INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23
American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 07,2025
Journal:
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DIFFICULTIES IN TRANSLATING UZBEK PHRASES INTO ENGLISH
Meyliyeva Muqaddas Muzaffar kizi
2nd year student of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Karshi State University.
Abstract:
This article examines the main difficulties encountered in translating Uzbek
expressions into English. It highlights that literal translation is often inadequate due to cultural
and linguistic differences. Through examples, the study discusses strategies such as finding
equivalent expressions, paraphrasing, or using explanatory translations to preserve the original
meaning and stylistic impact.
Keywords:
Linguistics, translation, culture, honesty, purpose, grammar, problem, issue,
communication, image, meaning, local, artificial, strategy, approach, phrase, feature.
INTRODUCTION:
Idioms are an integral part of any language, reflecting its culture, traditions, and worldview.
Idioms pose a particular challenge in translation because they often have a meaning that goes
beyond the meaning of individual words. Uzbek, like many other languages, is rich in idioms
that emdiv folk wisdom, humor, and cultural allusions. Translating them into English is no
easy task. The purpose of this article is to identify the main difficulties that translators face
when translating Uzbek idioms and to explore possible strategies for overcoming them.
Theoretical basis: Definition and characteristics of expressions
Idioms are stable expressions whose meaning does not derive directly from the literal meaning
of the words that make them up. They often have a figurative meaning and require knowledge
of the cultural and linguistic context to understand them.
An idiom is an expression in a language that expresses a certain concept or idea, usually a word
combination or a sentence, but giving a new, specific meaning that differs from the meanings of
its constituent parts. Characteristics: An idiom is usually a stable combination, the words in it
change their meanings or acquire a new meaning. Idioms enrich the language, make it
figurative and expressive. Idioms reflect cultural values and national identity.
Examples: "Does not burn in fire, does not sink in water" - this expression means something
very strong, durable. "With his hand on his chest" - this expression expresses honesty, loyalty.
"A donkey's tongue" - this expression means a person with good speaking skills. If we touch on
the problems arising from the translation strategies of expressions, the difference between the
cultures of two peoples can create difficulties for the translator. Some proverbs and expressions
directly refer to the cultural lifestyle of that people. An example of this is the expression "bite
the bullet". The history of this expression dates back to the 19th century, when medicine was
not yet developed. In the days when there was no anesthesia, soldiers were ordered to bite a
bullet in their mouths to endure the pain during surgery. Since that time, this expression has
become popular. To be resilient and patient in Uzbek means.
Every nation's idioms and proverbs have their own function. They have meanings that are
specific to that nation and understandable only to the people of that society, such as humor,
advice, and admonition. Therefore, when translating proverbs and idioms, it is important to pay
attention to preserving these meanings in the original language. For example, "kick the bucket"
when directly translated means "to kick the bucket", which leads to the loss of its original and
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23
American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 07,2025
Journal:
https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai
page 443
ethnic meaning. It can also cause misunderstandings by readers. It would be appropriate to
translate this idiom into Uzbek as "to die", "to die".
Ways to translate proverbs and sayings
Several methods have been proposed as solutions to the above difficulties. The most popular
methods are: 1) literal translation, 2) analogical translation, 3) figurative translation. These
methods are still effectively used by translators. Literal translation: When the words in proverbs
and sayings are translated exactly as they are, this is considered a literal translation. Analogical
translation: Finding an equivalent of a proverb and saying in the target language that
corresponds to the same meaning. Figurative translation: When literal or analog translation is
not possible, translating the meaning of the proverb and saying by describing it. In the
translation of proverbs and sayings, Ye. Nida's theory of formal and dynamic equivalence is
also one of the famous scientific works carried out in this regard. Formal equivalence, like
literal translation, aims to preserve syntactic word choice and idiomatic combinations. And the
originality is mainly based on the structure of the text, the grammatical use of words, and the
translation that best matches the original text. This does not take into account the fact that the
translation is unnatural or awkward in the target language. In contrast, dynamic equivalence
aims to convey the same meaning and content to the target audience. This involves syntactic
and grammatical changes in the structure of proverbs and sayings. According to translation
theorists such as Mona Baker and Peter Newmark, there are several approaches to translating
sayings: - Finding a synonym - Paraphrasing the meaning - Providing a close word-for-word
translation with explanations - If there is no other option, dropping the saying
Main difficulties
1. Cultural Identity: Many Uzbek expressions are closely related to local culture, tradition, and
history. For example, while the expression “to follow blindly” can be directly translated into
English, it is difficult to find an exact equivalent for the expression “a gift from the sky” (an
unexpected gift, a miracle). This is considered a unique Uzbek expression, and it is difficult to
translate it into other languages. In this case, it is appropriate to use another word that conveys
the meaning of the expression.
