Lexico-semantic substitutions in the translation of “The tale of a fair boy” by S. A. Saryg-ool

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of lexical and semantic substitutions used in the Russian translation of the Tuvan novel “Aŋgïr-oolduŋ toožuzu” (“The tale of a fair boy”) written by S. A. Saryg-ool. The main types of such substitutions are concretization, generalization and modulation (semantic development) of the original unit meaning. The research material was collected by a continuous sampling from the original text and its Russian translation. The lexico-semantic substitutions analyzed are very common translation techniques due to the original text being replete with various terms, notions, and collocations reflecting the cultural characteristics of the Tuvan people. The concretization technique is used to achieve greater translation accuracy. Generalization is mainly used to convey figurative and detailed descriptive expressions, numerous terms, and notions with a specific or narrow meaning. The translator uses this transformation technique to avoid excessive word loading of the translated text. The modulation technique is intended to convey more precisely the content and meaning of a lexical unit or phrase that may not be understood in literal translation and may distort the understanding of the text.