Olga Nikolaeva¹*, Yulia Kozlova², Inna Sokolova³, Marina Mefodeva⁴, Evguenia Belyaeva5
¹PhD, Associate professor, Kazan Federal University, Russia olga-kh@rambler.ru
²Lecturer, Kazan Federal University, Russia julia-may16@yandex.ru
³PhD, Senior lecturer, Kazan Federal University, Russia inna.academ@yandex.ru
⁴Senior lecturer, Kazan Federal University, Russia anjali@inbox.ru
⁵PhD, Associate professor, Kazan Federal University, Russia zhenchum@gmail.com
*Corresponding author

Abstract

The beginning of the XXI century in linguistics was marked by increase of interest in the language not as a sign system, but as an anthropocentric one aiming to study verbal and cogitative activity of a person. For several years great effort has been devoted to the study of mental processes, processes of information acquisition from the outside world and socially important activities of people reflecting their relation to world. These mental processes are inseparably connected with a linguistic category of modality. It is considered one of the most difficult and contradictory in interpretation. Despite of numerous scientific works devoted to modality, it remains topical issue of studying of modern linguistics, there are still some interesting and relevant problems to be discussed. Translation cannot be considered equivalent if it does not reflect modality, which is presented in the original message. This paper concentrates on the specifics of modality expression in the process of equivalent literary translation.  As no translation can be considered equivalent if it does not reflect modality presented in the original message. The paper develops previous linguistic ideas about modality revealling similarity and difference of modality expression in the English and Russian languages, considering ways of modal meanings transfer. Selection of literary material (works of O’Henry), the subsequent research and systematization of the results were carried out by means of a continuous sampling method, a descriptive method, a component analysis, comparative and contextual analysis. The results obtained can be used in practice of teaching English, in particular, in translation and interpretation studies and in further development of theoretical questions of this functional semantic category.

Keywords: English language, modality, equivalent translation, intercultural education, student.