Media Advertising, Language and Translation
The media space is massive with a lot of activities going on. Whether it has to do with print or electronic media, language is the vehicle of communicating meaning. However, there are times when it becomes very difficult for the target audience of media advertisements to make sense of the meaning of what is being communicated. Hence, there is a need for an implicit or explicit mode of translation that will help unravel the meaning of what is being conveyed from a source to a target position. Interestingly, translation is not limited only to texts as it has a dimension that touches on non-textual components like making sense of what meaning an advert intends to communicate. This study is a critical survey of how the target audience of media advertisements can make sense of the meaning intended so that communication is eventually communicated through translation efforts. One of the major f indings of the study is that translation plays a crucial role in the dissolution and diffusion of ambiguity and vagueness in language and communication thereby upholding cultural and ethical good.
Keywords: advertising, language, media, translation