Colin King

Allison Bocchino

Writing 2

15 May 2024

Golf Article Genre Translation

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is an action-packed science fiction novel that was

eventually adapted into a movie, starring celebrities such as Jennifer Lawrence and Josh

Hutcherson. Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegorical novel based on the brutal Russian

Revolution of 1917 and the reign of Joseph Stalin. At a glance, these examples may not appear to

have anything in common, however they are both examples of genre translations. There are

several reasons why one may choose to interpret a form of literature into an alternate medium.

One instance is the ability to add new genre conventions that were impossible before, such as the

high-speed motion and sound design present in The Hunger Games movie. Another is increasing

the scope of the intended audience, such as the easy-to-comprehend allegory present in Animal

Farm. In the case of a peer-reviewed academic article, oftentimes aspects such as diction or

structure make them only accessible to niche audiences as well as increase the difficulty in

understanding them. Because of this, several benefits arise from translating the material into a

non-academic genre, such as a billboard advertisement. Translating an article explaining how

golf can positively impact physical health into a billboard advertisement displays the main ideas

present in the article while also creating additional benefits, such as expanding the range of the

intended audience, adding nuanced conventions, as well as condensing any excessive material, in

order to formulate an effective, non-academic alternative.

 One way a billboard advertisement effectively translates the initial article is by expanding

the scope of the available audience for the article. The primary method in which the

advertisement achieves this is by eliminating the complicated medical jargon present throughout

the article, as doing so contributes to the easily comprehensible nature of a common billboard

advertisement. For example, the authors of the initial source note, “Two studies observed

reductions in [systolic blood pressure] and [diastolic blood pressure], which represent beneficial

changes since high blood pressure is a modifiable risk factor for [cardiovascular disease].”1 This

complicated example could be simplified by stating that golf can lower the risk of high blood

pressure in individuals, as present in the billboard advertisement. By eliminating certain jargon

such as systolic and diastolic blood pressure, the advertisement accommodates those outside the

medical scene, effectively increasing the scope of understanding regarding the article’s intended

claim.This is made clear by the advertisement’s initial question of if one is “Having doubts about

[their] physical fitness,” as the intended audience are those looking for a remedy for their

possible health concerns, which encompasses the article’s intended audience. This adds strength

to the advertisement, as it eliminates the concern of forgetting to address an intended audience.

This topic is outlined effectively in Sandra Giles’ manuscript regarding reflective writing. She

states, “When she says she wants the readers to be all college students, she has identified her

target audience, which is good.”2 In this example, Giles clearly demonstrates that recognizing a

material’s desired audience is essential for strengthening one’s claims. This displays how the

translation into an advertisement allows for a larger intended audience without straying from the

audience and ideas presented in the initial article.

1
Sorbie, Graeme G., Beaumont, Alexander J., et al. “Golf and Physical Health: A Systematic Review,”
Sports Medicine (Auckland), 2022-12, Vol.52 (12), p. 2958.
2
Giles, Sandra L., “Reflective Writing and the Revision Process: What Were You Thinking?” Writing
Spaces: Readings on Writing, Parlor Press, 2010, Vol. 1, p. 196.
 Another way the advertisement succeeds at altering the presentation of the article’s main

claim is by including alternate conventions that are unable to occur in the academic article. One

example of this is the use of imaging, as seen by the large image of a golfer swinging his club in

the bottom right corner of the advertisement. This addition intrigues the audience by establishing

a clear focal point, which is a common convention present in billboard advertisements. Focal

points allow a billboard to be seen, as large images such as delicious food or famous celebrities

draw more viewers in. Another convention present in the billboard advertisement that contributes

to the simplicity is the scarcity of word use combined with a large, legible font. This is due to the

fact that these advertisements are often seen by people driving at an advanced speed, meaning

the drivers do not have much time to process the information on billboards. The large font and

sporadic use of language remedies this by allowing the audience to quickly digest the ideas that

the billboard is attempting to display, even at a glance. These conventions are important for the

billboard advertisement, however they diverge quite a bit from the initial article. A convention

present in both but simplified in the advertisement is the posing of the initial question. It is clear

that the article is tackling the question of whether or not Golf improves aspects of one’s physical

health, such as muscular or bone strength. This is outlined clearly in the article’s initial statement

of objective, as the article’s goal is “To establish the influence of golf participation and physical

health in golfers and caddies. More specifically, the review intended to explore the domains of

cardiovascular, metabolic and musculoskeletal health, in addition to body composition.”3 This is

present in the billboard advertisement, however it now serves as the hook meant to catch

people’s eye. Rather than utilizing the research question as a lengthy summary, as the article

does, the billboard directly asks the audience if they are having physical health problems and

follows this up by suggesting that they play Golf in an attempt to cure these physical ailments.
3
Sorbie, Graeme G., et al., “Golf and Physical Health, a Systematic Review,” p. 2943.
This example not only singles out the intended audience, as shown in paragraph one, but also

lines up with a common algorithm present in billboards, by presenting a potential problem and

quickly devising a solution. The conventions present in the advertisement actively demonstrate

how the genre translation is able to reinterpret the article material, while ultimately creating

additional benefits through the use of nuanced genre conventions.

The main concern that arises from satisfying the conventions of the billboard genre is

making sure that it does not diverge too far from the initial source material. It is clear that more

attention to detail is placed upon following the non-academic genre conventions as opposed to

precisely lining things up with the article. Although immense value is placed on the concise

information when translating the genre, keeping in compliance with the conventions takes

precedence in order to confirm the new genre’s identity. This idea is highlighted as Janet Boyd

discusses how the components of each detective report are similar. She claims, “Did you notice

all of the things that these reports do similarly? Mere coincidence? I think not. They obey the

conventions of the genre…. All of these opening sentences note some kind of phone call that

gets them to the scene of the crime, all of them establish more specifically the location, all of

them note precise times (which could be of significance), all of them are in first person, and two

of our detectives work with partners.”4 As demonstrated by this example, pieces of media must

comply with certain conventions in order to properly identify with the intended genre. The use of

imaging, an initial question that serves as the hook, and brief details that support what is being

advertised allow the billboard advertisement to effectively comply with the standard

conventions, confirming the identity of the translation.

4
Boyd, Janet, “Murder! (Rhetorically Speaking),” Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing, Parlor Press,
2011, Vol. 2, p. 90
 Reflecting back on my genre translation not only allows me to identify ways in which the

translation effectively simplified the initial article, but also displays areas that could use some

work. Although it can be noted that the advertisement was able to convey the same primary idea

as the article, it falls short with the possible oversimplification of evidence presented in the

article. It is possible that some generalizations were made, as what often occurs when attempting

to simplify experimental evidence and display it as an advertisement to the public. However,

through the elimination of excessive medical jargon present in the article as well as compliance

with the genre conventions of a billboard advertisement, this genre translation was able to

effectively summarize the details present in the initial article while also making the information

available to non-academic audiences.