earticle

영어

Translation of metaphor presents both practical and theoretical problems. Within translation
theory, metaphor has often been studied in terms of (un)translatability, which, in turn, has
been treated as part of general (un)translatability. This paper examines representative views
in this debate, which have been particularly vigorous in the journal Babel. The analysis
focuses on three main issues at stake : the classification of metaphor, categories and their
translatability, and the (un)translatability of metaphor. The analysis demonstrates that the
conceptions of translation and metaphor constitute the pivotal point of the debate.
Translation and metaphor have been understood as substitutive notions (A in place of B),
according to which translation represents substitution of one linguistic unit by another and
metaphor, a substitution of a literal meaning by a figurative meaning. A critical analysis of
this conception shows that this static framework view has limitations when describing the
dynamic processes of real language usage involving translation and metaphor.