The problem of conveying ethnocultural identity in the translation of a postcolonial novel (based on the original and translated text of A. Vergese's "Cutting for Stone")

This article examines ethnocultural identity in the artistic space of the postcolonial novel from the perspective of literary translation. Based on Abraham Verghese’s “Cutting for Stone” and its Russian translation by S. Sokolov, the study identifies and systematizes the specific difficulties involved in rendering the linguistic markers of identity. The object of the research is the linguistic and stylistic means of expressing ethnocultural identity in the original text of the novel, while the subject comprises the strategies and methods for translating these elements into Russian. The central argument is that recognizing the distinct genre-stylistic conventions of postcolonial literature is essential for developing effective translation strategies and achieving textual adequacy. The research employs a comprehensive methodological approach, integrating semantic, contextual, comparative, stylistic and translation analysis. The analysis reveals that the most significant challenges for a translator are posed by passages conveying cultural and linguistic polyphony, hybridity, and the fundamental oppositions that shape both character identity and the text’s conceptual space. The study highlights how elements such as foreign-language inclusions, erratives, graphons, and other deviations from linguistic norms act as manifestations of linguistic and cultural hybridity and as means of character self-identification. Furthermore, culture-specific items (realia) are used not only to embody cultural memory but also often acquire metaphorical and symbolic meanings, highlighting central narrative conflicts and functioning as markers of individual and collective identity. The novelty of this research lies in its endeavor to formulate practical recommendations for more authentically recreating the effects of linguistic and cultural hybridity and internal identity conflict in translation. The study concludes that while translating culturally marked units in a postcolonial novel, it is essential to consider its genre specificity, thematic and ideological content and macro-context.

literary translation, postcolonial theory, postcolonial novel, ethnocultural identity, culture-specific items, linguistic hybridity, translation strategies, translation adequacy, realia, erratives