Title: Alternance codique swahili-Française dans les médias congolais : états de lieux et l'analyse des enjeux pour les traducteurs et interprètes
Authors: Japhael Mgoma Jambo
Volume: 9
Issue: 8
Pages: 152-168
Publication Date: 2025/08/28
Abstract:
Code-switching, the alternating use of Kiswahili and French in Congolese media, reflects the linguistic and sociocultural complexity in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This phenomenon, particularly common in media discourse such as street interviews, vox pops and reports, poses significant challenges for translators and interpreters. They struggle with balancing fidelity to the original message with cultural adaptation to meet the expectations of a predominantly bilingual audience. This study explores the linguistic, cultural, and technical implications of this practice for translation and interpretation. Adopting a multidimensional theoretical framework based on linguistic, translation studies, and sociocultural approaches, it examines how translators manage the cultural and linguistic nuances conveyed through code-switching. A descriptive methodology was used to collect and analyse data from 41 media professionals in the DRC. The results reveal that while code-switching enriches media content, it requires specialised strategies, heightened cultural sensitivity, and appropriate tools such as bilingual glossaries and enhanced technologies. In conclusion, the study emphasises the importance of training translators to address these challenges and developing specific resources to improve the quality of translations in a code-switching context, while promoting the linguistic and cultural diversity of the DRC.