Marketing译为什么最贴切？

Marketing是经贸英语中最常用的词语之一。在外贸人员的名片上我们也经常看到marketing department和 marketing plan等词语。它们通常被译成“销售部”和“销售计划”。在外贸函电和外贸英语教科书中，marketing常被译为“销售”。笔者认为这种译法不够确切。这除了有语言方面的原因外，还涉及到中外经营管理体制的不同。

我们不妨先从market作动词的含义谈起。当market作及物动词时，意思是to carry on all activities by which transfer of title or possession of a product from seller to buyer is effected； 或者是to introduce a product on the marketThe exporter wishes to market his goods in a foreign country through instrumentality of an independent agent. 那个出口商想要靠一位独立代理人在国外销售其货物。

The joint venture insisted on their cooperative marketing the new computers. 这家合资企业坚持它们合作销售新计算机。

当market作不及物动词时，它与trade含义相同，表示在市场上进行买卖活动，它派生的marketing只能译为“Marketing 作为经贸术语，《Americana 百科全书》的解释是："Marketing is defined as 'the performance of business activities directed towards, and incident to, the flow of goods and services from producer to customer or user'. Marketing, therefore, is made up on one hand of physical activities such as transporting, storing, and selling goods, and on the other hand of a series of decisions which must be reached by any organization undertaking any part of the process of moving goods from the producer to the user."

由此可知marketing一词的含义很广，它主要是指提供产品和服务来满足消费者的需要。具体包括：市场调查、开发产品、制定销售政策、规定合理价格、改进销售方法、开拓销售渠道、调节产品贮运、培训业务人员、改进售后服务、公共关系和广告业务等等。所以不能狭隘地把marketing理解成selling或sale，实际上后者仅仅是marketing的一部分。

例如： Marketing of a product does not only mean selling, but going to the market,

visiting our customers... 推销产品不只意味着出售，而且还要亲临市场，拜访客户……

汉译时需要根据具体的语言环境译成“推销”、“行销至于本文开头提到的marketing department到底怎样因此笔者认为在