LACK OF ORIGINALITY AND PLAGIARISM AS PRECONDITIONS OF UKRAINIAN BILINGUAL DICTIONARIES’ INFERIOR QUALITY (A Study of English-, French-, and Italian-Ukrainian Dictionaries)

Abstract

Introduction. The use of high-quality general and specialised dictionaries is indispensable for professional translators and other users to work effectively with foreign languages. A lack of such dictionaries affects the opportunities of cross-cultural communication and is an evidence of an inferior condition of national lexicography. The issues of the quality of Ukrainian bilingual dictionaries have been paid minor attention in scientific research. While they are used widely, no analysis has been carried out to justify whether such dictionaries are appropriate in terms of quality.
The purpose of the article is to analyse the lack of originality and use of plagiarism in English-, French-, and Italian-Ukrainian dictionaries, emphasising how these factors precondition the dictionaries’ inferior quality.
Methods. Secondary research was used for collecting necessary data. Comparative analysis allowed revealing the original sources from which Ukrainian dictionaries copy information. Translation analysis was performed to illustrate the dictionaries’ inferior quality. Deductive thinking was used to investigate the implications for translators and the public.
Results. The findings of the research testify that all major English-, French-, and Italian-Ukrainian dictionaries are based on the use of plagiarism and direct copying of information from Russian dictionaries. The authors resort to Russian-Ukrainian translation, often with the use of automated translation software, to present the results as authentic Ukrainian bilingual dictionaries. These academically dishonest practices result in the dictionaries’ systemically inferior quality: incorrect terminological translations, domination of Russian calques, and violation of orthographic standards. Both professional translators and the public are thus deprived of any opportunity to use high-quality and genuine Ukrainian bilingual dictionaries.
Conclusion. The most widely used English-, French-, and Italian-Ukrainian dictionaries are rooted in copying from Russian dictionaries, which is the main factor preconditioning their inferior quality. This approach testifies the poor condition of Ukrainian lexicography today and illustrates the relevance of the issue.