Semantic and pragmatic distortion in the translation of English advertising slogans into Ukrainian

Inna Kononchuk
Abstract

The study addressed the problem of translation accuracy in the rendering of Englishlanguage advertising slogans into Ukrainian, which remained a challenging task due to their semantic density and stylistic compression. The aim of the study was to identify typical inaccuracies arising in the translation of English advertising slogans into Ukrainian and to determine how translation transformations may affect the conceptual structure and pragmatic impact of the original message. The research employed methods of comparative translation analysis and semantic and pragmatic analysis. The material consisted of English-language slogans used in international advertising communication and their Ukrainian renderings. Particular attention was paid to translation transformations such as omission, modulation, syntactic restructuring, grammatical substitution, differentiation of meaning, and literal translation. The results demonstrated that translation inaccuracies arose when key lexical components or structural features encoding the central concept of the slogan were omitted, replaced, or transformed. Such transformations led to obscuring the core conceptual message, weakening stylistic expressiveness, reducing persuasive force, and blurring the brand identity embedded in the original slogan. The study also showed that the loss of stylistic devices and directive structures diminished the pragmatic effectiveness characteristic of advertising discourse. By systematically correlating particular translation transformations with types of semantic and pragmatic distortion, the research provided a detailed explanation of how translation choices influenced the communicative effectiveness of advertising slogans. Alternative Ukrainian renderings were proposed to illustrate strategies for achieving greater semantic and pragmatic equivalence. The practical significance of the study lies in its applicability to translation practice and international advertising communication

Keywords

advertising discourse; translation transformations; pragmatic equivalence; conceptual distortion; translation inaccuracies

Suggested citation
Kononchuk, I. (2026). Semantic and pragmatic distortion in the translation of English advertising slogans into Ukrainian. International Journal of Philology, 17(1), 67-80. https://doi.org/10.31548/philolog/1.2026.67
References
  1. A case study on Taco Bell’s “Think Outside the Bun” campaign. (n.d.). Retrieved from https:// surl.li/xyacbw.
  2. Adiniu, M.C., & Uchenna, A. (2023). An analysis of the speech acts in advertisement slogans. International Journal for Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(2(1)), 7-13. doi: 10.69792/IJHS.23.2.2.
  3. Advertising slogans: 55 of the world’s most famous brands. (2023). Retrieved from https:// www.proidei.com/55-slogans-0504/.
  4. Alolaywi, Y. (2022). The effects of a translation training program on English as a foreign language trainees’ translation skills. Frontiers in Education, 7, article number 942272. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2022.942272.
  5. Bihunov, D., & Ivashkevych, E. (2021). English language advertising slogans and their Ukrainian translations: Comprehension among Ukrainians. Cognitive Studies / Études Cognitives, 21, article number 2336. doi: 10.11649/cs.2336
  6. Daye, D. (n.d.). The 100 most influential U.S. taglines since 1948. Retrieved from https:// brandingstrategyinsider.com/the-100-most-in/.
  7. Hallmark In Real Life. (2020). When you care enough to send the very best. Retrieved from https://hallmarkinreallife.com/2020/05/06/when-you-care-enough-to-send-the-very-best/.
  8. Han, C. (2020). Translation quality assessment: A critical methodological review. The Translator, 26(3), 257-273. doi: 10.1080/13556509.2020.1834751.
  9. Have It Your Way Slogan. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://surl.li/vcxkzh.
  10. HSBC The World’s Local Bank. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/ hsbc-the-worlds-local-bank/940400.
  11. Kovalenko, A.S, & Gnedkova, O.G. (2024). Methods of translating advertising texts. Scholarly Notes of the V. I. Vernadsky TNU. Series: Philology. Journalism, 35(74(6)), 101-106. doi: 10.32782/2710-4656/2024.6/17.
  12. Kravchenko, N., Valigura, O., Meleshchenko, V., & Chernii, L. (2021). “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication” or half a century of IT consumer identity formation: A pragmatics approach. Token: A Journal of English Linguistics, 13, 141-169. doi: 10.25951/4824.
  13. Kravchenko, N., Zhykharieva, O., & Letunovska, I. (2024). Semiotics of Harley-Davidson advertising through stylistics and pragmatics: The concept of freedom in constructing target consumer identity. Revista Univap, 30(65). doi: 10.18066/revistaunivap.v30i65.4526.
  14. Kurbal-Granovska, O.O. (2024). Transforming concepts: Pragmatic adaptation in the translation of English advertising slogans into Ukrainian. Transcarpathian Philological Studies, 38, 202-206. doi: 10.32782/tps2663-4880/2024.38.37.
  15. Mulyk, K., & Humenniy, K. (2019). On peculiarities of translating English advertising slogans into Ukrainian. Scientific Bulletin of the South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University named after K. D. Ushynsky: Linguistic Sciences, 29, 169-183. doi: 10.24195/2616-5317-2019-29-13.
  16. Munday, J., Ramos Pinto, S., & Blakesley, J. (2022). Introducing translation studies. Theories and applications. London: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780429352461.
  17. Pantea, D.M., Stiegelbauer, L.R., & Balas, R. (2024). Challenges of translating advertising texts. Studii de Ştiinţă şi Cultură, 20(4), 124-135.
  18. Riabovol, S. (2022). Specificity of reproduction of English-language advertising texts in the Ukrainian language. Current Issues in Humanities, 50, 201-207. doi: 10.24919/2308-4863/5031.
  19. Sălcianu, A.G. (2022). Translation blunders/errors/mistakes in advertising – an awareness raising exercise. Journal of Romanian Literary Studies, 30, 556-563.
  20. Shahzad, S., Batool, Z., & Aslam, M. (2024). A speech act analysis of taglines of brands in shaping their cultural identity. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Tesol, 7, article number 42024.
  21. Sheverun, N.V., Nikolska, N.V., & Kositska, O.M. (2022). Linguistic features of English advertisement slogans and methods of their translation into the Ukrainian language. Transcarpathian Philological Studies, 24(2), 138-144. doi: 10.32782/tps2663-4880/2022.24.2.28.
  22. Sichkar, S., Kaminska, M., Bryk, M., Melko, K., Zhurkova, O., & Kharkevych, H. (2023). Training of future translators through advertising slogans translation. Revista Românească pentru Educaţie Multidimensională, 15(2), 418-439. doi: 10.18662/rrem/15.2/742.
  23. The Few, The Proud, The Marines slogan wins. (2007). https://surl.li/kcbdak.
  24. Torresi, I. (2021). Translating promotional and advertising texts. London: Routledge.
  25. Vasylenko, O., Khyzhun, Ya., & Vozniuk, L. (2025). Stylistic devices and pragmatic transformations in translating English advertising slogans into Ukrainian. Scientific Journal of Mykhailo Dragomanov State University of Ukraine, 30(9), 107-116. doi: 10.31392/UDU-nc. series9.2025.30.09.
  26. Vid, N.K., & Kučiš, V. (2021). Lexical and cultural choices in Slovene translations of German and English car slogans. Babel, 67(1), 54-74. doi: 10.1075/babel.00205.kuc.
  27. Villegas, D.A., & Marin, A.M. (2022). Bilingual brand communities? Strategies for targeting Hispanics on social media. Journal of Product & Brand Management, 31(4), 586-605. doi: 10.1108/JPBM-10-2019-2625.