This thesis is a report on the research into the translation of advertising texts with a persuasive function that contain a so-called “cultural filter”. This cultural filter is formed by five...Show moreThis thesis is a report on the research into the translation of advertising texts with a persuasive function that contain a so-called “cultural filter”. This cultural filter is formed by five dimensions of cross-cultural differences that were distinguished by translation scholar Juliane House after her research into written and spoken English and German texts. The main issue is that House does not provide information on the linguistic features that allow these dimensions to be identified in translation. This thesis has adapted House’s model to include the linguistic elements that are characteristic for each of the individual dimensions. My research commenced with the consultation of sources on advertising strategies as well as sources who comment on the link between text functions, linguistic choices and effect on the reader such as De Mooij, Nord, Halliday and Swan. This resulted in an overview of expected linguistic features that could be indicators for the various dimensions. This overview was then used for the identification of House’s dimensions in persuasive texts in the Dutch and English IKEA catalogues. After analysis of the texts in the catalogues, the conclusion was reached that it is possible to predict the linguistic choices a translator can make in order to establish a cultural filter. An initial overview of expected linguistic features was adapted to incorporate the findings and a preliminary set of tools, including a checklist and suggested translation procedures for each dimension, was created. Furthermore, analysis of the texts in the Dutch and English IKEA catalogues proved that the Dutch text has the tendency to be more direct, more explicit and more oriented towards addressees.Show less
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” The opening sentence of one of Jane Austen’s most famous romantic novel Pride...Show more“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.” The opening sentence of one of Jane Austen’s most famous romantic novel Pride and Prejudice does not only claim a universal truth on love and marriage, it also provides insight into the perceptions of love and the norms and values that govern love in the 19th Century, as does the entire novel. However, society and the social-cultural norms governing it have changed immensely since the nineteenth-century world of Pride and Prejudice, it is therefore more than likely that a modern contemporary audience, without any social-historical or cultural background, would not fully understand the social and cultural setting of the novel. Furthermore, the practice of and ideas surrounding translation also underwent great change. This thesis researches whether the changes in socio-cultural norms and perceptions are noticeable in diachronic research of romantic literature in translation, on either a linguistic (stylistic) or cultural level, by conducting a comparative study of Dutch translations of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.Show less
