LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL CHALLENGES IN TRANSLATING UZBEK FAIRY TALES INTO ENGLISH
Keywords:
Keywords: Uzbek fairy tales, translation, folklore, English translation, culture- specific items, Zumrad and Qimmat, CinderellaAbstract
Abstract
This article studies the main problems that appear when Uzbek fairy tales are
translated into English. The article focuses on language, culture, and meaning in the
tales. Special attention is given to evaluative words, polite speech, culture-specific
objects, and moral symbols. The main texts used for analysis are "Zumrad and
Qimmat" and "Cinderella." A comparative, descriptive, and close-reading method is
used. Short extracts are examined in order to show what is easy to transfer into English
and what may be lost in translation. The study shows that literal translation is not
enough for folklore texts. In many cases, a balanced strategy is needed. Retention, short
explanation, and careful adaptation often work better than direct word replacement.
The main result is that good fairy-tale translation should keep both the story and the
national feeling of the original text.
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