The analysis of some translation problems within the framework of the theory of linguistic relativity

The paper considers the problems of translation within the framework of the theory of linguistic relativity. The fundamentals of this theory, used for explaining the difficulties of translation from/into the English language, are presented. The translation problems are analysed at the word, collocation and sentence levels. Case studies, demonstrating different nomination principles used in English and Lithuanian due to different approaches of the native speakers of these languages to naming the same objects or ‘pieces’ of reality are provided. The analysis performed demonstrates the effectiveness of the theory of linguistic relativity in explaining the nature and causes of the arising translation problems and its possibilities to give a translator a native speaker’s insight and to help him/her avoid some typical errors. It is possible to memorize thousands of English words and expressions, but still it will be a foreign language for most of non-native speakers because they cannot learn all specifically English collocations, reflecting the way of thinking and naming things by the English people. The awareness of the culture-specific and national-specific linguistic features can help non-native speakers to develop and successfully use anti-interference strategies. The use and translation of loan words is also analysed. A new trend of expanding the area of application of some English terms in the scientific papers written by Lithuanians was identified and the prospects of its development were outlined. The recommendations of how to make a translation more accurate and authentic, avoiding word-for-word translation from the native language, are also given.