This article examines compensation as a key translation strategy for achieving adequacy in rendering of substandard lexis. Substandard lexical units — such as dialectisms, slang, jargon, argot, and vulgarisms — are socially and culturally marked elements that pose significant challenges in translation due to their stylistic, pragmatic, and expressive functions. Drawing on classical and contemporary theories of translation by Ya. I. Retsker, A. V. Fedorov, V. N. Komissarov, A. D. Shveitser, and others, the study analyzes the relationship between the notions of equivalence and adequacy and argues for the particular relevance of adequacy when translating stylistically downgraded language. Special attention is given to compensation technique as a means of reproducing semantic, pragmatic, and stylistic effects that are inevitably lost in direct translation. The article proposes an expanded classification of compensation, distinguishing between contact and distant compensation, as well as introducing the concepts of horizontal and vertical compensation. It is argued that compensation plays a crucial role in preserving the overall stylistic colouring and communicative impact of texts saturated with substandard lexis, thereby contributing to translation adequacy at the level of the text as a whole.

Substandard lexis, translation adequacy, equivalence

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