LEXICO-SEMANTIC FEATURES AND TRANSLATION OF U.S. NAVY RANK TITLES IN THE NATO OF/OR FRAMEWORK: ENGLISH, POLISH AND UKRAINIAN

Abstract

The article examines the lexico-semantic structure and translation of U.S. Navy rank titles within the NATO OF/OR framework into Polish and Ukrainian. The study is motivated by the growing importance of naval interoperability, defence terminology standardisation, and precise multilingual communication in NATO-related contexts. In contemporary multinational military cooperation, rank terminology functions not only as a lexical category but also as an operational instrument that ensures clarity of hierarchy, authority, and institutional role. The research demonstrates that NATO rank codes facilitate cross-national comparison, yet they do not eliminate semantic asymmetry between national rank systems, since these systems remain embedded in distinct military traditions, legal frameworks, and historical naming conventions. The article analyses the semantic composition of English naval rank titles, paying particular attention to their hierarchical, functional, and institutional components. English titles often contain explicit markers of rank progression and authority, such as petty officer, chief, senior chief, commander, and admiral, whose meanings are not always directly transferable into other languages. Through comparative analysis, the study reveals that Polish and Ukrainian equivalents display different degrees of terminological correspondence. Polish tends to preserve nationally institutionalised naval titles rooted in its own military tradition, whereas Ukrainian translation frequently relies on functional equivalence, contextual specification, or descriptive rendering in order to bridge structural gaps between systems. Special emphasis is placed on intermediate and senior enlisted ranks, where the internal U.S. grading model does not fully correspond to either Polish or Ukrainian naval hierarchies. This creates challenges of partial equivalence, requiring translators to consider not only lexical form but also institutional status, NATO code, and communicative purpose. The study argues that translation of naval ranks should be based on a combined analysis of semantic structure, comparative hierarchy, and target-language military norms rather than on literal lexical similarity. The findings confirm that the dominant translation strategies are functional equivalence, descriptive rendering, contextual specification, and terminological substitution. The article proposes a three-level model of professional translation that preserves the original English title, supplements it with the NATO OF/OR code, and provides a target-language equivalent or explanatory note when necessary. The research highlights that accurate rendering of military terminology is essential for ensuring interoperability within multinational defence structures, avoiding misinterpretation in operational communication, and supporting effective academic and institutional discourse in the field of military linguistics.