CHALLENGES IN CROSS-CULTURAL INTERPRETATION AND TRANSLATION

Abstract

This study addresses the major challenges encountered in cross-cultural interpretation and translation, highlighting the complex interaction between language, culture, and communication. As languages carry unique cultural values, traditions, and ways of thinking, transferring meaning from one language to another often goes beyond a simple word-for-word translation. Cultural references, idioms, metaphors, humor, and social norms can create significant barriers for interpreters and translators striving for accurate and culturally appropriate communication. The research explores common difficulties such as linguistic untranslatability, cultural gaps, loss of meaning, and the risk of misinterpretation. It also examines strategies employed by professional translators and interpreters, including adaptation, domestication, foreignization, and cultural substitution, to overcome these challenges. Special emphasis is given to the ethical responsibility of maintaining the author's intended meaning while respecting the cultural expectations of the target audience.