Abstract:
The aim of this research is to find out the type of functional equivalence adopted in the
translation of online advertising from English and into Arabic. This research adopted skopos theory
(Vermeer 1978) which is a functionalist theory that shifts from the linguistic equivalence to the
functional appropriateness of the target text By comparing 40 online English advertisements and
their rendered version into Arabic, the results of this research revealed that skopos theory was
significantly used in both t extual and visual elements (e.g. images) of target advertisements.
Generally, the translator adds, explains , replaces or omits source linguistic or visual elements at
the expense of cultural concepts to achieve a functional equivalence . This resulted in a significant
cultural loss and misrepresentation of the source culture.
