UNDERSTANDING MEANING SHIFTS IN FACEBOOK CULTURE-SPECIFIC EXPRESSIONS THROUGH LEXICAL, RHETORICAL, AND GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS
Abstract
Purpose of Study: This study sought to identify lexical, rhetorical, and grammatical mismatches contributing to meaning shifts of culture-specific expressions on Facebook, particularly between English and Kiswahili translations.
Problem Statement: The challenge in developing natural language processing technologies for social media platforms like Facebook lies in preserving cultural integrity while reducing meaning shifts when translating or interpreting expressions across different languages and cultures. Such shifts often lead to miscommunication, loss of cultural meaning, and misconceptions about culturally significant terms, ultimately affecting intercultural understanding.
Methodology: The research employed a qualitative approach using a descriptive research design. The study focused on 11 Facebook pages, chosen through purposive sampling that had a high number of followers and were based in Kenya. The analysis involved identifying meaning shifts, stylistic, and grammatical errors in the translations, particularly focusing on posts within conversations on the selected Facebook pages.
Results: The findings revealed that meaning shifts in translating culture-specific expressions are common on Facebook. For instance, Kenyan dishes such as "ugali" and "Nyama Choma" were often reduced to overly simplified translations like "cornmeal" and "grilled meat," missing their rich cultural significance. Fashion expressions like "kanga" were mistranslated, stripping away the deeper meanings tied to heritage and tradition. Similarly, cultural architecture terms like "Simba" from the Luo community were reduced to basic descriptors like "small house," failing to convey the structure’s social and symbolic value.
Conclusion: Meaning shifts of culture-specific expressions on Facebook negatively affect the accurate portrayal of Kenyan cultural practices, particularly in food, fashion, and architecture. These shifts undermine cultural understanding and lead to simplified or distorted representations that fail to convey the true significance of cultural terms.
Recommendation: Social media platforms like Facebook should improve their translation tools to reflect cultural nuances accurately and involve local experts to ensure contextually relevant translations.
Keywords: Meaning Shifts, Culture-Specific Expressions, Facebook Translation, Lexical and Rhetorical Mismatches, Digital Communication
References
Desjardins, R. (2017a). Translation and Social Media: In Theory. In Translation and Social Media
Desjardins, R. (2017b). Translation and Social Media. Translation and Social Media. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-52255-9
Frøisland, F. O., Fossumstuen, S. G., & Calafato, R. (2023). Explicit grammar instruction in the EFL classroom: studying the impact of age and gender. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, (0).
Holt, K., & Haller, A. (2017). What Does ‘Lügenpresse’ Mean? Expressions of Media Distrust on PEGIDA’s Facebook Pages. Politik, 20(4). https://doi.org/10.7146/politik.v20i4.101534
Jahameh, H., & Zibin, A. (2023). The use of monomodal and multimodal metaphors in advertising Jordanian and American food products on Facebook: A comparative study. Heliyon, 9(5).
Lim, H. K. (2023). Italicization of Translated Korean Literature and Korean Diasporic Literature: A corpus-based study of the decision-making of translators and original authors. INContext: Studies in Translation and Interculturalism, 3(1).
Littau, K. (2016). Translation and the materialities of communication. In Translation Studies.
López-Vázquez, M., & López-Ruiz, S. (2024). A comprehensive examination of emoji usage in Mexican Spanish WhatsApp corpus: a mixed-methods Linguistic approach. Quality & Quantity, 1-26.
Meta AI. (2023). Advancing cross-lingual understanding in social media contexts. Proceedings of the International Conference on Computational Linguistics, 45(2), 1123-1135.
Mohebbi, A. (2023). The use of cultural conceptualisations as a translation strategy for culture-specific jokes and humorous discourse: A remedy for a malady?. Ampersand, 11, 100150.
Nazeer, I., & Syed, A. F. (2023). An Onomastic Analysis of Cross-Cultural differences in English Textbooks at Intermediate Level in Punjab. Journal of Languages, Culture and Civilization, 5(2), 73-87.
Riparip, E. (2024). Codeswitching in Facebook Statuses of College Students and their Grammatical Ability in Academic Writing. International Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 6(2), 465-482.
Singh, N., Lehnert, K., & Bostick, K. (2012a). Global Social Media Usage: Insights Into Reaching Consumers Worldwide. Thunderbird International Business Review, 54(5), 683–700. https://doi.org/10.1002/TIE.21493
Summerville, K. M., Chen, V. Z., Shoham, A., & Taras, V. (2024). Speaking of diversity: Can linguistic structural differences explain cultural values toward equity, diversity, and inclusion across the globe?. Journal of World Business, 59(1), 101501.
Tain, L. (2018). Portfolio Presentation for Fashion Designers. In Portfolio Presentation for Fashion Designers. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781501322990
Tan, H., & Xiong, B. (2021a). Translation and social media: in theory, in training and in professional practice. In Studia Neophilologica (Vol. 93, Issue 1, pp. 120–123). https://doi.org/10.1080/00393274.2020.1805356
Xu, S. Y. (2023). Choice of words, expressions of mind: Understanding the marginality of translation in Singapore’s public services. Translation Studies, 16(1), 64-83.
Yesheng, T. (2024). Translating Chinese Fiction: Multiple Voices and Cognitive Translatology. Taylor & Francis.