2. Lack of Equivalence: Some Uzbek expressions have no equivalent in English at all, which
makes their literal translation meaningless or confusing. For example: “a wooden ear” is used in
Uzbek to mean “a boring person who does not understand what is being said, who does not
listen at all.” If we translate it literally into English: "Wooden ear" it sounds completely
meaningless or ridiculous, because there is no such equivalent expression in English. Therefore,
this expression should be given in English with an explanation or another expression, for
example: “Someone who doesn't listen or pay attention at all”.
3. Structural and linguistic differences: Uzbek expressions often use imagery, cultural concepts,
or unique grammatical structures that do not exist in English. As a result, they can sound
strange, artificial, or completely incomprehensible when translated word for word into English.
Uzbek phrase: "He's lost his sight." Meaning: He was very angry, furious.
This expression is figurative and describes a person's eyes widening with anger. Literal
translation into English: «His eyes bulged» or «His eyes went white» - this sounds strange and
wrong, it doesn't convey the original meaning. Correct translation (ekvivalent):
«He was furious.»
«He lost his temper.»
«He went mad with anger.»
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23
American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 07,2025
Journal:
https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai
page 444
Such differences can lead to loss of meaning or misunderstanding during translation, so it is
necessary to translate such expressions with equivalent (meaningfully similar) expressions.
Possible solutions:
Finding synonyms. If possible, translators look for a phrase in English that has the same
meaning. For example, the Uzbek phrase “to follow blindly” is translated into English. “to
follow blindly” can be translated as. The meaning is to do something without thinking about the
outcome of the action, without any certainty about whether it is right or wrong, as if a blind
person were doing it with guesswork and risk. Paraphrasing If there is no equivalent, the
original meaning is preserved by paraphrasing. For example, the expression “As if you were
giving a sheep to the butcher” can be translated as “to send someone into the lion’s den”. The
meaning is to encourage someone to do something, knowing that the outcome of the action will
be negative. In the Muslim world, mutton is eaten, and in this process, the sheep is first given to
the butcher, who slaughters it and brings it to the level of ready meat, and this process seems
scary from the outside, meaning that even if you know that the sheep will die, you still give it to
the butcher. For example, if I encourage my friend to do something, but I know that the end
result will be bad or disappointing, instead of stopping him, I am putting him in the same
situation as the sheep mentioned above.
Annotated translations Sometimes a brief explanation is added to a phrase to ensure that the
meaning is not lost. This also helps to preserve the cultural context of the phrase. For example,
each phrase above is enriched with an explanation in plain language, which ensures that the
article is more understandable and memorable for readers.
Conclusion:
Translating Uzbek expressions into English poses serious challenges due to differences in
culture, worldview, and linguistic structures. Successful translation requires not only linguistic,
but also deep cultural knowledge and creativity. Translators must carefully choose equivalent,
paraphrase, or commentary strategies to best convey the original meaning and artistic value of
the expressions. It is also no coincidence that, given the unique vocabulary of each language,
translating each work into another language requires a special responsibility and a strong
linguistic approach in the translation process.
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