On the Translation of Metaphor: Notions and Pedagogical Implications

Abstract

This paper investigates the main distinctions between two main figures of speech, namely, metaphor and simile, with a view to pointing out the relevance of these distinctions to the translation decision involving the rendering of a source language (SL) metaphor into a target language (TL). Prior to the distinctions, the study examines the relationship of similarity between the two parts of a metaphor, the so-called 'object ' and 'image ', and clarifies a number of facts and misconceptions about it. In light of these discussions, the study attempts to view critically a set of translation procedures proposed by some theorists as alternative solutions to translation problems posed by metaphors that do not lend themselves easily to translation. It is concluded that the proposal in question falls short of achieving the desired result: it gives student translators the false impression that anyone of the alternatives suggested is as good a translation procedure of a given metaphor as any other..