Figures of Fashion : A study on the translatability of metaphorical language in fashion

Abstract: This study is an analysis of the translation of metaphorical language in three journalistic fashion features from English to Swedish. The aim is to analyse what different translation procedures can be applied when translating metaphorical language. A few words and expressions were chosen and categorised as either dead, cliché, stock, recent or original metaphors. In order to translate them to the target language, different theories (e.g. Newmark 1988, Nida 1969, Ingo 2007) were considered and consequently applied in the translation process. Is a metaphor best translated with another metaphor or with a non-metaphorical word or expression? This was the major question for the translator throughout this analysis. After translating the source text to the target language, the different translation procedures were summarised and discussed. How do the choices made by the translator correspond with Newmark’s, Nida’s and Ingo’s theories? The study showed that the translator cannot rely solely on theories in order to translate metaphors. This is due to the fact that, even if the preferred translation procedure is to translate a metaphor with the same metaphor in the target language that is not always possible. Factors such as the translator’s personal associations, assumptions and knowledge of the subject are of major importance. Also, the context proved to be of major importance in the translation process of metaphorical language.