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 significantpart 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 andmaintaining neutrality. The absence of trained media translators has not only affected the translationof media news stories from English to Igbo, but has affected radio listenership pattern. This studyemerged from the researcher’s observation that translating for the media is by nature a challengingtask that requires professional skills, high competence and news background knowledge. This paperestablished that some features of the news headlines may require the Newmark’s Communicative orSemantic translation approach, but in practical translation, both cannot be employed separately. Thisstudy provides information about translation and news headlines translation strategies. Finally, theresearch offered some guidelines for effective mass media translation in Nigeria. These guidelinesinclude training of mass media translators and acquainting them with strategies, rules, and structuresused in headlines translation. As a result, this study clarifies the fundamental ideas and useful aspectsrelated to translating radio news headlines. In the end, this study's conclusions can aid in the creationof standards and best practices for translators working in the radio and journalism industries.