LINGUOCULTURAL AND PRAGMATIC DIMENSIONS OF LEGAL TRANSLATION: BETWEEN ACCURACY AND INTERPRETATION

Abstract

The paper explores the linguocultural, pragmatic, and cognitive dimensions of legal translation as a complex act of intercultural mediation. It argues that legal translation is not merely a process of linguistic substitution but a communicative activity situated within specific legal, institutional, and cultural contexts. Drawing on contemporary theories of pragmatics (J. Austin, J. Searle), discourse analysis (V. Karasik), and cross-cultural communication (A. Wierzbicka, J. Gibbons), the author analyses how cultural values, legal traditions, and communicative norms affect the transmission of legal meaning. The study compares English, Russian, and Uzbek legal discourses, illustrating the tension between formal accuracy and functional adequacy. The findings highlight the role of translators as cultural and legal mediators who must preserve both the semantic precision and the performative force of legal texts.