Mekhitarist Translation Tradition and Soviet Linguistic Theory: A Retrospective Comparative Analysis

Abstract

This article analyzes the methodological interrelations between the translation tradition of the Mekhitarist Congregation and Soviet linguistic translation studies. The aim of the research is to reinterpret pre-Soviet Armenian philological thought on translation through the prism of the linguistic paradigm formed in the mid-twentieth century. The author argues that the intuitive solutions employed by the Mekhitarists, when examined through the conceptual apparatus of Soviet theory, can be described as a coherent and theoretically grounded system. The study traces parallels between key concepts of translation theory and the empirical observations of the Mekhitarists, bringing to light internal regularities of the translation process. Particular emphasis is placed on the fact that linguistic translation studies do not stand in opposition to the classical philological tradition; rather, they provide it with instruments for scientific verification and systematic conceptualization. This synthesis makes it possible to view translation as a dynamic transformation in which linguistic precision serves the full reproduction of the aesthetic and pragmatic information of the source text.