肉搜索”
Translation version：Human flesh search
The human flesh search engine is a mechanism for human intervention to purification of the information provided by the search engine， in other word， to search something the information that cannot be found by you with others’ help. The reason why human flesh names is that it is different from the search machine like Google and other search technology， this machine pays more emphasis on human intervention.
3.2 Free Translation
Some Internet buzzwords are vivid， full of national characteristics， with the features of spoken language， and some reflect the new things or concepts in China society. Because of the cultural gap， Chinese cultural connotation is lack of equivalence in English. This method focuses on the target language culture system and the relative independence of the primitive culture system. Translators should consider the cultural background and the language features of English， and then give an accepted translation version.
Example ：鸭梨大
Translation version： high pressure
This word stands for the group of Internet buzzwords which are formed through homophone. The key to translate such word is to find the corresponding word in this pair of homophone. 鸭梨is the homophone to 压力. By using the word 鸭梨 instead of 压力， netizens want to achieve a humorous effect.
3.3 Transliteration
When many Chinese new words appear， there is no corresponding translation in the English text， no counterparts or the corresponding words. Translators often use transliteration or the translation of sound and meaning. This translation is direct， simple， and also exotic. Example ：“给力”
Translation version： gelivable
The most popular Internet buzzword in 2010 may count to“给力”. In the local dialect， “给力”means “with vigor”， “cool”， “excellent”， and when used as a verb， it means “give power”， “come on”. During the World Cup in 2010， due to the extensive use of the word on the Internet， “给力”started to become an Internet buzzword. After that， it went into people’s daily life. Then comes the translation “ gelivable” and “ ungelivable” for “不给力”.The prefix “un” means negative and the suffix “able” stands for adjective； “geli” in the middle is a direct transliteration. Such translation can maximize the retention of the original flavor and reads catchy and funny.
3.4 Innovation translation
Sometimes if we apply the methods above， the translation will be lengthy or difficult to understand. In this situation， the innovation translation should be applied. Translation must enable the readers to understand the information and content first， and must use the language in line with the aesthetic mentality of the readers. That means that creative translation of buzzwords is desirable and advancing with the times.
Example ： 围观
Translation version： circusee
On the Internet， if a person make a very striking behavior or say something striking， it is likely to incur “围观”. In micro blogging， If a star is being “围观”， it means he or she has many fans. “Circusee” is composed by two word “circus” which means surrounding and “see”.
4. Conclusion
This thesis does an analysis of the main formation of Internet buzzwords including affixation， homophone， analogy， blending， and old words with new meanings， and put forward four main translation strategies： literal translation， free translation， and transliteration and innovation translation.
There are some limitations of this thesis. The first limitation comes from the data. Due to the limitation of time， the data collected is not enough. The second is that the author does not enumerate all the translation methods of Internet buzzwords， but to select some of the main approach to discuss.
Despite this， the author still hopes that this thesis will be of some help to the translation of Internet buzzwords， and will encourage more scholars to devote more effort for the systematic research of Internet buzzwords in this field.
References：
[1]孫永兰，2010，试论网络流行语的发展现状[J].赤峰学院学报（汉文哲学社会科学版）：136-139.
[2]杨建国，2004，流行语的语言学研究及科学认定[J].语言教学与研究（6），[3]余义勇，2010，汉语流行语的翻译策略[J].中国科技翻译（4）：44-46，63-70.
Key Words： Internet buzzwords； cross-cultural communication； translation
1. Introduction
If you are just a new user surfing on the Internet， you may find some words， sentences or dialogues which are different from the language you learn from teachers or books， both in Chinese and English. Buzzwords are popular with people from all walks of life during different periods， which is not only a language phenomenon but also a social， cultural and psychological one.
The paper is going to analyze the characteristics of some typical buzzwords， and come up with some translation strategies so as to improve the translation of buzzwords， increase their readability and acceptability， and promote cross-cultural communication.
To understand and grasp the rules on Internet buzzwords helps us learn and use buzzwords efficiently and then help the cross cultural communication. It is a way to consider the mass society mentality and discuss young people’s mental trends.
2. Analysis on Internet Buzzwords
Many scholars have divided Internet buzzwords into different types based on different theories. For instance， some divided Internet buzzwords according to their generation， while some divides Internet buzzwords on the basis of the structures. The author holds that Internet buzzwords are formed through various processes， but five are the major processes： affixation， homophone， analogy， blending and old words with new meanings.
2.1 Affixation
Affixation is the formation of words by adding word forming or derivative affixes to stems. In Chinese， bound morphemes are very rare， and most of the morphemes are free. With the reform and opening to the outside world， some new affixes generated. Take the prefix “閃-”for example， which produces a number of buzzwords， such as“闪婚”“闪恋”“闪离” to reflect an surprising speed in doing something and show people’s unexpected mood. Other frequently used and productive prefixes are“被-”（被就业，被自杀），“裸”（裸婚，裸考，），“微-”（微博，微新闻），etc. As to the suffixation， it’s even lager in quantity. Here list some of the most popular suffixes： “二代”（富二代，官二代）， “-奴”（房奴，卡奴），“-女”（拜金女，剩女）etc. 2.2 Homophone
A homophone refers to a pair of words with the same sound， but different in meaning and spelling. Due to the lack of ability to transfer voice on the Internet， pronunciation is taken into account during the process of buzzword word-formation. People choose various kinds of forms including some words， letters， and numbers to substitute the pronunciation of some other words. In this way， the buzzwords are often added a sense of humor， which makes the communication vividly and efficiently. For example，海归（海龟）means people come back from abroad， and those among them who cannot find a good job at one time are called 海待（海带），or 海待干（海带干）. 钱途光明（钱途光明）means having a bright future of earning a great amount of money. Others can be seen in 鸭梨大（压力大）、驴友（旅友）、韩流（寒流）. Also some numbers replacement like 1314 （一生一世， for all one’s life）， 520 （我爱你， I love you）.
