Analyzing Facebook's Use of Natural Equivalents to Preserve Cultural Integrity and Reduce Meaning Shifts in Expressions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t4299Abstract
This study sought to examine the extent to which Facebook has used natural equivalents to avoid meaning shifts of culture-specific expressions.The main challenge in development and implementation natural language processing technologies by Facebook has been the preservation of cultural integrity and reduction of meaning shifts when translating or interpreting expressions across different languages and cultures. The target population comprised Facebook pages with a significant following and a focus on CSIs posted within the context of conversations on those pages. This studyused purposivesamplingto select a sampleof11 Facebook cites whosecontents were analyzed. This study collected primary data using content analysis method. This study conducted content analysis that involved preparing, organizing and reporting data.The study found that most of theFacebooksourcesrevealedfooditemslike "ugali"and"NyamaChoma"wereoftenreducedtooverlysimplifiedtranslationslike"cornmeal" and "grilled meat," failing to capture their rich cultural significance. With regards of fashion, the study found that majority of the Facebook pages mistranslated the garments such as "kanga" led to a lossoftheirdeepermeanings,contributingtoculturalappropriation.Similarly,architecturalterms also suffered from meaning shifts; more than a half of the sources depicted that terms describing unique Kenyanarchitecturalstyleswerereducedtowordslike"huts,"ignoringtheculturalandhistorical narratives they encapsulate. Thestudyconcludesthatthe meaning shifts of culture-specific expressions related to food, fashion, and architecture in Kenya on Facebook have various negative implications as it leads to misunderstandings that go beyond mere words. The study thus recommends that stickers that contain only the most basic information should be made more useful by scaling them down or making them smaller while figurativelanguage,suchasidioms,shouldbeusedtodescribecomplexideas.
Keywords: Natural Equivalents, Cultural Integrity, Meaning Shifts, Digital Communication, Facebook NLP Strategies
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