Problems of transliteration and translation of Kazakh geographical names

Abstract

The article addresses the challenges associated with standardizing and unifying the spel­ling of toponyms in Kazakhstan. The authors conduct an analysis of the linguistic varia­bility of toponyms, exploring methods for their transcription into Kazakh, Russian, and Eng­lish languages. The study's findings reveal that a majority of the country's geographical names un­dergo various modifications. The authors identify and scrutinize several types of transfor­ma­tions, including transliteration, phonetic adjustments, morphological changes, lexical trans­formations, reduction (pollination), translation or calquing, reinterpretation, and rena­ming (denomination). The study establishes that these modifications adhere to general lan­guage laws and are influenced by differences in the typological characteristics of Turkic and Slavic languages. The article argues that the intensification of toponym renaming pro­cesses necessitates coordination and control by state administration bodies. This involves sys­tematic organization and standardization of geographical names. The issue of standardizing geo­graphical names in Kazakhstan is particularly pertinent, especially amid ongoing discus­sions about the country's potential shift to the Latin script.