Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika –
Зарубежная лингвистика и
лингводидактика – Foreign
Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Journal home page:
https://inscience.uz/index.php/foreign-linguistics
Problems of translation of stative verbs in English and
Uzbek Languages
Shirina TASHPULATOVA
1
National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek
ARTICLE INFO
ABSTRACT
Article history:
Received October 2024
Received in revised form
10 November 2024
Accepted 25 November 2024
Available online
25 December 2024
This article gives information about mental verbs and their
role in the literature. Different variants of mental stative verbs
such as “hadiksiramoq”, “qadrlamoq”, “magrurlanmoq”,
“qanoatsizlanmoq” and “toqatsizlanmoq” are considered in the
Uzbek language. Verbs such as “struggle”, “contemplate”,
“conceive”, and “despise” in English have also been analyzed by
considering that their semantics can be expressed in Uzbek
through different verbs.
2181-3701/© 2024 in Science LLC.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47689/2181-3701-vol2-iss6
This is an open-access article under the Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) license (
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ru
Keywords:
mental verbs,
stative verbs,
literary translation,
linguistic phenomena,
lexical unit,
lexical-semantic unit,
Oriental literature,
polysemy,
informal alternative,
plot-oriented.
Инглиз ва ўзбек тилларида руҳий ҳолат феълларининг
таржимасидаги муаммолар
АННОТАЦИЯ
Калит сўзлар:
руҳий ҳолат феъллари,
ҳолат феъллари,
бадиий таржима,
тил ҳодисалари,
лексик-семантик бирлик,
Шарқ адабиёти,
полисемия,
норасмий муқобил,
сюжетли.
Ушбу мақолада руҳий ҳолат феъллари ва унинг
адабиётда тутган ўрни ва роли ҳақида маълумотлар бериб
ўтилган. Ўзбек тилида “ҳадиксирамоқ”, “қадрламоқ”,
“мағрурланмоқ”, “қаноатсизланмоқ” ва “тоқатсизланмоқ”
каби
руҳий
ҳолат
феълларининг
бир-бирига
номутаносиблик вариантлари кўриб чиқилган. Шунингдек,
инглиз тилидаги “struggle”, “contemplate”, “conceive”,
“despise” каби феъллар ҳам семалари ўзбек тилида турли
феъллар воситасида англатилиши мумкинлиги кўриб
чиқиб таҳлил қилинган.
1
PhD, Senior Teacher, National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek. Uzbekistan, Tashkent.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 6 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
92
Проблемы перевода глаголов состояния в английском
и узбекском языках
АННОТАЦИЯ
Ключевые слова:
глаголы душевного
состояния,
глаголы состояния,
художественный перевод,
языковые явления,
лексико-семантическая
единица,
восточная литература,
полисемия,
неформальный
эквивалент,
сюжетный.
В данной статье приведены сведения о глаголах,
выражающих психическое состояние, их месте и роли в
литературе. В узбекском языке рассмотрены варианты
несоответствия друг другу таких глаголов психического
состояния, как "опасаться," "ценить," "гордиться," "быть
недовольным" и "проявлять нетерпение." Также были
проанализированы семантические особенности глаголов
"struggle," "contemplate," "conceive," "despise" в английском
языке, которые могут быть выражены с помощью
различных глаголов в узбекском языке.
As with the structural, lexical and other characteristics of languages, it is natural that
different nations and peoples should differ in their way of life, thinking, worldview and
values. However, as a social being, man acknowledges his belonging to a group, his
difference from others, and the fundamental condition of existence: organic
communication with those around him. Consequently, the ability to comprehend the lives,
cultures, and religious perspectives of other groups has always been of paramount
importance.The translation of literary texts represents a unique form of both science and
art, emerging as a consequence of the individual's endeavour to broaden his or her
understanding of the world. In contrast to journalistic, oral, or scientific translation, the
translation of literary texts demands a high level of expertise and creativity from the
translator. Indeed, as argued by Smith (2017), "the translator of a literary text does not
depict the original in another language like photography but recreates it. A translator is
not only required to know a foreign language, his creative ability, and potential must also
be sufficient to recreate the author’s work in translation”. However, no matter how free
the process is, literary translation also puts a certain task in front of the specialist and
therefore limits it. In particular, the text of the translation must be suitable to the original
text, there should be mentioned the style and thoughts of the writer. The process of artistic
translation is further complicated by the fact that each national language describes the
world differently, that is, the linguistic image of the world differs between languages. After
all, the national linguistic image of the world reflects not only the way of life, and past and
cultural identity of the nation but also reflects the national mentality, psyche, and
temperament. In general, it is possible to think long and hard that the linguistic image of
the world, the mentality of nations, is manifested through the means of language, but all
mentioned opinions are general and the essence remains abstract. Perfect evidence of such
differences can be made through literary translation.
