Corpus-based Technologies in the Translation Study of Tonic Drink Advertisements: An Algorithm of Analysis Procedure

Abstract

The study is aimed at the procedure used for the analysis of English-language advertising texts for tonic drinks and the peculiarities of their reproduction in Ukrainian using a corpus-based approach. For the research material, 500 advertising texts for the same products of the specified group were selected in English and Ukrainian, since the material of any study involving corpus-based technologies should be chronological and thematically homogeneous. The proposed analysis algorithm involves a number of sequential steps. Firstly, to ensure a multi-channel method of collecting material. Secondly, the creation of a research parallel corpus of English-language advertising texts for tonic drinks and their translations into Ukrainian using the InterText Editor program. Third, the annotation of corpus from the perspective of its composition and lexical and semantic structure, i.e., the compositional components of advertising texts, their obligatory and variable structural elements, as well as speech figures of expression and nationally marked vocabulary were identified with the help of special tags. Fourthly, using corpus managers AntConc, Textanz, and MS Excel, determination of general quantitative characteristics of the corpus and subcorpora, compilation of frequency lists of word usage, lemmatization, and calculation of partial-word distribution in the source and target text sets and structural elements of advertising messages. Fifthly, conducting a systematic inventory of the units under study, explaining the peculiarities of their formation and functioning, and characterizing the verbal content of advertising texts. Sixth, an analysis of the morphological, lexical, semantic, and syntactic levels of the language of tonic drink advertisements in the source and translated texts, as well as stylistic devices peculiar to these texts. Seventh, a systematic consideration of the interaction of verbal, visual, and auditory components, since the transition from one system of signs to another is very important when adapting advertising messages created in one cultural environment to another culture.