Problems of Interpreting Onomastic Units in Bilingual Dictionaries
Abstract
This article examines the linguistic and extra-linguistic challenges of rendering onomastic units (proper names, place names, and hydronyms) in bilingual dictionaries. It addresses the problem of losing cultural connotations during the translation process. A comparative-typological analysis was conducted using existing English-Russian and English-Uzbek lexicographic sources. The study employs the method of component analysis to identify semantic gaps. The research identifies that standard translation equivalents often fail to convey the "onomastic aura" of a name. It categorizes the primary problems into phonetic distortion, morphological adaptation, and the lack of culturological commentary. The findings suggest a need for "encyclopedic" entries within bilingual dictionaries for specific onomastic layers. The study proposes a model for combined transcription and descriptive translation to preserve the national identity of the source units.