Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin

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Defining features of a creative translation solution in contemporary professional discourse: conceptual and categorical criteria

Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin. 2025. N 2. p.107-130

Ubozhenko, I.V.

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219

The paper is related to identifying basic characteristics of the term “creative translation solution” (CTS) and analyzing the meaningful thesaurus of the concept under study with the objective to simplify and increase the efficiency of its use in theory, didactics and criticism of translation as well as to explain the qualitative procedural and resultant properties of any final translation performed. The research material is a critical analysis of relevant translatology discourse, published as research articles and monographs by leading Russian scholars. The described study has also tested the definition proposed by the author through the empirical support in the form of an expert interview with experienced translation specialists. As a result of the research, the qualitative categorial criteria of the studied scientific concept are the definitive parameters of uniqueness, contingency and contextuality. The author offers an original mental scheme of the concept of creative decision in translation (CTS) and for the first time empirically deduces its detailed scientific definition.

Keywords: creative translation solution (CTS), translatology discourse definitions, categorial features of a creative translation solution (CTS)

DOI Number: 10.55959/MSU2074-6636-22-2025-18-2-107-130

Linguistic support of Soviet military operations during the Great Patriotic War

Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin. 2025. N 2. p.82-106

Torsukov Ye.G.

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281

The article examines the role of military translators in providing linguistic support for combat operations of the Soviet Army during the Great Patriotic War. The author emphasizes that the specifics of military affairs have left their mark on all forms of military communication: from written orders and reports to oral negotiations. Special attention is paid to the fact that effective linguistic support required translators not only to have an impeccable command of foreign languages, but also deep specialized knowledge. Their professional competence included understanding the tactics and strategy of both the Soviet troops and the German Wehrmacht, the organization of various branches of the armed forces, the principles of combat training, the legal and economic aspects of the functioning of military units, as well as the technical characteristics of the weapons used. The urgent need for qualified personnel during the war led to the creation of an accelerated system for training military translators in specialized universities in the country. These specialists performed a wide range of tasks: from working with captured documents and interrogating prisoners of war to radio interception and operational transfer, which directly affected the success of combat operations. The author concludes that linguistic support was an essential element of military planning and management, and military translators acted not just as language intermediaries, but as highly qualified specialists whose contribution to the overall victory cannot be overestimated. Their work required a unique combination of linguistic skills, military knowledge, and the ability to operate quickly in combat conditions

Keywords: The Great Patriotic War, military linguistics, translation in the army, translators at the front, work with prisoners, combat orders and orders, encryption and interception of messages, training of military linguists, archival documents and memoirs of translators

DOI Number: 10.55959/MSU2074-6636-22-2025-18-2-82-106

Military translators and interpreters in the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) as the founders of modern Russian philology and translation studies

Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin. 2025. N 2. p.57-81

Mishkurov E. N.

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299

The article deals with the military translators’ and interpreters’ activities on the Great Patriotic War fronts. They were about 5 thousand heroes altogether: namely professional military translators and interpreters, retrained students from humanities universities and ordinary servicemen who knew the enemy’s language tolerably well. After the end of the Great Patriotic War, some of them continued their professional work in the field of humanities, creating a solid foundation for domestic philological arts in the fields of literary criticism, linguistics, translation theory and methodology. Special attention is paid to the creative work of former military translators and interpreters who laid the foundations for the Linguistic Theory of Translation. The impetus for its creation was largely provided by the practical knowledge, skills and abilities obtained in the crucible of war: POW interrogation, systematization and translation of captured documents written in particular in a special Gothic font and military terminological and phraseological dictionaries correction and supplementation as well as cartography, warfare propaganda at enemy forces, etc. In the following decades, Russian scholars A.V. Fyodorov, Ya.I. Retsker, A.D. Schweitzer, V.N. Komissarov, S.G. Barkhudarov and others created a well-structured system of the abovementioned Linguistic Theory of Translation (LTT) which also became widespread abroad. Despite the emergence of numerous modern translation theories, contrasting in essence with LTT, the basic theoretical and pragmatic principles of the latter remain relevant and are actively used in modern training programs for translators and interpreters. Today’s military translators and interpreters proudly carry on the military traditions of their fathers and grandfathers, and they will undoubtedly make their significant theoretical, methodological and pragmatic contribution to the annals of Russian translation studies.

Keywords: Great Patriotic War (1941–1945), military translators and interpreters, interpretation and translation, military terminological dictionary, linguistic theory and methodology of translation, modern translation studies

DOI Number: 10.55959/MSU2074-6636-22-2025-18-2-57-81

Translating texts on military monuments: a view through the Ecological Model of Translation

Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin. 2025. N 2. p.41-56

Li J.

