Cohesion Shifts In Translation From English Into Azerbaijani

Abstract

The present study investigates cohesion shifts that take place when translating English literary texts into Azerbaijani based on comparative-analytical framework. The study focuses on how cohesive devices are rendered, shifted, or lost in the target language when they are translated. The coherence and textual integrity of a narrative depend heavily on cohesive devices including conjunction, ellipsis, reference, substitution, and lexical cohesion. Their modifications can lead to pragmatic or semantic changes, which can occasionally cause distortions in meaning or tone. Selected paragraphs from Somerset Maugham's "The Unconquered" and its two Azerbaijani translations by Zeydulla Agayev and Akif Abbasov provide the foundation of the analysis. The use and representation of cohesive devices, as well as the effects of translation methods like domestication, literalism, restructuring, and etc. have all been compared and contrasted in these sections. Every shift is examined for its purpose, function, impact, and relationship to the text's overall coherence. Furthermore, in order to expand the scope and investigate shifts in cohesion in a different style and cultural context, translated instances from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain are also presented. The recognition of recurring patterns, obstacles in preserving cohesive harmony, and translator decisions that impact the reader's comprehension are all made possible by this comparative approach. Significant linguistic and translation research investigations on cohesion and its function in text construction are discussed in the thesis’s theoretical section. The primary objective of the practical chapter is to record and examine multiple examples of cohesion shifts and analyze whether or not they were successful in ensuring the tone, intent, and structure of the original text. According to the analysis, shifts in cohesion are frequently influenced by cultural variations, the target language's weaknesses in structure, and the translator's understanding of the context. The outcomes shed light on the challenges of presenting discourse-level meaning across languages and add to the unstudied area of cohesion in Azerbaijani translation studies.