Literary and Cultural Enrichment in Soviet Armenia: Exploring Russian-Mediated Translation Traditions in the Soviet Era

Abstract

This paper seeks to underline the pivotal role the Russian language played in nurturing a rich educational and cultural atmosphere in Soviet Armenia. In fact, Russian greatly contributed to the shaping of the educational environment exerting immense influence on the academic progress and intellectual growth. It aims to provide insight into the translation traditions prevalent in the Soviet era where Russian assumed the crucial role of a cultural facilitator. In fact, it served as an intermediary language for not only Armenia, but also other Soviet republics making the large body of foreign literature accessible for Soviet readers. Yet, following the abolition of the Soviet regime, translation practices and methodologies experienced a sudden transformation guaranteeing the rapid transition from translations mediated by Russian to direct translation approaches. We believe this study will help shed light on the interplay of language and culture in the context of Armenian’s historic journey from the Soviet era to the present day.