Translation of politeness in audio-visual advertising from English to Arabic

Abstract EN

This study investigates the conceptualization of politeness and the notion of face in English and Arabic audio-visual advertising through a comparative and pragmatic study of the politeness strategies in both languages.

It also explores the influence of orientation to politeness and conceptualization of face, the impact of FTA, on the translation of cosmetic audio-visual advertisements from English to Arabic.

Therefore 44 English audio-visual advertisements with their Arabic translations are used for research data.

The researchers employed a descriptive and analytical approach where selected advertisements were categorized according to politeness strategies which were calculated for frequency and explained according to culture, language and translation.

The findings of this study stressed the preference of English advertising to negative politeness as more individualistic and low-context culture.

In contrast, Arabic translated advertisements showed more inclination towards positive politeness as more collectivistic and high-context culture.

Translators utilized domestication through shift between politeness orientations as a translation strategy to create a similar impact on the target language audience similar to that on the source language audience.

To achieve that, they used a number of techniques, such as dubbing, voice over, substitution, translation by addition and sometimes omission.

The findings of this study highlight that politeness strategies in Arabic and English advertisements could be used in translation through domestication of English advertisements into Arabic.

The aim is to create a similar impact on the target language audience to efficiently promote the advertised products for optimal benefits.