Exploring the Sociolinguistic and Semiotic Aspects Involved in Translating Culture-Specific Items in Foreign Language Acquisition

Mariya Tkachivska, Tetyana Donii, Roksolana Povoroznyuk, Nataliya Kurakh, Anastasiia Buhrii and Alina Bilous
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Mariya Tkachivska: Doctor of Philology, Professor of the Department of Foreign Languages and Translation, Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
Tetyana Donii: PhD in Philology, Assistant Professor of the Department of Theory and Practice of Translation from English, Educational and Scientific Institute of Philology of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine
Roksolana Povoroznyuk: PhD Hab. in Translation Studies, Professor of the Department of Theory and Practice of Translation from English, Educational and Scientific Institute of Philology, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine
Nataliya Kurakh: PhD in Philology, Head of the Department of German Philology, National University of Uzhhorod, Uzhhorod, Ukraine
Anastasiia Buhrii: PhD in Philology, Assistant Professor of the Department of Theory and Practice of Translation from English, Educational and Scientific Institute of Philology, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine
Alina Bilous: Ph.D. Candidate (Candidate of Philosophy), Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of English Philology, National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine

Revista romaneasca pentru educatie multidimensionala - Journal for Multidimensional Education, 2025, vol. 17, issue 1, 622-642

Abstract: The current paper examines the sociolinguistic and semiotic aspects involved in translating culture-specific items during foreign language acquisition. The former describes translation techniques adopted to render them connoting various aspects of human life and activity into the target language and defines their role in developing a translator’s cultural competence. “Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix†by Rowling (2003b) and its translation have been chosen as the sources of the comprehensive comparative research. The primary research methods are descriptive and comparative methods and the analysis of dictionary definitions. In addition, the study provides a range of specific translation strategies employed to address the challenges of translating culture-specific items, including domestication, generalization, permutation, addition, modulation, and transcoding. By adopting them, future translators enhance their skills and produce high-quality translations. The research highlights the importance of cultural competence in the translation process, as translators need to identify and interpret cultural references in the source text to produce a culturally appropriate and accurate translation. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need for translators to approach literary texts from a socio-semiotic perspective to help better understand the unique semiotic space created by the lexical items and cultural references.

Keywords: Translation strategies; socio-semiotic perspective; culture-specific items; foreign language acquisition; cultural competence; semiotic space (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:lum:rev1rl:v:17:y:2025:i:1:p:622-642

DOI: 10.18662/rrem/17.1/968

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