What is the meaning of the English name of the NBA basketball team translated into Chinese?

The Chinese translation of the NBA team is a model of sports translation. It not only accurately conveys the core image of the original team name, but also cleverly integrates Chinese cultural elements and language beauty. The following is the in-depth analysis behind the translation of each team (categorized by east-west part):

Eastern League

Boston Celtics

Cultural connotation: literal translation retains the original meaning of "Celtics " (Celtics), which is in line with the history of Boston Irish immigration. The three words "Celtic" in Chinese have a sense of solemnity, and the words "people" indicate the attributes of the team.

Brooklyn Nets (Brooklyn Nets)

Translation wisdom: The original name "Nets" refers to the Nets, and the Chinese supplement "basketball" word clarifies the basketball attributes (avoid mistakenly considering fishing nets). "Brooklyn " transliteration reserves the regional logo.

New York Knicks

Historical password: "Knicks " is the abbreviation of "Knickerbockers " (descendants of early Dutch immigrants in New York). The Chinese transliteration "Knicks " takes into account both simplicity and historical heaviness. Philadelphia 76ers

Episode literal translation: commemorating the 1776 Declaration of Independence signed in Philadelphia. The Chinese language retains the numbers "76 people", which not only points out historical events, but also implies the team spirit of "everyone is united".

Toronto Raptors

Cultural Recreation: Inspired by the movie "Jurassic Park", named "Raptors " (Vegaton). The Chinese word "Raptor" not only highlights the fierce characteristics, but also secretly matches the oriental auspicious meaning of "I hope my son will become a dragon".

Chicago Bulls (Chicago Bulls)

Strength Totem: literal translation "Bulls " is "Bulls ", which echoes the history of Chicago's meat processing capital, and Chinese strengthens the sense of power and indomitable spirit.

Miami Heat

Pun translation: "Heat " not only guides Florida's hot climate, but also refers to the intensity of the game. Chinese "Heat" perfectly combines temperature and passion, which is more dynamic than literal translation "hot".

Milwaukee Bucks

Ecological imagery: Wisconsin's white-tailed deer, "Bucks " specifically refers to the bucks. The Chinese word "金" emphasizes the male leader's temperament, which is in line with Antetokounmpo's core position.

Western League

Los Angeles Lakers

Classic mistranslation: The original name originated from Minneapolis "City of Thousand Lakes ", and it was not changed after moving to Los Angeles. Chinese "Lakeman" unexpectedly created the martial arts artistic conception of "heroes in the world" and became a masterpiece of sports translation.

Golden State Warriors

Cultural Transcoding: "Warriors " is literally translated as warriors, and the prefix "Golden State " (also known as California) is translated as "Golden State " highlights regional glory and conveys the spirit of gold digging and fighting will as a whole.

Phoenix Suns(Phoenix Suns)

Unity of man and nature: The sunshine in the Arizona desert is strong, "Suns" literally translated as "Suns". Chinese retains the image of celestial bodies, which is in line with the hot spritz of the Nash era "seven-second attack".

Denver Nuggets

Historical veins: Commemorating the 19th-century gold rush in Colorado, "Nuggets" refers to natural gold nuggets. Chinese "Nuggets" dynamically transforms its original vocabulary, highlighting the enterprising spirit of "exploring treasures".

Minnesota Timberwolves(Minnesota Timberwolves)

Ecological literal translation: The state was once full of timberwolves, and "Timberwolves" specifically refers to North American gray wolf. The original meaning is completely preserved in Chinese, and the image of the wolf pack is in line with the team basketball philosophy.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Natural Power: Team name comes from common thunderstorms in the state. Chinese "Thunder" is more powerful than English "Thunder" and is a classic "The Book of Changes" "A gentleman cultivates and reflects with fear", which implies a shocking power.

Memphis Grizzlies

Ecological Migration: Originally named tribute to the Canadian Grizzlies (formerly home in Vancouver), retained after moving to Memphis. Chinese "Grizzlies " highlights the sense of strength and fits the team's tough style of playing.

Translation strategy decoding

Dynamic conversion

Nuggets→ Emphasize "Digit "action

Heat→ "Fire "The word "reproduced by energy flow

Cultural image recreation

Lakers→ Sublimation from geographical nouns to Jianghu image

Raptors→ Western dinosaurs transform into Eastern auspicious beast

Photo-meaning fusion

Celtics→ "Celtics+ "Man "Translation

Knicks→ Pure transliteration but careful use of words ( "Ni " contains a bond meaning, "Ge " shows firmness)

Redundant information is streamlined

Philadelphia 76ers→Exclude "Philadelphia " directly called "Philadelphia " (Compensation of Chinese Fans' familiarity)

Controversial translation name reflection

Washington Wizards: Original name "Wizards " could be translated "Wizards", but because of cultural sensitivity, it used "Wizards ", which lost the relevance of the DC comics magic universe.

New Orleans Pelicans: After giving up the previous name "Hornets", the Chinese "Pelicans" is accurate but has low recognition, which is not as good as the Taiwanese translation "王子" to retain the charm of ancient Chinese characters.

These translation names have been accumulated over decades and have become a unique symbol of Chinese basketball culture. When the commentator shouted "Lakes Championship", the four characters no longer carries not only the team name, but also the spiritual totem of a cultural mixture. The ultimate realm of translation is to allow foreign things to be reborn in the Chinese context.

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