The Adequacy of Proverb Translation and Linguacultural Commentary (Based on Proverbs from Typically Different Languages)
DOI: 10.23951/1609-624X-2026-4-7-15
An adequate translation implies recreating the form and content of the original using the means of another language. This is achieved by using language tools that are not necessarily precise at the vocabulary level, but rather accurate at the textual level. A translation can be adequate without being completely equivalent. This is possible when translating literary texts, where the translator is free to choose a pun in the target language, replacing the pun in the original language with it. Some researchers also suggest translating proverbs as phraseological units, selecting a corresponding equivalent in the target language. However, in academic translations of proverbs, such options are unacceptable, even though proverbs are miniature literary texts. The translator must strive for maximum adequacy and equivalence in translating proverbs, which is often impossible. Proverbs containing ethnolinguistic markers – proverb components that carry cultural memory and for which direct equivalents are not always available in the target language – are particularly challenging to translate. The presence of ethnolinguistic markers necessitates linguocultural commentary when translating proverbs in paremiographic publications. This paper aims to demonstrate examples of adequate proverb translation from typically different languages, taking into account proverbial translation factors, and to substantiate the need for linguacultural commentary in academic translations of proverbs from Slavic, Baltic, Turkic, Finno-Ugric, Mon-Khmer, Atlantic, and Japanese-Ryukyuan languages. The author's data base of proverbs from Russian, Latgalian, Tatar, Tuvan, Hungarian, Mari, Khmer, Fula, and Japanese served as the material for this study. Examples of proverbs are taken from authoritative collections of proverbs included in the bibliography. The paper provides a linguacultural analysis and commentary to identify the linguistic features and cultural meanings contained in the proverbs. The examples presented in the article demonstrate the unique ethnocultural component of proverbs in typically different languages and emphasize the role of linguacultural commentary. Grammatical structure has little influence on translation, as it is based on the structure and resources of the target language.
Keywords: paroemia, translation, adequacy, equivalence, linguacultural commentary, ethnolinguistic markers
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Issue: 4, 2026
Series of issue: Issue 4
Rubric: COMPARATIVE LINGUISTICS
Pages: 7 — 15
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