THE CONCEPT OF CULTURAL CONTEXT AND ITS ROLE IN TRANSLATION THEORY

Abstract

This thesis examines cultural context as a core construct in translation theory and explains how it shapes translation choices at lexical, pragmatic, and discourse levels. The study aims to clarify how culture-bound signs, presuppositions, and pragmatic meanings are re-encoded for a target audience. Methodologically, it relies on comparative text analysis, a pragmalinguistic perspective, and functional equivalence reasoning. The novelty lies in modelling cultural context as a multi-layer system and linking translator strategies to contextual risk management and audience expectations. The findings support more precise criteria for assessing translator competence and for designing theory-informed pedagogy in translator training.