Semantic features in English print advertisements: a Xitsonga translation perspective

Abstract

Authors’ writing styles and diction applied in advertisements give the language a specialised aspect in translation. The translation of advertisements from English into Xitsonga is still undervalued, based on the observation that Xitsonga newspapers prefer to advertise in English. This article explores a corpus of two print advertisements and employs a descriptive qualitative design by document analysis to provide an in-depth analysis of the translation of both metaphoric statements and subtle words from English into Xitsonga. The study is underpinned by the functionalist approach of translation theory to illustrate the dynamic nature of the selected advertisements. The article exposes the confusion, threats, prejudice and linguistic motives of domination by and hegemony of English as the often-hidden attempts to discredit Xitsonga. The question is: How can Xitsonga advertisements be appropriately couched in English semantic features and still make sense to the target reader? The article observes that the translation of advertisements from English into Xitsonga is at the cusp of being declared ‘adaptation’ or ‘transcreation’. However, it posits that since advertising is characterised by persuasive meaning, it requires the translator’s skilful manipulation of the functionalist approach in translation.