Cultural Meaning and Social Identity: Translating Culture-specific Items in Selected Kashmiri Stories into English

The Criterion

The Criterion: An International Journal in English
Volume 17, Issue 5 · October 2026 · ISSN 0976-8165

Open Access CC BY 4.0 Crossref DOI

Cultural Meaning and Social Identity: Translating Culture-specific Items in Selected Kashmiri Stories into English

Dr. Irshad Ahmad Parray

Translation Studies Pages 616–635 Article #34 2026V17N5108

DOI Digital Object Identifier

https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n5.34

Registered with Crossref · Open Access · CC BY 4.0

Abstract

Translation of literary texts is an arduous process. It is embedded in culture, carries hidden meanings, figurative language, tone and style. Hence, the loss of meaning is inevitable from the source text (ST) into the Target text (TT). One of the major challenges for a translator in literary texts is translating culture-specific items and finding their appropriate equivalents in the target text. Therefore, this study offers a critical analysis of the selected Kashmiri short stories translated into English by Neerja Mattoo. It examines the loss and gain of meaning at the cultural and social levels. The study explores the various strategies employed by the translator and various factors that influence the translator’s choices and decisions taken while translating culture-specific items into the target language. Finally, the analysis highlights the various strategies of the translator in translating culture-specific items which contributes to the broader discourse on translating culture-specific items.

Keywords
Literary textsculture-specific itemsequivalenceloss and gainstrategieschoices and decisions

Cite This Article — MLA 9th Edition

Ahmad Parray, Irshad. “Cultural Meaning and Social Identity: Translating Culture-specific Items in Selected Kashmiri Stories into English.” The Criterion: An International Journal in English, vol. 17, no. 5, Oct. 2026, pp. 616-35, https://doi.org/10.66376/criterion.v17.n5.34.

Article History
Received
29 Sep 2026
Revised
9 Oct 2026
Accepted
16 Oct 2026
Published Online
31 Oct 2026

Journal
The Criterion: An International Journal in English
Volume / Issue
Vol. 17, No. 5 (October 2026)
Pages
616–635
Article ID
2026V17N5108
ISSN
0976-8165

© 2026 The Author(s). Published by the Research Centre for English Language and Literature (RCELL) under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.

Open Access CC BY 4.0 Crossref DOI

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