Examining Text Functions as a Guideline in Evaluating the Extent to Which Skopos of the Localized Google Products Was Achieved in the Kiswahili Localization Project

Abstract

This paper intends to analyze the extent to which the Source Text (ST) English skopos was achieved by the localization translatorsin the Target Language (TL). Faced with the fact that English, which is the source language, has a larger lexicon than Kiswahili which is the Target language, there are bound to be several equivalence challenges. Coupled with this is the fact that both languages do not share cultural homogeneity. This paper compares the skopos the ST with that of the TT in order to determine if the localisers achieved the intended purpose (skopos) of the localisation within the given situations. To do this, the researcher relied on secondary data from the localized Google software products. Source text English translation units were compared with target texts Kiswahili texts and analysed interpretively. Functional approach to translation by Reiss and Vermeer (1984), and Nord (1997) are used along with translation methods and strategies proposed by Newmark (1988), to see how different translation methods and strategies used helped to achieve the skopos of the translation. The analyzed data revealed that there were linguistic and cultural challenges encountered by localizers. These challenges were equivalence related but also could be attributed to localization translators' lack of requisite cultural and transfer competences.