CHALLENGES IN PRESERVING THE WRITER’S STYLE IN THE TRANSLATION OF REALIA

Abstract

The preservation of a writer’s individual style remains one of the most challenging tasks in literary translation, particularly when culture-specific elements known as realia are involved. Realia embody national, historical, and cultural meanings that extend beyond their lexical form, making them highly resistant to direct translation. This article investigates the principal challenges translators face in preserving authorial style while rendering realia into the target language. Drawing on stylistics and translation studies, the study analyzes how the loss, neutralization, or substitution of realia may distort narrative voice, aesthetic effect, and ideological nuance. The findings suggest that inadequate handling of realia often results in stylistic flattening and cultural misrepresentation. The article argues for a balanced approach that integrates semantic accuracy, stylistic sensitivity, and cultural mediation.