THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES ON SHORT STORY TRANSLATION

Abstract

This article examines how cultural differences impact the translation of short stories, emphasizing that literary translation involves not only linguistic transfer but also deep intercultural negotiation. Using comparative analysis of selected short stories and their translations, the study investigates how cultural nuances affect meaning, tone and reader reception. Concerning both, translation theory and cross-cultural communication frameworks, the study provides an analysis of how translators negotiate cultural elements, such as idioms, humor, social norms and implicit values embedded in the source text. Through detailed textual analysis, the research investigates how cultural-specific items (kinship expressions, culinary references, religious symbols and social hierarchies) are represented in the target language and what translators use to balance faithfulness to the original with readability for the target culture.