Linguacultural features of the translation of phraseological units (based on the novel by Stephen King «The Green Mile»)

2026

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DOI 10.31489/2026phi3(123)/103-114
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the translation of Stephen King’s works, an author whose writings have achieved significant prominence within contemporary popular culture and literary discourse of the XX-XXI centuries. His novel «The Green Mile» poses considerable challenges for translators, particularly in rendering idiomatic expressions, metaphorical language, and culturally bound imagery. Consequently, the examination of linguacultural peculiarities in the translation of this novel remains highly pertinent. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to identify the key linguacultural features of the writer's literary discourse that require special attention during translation. The article examines the linguacultural features of translating idioms from Stephen King's novel «The Green Mile». The purpose of the work is to analyze the translation strategies of phraseological units in the novel into Russian and Kazakh. The work analyzes the translation strategies employed by V. Weber, M. Opaleva, and M. Semaikyzy, aiming to identify the most effective methods for conveying the original’s meaning, emotional coloring, and cultural context. The research objectives are to review theoretical approaches to the translation of phraseological units in literary discourse; to identify and analyze phraseological units in the original text and their interpretations in translations; to classify the types of phraseological units and the leading translation strategies, and identify successful techniques; to assess the degree of adequacy of cultural adaptation. This study focuses on the examination of the strategies employed in translating phraseological units and on the assessment of the frequency with which various methods are applied. A comparative analysis reveals that the use of phraseological equivalents and analogies are the most successful strategies for ensuring the transfer of cultural specificity and imagery. They ensure the transfer of cultural specificity and imagery. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of phraseological translation and can be applied in both educational and professional translation practices. The authors conclude that the adequate cultural adaptation of the text has become a paramount challenge, as it allows formaximum accuracy and preservation of the original's aesthetic value in translations into Russian and Kazakh.