A Functional Analysis of The Translation of Advertising Headlines in Terms of Translatorial Action Theory

Abstract

The study is intended to analyze and assess   sample translations of  advertising headlines in the light of functional theories with special focus on the translatorial action theory which indicates that translation should be performed to achieve a communicative function  and that it must be  primarily oriented towards  action  . Accordingly, the traditional views of the notion of equivalence in translation are departed in favour of a new functional view from a different perspective. The new functional approach involves a departure from the inherent focus on the ST to the TT and to the process of translation, hence , translation turns into a purposeful activity whose primary concern is fulfilling the intended communicative message beyond   enslavement to the ST. So its primary concern shifts to highlighting the TL cultural , geographic and linguistic peculiarities.

   Besides, the current study aims to show that   translation analysis in terms of functional theory in general and translatorial action theory in particular would indicate that advertisement text producers/ translators normally pay special attention to headlines and sub headlines out of a recognition that they form the key to the reader`s decision to read  on and go through the details contained in the body of the text  .And accordingly, a greater chance of commercializing the product(s) can be fulfilled which is the essence of the functional approach to translation. While the translator may resort to different techniques and procedures to render the meanings involved in a headline , some of these can be consistent with the skopos and action- oriented functional approach and best serve the intended advertising purpose , others fall short of realizing this due to lack of sufficient knowledge of the cultural , psychological and linguistic realities of the TL or a failure in grasping the intended meaning .So, the analysis involves highlighting the areas of success and failure and how to overcome them