Loss Of Meaning In Translated Sound Bites In Subtitling For Tv Features From Kiswahili To English In Kenyan Media

Abstract

Long form TV features are special segments that may be aired weekly or monthly in media houses in Kenya. There are journalists who have over the years specialized in producing the TV features. A number of them translate their Kiswahili sound bites to English before subtitling. This dissertation had three objectives that guided the research. They are: to find out if there are errors in the translated subtitles of sound bites in long form TV features at NTV, KTN & Citizen TV, to find out the challenges bilingual journalists encounter when they are translating sound bites for Kiswahili to English for long form TV features at NTV, KTN and Citizen TV and to explore strategies of appropriate translation and subtitling of sound bites for TV features at NTV, KTN and Citizen TV. From these objectives, three research questions were derived. The questions were tested through a questionnaire where ten journalists who specialize in producing TV features at NTV, KTN and Citizen TV were interviewed. Apart from questionnaires, the researcher also sampled a few long form TV features from the three TV stations that had translated sound bites and subtitles. The findings were presented and analyzed using the Skopos Theory of translation. Through the analysis, the research questions are answered and the objectives fulfilled. Some of the findings that stood out from the findings was that errors that were conspicuous in the translated subtitles happened when journalists omitted some words from the source language to try fit in in the subtitles which at times led to loss meaning, some of the results of analysis from the data collected was a number of journalists mentioned that translating and subtitling was tiresome therefore the research recommends that newsrooms could look into the possibility of having a special desk whose mandate would be to assist journalists in translation and subtitling of sound bites in their long form TV features. The findings of the study will greatly benefit journalists who specialize in producing long form TV features to improve their work by understanding what is required when translating and subtitling of sound bites