This article analyzes the scientific-theoretical evolution of the concept of translation transformation on the basis of a periodized classification. The article compares two distinct scholarly traditions that have shaped how changes occurring in the translation process are designated in Western and Eastern schools of translation studies: in the English linguistic tradition, the term “translation shift” (R. Jakobson, J.-P. Vinay and J. Darbelnet, J. Catford), and in the translation studies of the former USSR and CIS countries, the concepts examined under the term “transformation” (A. Fedorov, Ya. Retsker, L. Barkhudarov, V. Komissarov, A. Shveytser). Using descriptive and historical-comparative research methods, common and distinctive features of the transformation systems proposed in different periods were identified, along with overlapping and non-repeating, novel scientific approaches found across different linguistic traditions. The article provides a detailed analysis of R. Jakobsonʼs three-part classification of translation (intralingual, interlingual, and intersemiotic), Vinay and Darbelnetʼs seven-element model (borrowing, calque, literal translation, transposition, modulation, equivalence, adaptation), and J. Catfordʼs classification of level shifts and category shifts. As a result of the study, the stages in the development of translation theory have been further clarified, and reliable types of translation transformations that can be applied to ensure high-quality translation in practice have been presented. Furthermore, the article highlights the process of formation and development of this issue in Uzbek translation studies as an independent object of research, which makes it possible to show the place of the national school of translation studies within the international theoretical landscape.