Image-G Actualization In Metaphor Translation

Based on the translation of “Peaches”,a short story by the Irish writer John Mc Gahern,and the analysis of the metaphors in the story,this thesis blends the different metaphors by gestalt transformation and discusses how to actualize the image-gestalt throughout the translation process and what options the translator has in terms of translation strategies.The shift in the studies of metaphors from the perspective of rhetoric to that of cognitive linguistics has offered a new approach to the translation of metaphors which requires translators to not only deal with the transformation of linguistic components or symbols in rhetoric,but also to dissect the psychological mechanism behind the metaphors and equip themselves with a thorough understanding of the cultural background and high-level cognitive abilities.Since metaphors are an integral part of the work,identifying and understanding the metaphors in the original and reproducing them in the target text is critical to the quality of the translation.Since a story is an artistic whole,the analysis of some single metaphor in the text does not suffice to interpret a whole image of characters.Due to the idea of integrity emphasized in gestalt psychology,the translator can see characters and their relationships as a whole by blending different metaphors,with the introduction of gestalt to literary translation when the artistic imagery is the main object to be delivered.Readers of the target language may be able to share the same aesthetic experience with source-text readers by an integrated re-creation of the characters in the translated text.For this reason,the translator needs to grasp the mapping of different metaphorical objects for the same character,render the metaphors into the target text guided by gestalt laws,i.e.the principles of integrity,closure,and heterogeneous isomorphism,and opt for effective methods to actualize the gestalt imagery in specific cognitive situations.Moreover,besides the analysis and conveyance of metaphors,the translator should not neglect non-metaphorical elements because the transmission of the characters' actions,speeches and mental activities are also influenced by the gestalt imagery.