COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH AND UZBEK IDIOMS: ISSUES IN TRANSLATION AND INTERPRETATION

Аннотация

Idioms represent a culturally embedded aspect of language that carries figurative meanings often untranslatable by direct lexical equivalents. This paper explores the comparative nature of idiomatic expressions in English and Uzbek, emphasizing challenges that arise during translation and interpretation. The study draws on idiomatic corpora, linguistic theory, and practical examples to highlight semantic shifts, cultural gaps, and pragmatic mismatches between the two languages. It also proposes strategies for achieving functional equivalence in translation and discusses the implications for interpreters, translators, and language learners in multilingual contexts. Keywords: Idioms, translation, interpretation, English-Uzbek comparison, cultural equivalence, pragmaticmeaning, figurative language Annotatsiya:Idiomalar–butilning madaniy asoslangan vako‘pinchato‘g‘ridan-to‘g‘ri lug‘aviy tarjima qilib bo‘lmaydigan majoziy ma’nolarni ifodalaydigan birliklaridir. Ushbu maqola ingliz va o‘zbek tillaridagi idiomatik iboralarni taqqoslab, ularni tarjima qilish va talqin etishda yuzaga keladigan muammolarga e’tibor qaratadi. Tadqiqot idiomalar korpuslari, lingvistik nazariya hamda amaliy misollar asosida semantik siljishlar, madaniy tafovutlar va pragmatik nomuvofiqliklarni yoritadi. Shuningdek, maqolada funksional ekvivalentlikka erishish strategiyalari taklif qilinib, tarjimonlar, tarjima ilmi bilan shug‘ullanuvchilar va ko‘p tilli muhitdatil o‘rganayotganlaruchun amaliy xulosalar keltiriladi. Kalit so‘zlar: Idiomalar, tarjima, talqin, ingliz–o‘zbek taqqoslash, madaniy ekvivalentlik, pragmatik ma’no,majoziy til Аннотация: Идиомы представляют собой культурно обусловленные языковые единицы, несущие переносное значение, которое зачастую невозможно передать посредством прямого лексического перевода. Данная статья посвящена сравнительному анализу идиоматических выражений в английском и узбекском языках с акцентом на трудности, возникающие при их переводе и интерпретации. В исследовании используются идиоматические корпуса, лингвистические теории и практические примеры для выявления семантических сдвигов, культурных расхождений и прагматических несоответствий между двумя языками. Кроме того, в статье предлагаются стратегии достижения функционального эквивалента при переводе и обсуждаются последствия для переводчиков,интерпретаторови изучающих языквмногоязычнойсреде. Ключевые слова: Идиомы, перевод, интерпретация, сравнение английского и узбекского языков,культурный эквивалент,прагматическоезначение,образныйязык. Idioms are among the most colorful, expressive, and challenging components of any language. They encapsulate culture, shared history, and collective psychology. An idiom like “kick the https://ijmri.de/index.php/jmsi volume 4,issue6,2025 332 bucket” in English or “tishigidan chiqmadi” in Uzbek cannot be understood through word-for- word translation. The idiomatic meaning often lies beyond literal semantics, presenting a significant challenge to translators and interpreters working across language pairs—especially ones with distinct cultural frameworks likeEnglishand Uzbek. This paper aims to provide a comparative linguistic and cultural analysis of English and Uzbek idioms, investigate the problems encountered in translation and interpretation, and offer practical strategies to bridge thegap between thetwo linguisticsystems. An idiom is a fixed, often metaphorical expression whose meaning cannot be inferred from the individual components. According to Fernando (1996), idioms are “conventionalized multiword expressionswith unitary meanings.”They are classified into: 1. Pure idioms (e.g., spillthe beans) 2. Semi-idioms (e.g., have cold feet) 3. Quasi-idioms or fixed expressions (e.g., by andlarge) In Uzbek,idiomsare known asfrazeologikbirliklar and share similarcomplexity. Idioms reflect a people’s worldview. While English idioms often draw on Judeo-Christian or industrial metaphors, Uzbek idioms may draw from pastoral life, Islamic traditions, or Turkic heritage. For instance, the idiom “Et bilan tirnoq” (like flesh and nail) signifies inseparability— akin tothe English “as thickas thieves.” Some idioms have near-equivalent counterparts due to shared human experiences or borrowed translations. EnglishIdiom Uzbek Equivalent Meaning Out of the frying pan into the Qozondan chiqqan, do'zaxga Getting from bad to fire tushgan worse Achieve two goals at Killtwo birds with onestone Biro‘qbilan ikkiquyonni urmoq once Awolfin sheep’s clothing Qo‘yterisiga o‘ralgan bo‘ri Ahidden threat Here lies the real difficulty. Idioms that are deeply culture-specific often have no parallel in the target language. a) English: “Tothrow someoneunder thebus” b) No Uzbek equivalent. It may be translated contextually as “Do‘stini sotmoq” or “Aybdorni boshqaga ag‘darish.” c) Uzbek:“Yelka tutmoq”(To lend one’s shoulder) d) English has no literal idiom; contextual meaning may be “to support someone in hardship.” Animal-based idioms differ dueto di