THE IMPORTANCE OF ACCURATE TERMINOLOGY IN TOURISM TRANSLATION
Keywords:
tourism translation, accurate terminology, culture-specific terms, cross-cultural communication, tourism textsAbstract
Tourism is developing quickly around the world, and people often depend on translated materials to learn about new places, culture, history, and local services. Because many tourists do not know the local language, translation becomes an important tool for helping them understand the information they need. One of the most important parts of tourism translation is the accurate use of terminology. Tourism texts contain many special words related to cultural sites, national traditions, food, historical monuments, and travel services. When these terms are translated incorrectly, tourists may misunderstand the message or develop a wrong idea about the destination. For this reason, it is important to study how accurate terminology influences the quality of tourism translation.
This research aims to explain why accurate terminology matters in tourism translation and how it supports clear communication between cultures. To achieve this, the study looks at common difficulties translators face when dealing with culture-specific terms and expressions. It also examines how English and Uzbek tourism materials use terminology and what happens when some terms do not have direct equivalents. The research is based on descriptive and comparative methods, where different tourism brochures, websites, and guidebooks were analysed to understand how translators choose terms in real practice.
The results show that using accurate terminology makes tourism texts more understandable, reliable, and attractive to foreign visitors. It also helps avoid confusion and supports the promotional purpose of the text. The research concludes that translators need both good language skills and a strong understanding of cultural meaning to choose the most suitable terms. Accurate terminology improves the overall quality of tourism translation and plays an important role in effective cross-cultural communication.
References
Aixelá, J. F. (1996). Culture-specific items in translation. Translation, Power, Subversion, 52–78.
Baker, M. (1992). In other words: A coursebook on translation. Routledge.
Baker, M. (2018). Translation and conflict: A narrative account. Routledge.
Dann, G. (1996). The language of tourism: A sociolinguistic perspective. CAB International.
Göpferich, S. (2004). Text competence and translation competence. John Benjamins.
Hatim, B., & Mason, I. (1997). The translator as communicator. Routledge.
House, J. (2015). Translation quality assessment: Past and present. Routledge.
Katan, D. (2009). Translating cultures: An introduction for translators, interpreters and mediators (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Newmark, P. (1988). A textbook of translation. Prentice Hall.
Nord, C. (1997). Translating as a purposeful activity: Functionalist approaches explained. St. Jerome Publishing.
Pierini, P. (2007). Quality in web translation: An investigation into UK and Italian tourism web sites. The Journal of Specialized Translation, 8, 85–103.
Reiss, K., & Vermeer, H. J. (2014). Towards a general theory of translational action: Skopos theory explained. Routledge.
Smith, M. K., & Robinson, M. (2006). Cultural tourism in a changing world: Politics, participation and (re)presentation. Channel View Publications.
Vermeer, H. J. (1989). Skopos and commission in translational action. In A. Chesterman (Ed.), Readings in translation theory (pp. 174–187). Oy Finn Lectura.
