TRANSLATION OF POETIC METAPHORS IN THE ASPECT OF TEACHING RUSSIAN TO BILINGUALS

In the article the problem of translation of metaphorical means of expression in a poetic text in the aspect of teaching Russian-Greek bilinguals the Russian language is considered. Since metaphor as one of the main means of verbal figurativeness is based on the conceptual language system and is a way of reality structuring for the speakers of a particular ethnic culture, the issues of its understanding and interpretation in a bilingual audience are of particular importance. The study confirms the culturally specific content of S. Yesenin’s poetic metaphor. In order to alleviate the difficulties associated with the interpretation of Yesenin’s metaphors by Russian-Greek bilinguals in the Russian language lessons, the paper proposes to involve not only the original poetic texts, but also their translations into Greek, which is the dominant language for bilinguals living in Cyprus. A comparative analysis of the original and translated into Greek metaphors not only contributes to the development of the metaphorical competence of bilinguals, but also provides a deeper understanding of the national and cultural concepts underlying the metaphorical images. Comparison of translations and translation strategies develops the cognitive and speech-creative activity of students, teaches them to see “losses” in translation and find their causes. The article gives an example of a step-by-step work with poetic translations in a bilingual audience and substantiates the application of this methodology.