Conferences

PECULIARITIES OF TRANSLATION OF ADVERTISING AND NEWSPAPER-INFORMATIVE TEXTS

УДК 811.111

Г 94

Ольга Гуменчук

(Хмельницький університет управління та права імені Леоніда Юзькова)

PECULIARITIES OF TRANSLATION OF ADVERTISING AND NEWSPAPER-INFORMATIVE TEXTS

The article reveals the role of translation of foreign languages in the life of modern society. It investigates interrelation between MEDIA activity and development of language structure. The author has analised the content and means of presentation of information in modern English-speaking newspapers, magazines and advertising. The most adequate methods and means of translation of modern information texts are defined.

Keywords: advertising, translation, interpretation, information, mass media, newspaper, magazine

Mass media as well as advertising are indispensable part of our everyday life. Many linguists focus on different aspects when they discuss theories and methods of translation from the points of view of lexical, grammatical and semantic structures of language (V.Komissarov, I.Korunets, V.Karabanov, L.TChernovatov, Y.Ivanko, E.Dole, A.Titler). The subject of our investigation made it possible to combine the issues of translation, mass media and advertising. The main aim of the article is to touch upon the following issues:

  1. Translation as a powerful activity;
  2. The importance of mass media as the source of information in the global world;
  3. The affect of advertising on the language;
  4. Techniques of translating and interpreting of information of mass media

The importance of translating and interpreting in modern society has long been recognized. Practically not a single contact at the international level or even between any two foreign persons speaking different languages can be established or maintained without the help of translators/interpreters. Numerous branches of national economies too can keep up with the up-to-date development and progress in the modern world thanks to the everyday translating/interpreting of scientific and technical matter covering various fields of human knowledge and activities. The social and political role of translation/interpretation has probably been most strongly felt in the 21st century when it provided the dissemination of political ideas, of social and political knowledge in various fields of sciences. Translation is an activity charged with a potential to disturb and subvert repressive forces.

The same potential is characteristic of mass media. Mass media is a term used to denote a section of the media specifically envisioned and designed to reach a very large audience such as the population of a nation state. It was coined in the 1920s with the advent of nationwide radio networks, mass-circulation newspapers and magazines, although mass media (like books and manuscripts) were present centuries before the term became common. The concept of mass media is complicated in some internet media. These internet media may include: television; personal web pages; message boards; podcasts; blogs; video hosting services. The language of mass media is very specific. Hence, those involved in translating should take into account some important points.

Newspaper headlines try to catch the reader’s eye by using as few words as possible. So, the language headlines use is, consequently, unusual in a number of ways.

  1. Newspaper headline language is characterized by frequent absence of articles, prepositions and auxiliary verbs.
  2. The use of the present simple instead of the past tense makes the story sound more immediate.
  3. The infinitive is used to express the fact that something is going to happen in the future.
  4. The use of language is often ambiguous.
  5. Many newspaper headlines in English attract readers’ attention by playing on words in an entertaining way.
  6. Newspaper headlines use a lot of distinctive vocabulary. They usually prefer words that are shorter and sound more dramatic than ordinary English words (e.g. danger).
  7. Newspaper headlines often use abbreviations.

Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of product or service.

The most common kinds of advertising in contemporary life are: magazine and newspaper ads, classified ads, TV commercials, posters, billboards, flyers (sheets of printed information advertising something), trailers (brief excerpts from a film, TV or radio programme which are used to advertise it), sports sponsorship, banners, sky-writing (words written in the sky using smoke from a plane), sandwich boards (advertising posters hung at the back and front of a person who then walks around a busy area, brochures, carrier bags, logos on clothing and other products.

Many defenders of advertising claim that advertising is a preserver of clear, concise, colorful, and correct English. The very reasons such experts like advertising are the reasons defenders of traditional English usage don’t like it. They feel advertising copy is too breezy, too informal, too casual, and therefore improper. Advertising, they believe, has destroyed the dignity of the language.

Grammar rules and especially punctuation rules are commonly broken by advertising copywriters, and this truly infuriates the critics. Among examples given in our work there’s the following. Once R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. introduced the line ‘Winston tastes good like a cigarette should.’ The academic community created such a flap that the advertiser followed up with another commercial filmed on the steps of a university. When the student in the commercial voiced the famous slogan, another student in cap and gown quickly corrected her, saying ‘Winston tastes good as a cigarette should.’ This temporarily quieted the critics, but the company continued to use the “like a cigarette should” slogan for many years.

Advertising research shows that people re­spond better to a down-to-earth, conversational tone than to a more digni­fied, formal tone. Advertisers like language that suggests their product is of especially high quality, value for money, luxury and comfort, scientific backing for their product, their products make us more attractive.

The right translation helps producers sell their products successfully even to make the brand from their products. For instance, the producers of a well-known car “Запорожець” decided to sell it in the Scandinavian countries, but were greatly surprised to found out that the translation of their car would sound like “свинячий хвостик”.  That’s why they quickly had to change the name of the car for export. This car was named “Ялта”.

Not only the native producers of goods had many linguistic problems but also many other ‘cool’ firms. Once the company Coca-cola couldn’t find the name for their products in China for a long time. The reason was that the Chinese pronounce the name of this drink as ‘Кекукела’ that means “Кусай воскового пуголовка”. The company had to look through 40 thousand examples of writing their brand mark before there was chosen the name “Коку Коле” which means “Щастя в роті”.

As for the famous company General Motors, they found a lot of difficulties in finding the name to their new car Chevrolet Nova in order to sell it in Latin America. How it was later discovered Nova in Spanish means “не може рухатись”.

The company “Pepsi” translated their main advertising motto “Живи з поколінням Пепсі” in Chinese word by word.  The Chinese were shocked: suddenly that slogan got unexpected sounding: “Пепсі заставить ваших предків піднятися з могил”.

In conclusion, we must say that it is not always necessary to leave a common principle that the translation of the title does not constitute difficulties, because first we translate the message or article, and then on the basis of their content, and the title. Firstly, we can not assume that in any case it is possible to change the headings arbitrarily, as it does many of the beginning translators, giving this or that article its own title, even if it sometimes better reflects its content. The main task of the translation is an adequate transfer of the peculiarities of this or that  English or American title, which means that it is necessary to transfer not only the content, but also the form of the title, without breaking the norms of the Ukrainian language and standards in Ukrainian newspapers.

LITERATURE

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