An analysis of textual meaning in advertisement translated from English to Ekegusii

Abstract

This study offers an in-depth analysis of the lexical, grammatical and rhetorical mismatches between English advertisements and their Ekegusii translations in the light of establishing whether any of these linguistic mismatches leads to meaning loss. At the same time, the study set out to identify the possible strategies that can be used in advertising translation. A descriptive research design was adopted for this purpose. Ten advertisements were picked following purposive sampling procedure. Only those advertisements with the required features (rhetorical, grammatical and lexical) were considered. Data collected was analyzed based on an eclectic theoretical approach. Three theories, namely: The Hallidayan Systemic Functional Grammar theory, the interpretive theory and the Cultural Translation theory were used. The data collected was analyzed and discussed accordingly. The analyses revealed that there exist lexical, grammatical and rhetorical mismatches between the advertisements rendered in English and those translated into Ekegusii. It was further observed that there were major factors that led to the discrepancy between the two. Some of the factors identified include: language typology, lack I of equivalent lexis in the TT and use of ineffective translation strategies. The findings further revealed that such mismatches led to meaning loss in some of the advertisements whereas in others they never affected the meaning. At the same time, it was noted that it is possible to have effective translation only if effective translation strategies are employed. Such strategies include; adoption and paraphrase. More so, advertising agencies should employ competent translators who are well versed in the two languages in question to avoid any distortion of the intended message or miscommunicating the actual message intended.