One of the most important tasks of specialists is to translate works in English
directly into Uzbek, as well as to translate masterpieces of Uzbek literature into English.
Literary and linguists are responsible for the theoretical justification of problems in the
translation process and recommendations for overcoming these problems. Improving the
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 6 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
93
works of translation, and raising their artistic and methodological level requires a
comparative study of linguistic phenomena as a field. Because the study of linguistic
phenomena as a field allows us to generalize the means at each level, it also helps to determine
the characteristics of a particular element at different levels. Understanding the parallels and
asymmetries in the linguistic and semantic parameters of the same field tools in different
languages should serve to perfect the translation of these tools.
It is natural for lexical-semantic fields to be parallel in different constructed languages,
but mental state verbs are an exception. Like other types of verbs, this group has the same
classification in both Uzbek and English, which means that alternatives can be used in the
mutual translation of these means. At a glance, this hypothesis eliminates the possibility of all
the problems that can occur in translation. Nevertheless, several problematic situations
appear in the common translation of mental state verbs. To confirm these problems, first of
all, it is necessary to address the issue of works of art that are created in both languages and
the general differences between them. Speaking about English literature, experts describe this
phenomenon as follows: in the English mentality, any kind of beauty has to have its function
and the view is formed that the aesthetic value of art is significant to its practical benefits.
Therefore, the work of art should have an educational value that includes the realities of life
and didactic philosophy. Of course, like any product of creative thinking, a work of art has an
individual character. However, aside from the methodological and narrative peculiarities, the
predominance of plot over the image in English literature, in which the writer “catches” the
reader’s attention mainly through the sequence of events should be admitted that it is a
general aspect peculiar to English literature. When the plot is in the foreground and the image
has faded into the background, usually, the expressiveness and emotionality of the play will
be weak. Hence, it is only natural that the means chosen by the writer for the statement should
in most cases be neutral according to the semantic expression.
The nature of Eastern literature is unique. Eastern literature is not inspired by Greek
mythology, which has a clear plot like that of the West. The philosophical meaning of the play
is expressed through the plot. Oriental literature, including Uzbek classical literature, was
formed based on Islamic philosophy. In the works, the inner truths are pointed out through
the image of the external world. The traditions of classical literature which is formed over the
centuries are also reflected in modern works of art. Modern Uzbek literature addresses a
variety of social issues. Although it does not cover the subject of religious studies in classical
literature, there is a didactic spirit in these works as well. Although the situation, the person,
and the image of the view do not express more divine inner meaning, it serves to express the
writer’s mood, his attitude towards the event, the character, and the behavior of the characters
. Thus, in both modern and classical Uzbek literature, along with the plot, the expressiveness
of the means is of great importance. In works, word choice is made not only according to the
meaning of the noun but also according to its contextual function. It is known that the lexical-
semantic paradigm of the Uzbek language is distinguished by the polysemy of nouns, their
meaning, and expression. Therefore, the fact that the stative verbs, which have the same
meaning in English and Uzbek, are parallel in semantic composition. For example, the
following mood verbs in Uzbek have their alternatives in English, although the semantic
structure of these means may be disproportionate to each other.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 6 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
94
DICTIONARY UNIT
NAMING
EXPRESSION
ҲАДИКСИРАМОҚ
ҳадик олмоқ; хавфсирамоқ,
чўчимоқ, қўрқмоқ
иккиланмоқ,
шубҳаланмоқ;
узлуклилик, ноаниқлик,
салбий бўёқдорлик,
тафаккур ҳолати
ҚАДРЛАМОҚ
Обрў-эътиборига, қадр-
қимматига яраша иззат-
ҳурмат кўрсатмоқ, қадр
қилмоқ; Аҳамиятига,
қимматига яраша эътибор
бермоқ, шунга яраша
муносабатда бўлмоқ.
