Rhetorical Analysis Of Lost In Translation By Lera Boditsky

In “Lost in Translation”, Lera Boroditsky describes the importance of language to large corporate businesses so they know what to expect and they will learn more about it in her studies. The article, “Lost in Translation” was published in The Wall Street Journal to help businesses understand the impact language has on people in all parts of the world. Boroditsky captures her audience by using the nursery rhyme “Humpty Dumpty” which uses the appeal to authority. She talks about her experience and what she did to further her research her personal experience fit well with personal anecdote. The reader will also see that she makes a vivid illustration of the work she did. Her research has helped her realize that language has a big effect on people.

Boroditsky uses personal anecdotes to add an element of personal interest to her article, to make the audience comfortable, and to keep their attention while she discusses the technical points of her research on language. For example, “…My colleague Alice Gaby and I traveled to Australia…” (Boroditsky 438) Their personal experience helps the reader understand when they visited Australia to sell products, stock, etc., they needed to be prepared for a language barrier. When they arrived in Australia, they experimented with people by asking directions to people who were facing different directions to see what happened. “…When asked to do this, English speakers, arrange time from left to right. Hebrew speakers do it from right to left (because Hebrew is written from right to left).” (438) The rhetorical choice that is used is a personal anecdote for the example above. Her experience is important to the article because Boroditsky is able to express how language is crucial for communicating effetely. Therefore, the audience is able to connect with her. She is giving the reader details on her experience. From this anecdote, the audience can see that maybe her research isn’t finished and there are more experiments that need to be conducted to prove her point. This could be her way of saying to the audience, she wants more testing to be done so others can experience

This assisted with her audience to see what she saw. The choice illustration gives a visual of what Boroditsky experienced in Pormpuraaw. “For example, in Pormpuraaw… the indigenous languages don’t use terms like “left” and “right…” (Boroditsky 438) These people don’t use left and right and that is something that we rely on in America. This has a big significance for the audience because the people who read this need to be informed how someone else interprets thing. “Instead, everything is talked about in terms of absolute cardinal directions (north, south, east, west), which means you say things like, “There’s an ant on your southwest leg.” To say hello in Pormpuraaw, one asks “where are you going?” (Boroditsky 438) Everything is direct as in cardinal directions from the example above that we learned. After the audience finishes reading the quote, they will be able to understand why the language is an important matter to Boroditsky. “Languages, of course, are human creations, tools we invent and hone to suit our needs. Simply showing that speakers of different languages think differently doesn't tell us whether it's language that shapes thought or the other way around.” (Boroditsky 440) As a result, Boroditsky impacts the reader by educating them with the importance of how language can be misinterpreted and how language can “shape” the thoughts, feelings, and