INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION AND SEMANTIC PITFALLS IN THE TRANSLATION OF ENGLISH NEOLOGISMS

Abstract

The intensification of global communicative processes leads to the active penetration of new linguistic units into diverse cultural spaces. This process is particularly dynamic within the English-speaking environment, where neologisms rapidly acquire social, ideological, and pragmatic marking. Consequently, their adaptation into foreignlanguage discourse is accompanied by a series of semantic transformations that may result in the loss of connotations or the distortion of the original meaning. In this regard, there is a growing need for a systematic analysis of the semantic risks arising during translational mediation. The aim of the study is to identify and typologize semantic traps encountered in the translation of English neologisms, analyze the mechanisms of their formation within the intercultural environment, and substantiate strategies for their minimization, considering the translator’s role as a cultural mediator. The research methods encompass semantic analysis, a comparative-discursive approach, elements of contextual analysis, and the synthesis of empirical material based on a selection of modern English neologisms functioning in media and digital spaces. The results of the study indicate that the most common phenomena are connotative reduction, pragmatic distortion, and cultural incongruity. It was established that the formal reproduction of a linguistic unit without considering its social context increases the risk of semantic loss. The article provides a typology of semantic traps arising during the translation of English neologisms, defines their structural and functional characteristics, and analyzes the mechanisms of semantic shift under conditions of the cultural adaptation of new linguistic units. A translation decision-making model is proposed, which accounts for the degree of a neologism’s cultural marking and includes a verification process for potential semantic traps. The conclusions state that the translation of new linguistic units is a process of secondary interpretation, within which a new semantic field is formed. The effectiveness of this process directly depends on the translator’s ability to integrate linguistic, pragmatic, and sociocultural factors. The findings can be utilized in translator training, content localization practices, and further research into the dynamics of modern vocabulary.