Translating English Polysemous Words: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

English polysemous words usually have semantically related meanings that are based on a central conceptual basis. Their translation is particularly challenging due to their semantic complexity, context dependency and cross-linguistic structural and cultural divergence. However, systematic research on this topic remains limited, particularly in resolving cross-linguistic ambiguity. The aim of this study is to investigate the main challenges in translating English polysemous words between different language pairs and to explore the strategies used by translators to resolve ambiguity. A systematic review of 397 publications indexed in the Scopus and Web of Science databases (as of 31 May 2025) was conducted, with 16 studies selected using the PRISMA framework. The findings show that: (1) translation challenges arise mainly from the interactions between linguistic structures and cultural semantics, especially in legal and medical contexts; (2) translators employ combined strategies such as contextual inference, semantic refinement, synonymous substitution, cultural adjustment, and technological assistance; (3) existing classification frameworks are often inadequate in practise and need to be adapted to specific genres and cultural contexts; (4) strategies are evolving towards integrated, context-sensitive and technology-driven models; (5) relevant research is increasingly interdisciplinary and incorporates insights from linguistics, computational linguistics and cognitive science. This review advances the understanding of English polysemous word translation and provides theoretical and practical insights for researchers and practitioners.