Abstract. The article addresses problems of translating Russian nouns which denote forms

of impositive communication. The theme of social tensions and struggle for position within

the changing social hierarchy is central to M. Bulgakov’s works; the correct rendition of

the communicative pressure exerted by his characters on each other is therefore indispensable to translation adequacy. The study explores strategies employed by translators when conveying the axiological and cultural components of several Russian nouns denoting various forms of communicative imposition (внушение, замечание, просьба, совет, развязность). The paper discusses some of the challenges experienced by translators seeking to “replant” Bulgakov’s texts into the Anglophone culture which attaches great value to communicative non-imposition.

Keywords: imposition, communicative behaviour, noun phrases, literary translation