THE PRAGMATICS OF TRANSLATING PROVERBS AND SAYINGS FROM KAZAKH INTO ENGLISH (ON THE MATERIAL OF BOOK OF WORDS BY ABAI KUNANBAEV)

Abstract

The article explores the issues of the cultural adaptation in the translating process. The pragmatic problems of translation and the levels of equivalence are in the focus of the given research. The aim of the article is to explore the semantics of proverbs and sayings in «Book of Words» by Abai Kunanbaev and the way they are transferred in the English translation. The article gives the survey and analysis of the studies and approaches to translating culture-bound words and expressions. The descriptive and comparative methods of analysis were exploited for the analysis of the original proverbs and sayings and the translation version. The comparative study was also aimed at analyzing the methods of translation for better representation of cultural, functional, communicative factors for achieving the equivalence. A special attention is paid to the analysis of the efficiency of the exploited methods of translation. This approach determines the scientific significance of the article.

The pragmatics of translation is understood as the complex aspect connected with the representation at cultural and communicative levels. Research findings have proved the idea that a successful translation depends on the translator’s ability to interpret cultural implications and specific culture-bound concepts. The article also resulted in conclusions about the factors influencing the choice of the translation strategy for preserving semantic, pragmatic and functional equivalence. The practical findings of the article enhance the knowledge of translation problems from Kazakh into English. The significance of the article lies in the possibility of using the results of the research in the field of literary translation including the topical issues of Kazakh-English translation.