меҳр бермоқ, афзал
кўрмоқ
давомийлик, узлуклилик,
ижобий бўёқдорлик,
ҳиссий ҳолат
МАҒРУРЛАНМОҚ
мағрурлик, ғурур ҳиссини
туймоқ, ғурурланмоқ;
ўринсиз (асоссиз) ёки ортиқ
даражада ғурурга
берилмоқ, кеккаймоқ,
гердаймоқ
Фаҳр туйғусини ҳис
қилмоқ, давомийлик
тарз маъноси, ижобий
ёки салбий ифода
маъноси контекстдан
англашилади, ҳиссий
ҳолат
ҚАНОАТЛАНМОҚ
озига, борига қаноат
қилмоқ, бори билан
кифояланмоқ, қониқмоқ;
қаноат ҳосил қилмоқ,
мамнун бўлмоқ, қониқмоқ
тугалланганлик,
тўлиқлик тарз маъноси,
ижобий ифода семаси,
ҳиссий ҳолат
ТОҚАТСИЗЛАНМОҚ
тоқати тугаб, чидай олмай
сабрсизланмоқ
Давомий кутиш
натижаси, нотўлиқлик
тарз маъноси, салбий
ифода семаси, ҳиссий
ҳолат
In the above examples, the narrowing point of the asymmetry is on the English side,
to be more concrete, mood verbs in Uzbek differ from their English equivalents of
semantics. The fact that the meaning of each noun or phrase in these words is expressed
in English by a separate verb, requires the selection of a different translation unit in a
different context.
Such asymmetry can also be reversed. In other words, the meaning of different
terms in different contexts of mental stative verbs in English may have a broader semantic
expression than their Uzbek equivalents. In this case, a mental mood verb in English has
several alternatives in Uzbek. Choosing a suitable translation unit according to the general
content of the text requires perfect knowledge of the lexical level of both languages and
skill from the translator, for example, in English, these mood verbs are required to have
several meanings of expressions, while in Uzbek each of these semantics is required to be
translated by a separate lexical unit. The semantics of a mood verb in English can be
expressed in Uzbek using different verbs.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 6 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
95
DICTIONARY UNIT
NAMING
EXPRESSION
STRUGGLE
to experience difficulty and make
a very great effort to do
something; to move somewhere
with great effort; to be in danger
of failing or being defeated
continuous and uncompleted
manner, positive stylistic
meaning, emotional state
CONTEMPLATE
to spend time considering a
possible future action, or to
consider one particular thing for a
long time in a serious and quiet
way
meaning of expectation,
planning, continuous and
uncompleted manner,
neutral stylistic meaning,
mental state
CONCEIVE
to imagine something; to invent a
plan or an idea
meaning of awaiting,
continuous and uncompleted
manner, neutral stylistic
meaning, mental state
DESPISE
to feel a strong dislike for someone
or something because you think
that that person or thing is bad or
has no value
continuous and uncompleted
manner, negative stylistic
meaning, emotional state
It is understood that the imbalance of semantic content between mood verbs in the
two languages is one of the features that complicate the translation of these elements in
the literary text. Semantic asymmetry, the state of mind in a language, the number of
polysemy, or the number of semantics is found in both English and Uzbek languages. In
this case, asymmetry is caused by polysemy in the sense of naming and expression.
As we know, there are several types of translation. Depending on the type of text,
the translator chooses one of the character styles, content translation, or communicative
approaches. Applying a philological (character balance) approach in literary translation
does not always give a positive result. For this reason, in the translation of a literary text,
it is useful to move from content to form. The type of translation from sign to meaning is a
philological method, which is described in translation as follows “the philological or
scientific translation must reflect all the peculiarities of the originality, expressing both its
semantic and formal features. Because such a proportion allows students to get
acquainted with a translation that is as close as possible to the original text. The translation
must be as accurate as in the original, as well as all the nodes, internal and external
meanings in the text must be preserved. Such a translation is intended for the attentive
and knowledgeable reader. It may contain misunderstandings in the text, such as
ambiguous speech, appendices about the alternative meanings of a translation unit, and
comments” . If the main emphasis in translating a text is on its content, the translation can
be called linguistic. Linguistic translation or special translation is a method of information-
communicative translation of a text; such translation is mainly specialized in one direction,
intended for the translation of texts where many terms are encountered . The usage of the
communicative method in translation is also suitable for the translation of works of art, as
this method involves adapting the form to the language being translated while retaining
the general content of the text. That is, the reader does not feel difficulty in getting
acquainted with the content of the work due to the specific structure of the original
language.
