
What are key differences between Ukrainian and English business terminology
Key differences between Ukrainian and English business terminology lie in stylistic features, language structure, and cultural usage.
Stylistic and Linguistic Differences
- Ukrainian business language tends to use more nominalization (turning verbs or adjectives into nouns), while English often employs doublets or binominal expressions (e.g., “terms and conditions”) more frequently.
- English business terminology often incorporates more business jargon based on metaphors, epithets, and figures of speech, which is less common in Ukrainian business language.
- English official-business discourse uses more foreign words and archaisms compared to Ukrainian, which tends to be more straightforward in vocabulary usage.
- Both languages share features of bureaucratic language, including impersonal and passive sentence constructions, but the stylistic expression differs due to cultural and linguistic traditions. 1, 2
Terminology Examples
- Ukrainian business vocabulary contains terms such as “баланс” (balance sheet), “прибуток” (profit), “керівник” (manager), and “переговори” (negotiations), which closely correspond to English terms but differ in language roots and sometimes in nuanced usage.
- English business terminology often includes terms like “budget,” “business model,” “contract,” “negotiation,” and “outsourcing,” with corresponding Ukrainian terms but different expressions and occasional conceptual variations. 3, 4
Cultural and Practical Implications
- English business language sometimes uses more idiomatic and metaphorical jargon, reflecting a different cultural approach to business communication compared to the more direct and formal Ukrainian style.
- Ukrainian business terms frequently exhibit a stronger link to Slavic linguistic morphology and legal traditions, influencing how concepts are named and formalized in business documents. 4, 1, 3
In summary, Ukrainian business terminology is more nominalization-heavy and formal, less reliant on metaphors and foreign words, and shaped by Slavic linguistic features, whereas English business terminology is richer in idiomatic expressions, archaisms, and stylistic doublets, reflecting Anglophone business culture and linguistic traditions. Both share common bureaucratic traits but differ notably in stylistic devices and cultural expressions.
References
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Stylistic features of English and Ukrainian official-business …
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Translation of spoken English business jargon into Ukrainian
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Syntactic peculiarities of English and Ukrainian legal terms
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27 Vinnikova L. V. The East-Ukrainian National Dahl University, …
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