Abstract
<jats:p>The study aims to identify both the factors driving centaurization (creation of portmanteaus, or “centaur words”) and its functions within the Russian cloud computing terminology system. The article analyzes the features of terminological formation in synchrony within the sphere of cloud computing, based on English and Russian sources. Special attention is paid to the problem of the lack of established terminological equivalents for multi-component English terms with abbreviated elements and the resulting centaurization during their rendition into Russian. The scientific novelty lies in the first comprehensive examination within domestic terminology studies of the mechanisms of centaurization in the Russian cloud computing terminology system. The article highlights the dual nature of this phenomenon: on the one hand, a facilitating effect in overcoming structural differences between languages in scientific and technical translation; on the other hand, an inhibiting effect that slows down the unification of Russian terminology at the level of the graphic code. The research results demonstrate that the formation of the Russian cloud computing terminology system is significantly dependent on English terminogenesis. The analysis established that centaurization is caused by the drive for linguistic economy, the need to overcome structural differences between the donor and recipient languages, and the diffusion of associative-verbal connections due to professional translingualism and the widespread use of native translation. The study concludes that although centaurization allows for the rapid bridging of structural linguistic differences, it simultaneously inhibits the formation of a unified terminology in the researched field.</jats:p>