Analyzing Facebook's Use of Natural Equivalents to Preserve Cultural Integrity and Reduce Meaning Shifts in Expressions

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 study used purposive sampling to select a sample of 11 Facebook cites whose contents 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 the Facebook sources revealed food items like "ugali" and "Nyama Choma" were often reduced to overly simplified translations like "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 loss of their deeper meanings, contributing to cultural appropriation. Similarly, architectural terms also suffered from meaning shifts; more than a half of the sources depicted that terms describing unique Kenyan architectural styles were reduced to words like "huts," ignoring the cultural and historical narratives they encapsulate. The study concludes that the 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 figurative language, such as idioms, should be used to describe complex ideas.