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 6 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
96
It should be noted that the verb is the base point for the translator when performing
the cut function in the sentence. Because the rest of the parts of speech are the same and
serve to define the abbreviation, indicating the relationship between them. Therefore, the
translator cannot ignore the verb in the abbreviation function as a result of inexperience
or inability to correctly identify translation units. It is understood that in both philological
and linguistic translation when mood verbs act as abbreviations in speech, this means also
has an alternative in the translated text. However, if the mood verbs are in the sentence in
the abbreviation function, the translation error can occur in two places. In the first case,
the mental state verb has two polysemy, that is a verb with the same meaning also means
different expressive semantics. In this case, the translator may not be able to choose an
alternative translation unit of the mood verbs which is capable of expressing all the semes.
In the second case, the defect in the translation is caused by polysemy in the noun sense of
the verb. The verb can have a completely different meaning in different contexts, especially
in the context of metaphor. The translator, on the other hand, tries to find to translate this
translation unit according to the meaning of the basic noun in the dictionary. As a result,
there is a dissonance between the original and the translated text, which undermines the
communicative properties of the translated text.
In addition, there may be another defect in the translation of mood verbs, and this
weakness is mainly seen in texts translated from Uzbek into English. It should be noted
that the richness of Uzbek literature in the visual elements differs from the relatively
pragmatic Western literature with its high expressive, and emotional features. This means
that, as is often the case in Uzbek literary texts, mood verbs can be used collectively according
to their level of meaning. In such a case, the translator may not understand all the cohesive
translation units in the text, to be more concrete the subtle difference between the meanings
of the nouns and expressions of the mood verbs, and may summarize these cohesive passages
through a single translation unit. Such an abbreviation in the translated text can be observed
not only in the case of mood verbs but also in cases where other means, including several
adjectives, are used in conjunction. Of course, the usage of the generalization method in
literary translation is not forbidden. This method can be used in cases where a tool has no
alternative in another language, except for cohesive parts. Between the pieces, the owners of
the alternative can be translated and those that do not have their variants can be left out.
However, in some cases, all the passages are generalized and translated into a single word.
This error means that the text of the translation does not fully reflect the style of the writer,
the psyche of the work, and the character or mood of the heroes. In the texts translated from
English into Uzbek, on the other hand, a verb denoting a mental state of origin may be given
in the translated text along with one or more of its functionaries. This, of course, can be done
to give the translator a certain degree of expressiveness and emotion to the pragmatic, plot-
oriented example of Western literature, thereby making the work “more understandable” to
the Uzbek reader. However, such methodological freedom contradicts the requirement of a
volume balance between the original and the translated text.
The majority of lexical units in a language are inherently descriptive. That is to say,
words are grouped according to style, period, and the person to whom they are addressed.
Specifically, words that are exclusive to formal speech are not employed in oral or artistic
contexts, signifying that the components within a lexical-semantic field also exhibit variation
in scope. The abbreviation understood through the verb mood, which forms the semantic and
grammatical core of a sentence, can also vary from informal or artistic speech. This restriction
Xorijiy lingvistika va lingvodidaktika – Зарубежная лингвистика
и лингводидактика – Foreign Linguistics and Linguodidactics
Special Issue – 6 (2024) / ISSN 2181-3701
97
on scope also applies to mental verbs in Uzbek. In the process of translating such verbs, a
potential source of confusion arises in the translation of units corresponding to formal and
informal styles, with the word in the formal style being translated by an informal alternative.
Furthermore, there may be periodic imbalances between translation units in some
cases. In most cases, the translator translates a mental state verb that is used repeatedly in the
text into another word that expresses the same meaning in order to avoid tautology in the
translated text. Consequently, there may be a periodic imbalance between the translation unit
and the original unit.
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2. Desnitskiy A. Modern biblical translation: theory and methodology. M.:
Izdatelstvo PSTGU, 2015. - p. 212-213
3. Kopanev P. Voprosy istorii i teorii xudojestvennogo perevoda. M.: Vysshaya
shkola, 1972. – p. 364
4. Mirvaliev S. Uzbek writers - Tashkent: Science, 1993 - p.157
5. Chukovskiy K. Gumilev N. Printsipy xudojestvennogo perevoda vsemirnaya
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