M. Tech. Language Practice / The activity of translation has a long-standing tradition and has been widely practiced throughout history, but in the rapidly changing world, its role has become of paramount importance. Advertising, as the engine of commerce, plays a critical role in the success of a company in this increasingly commercialized society. He further points out that in the age of global economy, effective translations can be crucial when businesses are targeting a foreign market. The purpose of the study was to explore the effect translation has on the "persuasiveness" of an advertisement, or what is left thereof, after it has been translated from the source language into the target language - in this case from English to Sepedi. Specifically, the study sought to identify a workable approach within which a translator can maximally operate in translating persuasive advertisements from English to Sepedi.