Author: Ismailova, Dildora Abdumutal qizi

Annotation: This study takes the Uzbek translation of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (Liaozhai Zhiyi) as its research object, and explores in depth the reconstruction strategies of the sense of direction in Chinese culture during cross-cultural translation. The research finds that directional descriptions in the original text not only constitute a spatial coordinate system, but also carry cultural connotations such as the concepts of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, ritual norms, and the interaction between Heaven and humanity. To address the dual cognitive gap, the translator adopts a progressive adaptation strategy: At the symbolic level, creative transformation is implemented (e.g., translating "east" as "the direction of the sunrise"), which activates the collective memory of Turkic peoples who determine directions based on the sun. At the systematic level, paradigm shift is carried out (e.g., reconstructing "sitting facing east" into relative directions), so as to adapt to the dynamic spatial cognition of nomadic culture. Although this adaptation significantly improves readability, it leads to multi-level loss of cultural information—from the simplification of the symbolic system of the Five Elements to the disruption of intertextual relationships in the text, and ultimately the collapse of the cognitive continuum. The study proposes the mechanism of juxtaposing dual cognitive frameworks as a compensation solution, and constructs a translation ethics of dynamic balance. It emphasizes the need to seek a dialectical unity between cultural depth and acceptability when using domestication and foreignization strategies. This research provides an analytical paradigm with both theoretical innovation and practical value for cross-cultural symbolic translation.

Keywords: Sense of Direction; Cultural Adaptation; Symbolic Transformation; Cognitive Gap; Translation Ethics

Pages in journal: 320 - 326