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Article published In:
Localization around the globe
Edited by Minako O'Hagan and Julie McDonough Dolmaya
[The Journal of Internationalization and Localization 7:1/2] 2020
► pp. 69–94

Decoding transcreation in corporate website localization into Arabic

| Université Sorbonne Nouvelle

As adaptation is often associated with localization, and with the promotion of transcreation as an extra service in the industry, there is a need to analyze how and to what extent transcreation is used in localization as a type of target-culture-focused translation. This paper looks into adaptation and analyzes transcreation as a translation strategy. It investigates online promotional texts localized into Arabic (for Saudi Arabia) as an under-researched language in website localization. The analysis follows a functionalist approach and examines 15 international corporate websites. The results illustrate components of transcreated texts and shed light on the use of different procedures to achieve the creative persuasive purpose.

Keywords: Arabic, cultural adaptation, functionalist translation, internationalization, transcreation, website localization
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Localization and internationalization: Interdependent phases
  • 3.Website localization and adaptation
    • 3.1Transcreation in relation to adaptation
    • 3.2Conceptualizing transcreation
    • 3.3When are adaptation and/or transcreation used?
  • 4.A target-based approach employing a “reference text”
    • 4.1A target-based corpus selection
    • 4.2Defining the micro-analysis pillars
  • 5.Transcreation: A mix of procedures and solutions
    • 5.1Rhetorical devices as a transcreation component
    • 5.2Cultural references as a transcreation component
    • 5.3Addition with rhetorical devices as a transcreation component
    • 5.4Colloquial tone as a transcreation component
    • 5.5Linguistic adaptation and paraphrasing as transcreation components
    • 5.6Cultural adaptation as a transcreation component
    • 5.7Literal translation or accidental transcreation?
  • 6.The function(s) of the translation and the ‘source text’
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 6 January 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jial.20010.kas
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