RUSSIANISMS AS CULTURAL AND STYLISTIC MARKERS IN AMERICAN PROSE TRANSLATION

Abstract

. Inadequate usage of Russianisms – lexical units characterized by vivid national specific features – in the translated text resulting in its distortion is dealt with. Examples borrowed from an American novel and its translation, especially those including Russianisms as opposed to Americanisms, are compared on the basis of their presupposed cultural and stylistic resemblance. Apart from semantic and stylistic aspects, national cultural peculiarities are primarily taken into account – i.e. propriety of purely Russian cultural traits and realities inserted into the translated text. The analyzed Russianisms are subdivided into groups on the basis of their lexical level classification and historic distance as well as factors justifying their usage in every regarded case. The accompanying commentaries include adequate translation versions illustrating the authors’ thesis of such lexical units’ limitations and their unnecessary usage in principle.