The Linguist

16 The Linguist Vol/65 No/1 ciol.org.uk/thelinguist FEATURES How transcreators shape English-language advertising to resonate in Arabic markets. By Eyhab Bader Eddin I n marketing, words are carefully crafted to spark emotion and persuasion. A literal translation can strip a slogan of its power, or deliver a strange or negative message. When Kraft attempted to sell its canned sweetcorn in Saudi Arabia under the name 'The Jolly Green Giant', the Arabic came out as ا ﻟ ﻌ ﻤ ﻼ ق ا ﻷ ﺧ ﴬ ا ﳌ ﺨ ﻴ ﻒ ('Intimidating Green Monster') – clearly not the friendly image the brand intended. In China, Pepsi's 'Come alive with the Pepsi generation' took a bizarre turn when the translation reportedly conveyed 'Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead'. In Arabic, a literal translation of the campaign would not be evocative or natural, while a culturally adapted, emotionally charged recreation, such as ﻋ ﺶ ا ﻟ ﺤ ﻴ ﺎ ة ﻣ ﻊ ﺑ ﻴ ﺒ ﴘ ('Live the energy with Pepsi'), would capture the tone far better. Translating English marketing slogans into Arabic requires a blend of linguistic precision, cultural sensitivity and creative adaptation. Arabic readers expect eloquence and cultural resonance; without them, a brand message can fall flat or amuse for the wrong reasons. The stakes are high: a clumsy slogan could confuse customers or, worse, alienate them. For instance, a literal rendering of a techno-gadget slogan like 'Get in the zone' ) ا د ﺧ ﻞ ا ﳌ ﻨ ﻄ ﻘ ﺔ ( would be meaningless without context. A savvy translator might rework it into a phrase about 'immersing yourself in technology' in a way that flows, such as ﺗ ﻨ ﺎ ﻏ ﻢ ﻣ ﻌ ﻨ ﺎ or ﺧ ﺾ ا ﻟ ﺘ ﺠ ﺮ ﺑ ﺔ ﺑ ﺎ ﻧ ﺴ ﺠ ﺎ م (lit. 'Live the experience harmoniously). Arabic has a long poetic tradition and tends to use more words for emphasis, relying heavily on rhythm, connotation and emotional resonance. Arabic-language adverts often balance compelling imagery with poetic copy; a good Arabic slogan often reads like a line of saj' (rhythmic prose). As the globalisation specialist Abduljalil Al- Juboory notes, an advertisement in classical (fus'ha) Arabic can seem more compelling than one in dialect because "the ad itself is elevated by the beauty of the language". 1 For translators this means analysing the brand's core message, tone and target audience then reconstructing it in Arabic using idiomatic expressions, rhetorical devices or culturally familiar imagery. English brevity does not automatically carry over because overly short Arabic text can dilute the message or feel incomplete. In practice, this means marketers usually avoid terse or slangy phrasing, while translators must allow slogans to expand or reshape slightly. These decisions require a feel for Arabic tone and an understanding of local idioms. It is no coincidence that localisation teams in Dubai and Cairo often involve both native Arab creatives and Western marketers, each side helping to ensure the final slogan sounds right. Key strategies Occasionally a literal translation works, such as with Coca-Cola's global 'Open Happiness' campaign, which remains short and poetic in Arabic ﻃ ﺮ ﻳ ﻘ ﻚ ﻟ ﻠ ﺴ ﻌ ﺎ د ة ( .). However, it is much more common for translators to rely on a range of strategies to bridge cultural and linguistic differences. These may include semantic adaptation (changing words to fit cultural norms), emotional equivalence (replicating the impact rather than the literal meaning) and aesthetic localisation (ensuring the text sounds natural, catchy and elegant). Translators may substitute local idioms, tweak syntax and word order, or inject humour appropriate to the target market. Wordplay often has to be reinvented entirely. If an English slogan rhymes or uses alliteration, the Arabic version usually seeks its own stylistic flair, for instance by using a parallel structure or assonance. Register is another choice: most pan-Arab campaigns use Modern Standard Arabic to reach a broad audience. Since colloquial dialects vary by region, standard Arabic is generally seen as the 'safe' and even aspirational choice. Even so, some campaigns do use dialect for local impact. McDonald's took a regional approach with their 'I'm lovin' it' campaign, for example, The art of the sale English brevity does not automatically carry over; translators must allow slogans to expand or reshape

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