Translation of Song Lyrics as Structure-related Expressive Device

The paper explores the role of translation as a resource of meaning-making in popular songs. The study material includes three songs presented at the TV show “The Voice Russia”. Although the audience of the show is predominantly Russian, contestants choose to perform these songs in two or more different languages. We argue that in all these cases translation is akin to code switching: it increases the expressiveness of the song by creating various additional meanings (both verbal and musical). The alternation of the original and translated lyrics is usually linked to the general structure of the songs.