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256

Lvshunkou (historically known as Port Arthur) is a significant port in China with a rich history intertwined with the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars. Over different periods, it was controlled by Japan, the Russian Empire, and later the USSR, leaving a profound imprint on its cultural heritage. One of its key monuments is the “Victory Tower in Lvshunkou,” constructed in 1955 to commemorate the triumph over fascism. Th is monument symbolizes the joint struggles of China and Russia across different historical periods. In this study, the inscriptions on the monument in Russian and Chinese are examined using the Ecological Model of Translation. Linguistic features such as conciseness and solemnity are analyzed, alongside the role of translation in conveying historical and cultural information. Special emphasis is placed on linguistic, cultural, communicative, and aesthetic dimensions, enriching the evaluation criteria for translation quality within the Ecological Model (degree of integration, adaptation, and selection). The research demonstrates that translating monument texts requires consideration of historical context and cultural nuances. Through the analysis of the Victory Tower inscriptions, the study illustrates how translators balance semantic accuracy with linguistic adaptability. It also highlights the importance of fostering proper ecological ethics in translating historical texts. Employing comparative and analytical methods within the ecological translation framework, the study reveals translation’s critical role in shaping historical memory and preserving cultural heritage.

Keywords: ecological model of translation, linguistic dimension, cultural dimension, communicative dimension, aesthetic dimension, degrees of integration, adaptation, and selection

DOI Number: 10.55959/MSU207 4-6636-22-2025-18-2-41-56

Leonid Stipanovich would have turned 100 years old

Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin. 2025. N 2. p.23-40

Balliu C.

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259

The article is dedicated to Leonid Stepanovich Barkhudarov — one of the founders of Russian translation studies, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, a graduate of the Red Army Military Institute of Foreign Languages, and an outstanding Russian linguist. Authored by Christian Balliu, it explores Barkhudarov’s contributions to translation theory, highlighting his linguistic and semiotic-semantic approaches. Th e study examines the historical context of translation studies in Russia, tracing its roots back to the 18th century, and contrasts it with Western traditions. Special focus is given to Barkhudarov’s seminal work “Language and Translation” (1975), where he proposed a transformational model of translation that integrates analysis and synthesis of linguistic units. The article also addresses the underappreciation of Barkhudarov’s legacy in Western scholarship and calls for a deeper engagement with his ideas.

Keywords: Leonid Stepanovich Barkhudarov, Barkhudarov

DOI Number: 10.55959/MSU207 4-6636-22-2025-18-2-23-40

Leonid Stipanovich would have turned 100 years old

Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin. 2025. N 2. p.7-22

Balliu C.

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233

The article is dedicated to Leonid Stepanovich Barkhudarov — one of the founders of Russian translation studies, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, a graduate of the Red Army Military Institute of Foreign Languages, and an outstanding Russian linguist. Authored by Christian Balliu, it explores Barkhudarov’s contributions to translation theory, highlighting his linguistic and semiotic-semantic approaches. Th e study examines the historical context of translation studies in Russia, tracing its roots back to the 18th century, and contrasts it with Western traditions. Special focus is given to Barkhudarov’s seminal work “Language and Translation” (1975), where he proposed a transformational model of translation that integrates analysis and synthesis of linguistic units. The article also addresses the underappreciation of Barkhudarov’s legacy in Western scholarship and calls for a deeper engagement with his ideas.

Keywords: Leonid Stepanovich Barkhudarov, Barkhudarov

DOI Number: 10.55959/MSU207 4-6636-22-2025-18-2-7-22

Research into language competences and training programmes for highly professional translators willing to work in the field of language services in China

Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin. 2024. N 3. p.199-220

Zhu Yi. Huang Zh.

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460

Since the creation of the “One Belt, One Road” initiative in China, there have been clearer requirements for the competences of language service professionals, and the demand for high-quality non-general translators has increased significantly. Russian, one of the official languages of non-native communication, is represented in China by more than 200 colleges and universities offering professional courses. With the introduction of the Master’s and Doctor’s degrees in translation to the national Catalogue of Disciplines and Specialties of Postgraduate Education, the cultivation of high-end applied translation talents in China has entered a new stage of development. High-end translation talents are supposed to have national sense and international vision, master language, translation, culture, technology, management and other professional knowledge, possess translation abilities, cross-cultural abilities, technical abilities, innovation abilities, communication abilities, management abilities and relevant business qualities, understand the development trend of the language service industry, business content, workflow, overseas market and be capable of working in language service positions in various Chinese and overseas institutions or enterprises and agencies. Thus, through collaborative cultivation, platform cultivation, thematic cultivation and technological cultivation, translation talents can consolidate their basic language competence and that in cultural literacy, improve their ability to combine theoretical research with translation and interpreting practice, strengthen their ability to apply translation technologies, and develop the ability to organize translation projects and professionally manage them.

