Meaning transformation in multimodal digital media and translation strategies
Abstract
The article explores semantic and pragmatic transformations in digital media translation, identifying the key lingual and extralingual factors shaping meaning construction in technologically mediated communication and outlining effective translation strategies for preserving communicative intent in target-language media discourse. The study argues that digital media discourse, unlike traditional written texts, is multimodal, compressed, immediate, and audience-oriented, which increases meaning variability and strengthens the translator’s mediating role. Particular attention is given to lingual factors operating at the lexical, syntactic, discourse, and pragmatic levels. The article emphasizes the decisive role of extralingual factors in shaping meaning interpretation and translation strategies, often prioritizing communicative efficiency and relevance over formal equivalence. Semantic transformation strategies in digital media translation are analysed with a focus on compression and expansion, realized through omission, concretization, generalization, and explication. Pragmatic transformations are examined in terms of modulation of illocutionary force, pragmatic reframing, recontextualization, and compensation. Special attention is devoted to conveying implicit meaning in translation, which is identified as a core feature of multimodal digital media discourse. The study outlines three main translation strategies for rendering implicit meaning: preservation of implicitness, partial explication, and compensation. The findings confirm that semantic and pragmatic transformations in digital media translation function as adaptive mechanisms rather than distortions of meaning. Translation is conceptualized as a context-sensitive, decision-driven process of mediated meaning construction shaped by platform conventions, audience expectations, and communicative goals.
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