138
LEXICAL AND GRAMMATICAL CHALLENGES IN TRANSLATING THE LORD OF
THE RINGS INTO UZBEK
Sariyeva Dilnoza Ro’ziboy qizi
Termiz Iqtisodiyot va Servis Universiteti
sariyevadilnoza42@gmail.com
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15671746
ABSTRACT
This article examines the main lexical and grammatical difficulties in translating J.R.R.
Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings into Uzbek. It highlights issues such as archaic language,
complex noun phrases, phrasal verbs, and cultural references. The study analyzes translation
strategies used to preserve the meaning, style, and cultural tone of the original text in the
Uzbek language context.
Key Words:
Tolkien, literary translation, lexical challenges, grammatical difficulties,
Uzbek language, phrasal verbs, noun phrases, cultural adaptation, fantasy literature.
UZUKLAR HUKMDORI ROMANINI O’ZBEK TILIGA TARJIMA QILISHDA
LEKSIK VA GRAMMATIK QIYINCHILIKLAR
ANNOTATSIYA
Ushbu maqola J.R.R. Tolkienning Uzuklar hukmdori asarini o‘zbek tiliga tarjima qilishda
uchraydigan asosiy leksik va grammatik qiyinchiliklarni tahlil qiladi. Unda arxaik til,
murakkab ot birikmalari, frazeologik fe’llar va madaniy kontekstlarga oid so‘zlarni tarjima
qilish muammolari ko‘rib chiqiladi. Maqolada asl matn bilan o‘zbekcha tarjimalar taqqoslanib,
ma’no va uslubni saqlash uchun qo‘llanilgan tarjima strategiyalari tahlil qilinadi.
Kalit so‘zlar:
Tolkien, badiiy tarjima, leksik muammolar, grammatik qiyinchiliklar,
o‘zbek tili, frazeologik fe’llar, ot birikmalari, madaniy moslashtirish, fantastik adabiyot.
INTRODUCTION
J.R.R. Tolkien’s
The Lord of the Rings
(LOTR) is renowned for its rich linguistic tapestry
and complex prose style. Translating this epic from English into Uzbek poses significant
challenges due to differences in vocabulary, grammar, and cultural context. Until recently,
Uzbek readers had no full native translation of LOTR. In 2019, Shokir Zokirovich Dolimov
published the first Uzbek translation (the first volume,
Uzuklar Birodarligi
, “The Fellowship of
the Ring”), working from a Russian edition rather than directly from English. This indirect
translation route was chosen partly because English proficiency in Uzbekistan is limited,
making Russian a more practical intermediary.
METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH:
This study employs a comparative textual analysis of the English source text of
The Lord
of the Rings
and its Uzbek translation(s). Because only the first volume has been officially
translated into Uzbek so far, our analysis focuses on
The Fellowship of the Ring
and available
translated excerpts. We examined key passages that exemplify Tolkien’s distinctive use of
language – including dialogues, narrative description, and poetry – and compared them to
their Uzbek renditions by Dolimov. Specific attention was given to lexical items (names,
invented words, archaic vocabulary) and grammatical constructions (word order, pronoun
usage, verb forms) that might pose translation difficulties.
DISCUSSION
139
Translating
The Lord of the Rings
into Uzbek highlights the interplay between lexical
innovation and grammatical adaptation in literary translation. The results above show that
the translator employed a mix of strategies to handle Tolkien’s unique language, guided by
both the structural constraints of Uzbek and the influence of the intermediary Russian
translation. Several key observations emerge:
In general, Dolimov’s translation favors conveying the core meaning (dynamic
equivalence) rather than preserving exact form. This is evident in how complex sentences
were restructured and how playful terms like “eleventy-first” were replaced with
straightforward expressions. This approach aligns with Eugene Nida’s theory that a
translation should evoke the same response in the target audience as the original did in its
audience. For Uzbek readers, clarity and a natural flow were prioritized, even if it meant
sacrificing some of Tolkien’s stylistic idiosyncrasies. The translator’s choices suggest an
awareness that forcing English forms onto Uzbek syntax could result in awkward, opaque text.
Instead, he recalibrated Tolkien’s style into an Uzbek narrative register that is accessible
while still elevated. This demonstrates the delicate balance in literary translation between
fidelity
and
readability
. The fact that Dolimov worked from Russian may have further
encouraged a meaning-based translation; he inherited solutions and interpretations from the
Russian translators (who themselves aimed for clarity), rather than working directly with
Tolkien’s English phrasing.
CONCLUSION
Translating Tolkien’s
The Lord of the Rings
into Uzbek is an ambitious undertaking that
illuminates the deep interplay between two very different languages and literary traditions.
Lexically, the translator faced a panorama of challenges: from handling untranslatable names
and invented terms to finding Uzbek expressions for archaic or poetic diction. Grammatically,
the translation required careful recasting of Tolkien’s complex, archaically-flavored syntax
into the very different structure of Uzbek, all while preserving the narrative’s clarity and tone.
For now, the Uzbek
Lord of the Rings
exemplifies how a skilled translator can bridge not just
languages, but entire worlds.
References:
Используемая литература:
Foydalanilgan adabiyotlar:
1.
Солижонов, Ж. (2024). Crafting the lexicon of magic: analyzing JK Rowling’s neologisms
in translation. Зарубежная лингвистика и лингводидактика, 2(4/S), 34-38.
2.
Kamoljonovich, S. J. R. (2024). AMALIY TARJIMA ELEMENTLARINING ZAMONAVIY
KLASSIFIKATSIYASI.
3.
Madalov, N. E. (2020). Linguopsychological changes in an adult when learning a foreign
language. ISJ Theoretical & Applied Science, 10(90), 417-421.
4.
TolkienTranslations.com:
Uzbek Edition Context. (2021).
Uzuklar Hukmdori
introduction notes. Retrieved from TolkienTranslations.com
(explains use of Russian source and language shift in Uzbekistan).
5.
Honegger, T. (as cited in Wikipedia):
Translating archaism in LOTR. (2011).
Translating The Lord of the Rings
– Challenges to translation
. (Tolkien’s
archaic prose and invented languages complicating translation).
140
6.
Madalov, N. E. (2017). An investigation into the English language writing strategies used
by Uzbek EFL secondary school learners. Евразийский научный журнал, (4), 384-384.
7.
Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954/2019).
Uzuklar hukmdori: Uzuklar birodarligi
(Sh. Z. Dolimov,
Trans.). Tashkent: Ilm-ziyo-zakovat. (Uzbek translation of
The Fellowship of the Ring
by Shokir
Dolimov, based on the 1954 English original. Example excerpt: opening sentence translated to
Uzbek)