Keywords: competencies; cultivation path; senior translators; language services

DOI Number: 10.55959/MSU2074-6636-22-2024-17-3-199-220

A semantic resource of the comparable and incomparable in the training of future translators

Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin. 2024. N 3. p.188-198

Tsareva N.Yu.

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416

In this article, from the perspective of linguodidactics, the phenomenon of antonymy, which is a problem in translation, is considered as a search for semantic dominants. Russian language teaching means that mastering the peculiarities of the emergence and functioning of antonymic pairs becomes one of the leading tasks if we assume that the ultimate goal of teaching is to teach students how to understand and translate texts from Russian into Chinese and vice versa.

Against the background of the classification of antonyms accepted in Russian linguistics, the article analyzes their problem areas, which require sufficiently deep linguistic knowledge in two languages, and the need for a thorough, thoughtful attitude on the part of students to the ways of their translation transformation. Our many years’ experience of working with the Chinese audience allows us to give some recommendations that take into account the difficulties in the formation of language competence in the training of future translators in Chinese universities.

Keywords: linguodidactics, antonymy, antonymic pairs, problem areas, translation, language competence, future translators

DOI Number: 10.55959/MSU2074-6636-22-2024-17-3-188-198

The concept of national translation capacity in China: history and prospects

Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin. 2024. N 3. p.172-187

Meng X. Feng Kun

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425

Translation, as a cultural, political and economic activity, is an important means of international communication. Its status becomes prominent against the background of the increasingly fierce competition between the global soft power and the global hard power. “National translation capacity” as a new concept contributes to the expansion of the theoretical horizons of translation studies and is in line with the spirit of shaping national discourse in the international arena. This article examines and compares the views of leading Chinese scholars, regarding the interpretation of its definition and highlighting the significant characteristics and indicators.

Keywords: translation, national discourse, national translation capacity, definition, characteristics and indicators

DOI Number: 10.55959/MSU2074-6636-22-2024-17-3-172-187

Research and analysis of translation practice reports by students studying for their Master’s in Translation at Chinese universities

Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin. 2024. N 3. p.146-171

Gao Guocui Liu Shijia

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528

This paper examines the development history and the presentday status of Master of Foreign Language Translation programmes at Chinese colleges and universities. By deeply investigating Russian translation practice reports in the aforementioned colleges and universities, it focuses on the following research questions: (1) what are the main training directions and features of Master of Translation programmes at Chinese colleges and universities? (2) To what degree do Master’s students master Chinese and foreign theories, criteria and principles of translation? (3) What texts are used to research translation practice? (4) To what degree does a specific translation theory correspond to the selected research text? (5) Do case analyses in translation practice reports underscore the key issues in the translation process? As shown by the investigation results, writing a translation practice report at Chinese colleges and universities is characterized by a number of problems. This paper explores the root cause of such problems, proposes some rational improvement recommendations and provides crucial references for the future construction of Master of Translation programmes and dissertation writing.

Keywords: Master of translation and interpreting in Chinese colleges and universities, Translation practice report, Present situation, Cause, Recommendations

DOI Number: 10.55959/MSU2074-6636-22-2024-17-3-146-171

The influences of negative transfer of the mother tongue on Chinese college students’ Russian writing and appropriate preventive measures

Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin. 2024. N 3. p.126-145

Wang Yue Huang Suxin

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484

Negative transfer of mother tongue is one of the significant factors that influence Chinese college students’ Russian writing skills. Th e present study collects sample data from the writing of college students who select Russian as their second foreign language, utilizes a self-build corpus of negative transfer of mother tongue as the research tool, and selects different research subjects from previous studies. It reveals the influences of the negative transfer of mother tongue on college students’ Russian writing skills in terms of vocabulary, grammar as well as discourse with a comparative method and puts forward corresponding pedagogical implications for Russian writing instruction in order to provide representative data for relevant research and scientific reference for teaching.

Keywords: negative transfer of the native language, Chinese students, writing in Russian, teaching methods

DOI Number: 10.55959/MSU2074-6636-22-2024-17-3-126-145

An analysis of semantic repetition in Russian translations of public signs in China

Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin. 2024. N 3. p.106-125

Liu L. Kuang Jieying

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456

There are numerous errors in the translation of Chinese public signs, involving various aspects of the language. The methods of comparative analysis and error analysis are used as the primary research methods. This study aims to analyze semantic repetition in Russian translations of Chinese public signs and explore principles for the translation of public signs. The study reveals that semantic repetition in Russian translations of Chinese public signs is primarily manifested through lexical redundancy, which encompasses the repetition of absolute antonyms, synonyms, transliteration and free translation co-occurrence of the same word, the overuse of semantically related words, and pleonasm. In order to avoid redundance in Russian translations of Chinese public signs, this study proposes the “Read, Adapt, Write” principle of translation that requires being simple, concise and clear. Translators ought to strive for easy understanding, adhere to the uniform standard, and reduce repetition according to the actual situation. The findings of the study have significant applications in Chinese-Russian translation courses, Chinese-Russian comparative teaching, and practical language services for guests from Russian speaking countries.

