Characteristics of translation: the use of language as a source of intercultural communication

Abstract

The article considers translation as a multidimensional cognitive-discursive mechanism that ensures intercultural communication under conditions of transformation of the contemporary educational paradigm. It is shown that language functions not only as a tool for information transfer but also as a carrier of cultural memory and value orientations; as a result, any act of translation acquires the character of interpretation dependent on background knowledge, empathy, and the translator’s ability to engage in “decentration” with respect to their own axiological system. Based on a multi-genre corpus of source texts and student translations, processed using expert evaluations and statistical procedures, a gap is identified between well-formed lexical and grammatical skills and learners’ insufficient readiness to reconstruct implicit meanings and the author’s pragmatic intentions, especially in the presence of non-equivalent vocabulary, lacunae, and culturally marked units. The dynamics of translation quality indicators demonstrate the most pronounced growth in cultural adaptability and pragmatic adequacy when tasks oriented toward linguocultural analysis and the comparison of cultural codes are purposefully integrated, whereas semantic equivalence changes less significantly, reflecting the advanced development of formal linguistic competence compared to sociocultural competence. The proposed typology of errors (denotative, connotative, usage-related, cultural) makes it possible to detail vulnerable areas of training: with an overall decrease in the number of errors, the relative share of cultural errors increases as the most subtle and difficult to verify. Correlation analysis reveals a weak relationship between linguistic and sociocultural competencies and, conversely, a strong association of the sociocultural component with the strategic choice of translation decisions as well as with empathy, which strengthens the argument for integrating psychological and cultural parameters into translation training. The discussion of the results leads to the conclusion that it is necessary to shift the educational focus from a linear “equivalence-based” approach to a hermeneutic model in which the translator acts as a mediator of meanings and prevents communicative failures caused by cultural barriers. The material of the article makes it possible to assess its relevance for the modernization of translator training and the development of assessment criteria that take into account pragmatics and cultural adaptation of the text.