"TRANSLATION AND CULTURAL MEDIATION: LITERARY TRANSLATION AS CULTURAL NEGOTIATION – ENGLISH NOVELS INTO UZBEK (OR VICE VERSA)"

Abstract: This article explores the role of literary translation as a form of cultural mediation and negotiation between English and Uzbek linguistic and cultural contexts and it examines how translation goes beyond linguistic transfer and functions as an intercultural dialogue in which meanings, values, and aesthetic norms are reinterpreted and reconstructed. The study analyzes the challenges faced in translating English novels into Uzbek (and vice versa), including cultural references, idiomatic expressions, stylistic devices, and socio-historical nuances. Particular attention is paid to the translator’s role as a cultural mediator who balances fidelity to the source text with the expectations of the target audience.