Keywords: public signs, the Chinese language, the Russian language, translation, translation errors, semantic repetition, redundancy

DOI Number: 10.55959/MSU2074-6636-22-2024-17-3-106-125

An analysis of Chinese paratactic sentences and their translation into Russian

Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin. 2024. N 3. p.86-105

Wang C.

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517

Chinese paratactic sentences reflect the main features of the Chinese language, fully demonstrating the spatial peculiarities of the following syntactic constructions: discreteness, chunkiness, and reversibility. The article discusses the translation of Chinese paratactic sentences into Russian, considering the structural differences between the two languages. The aim of this paper is to explore strategies and methods for translating Chinese paratactic sentences into Russian. The scientific novelty of this work lies in presenting five specific lexico-grammatical methods for transferring semantic complexes in translation. It is essential to establish the structural hierarchy of the sentence in the target language, break a long paratactic sentence into several parts based on the semantic level, mark the time and type of predicative verbs following Russian syntax norms, and use various lexical means to avoid monotonous repetition. The research objectives include studying the grammatical and semantic features of Chinese paratactic sentences, identifying structural differences between Chinese paratactic sentences and Russian sentences from a structuralist perspective, describing translation transformations, and analyzing the underlying reasons influencing translation. In conclusion, translating Chinese paratactic sentences into Russian is a complex process that requires consideration of structural, semantic, and cognitive factors.

Keywords: Chinese paratactic sentence, spatial peculiarity, translation from Chinese into Russian, transformation, connecting words

DOI Number: 10.55959/MSU2074-6636-22-2024-17-3-86-105

On translating Russian ecological literature in China

Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin. 2024. N 3. p.62-85

Wang Chunju Zhang Junxiang

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481

Based on a bibliographic review and specific examples, the article examines the process of translation of Russian ecological literature in China, summarizes the characteristic features of translation practice at different stages of its development, and analyzes the significance of translation activities for the intercultural dissemination of Russian ecological literature and the exchange of ideas on this topic in the historical and social context.

Keywords: Russian ecological literature, Chinese translation, translation process, characteristics of translation practice

DOI Number: 10.55959/MSU2074-6636-22-2024-17-3-62-85

Cultranslatology in China

Moscow University Translation Studies Bulletin. 2024. N 3. p.46-61

Yang Shizhang

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499

Culture has long been noticed in translation practice, and theoretical research on translation and culture has a history of over 40 years. Unlike the cultural schools of translation studies in the West, Chinese scholars have been studying the construction of cultranslatology based on the ontology of translation, in order to establish cultranslatology as a sub discipline of translation studies. The goal of this article is to study the emergence, establishment, and development of cultranslatology in China, reveal the contributions of Chinese scholars to cultranslatology and even general translation studies, and provide a basis for further promoting cultranslatology. In China, cultural translation research began with the translation of culturemes. Cultural translation is understood as the translation of culturemes. Th e study of cultureme translation has promoted the understanding of translation. Translation is not only a language conversion, but more importantly, it has cultural characteristics. The establishment of this property has expanded the research on translation methodology, translation strategies, and other general translation topics. When the text is revealed to be the highest level of culturemes, cultural transplantation becomes an important dimension of translation studies, laying a solid foundation for the creation of cultranslatology. While exploring the construction of cultranslatology in the sense of translation ontology, many Chinese scholars have also adopted the research orientation of the cultural turn in Western translation studies and conducted fruitful external research on translation. However, this has to some extent also affected the development of cultranslatology, despite the publication of a large number of research results on culture and translation. Since the publication of the first monograph Cultranslatology in the mid-1990s, after a quarter century, another Cultranslatology has been published, which has more systematically and completely constructed this emerging discipline. Cultranslatology includes four research directions: metatheory, historical research, basic theory, and applied research. As the core part of cultranslatology, the basic theory not only requires descriptive research on the process of cultural translation, but also interpretive research on the results of cultural translation. These are two basic conditions that must be met to meet the strict characteristics of the discipline. Nowadays, the basic theory and metatheory of cultranslatology still need to be continuously developed, and the applied research in this discipline is still insufficient, so it has broad research prospects.

Keywords: cultural translation, cultranslatology, cultureme, culture, translation, China

DOI Number: 10.55959/MSU2074-6636-22-2024-17-3-46-61

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