Objectively and subjectively conditioned transformations of lexical units in the process of translation

Transformations of nationally peculiar lexical units become inevitable as a result of differences existing between the ways and means of expression of the same meanings in the SL in the TL. There are three main stylistically distinguished classes of units:

a) stylistically neutral lexis;

b) stylistically evaluative lexis;

c) culturally biased national specific units of lexicon.

a) Among the numerous stylistically neutral simple and compound words are different parts of speech in Eng and in Ukrainian which may be in translation in the TL single words, word-groups and even sentences: answerable -той, / е, а / на що можна відповісти; пополудні -in the afternoon, p.m. They are given in dictionaries and never present any difficulty for the t-r.

b) Diminutives. They have a very poor representation in English but they is a very large quantity of them in Ukrainian. It is difficult to say whether booklet, manikin or hillocks are diminutives or diminutive - evaluatives. They may be diminutive -карлик, горбок, or diminutive evaluative книжечка, брошурка, горбочок)

We have gradation of a diminutive quality in a noun in Ukrainian: ручка, ручечка, рученя, рученяточко, руця. In English with the help of additional adjectives: small head -голівка, голівочка - small/little head.

Only some isolated nouns have corresponding suffixes as daddy -татко, sissy - сестричка, granny.

The pejorative (mostly contemptuous) meanings of a number of Ukrainian augmentative nouns will have the following English outer form expression: вовчице -a big formidable wolf (a monster of a wolf); дубище -a very thick and tall oak-tree; здоровило -a healthy fellow.

c) When in the form of words not belonging to regular internationalisms like lord, mister they are mostly transcribed or transliterated and shortly explicated in the TL muffin - маффин, солодка здоба, випечена в чашкоподібній формі з прісного чи сходячого тіста веснянка –vesnyanka (Ukrainian song hailing the coming spring).

The all above-given transformations of lexical units are predetermined not so much by the objective, i.e., national factors, than by the stylistic aims realized by the translator.