That Coke is a Fanta: Translation Acting in the Resignification of Discourses through Localization

Abstract

This study analyzes the translation and localization strategies employed in the Brazilian advertising campaign 'Essa Coca é Fanta, e daí?' (2017) by Coca-Cola®, which reframes a historically pejorative expression into an LGBT+ pride symbol. The central purpose is to comprehend how the translation and localization of this audiovisual piece into English employs discursive, semiotic, and cultural strategies in order to achieve relevance and impact among communities with different symbolic references, specifically examining the potential of advertising translation as an instrument of reframing and visibility for minority groups. The research adopts a qualitative descriptive-interpretive methodology, analyzing the audiovisual corpus through Grammar of Visual Design (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006) and mobilizing Translation Studies concepts such as localization (Esselink, 2000), glocalization (Roland Robertson, 1995), and functionalism (Nord, 1997; Vermeer, 1986). Additionally, it articulates theories of culture and identity (Homi Bhabha, 1994; Stuart Hall, 1997; 2000) and persuasive communication (Cialdini, 2001; Petty & Cacioppo, 1981), incorporating a critical perspective on commodity fetishization (Marx, 1867/2013; Adorno & Horkheimer, 1985). Results demonstrate that translating the Brazilian idiomatic expression for Anglophone contexts required transcreation strategies, replacing it with functional equivalents like ‘He Plays for the Other Team’, maintaining resignification potential through affective localization and multimodal resources. It concludes that advertising translation of identity campaigns constitutes a political-cultural act that negotiates visibility and representativity in the glocal 'in-between space', tensioning authentic empowerment and market appropriation.