A TRANSCULTURAL-CONTRASTIVE STUDY OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND TRANSLATORIAL PRACTICE IN ENGLISH–UZBEK LITERARY TRANSLATION

Abstract

The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly transformed translation studies and professional translation practice. Neural machine translation systems and generative AI tools have become increasingly capable of processing large volumes of multilingual texts with remarkable speed and accuracy. However, literary translation remains one of the most challenging domains because it requires not only linguistic equivalence but also the preservation of stylistic features, cultural references, emotional nuances, and artistic expression. This study investigates the role of artificial intelligence in English–Uzbek literary translation from transcultural and contrastive perspectives. A comparative analysis was conducted between AI-generated translations and translations produced by professional human translators. The findings reveal that AI performs effectively in translating grammatically straightforward texts but encounters difficulties in rendering metaphors, idioms, culture-specific concepts, and stylistic devices. The study argues that although AI serves as a valuable assistant in translation practice, human translators remain indispensable in preserving cultural identity and literary aesthetics. The paper also discusses the prospects of hybrid human–AI collaboration in future translation workflows.