METHODS OF ADAPTATION OF ADVERTISING SLOGANS OF INTERNATIONAL BRANDS: LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS IN THECONTEXT OF UKRAINE AND POLAND

Abstract

The article examines the strategies of translating advertising slogans of international brands into Ukrainian and Polish, focusing on the methods of direct translation, adaptation, and revision. Advertising discourse is shown to be highly demanding for translators because it combines semantic, stylistic, and cultural aspects and must meet the expectations of specific target audiences. The study analyzes a range of slogans from globally recognized brands such as Nestlé, Red Bull, Bounty, LION cereals, and M&M’s. The comparison demonstrates how translation methods influence both the meaning and the persuasive impact of the slogans. Direct translation, while sometimes adequate, often fails to fully convey stylistic or cultural nuances. For example, the Polish version of the Bounty slogan “smak raju” is a literal rendering of the English “The Taste of Paradise”, whereas the Ukrainian adaptation «Bounty – райська насолода» shifts the focus from physical taste to emotional pleasure. Similarly, the Ukrainian Nestle slogan «Якість продуктів, якість життя!» emphasizes reliability and authority through the noun quality, while the Polish version “Jedz smacznie, żyj zdrowo” introduces imperatives, appealing to consumer action and everyday values. The method of revision illustrates more radical transformations. The English M&M’s slogan “Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands” stresses taste, texture, and cleanliness, but the Ukrainian «Відпадні шоколадні!» employs slang and added epithets, thus targeting a younger audience and creating a playful brand image. By contrast, the Polish version stays closer to the original, showing the use of adaptation. The findings confirm that translation strategies depend not only on linguistic differences between English, Ukrainian, and Polish, but also on cultural traditions and marketing objectives. Adaptation and revision ensure functional equivalence and preserve the persuasive and emotional force of advertising messages in the target contex for further research in the field of intercultural communication and localization of advertising content.