WAYS OF TRANSLATING REALIA FROM ENGLISH TO UKRAINIAN: A CASE STUDY OF “HOW TO RAISE AN ADULT” AND ITS UKRAINIAN TRANSLATION «ЯК ВИХОВАТИ ДОРОСЛОГО»

Abstract

This comprehensive study examines the multifaceted process of translating realia – culture-specific lexical units deeply embedded in their source cultural contexts – from English into Ukrainian, utilising Julie Lythcott-Haims's acclaimed parenting manual “How to Raise an Adult” and its Ukrainian translation «Як виховати дорослого» as a representative corpus for cross-cultural linguistic analysis. Employing a rigorous mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative corpus analysis with qualitative interpretive examination, this research systematically identifies and analyses 112 distinct realia instances across the complete text pair. The methodological framework incorporates detailed comparative textual analysis, semantic mapping, and contextual evaluation of translational decision-making processes within the American-Ukrainian cultural transfer paradigm. The comprehensive classification system reveals three primary categories of culturally-bound elements: institutional realia (42%), encompassing educational structures, administrative systems, and bureaucratic frameworks specific to American society; social realia (34%), covering customs, interpersonal dynamics, family structures, and embedded cultural practices; and material culture realia (24%), representing tangible objects, commercial products, and lifestyle elements characteristic of contemporary American experience. The detailed analysis of translation strategies demonstrates a predominance of domestication-oriented approaches, including descriptive paraphrase (29.5%) and cultural adaptation (12.5%), alongside selective foreignization techniques such as calques (30.4%) and transliteration (18.8%). Additionally, the study identifies hybrid strategies (8.8%) that combine multiple translational methods to achieve an optimal balance between accuracy and comprehensibility for Ukrainian readers. These findings illuminate the translator’s sophisticated cultural mediation process, balancing preservation of source culture authenticity with target audience accessibility and comprehension. The research contextualises these patterns within contemporary Ukrainian translation studies theoretical frameworks (2020–2025), contributing to ongoing scholarly discourse on cross-cultural communication in non-fiction literature. The study’s implications extend beyond the specific text pair, offering methodological insights for translators, editors, and researchers engaged in intercultural knowledge transfer, particularly in the expanding field of translated parenting and educational literature in Ukraine's evolving publishing landscape.