A Study Of Metaphor Interpretation Strategies From The Perspective Of Basic Text Types Of Reiss

Metaphor is a figure of speech commonly used in the Chinese language. It helps to convey speakers' messages more clearly and vividly for the better understanding of the audience. Metaphor usually comes with humorous or informal expressions, many of which lack immediate equivalence in English. Additionally, metaphor often has rich cultural origins or have relations with certain specialist knowledge, thus testing interpreters on their language proficiency and background information.This research includes an experiment on student interpreters, who were asked to sit a C-E consecutive interpretation test. This research explores the techniques and strategies employed by student interviewees, and tries to analyze the effects achieved. The aim is to shed light on effective strategies that could be applied to metaphor interpretation in general. Moreover, the research uncovers major difficulties young interpreters encounter when dealing with sentences with metaphors.The theoretical foundation of this research is one that is of Skopos origin. Interpreters will be judged based on their effectiveness in conveying messages clearly and accurately. The research considers omission of insignificant information acceptable, if not entirely desirable, as long as the interpreter manages to drive home the key message carried by the metaphor. It is found that the three most-used strategies are direct interpretation, interpreting the underlying message while forgoing the vehicle, and enhancing logic links. The biggest obstacles young interpreters face lie in understanding (how the tenor and vehicle are related), vocabulary and expression.