Karina Ye. Klimenchuk
Email: 8043875@stud.kai.edu.ua
Year 4 of Study Undergraduate,
State University «Kyiv Aviation Institute»
Larysa Vasylivna Liashenko
Email: l.liashenko@knu.ua
ORCID ID: 0009-0008-6464-3167
Candidate of Psychological Sciences, Assistant Professor,
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
Liana Heorhiivna Budanova
Email: liana.budanova@npp.kai.edu.ua
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-4840-6224
Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor,
Head of the Department of English Philology and Translation,
State University “Kyiv Aviation Institute”
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/StudLing2025.27.77-89
ABSTRACT
The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the sociolinguistic aspects and specifics of translating English political correctness vocabulary in modern Ukrainian media discourse. The study’s relevance is driven by rapid changes in English communicative culture and the urgent need to adapt domestic translation strategies to modern ethical standards in Western society. The theoretical and methodological basis of the research relies on the linguistic relativity hypothesis and S. Pinker’s “euphemism treadmill”concept, which substantiates the cyclical nature of sensitive vocabulary renewal. To achieve the goal, a complex of methods was used: structural-functional analysis of theoretical foundations, comparative analysis of originals and translations, and contextual analysis of pragmatic functions. The empirical base consists of materials from leading media (The Guardian, The New York Times, BBC) for 2020–2024. As a result of the work, four dominant reproduction strategies have been systematized: euphemization, calque, descriptive translation, and cultural adaptation. The specificity of translation of racial nominations, inclusive language, and social status has been investigated. Significant discrepancies in gender representation were revealed: the striving for neutralization in English contrasts with active feminization in Ukrainian. Recent lexical shifts have been analyzed, in particular the transition from the term “homeless” to “unhoused”. It is concluded that the Ukrainian language is at the stage of “catch-up modernization”, integrating Western concepts. It is proven that the translator acts as a co-creator of new communication ethics. Prospects for further research are seen in the empirical analysis of the reception of new borrowings.
Keywords: political correctness, media discourse, euphemism treadmill, translation strategies, sociocultural adaptation, inclusive language, gender linguistics.
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