Meaning Shifts of Culture-specific Expressions - a Case Study of Facebook

Abstract

This research aimed to find out the effects of the meaning shifts of culture-specific content on Facebook. Therefore, it intended to explore linguistic, cultural and grammatical similarities between English and Kiswahili, as well as the significant mismatches between those respective languages. The study utilized the theory of Principle of Cultural Translation to provide the theoretical relevance. The target population comprised Facebook pages with a significant following and a focus on CSIs posted within the context of conversations on those pages. Specifically, the study aimed to examine CSIs posted on Facebook pages based in Kenya on foods, fashion and cultural architecture where English-Kiswahili translations were assessed for errors. This study used purposive sampling to select a sample of 11 Facebook cites whose contents were analyzed. This study collected primary data using content analysis method. This allowed the researcher to collect data without directly interfering with the subjects or users of the Facebook pages. This study conducted content analysis that involved preparing, organizing and reporting data. The study found that lexical, rhetorical, and grammatical mis-matches contributed to misunderstandings and misrepresentations in a variety of domains, including food, fashion, and cultural architecture. Based on the analysis, 80% of the Facebook sources revealed food items like "ugali" and "Nyama Choma" were often reduced to overly simplified translations like "cornmeal" and "grilled meat," failing to capture their rich cultural significance. With regards of fashion, the study found that 70% of the Facebook pages mistranslated the garments such as "kanga" led to a loss of their deeper meanings, contributing to cultural appropriation. Similarly, architectural terms also suffered from meaning shifts; 55% of the sources depicted that terms describing unique Kenyan architectural styles were reduced to words like "huts," ignoring the cultural and historical narratives they encapsulate. The study also highlighted that these shortcomings could lead to cultural misunderstandings or appropriations. It emphasized the need for a more culturally informed approach to translation, especially for expressions with deeper cultural or social meanings, like the term "Harambee." the study noted the positive impact of user-generated corrections and feedback on improving translation accuracy over time. In addition, emotion and tone can be conveyed with emojis more effectively than with words. The study concludes that the meaning shifts of culture-specific expressions related to food, fashion, and architecture in Kenya on Facebook have various negative implications as it leads to misunderstandings that go beyond mere words. It dilutes the rich cultural meanings and significance that these expressions hold, making it crucial for translation services to consider not just lexical, but also rhetorical and grammatical elements. The study thus recommends that stickers that contain only the most basic information should be made more useful by scaling them down or making them smaller while figurative language, such as idioms, should be used to describe complex ideas. Finally, it’s possible that an action or object in another language doesn’t have a precise equivalent in that language. The study also recommends that there is need for ongoing research and development in the field of machine translation, especially for languages rich in cultural diversity like Swahili. This includes training AI models specifically on Kenyan dialects, idioms, and cultural references to improve translation quality