https://ijmri.de/index.php/jmsi
volume 4, issue 3, 2025
489
INTERRELATION OF TRANSLATION AND CULTURE
Safarova Odinakhon
Toshkent State Pedagogical University named after Nizamiy - BA student
email:
odinakhonsafarova@icloud.com
Annotation:
This article aims to inform readers about culture and translation, and together with
this this article will be informative for the people who are really interested in culture
Key words:
Culture, translation, source language, target language.
Introduction:
Translation is not just a process in which a translator changes the words from
source language to target language - it is a bridge between cultures. Each language reflects its
language, traditions, customs, worldview and behaviour of a speaker. It is true that we can assess
a country with the help of its national language. But we also have a culture of every country
which is typical only for this country, and they would be somehow difficult when it comes to
translating from one language to another. This article explores the dynamic relationship between
culture and translation, paying attention how they influence each other.
Language as a cultural carrier.
Language is deeply embedded in culture. “Every society has its own set of habits, value
judgements and classification systems which sometimes are quite different and sometimes
overlap. Modern literature on translation draws heavily on the important role of cultural gap
between SL and TL communities” says Monireh Akbar in his article. In each country has
different greetings, metaphors, idioms, humour in different styles. For example, english idiom
“kick the bucket” mean “to die”. But it comes to translating it to other language, the translator
should have felt the source language culture not to confuse the culture of country which is being
translated.
Cultural Barriers in Translation.
One of the main challenges translator would come across - Lakuna words - the words which are
unique to only one country. They would be:
-
Untranslatable words
- some terms have no direct equivalent in other language, for example -
Japanese word - “wabi sabi” or Uzbek word “piyola” (piyola - is a dish to drink especially tea,
compared to cup, it is smaller and it is round shaped.) “The definition of the word is one of the
favourite puzzles of linguistics. As pointed out in Lodge
et al
. (1997: 33), it is difficult to frame a
rigorous definition of a word in phonetic terms, for example as a self-contained sequence of
sounds, since in connected speech, word-boundaries are not apparent: the stream of speech is
continuous.” says Nigel Armstrong.
-
Taboos and Sensitives
- Topics that are acceptable in only one culture may be offensive in
another.
-
Religious and social norms:
these often shape how ideas are expressed and received.
https://ijmri.de/index.php/jmsi
volume 4, issue 3, 2025
490
The
role
of
the
translator
as
a
cultural
mediator
Translator acts as a cultural ambassador. They must decide whether to localize a text
(domesticate it) or preserve its foreign elements (foreignize it). For instance, in translating
literature or films, a translator may choose to keep cultural references intact to preserve
authenticity, or adapt them to make the text more relatable to the target audience.
4. Examples from Literature and Media
● In literature, cultural context is crucial. A novel by Gabriel García Márquez, for example,
reflects Latin American culture and history. A successful translation must capture this
background.
● In media, subtitles and dubbing require adapting humor, wordplay, or idioms to fit the cultural
expectations of the audience.
5.
Translation
as
a
Tool
for
Cultural
Understanding
Translation opens the door to global communication. It allows us to read foreign literature,
understand different perspectives, and learn from other societies. Through translation, cultures
can connect, interact, and evolve together.
As a conclusion we can say, the translator is not a person who just finds how words are
pronounced or written in another language, it is a person who carries the culture of the whole
nation. That is why when we are translating work related to the culture, we should be more
careful. By respecting cultural context, translator can help the bridge gaps between two
languages and contribute global understanding.
The list of used literature:
1. Nigel Armstrong - Translation Linguistics, Culture: A French-English handbook - 2005 - 219p
2. The role of culture in translation - Monireh Akbari - 2013 - 17p
3. Leppihalme, R. (1997).
Culture bumps
.Clevedon: Multilingual Matters
4.
http://www.multilingual-matters.com
