Oscar Wilde’s Prose in Ukrainian and Polish Translations: Methodological Aspects

Abstract

The article aims to substantiate and design a methodological model for studying the prose of Oscar Wilde in senior high school (10th grade) based on a comparative translation studies analysis (contrasting the English original with Ukrainian and Polish translations), as well as to highlight the practical implementation of this system during the pedagogical internship of future philology teachers. The research utilizes a systematic analysis of pedagogical and translation literature, comparative-typological (contrastive) methods for analyzing texts (the original and its translations) within a polylingual triangle (English – Ukrainian – Polish), and empirical methods, including pedagogical observation and self-reflection of teaching experience. The study identifies key linguistic and stylistic challenges in translating Wilde’s prose (paradoxes, aestheticized descriptions, olfactory and color epithets) that complicate student reception. An innovative “translation laboratory” methodological model is proposed, centered on comparative tasks, digital tools, and AI integration, where students act as “co-translators” and researchers. Specific practical cases are analyzed: Lord Henry’s philosophical paradoxes and the sensory-rich aesthetic descriptions in The Picture of Dorian Gray, comparing solutions by R. Dotsenko, M. Feldmanowa, and AI models. Practical testing demonstrated increased student motivation, overcoming “semantic deafness” and fostering critical thinking and polycultural literacy. Integrating Polish translation practices bridges the gap between academic comparative studies and secondary education, serving interdisciplinary goals under the New Ukrainian School framework. The proposed approach combines analytical, interpretive, and creative stages of work: students first identify translation transformations and semantic or stylistic shifts, then compare their effects on the reception of the literary text and formulate their own interpretive conclusions. This organization of learning activities supports the development of translation awareness and the ability to read literary texts critically across languages and cultures.