2.3 Analogy
Analogy is a form of comparison. Analogical word formation is the process by which words are created or formed in imitation of other words or of the existing pattern. Buzzwords formed in this way are interesting， vivid， and easy to memorize. What’s more， in order to be eye-catching， people intend to create words by imitating which can leave deep impression on people， and soon becomes a kind of fashion especially among the young. Analogy is an effective way of words creation and now in China， a sea of buzzwords is created in this way.
To be more understandable， the author divided buzzwords created in this way into four groups， which are based on similarity， contrast， color， and number. Here are some examples of each group. First one are based on similarity， like 你离了吗，你吃了吗. 上岗，下岗， 待岗. Analogy based on contrast is to change the old word with a new one with opposite meaning. For example， 家庭主夫，冷门are created from 家庭主妇，热门. Colors and numbers have different cultural connotation and generates the buzzwords like灰色收入come from 黑色收入.
2.4 Blending
Blending in lexicology refer to a word formation process of forming a word by combining parts of words together. In blending you sound out a sound or phoneme and combine it with the next sound or phoneme of the same word. Eventually， all sounds or phonemes of a word form the word. For instance， “smog” is formed by combining “smoke” and “fog” together. Words formed through this way are interesting， concise， and meaningful. For example， 秒殺， 围观 is formed by the Chinese characters 秒 and 杀， 围 and 观， and when combining them together， they generates new words which can explain a certain social phenomenon. 2.5 Old Words with New Meanings
In spite of the large amount of newly created Internet buzzwords， it must not be forgotten that old words with semantic change are always source of contemporary catchwords. When the need for naming new things and notions arises， people tend to associate them with something they are familiar with. For example， an old Chinese character 囧 are used frequently these years， not its old meaning， but a completely new meaning generating from it’s form which is like an upset face. 給力， the most popular word in 2010， is formed in this way， which is the dialect of northern China. 肿么了 and 忽悠 are also the dialect in China.
3. Translation Strategies on Internet Buzzwords
3.1 Literal Translation
Many Chinese new word when just appeared， there is no corresponding fixed translation in English ， translators tend to use the transliteration or the sound and meaning translation ， this translation method is direct and convenient.
Example ： “人肉搜索”
Translation version：Human flesh search
The human flesh search engine is a mechanism for human intervention to purification of the information provided by the search engine， in other word， to search something the information that cannot be found by you with others’ help. The reason why human flesh names is that it is different from the search machine like Google and other search technology， this machine pays more emphasis on human intervention.
3.2 Free Translation
Some Internet buzzwords are vivid， full of national characteristics， with the features of spoken language， and some reflect the new things or concepts in China society. Because of the cultural gap， Chinese cultural connotation is lack of equivalence in English. This method focuses on the target language culture system and the relative independence of the primitive culture system. Translators should consider the cultural background and the language features of English， and then give an accepted translation version.
Example ：鸭梨大
Translation version： high pressure
This word stands for the group of Internet buzzwords which are formed through homophone. The key to translate such word is to find the corresponding word in this pair of homophone. 鸭梨is the homophone to 压力. By using the word 鸭梨 instead of 压力， netizens want to achieve a humorous effect.
3.3 Transliteration
When many Chinese new words appear， there is no corresponding translation in the English text， no counterparts or the corresponding words. Translators often use transliteration or the translation of sound and meaning. This translation is direct， simple， and also exotic. Example ：“给力”
Translation version： gelivable
The most popular Internet buzzword in 2010 may count to“给力”. In the local dialect， “给力”means “with vigor”， “cool”， “excellent”， and when used as a verb， it means “give power”， “come on”. During the World Cup in 2010， due to the extensive use of the word on the Internet， “给力”started to become an Internet buzzword. After that， it went into people’s daily life. Then comes the translation “ gelivable” and “ ungelivable” for “不给力”.The prefix “un” means negative and the suffix “able” stands for adjective； “geli” in the middle is a direct transliteration. Such translation can maximize the retention of the original flavor and reads catchy and funny.
3.4 Innovation translation
Sometimes if we apply the methods above， the translation will be lengthy or difficult to understand. In this situation， the innovation translation should be applied. Translation must enable the readers to understand the information and content first， and must use the language in line with the aesthetic mentality of the readers. That means that creative translation of buzzwords is desirable and advancing with the times.
Example ： 围观
Translation version： circusee
On the Internet， if a person make a very striking behavior or say something striking， it is likely to incur “围观”. In micro blogging， If a star is being “围观”， it means he or she has many fans. “Circusee” is composed by two word “circus” which means surrounding and “see”.
4. Conclusion
This thesis does an analysis of the main formation of Internet buzzwords including affixation， homophone， analogy， blending， and old words with new meanings， and put forward four main translation strategies： literal translation， free translation， and transliteration and innovation translation.
There are some limitations of this thesis. The first limitation comes from the data. Due to the limitation of time， the data collected is not enough. The second is that the author does not enumerate all the translation methods of Internet buzzwords， but to select some of the main approach to discuss.
Despite this， the author still hopes that this thesis will be of some help to the translation of Internet buzzwords， and will encourage more scholars to devote more effort for the systematic research of Internet buzzwords in this field.
References：
[1]孫永兰，2010，试论网络流行语的发展现状[J].赤峰学院学报（汉文哲学社会科学版）：136-139.
[2]杨建国，2004，流行语的语言学研究及科学认定[J].语言教学与研究（6），[3]余义勇，2010，汉语流行语的翻译策略[J].中国科技翻译（4）：44-46，63-70.