SYNONYMY IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK RAILWAY TERMINOLOGY AND PROBLEMS OF TRANSLATION

Abstract

This paper investigates synonymic relations within English and Uzbek railway terminology, with particular attention to the translation difficulties these relations generate. Drawing on bilingual technical documentation produced by Uzbekistan Railways (Oʻzbekiston Temir Yoʻllari) and comparative analysis of English-language railway engineering sources, the study identifies three principal types of terminological synonymy: full synonyms sharing identical denotative scope, partial synonyms diverging in register or institutional context, and doublets arising from parallel borrowing and indigenous coinage. The analysis demonstrates that synonymic pairs in one language frequently lack structural counterparts in the other, creating translational asymmetries that affect both technical accuracy and register consistency. Special attention is given to borrowed versus native Uzbek terms - a lexical competition that reflects broader language policy tensions in post-Soviet Uzbekistan. Practical examples are provided for each synonym type, and translation strategies - including contextual disambiguation, institutional preference marking, and glossary standardisation - are discussed. The findings have direct relevance for railway translation practice, technical lexicography, and terminology management in Uzbek professional language.