Now
a days the moment you turn on your TV, you are bound to see commercial
advertisements running all the day. Some are crisp and catchy. Some run for
minutes ,leaving the viewer confused on what they are trying to tell ! The main
reason behind such confusing advertisements is that they are
culturally alien to the vernacular viewers. The concept,the actors,the scene,
the way they speak the language… every thing is alien to the target viewers.I
am taking Tamil Nadu audience as a sample audience for our discussion.But my
observations are applicable to all regional language consumers equally. Imagine
a foreigner appearing with his family members,speaking in their
language(later dubbed into Tamil through a soft-ware) promoting sale of
Kanchipuram saree in Tamil Nadu !.That’s the way the commercial advertisements
aired in TV and print media are now.
In
fact, 95% of Tamil commercial advertisements released in TV and
print media does not reach the target audience as aimed . That means the
message intended is not understood by the viewers, the way its intended to be
understood. Crores of money spent on those advertisements goes down the drains
as its purpose is not achieved. Main reason -the horrible word- to- word
translation done by some American soft- ware perhaps compiled by a Chinese
engineer ! The software does not know Tamil usage, culture or how
Tamil is spoken by the native speakers.’ Translator is a traitor’ so says a
popular Italian saying.Every language has its own charm. Tamil, being an old
classical language, has its own rules of speech, the software can never
understand. Word- to -word translation by software ,renders absurd
meanings. For example,”Ladies and Gentlemen” used in the beginning of a public
speech in English, if translated by soft -ware will be” Pengalum, Ghanavankalum
“(பெண்களும், கனவான்களும் ) in Tamil which is not the way Tamil meetings begin.” Periyorale,
Thaimargale”(பெரியோர்களே ,தாய்மார்களே )( Elders and mothers) is the accepted usage and the software
translation is considered offensive and is bound to trigger a burst of laughter
!.The ‘ Push’ sign on the doors is translated as “ Thallu”(தள்ளு ) which is considered
as very rude .”Thallavum”(தள்ளவும் ) is the right translation. Tamil sentences do not
begin with verbs. For example ‘ Clean India’, is not ‘Thooymaiakku
Indiavai’ but’ Indiavay Thooymaiyakkungal’(இந்தியாவை தூய்மையக்கூவோம் ). So this
reverse translation found in advertisements sounds odd and offensive
to local speakers .Sometimes some advertisements sound quite funny as well.
Discovery Channel has a program entitled’ Man vs Wild’which they have
‘beautifully’ translated into Tamil as’ Man versus Wild ‘(மான் வெர்சுஸ் வைல்ட் )in Tamil letters! SBI
in their Tamil advertisements has translated the slogan’ Banker to the Nation’
as ‘Indian vovvaruvarin Vangi’ The more appropriate translation would be
‘Naatin ore Desiya Vangi’ and that’s how it can be put in Tamil.
Ultimately
the aim of any advertisement agency should be to enter the mind and heart of
the viewer,steal his attention and convey their message stealthily.’Kinley’
water commercial did it and stays in every ones heart .They should not offend
local sensibilities and irritate them. The latest Cadburys advertisement in
Tamil is,probably the worst. ‘Sappidu Meimaranthupoyidu’ sounds so rude, the
target group would decide to stop buying it after watching the
advertisement!.’Sappittuparunga,Mei maranthu poyiduveenga !’is the way a
Tamilian would understand it and like. Moreover, the tone and voice and
rendering of the slogans in these advertisements, clearly reveal the fact that
the speakers do not have native tongues. The advertisement companies may choose
local people for convenience and they may not be aware of this fact
for want of feed back.All commercial advertisements in India seem to
be conceived in English or Hindi ,shot with some locally available cast
and costumes and just dubbed through software into regional languages.So easy
for them,but local audience would definitely prefer a Rajinikanth to someone
unknown, to promote a product !
The
best advertisement that can penetrate regional audience should be culture
specific and with a proper manual translation. Let not the money you spend on
advertisements go down the drains.. Let your message reach your target audience
and reap the results. Be sensitive and considerate towards your target
audience.After all if your advertisement does not reach them ,dear
advertisement agencies ,you are the losers and not them !Remember India has a
whopping 100 crore population speaking regional languages and no marketing agency worth its salt would ignore such a huge market !
If you face any problem in getting the right brains to do your commercial advertisements translation work you can avail our translation services from English to Tamil for a nominal fee.We do this work not for money but for passion for the language .So you can expect the best !
Our Sample Translation may be seen for the kind of commitment we have for the work.E mail your requirements and we will revert to you.e mail a.s.sundar52@gmail.com
