A Translation Project Report Of Introducing Metaphor (Chapter1-3)

This is a translation report on the first three chapters of the book Introducing Metaphor written by Murray Knowles and Rosamund Moon, the lecturers from the University of Birmingham. This is an introductory book about metaphor, which integrates a lot of metaphors from the daily life, and analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of each school. It has a high reference value for us to understand the general picture of metaphor.The nature of metaphor is not only a matter of language, but also a way of thinking. It is rooted in language, culture, society and other aspects. Therefore, when translating metaphors, we should convey not only the original images and allegorical meanings, but also reflects the national features and regional characteristics. This report is a kind of non-literary translation. Compared with literary translation, the translation of non-literary works requires more accuracy and has less tolerance for elasticity. It therefore the biggest challenge is to recreate all the linguistic theories in target language accurately and properly.The report analyzes the text from both macro and micro perspectives in the process of translation. First, the original texts are analyzed from the perspective of Nida’s social semiotics. Then the translating skills such as metonymy, explanation, conversion and voice changes are used in the translation.From the report, it is found that full preparations, including the background information of metaphor and the special meaning of a word in a certain field, must be made before translating. Besides, the translator should take the literary style into consideration, and precisely choose words and phrases.