A QUICK LOOK AT STRATEGIES IN THE TRANSLATION OF RADIO NEWS HEADLINES FROM THE IGBO PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Without headlines, a radio news bulletin is not complete, because the news headlines play a significant part in the news. It is the summary of a news story; hence it should be highly crafted and translated. Translation on its own is a complex process as it involves processing the source language texts and maintaining neutrality. The absence of trained media translators has not only affected the translation of media news stories from English to Igbo, but has affected radio listenership pattern. This study emerged from the researcher’s observation that translating for the media is by nature a challenging task that requires professional skills, high competence and news background knowledge. This paper established that some features of the news headlines may require the Newmark’s Communicative or Semantic translation approach, but in practical translation, both cannot be employed separately. This study provides information about translation and news headlines translation strategies. Finally, the research offered some guidelines for effective mass media translation in Nigeria. These guidelines include training of mass media translators and acquainting them with strategies, rules, and structures used in headlines translation. As a result, this study clarifies the fundamental ideas and useful aspects related to translating radio news headlines. In the end, this study's conclusions can aid in the creation of standards and best practices for translators working in the radio and journalism industries.